William Hogarth: The Enrag'd Musician (1741)

Thus is one of my favouritest engravings by one of my favouritest artists. The enraged musician , who covers his ears with a look of indignation, is Thomas Arne, of 'Rule Britannia' fame. The apparently old hag on the left is actually a youngish woman, and her baby is swaddled like an Egyptian mummy. She holds the score that the oboist is playing from. The woman's son is piddling against Arne's fence, while the little girl squats suspiciously. Methinks that Hogarth wasn't none too keen on Arne. The motley bunch of musical ragamuffins is delivering 'rough music' to Dr Arne. It's as if Hogarth's musicians are giving Arne a taste of his own medicine.
I like Arne's music. The video is a performance of his song 'When Isicles Hang On The Wall'. The performers are my harpsichord teacher's ensemble, Passacaglia.