The son of a certain Thomas Arnold and, reputedly, of Princess Amelia Sophia (a pupil of Handel), Samuel Arnold was taught in London by a pupil of the composer Blow. He made an early reputation as an organist and from 1764 onwards was actively involved in the London theatre both as a keyboard player and as a composer. He was also able to take on the position of organist and composer to the Chapel Royal from 1783, and 10 years later of organist at Westminster Abbey. In 1795 he appeared with Haydn in the concerts staged by Salomon.

Stage Works
Arnold wrote a very large quantity of music for the theatre, including pasticcios, ballad operas and English comic operas. His incidental music includes derivative contributions to performances of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, staged at the Haymarket Theatre in 1778. Polly, a sequel to Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, finds the heroine in the West Indies. It is introduced by an overture that makes use of tunes from the earlier work. Arnold’s three-movement Overtures, Op. 8 were written for the entertainment of visitors to Marylebone Gardens.