Macklin and Song

This chapter considers Macklin’s relationship to song by considering the role that song plays in several of Macklin’s most successful theatrical productions. Beginning with the songs that Thomas Arne wrote for Macklin’s Merchant of Venice, the chapter argues that song was a powerful conduit for affect that forged complicated alliances between author, actor, character and audience. The chapter also considers the association between drinking and singing in theatrical representation. It examines the legacies of the songs that Macklin included in Love à la Mode, showing how the songs moved from the theatre to wider areas of cultural production, and suggesting that song forged in the London theatre, played an important role in the development of national song traditions.