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Gilbert and Sullivan | HearLore
Gilbert and Sullivan
W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were not merely collaborators; they were the architects of a theatrical revolution that transformed the English stage from a place of bawdy burlesque into a venue of sophisticated satire and enduring musical art. Born in London, Gilbert on the 18th of November 1836 and Sullivan on the 13th of May 1842, the two men brought vastly different backgrounds to their partnership. Gilbert, the son of a naval surgeon who later wrote novels, developed a unique writing style known as topsy-turvy, where ridiculous premises were followed to their logical, often absurd, conclusions. He began his career writing illustrated poems and stories called Bab Ballads, which laid the groundwork for his later libretti. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, was a prodigy who mastered every instrument in his father's military band by the age of eight. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and in Leipzig, earning a Mendelssohn Scholarship and composing a suite of incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest that became an immediate sensation at the Crystal Palace in 1862. Despite his early success with serious works like symphonies and concertos, Sullivan struggled to make a living and worked as a church organist, composing hymns and parlour ballads to survive. Their paths crossed in 1870 at a rehearsal for Ages Ago, where the composer Frederic Clay introduced them, setting the stage for a collaboration that would produce fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896.
The Birth Of A Legend
The first true spark of the partnership ignited with Thespis, a Christmas entertainment produced at the Gaiety Theatre in 1871. This piece was an extravaganza featuring elderly Greek gods replaced by a troupe of actors, blending political satire with grand opera parody. Although it ran for 63 performances and outlasted five of its nine competitors for the holiday season, the musical score was never published and is now lost, save for one song reused in The Pirates of Penzance. The partnership truly found its footing with Trial by Jury in 1875, a short opera commissioned by producer Richard D'Oyly Carte to serve as an afterpiece to Offenbach's La Périchole. Based on Gilbert's brief experience as a barrister, the opera spoofed the legal profession with a breach of promise suit that ended with the judge marrying the plaintiff. The production was a runaway hit, featuring Fred Sullivan, Arthur's brother, as the Learned Judge, a role that became the prototype for the patter baritone characters in future operas. This success led to The Sorcerer in 1877, which ran for over six months and established the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. The company was formed after a financial dispute with former investors, and it cemented a new production system where Gilbert and Sullivan created roles for ensemble casts rather than hiring individual stars. This approach allowed relatively unknown performers like George Grossmith and Jessie Bond to become the defining voices of the Victorian stage.
Common questions
When was W. S. Gilbert born and when was Arthur Sullivan born?
W. S. Gilbert was born on the 18th of November 1836 and Arthur Sullivan was born on the 13th of May 1842. Both men were born in London and brought vastly different backgrounds to their theatrical partnership.
What year did the partnership between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan begin and how many comic operas did they produce?
The partnership between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan began in 1870 and produced fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896. Their first true spark of collaboration was Thespis, which was produced at the Gaiety Theatre in 1871.
Which opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan is the most frequently performed Savoy Opera?
The Mikado is the most frequently performed Savoy Opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. It opened in 1885 and ran for 672 performances at the Savoy Theatre.
When did the working relationship between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan end and what caused the split?
The working relationship between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan ended in 1890 due to a disagreement over the expenses of a new carpet for the Savoy Theatre lobby. The conflict escalated when Arthur Sullivan supported Richard D'Oyly Carte in a legal dispute, leading to a final break in 1898.
When did W. S. Gilbert die and when did Arthur Sullivan die?
Arthur Sullivan died in 1900 and W. S. Gilbert died in 1911. Gilbert was knighted during the first repertory season of the Savoy Theatre in 1906 and assisted Mrs. Carte in staging two repertory seasons between 1906 and 1909.
The partnership reached its zenith with the opening of the Savoy Theatre in 1881, the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electric lighting. This modern venue became the permanent home for their works, known collectively as the Savoy Operas. Patience, which premiered there, satirized the aesthetic movement and the colorful poets of the era, including figures like Oscar Wilde and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The opera ran for 578 performances, surpassing the run of H.M.S. Pinafore, and established a tradition of high production values. Iolanthe followed in 1882, utilizing the electric lighting to create sparkling magic wands for the fairy chorus and poking fun at the House of Lords and English law. It was during the run of Iolanthe that Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1883, an honor bestowed for his services to serious music rather than his comic operas. This knighthood created a paradox, as the musical establishment believed a knight should not stoop to comic opera, yet Sullivan continued to write for the Savoy. The partnership also embraced new technology, with Gilbert installing a telephone in his home and at the Savoy Theatre to monitor performances from his study, a move that led to the first live broadcast of an opera in 1883 when guests heard a direct relay of Iolanthe from the theatre.
The Mikado And The Masterpiece
The most successful of all the Savoy Operas was The Mikado, which opened in 1885 and ran for 672 performances at the Savoy Theatre. Set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu, the opera used an exotic locale to satirize British bureaucracy and politics without directly offending the public. The story followed Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor promoted to Lord High Executioner, who must find a victim for execution to save his own life when the Mikado was due to visit. The opera's success was so profound that it remains the most frequently performed Savoy Opera, translated into numerous languages and recognized as one of the most played musical theatre pieces in history. The choice of setting was influenced by the opening of trade between England and Japan and the popularity of Japanese art and styles in London. Gilbert explained that the Japanese setting afforded scope for picturesque treatment and allowed him to critique English institutions more freely. The opera featured a cast of memorable characters, including the vain Pooh-Bah, who held multiple offices, and the love triangle between Ko-Ko, Yum-Yum, and the musician who was actually the son of the Mikado. The work's enduring popularity was cemented by its clever integration of satire and music, creating a timeless piece that continues to be performed globally.
The Great Quarrel
Despite their immense success, the working relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan eventually became strained, leading to a dramatic split in 1890. The conflict arose from a disagreement over the expenses of a production, specifically the cost of a new carpet for the Savoy Theatre lobby, which Gilbert believed should be charged to the theatre owner, Richard D'Oyly Carte, rather than the partnership. Gilbert confronted Carte, who refused to reconsider the accounts, leading Gilbert to storm out and write to Sullivan that he was ending their collaboration. The situation escalated when Sullivan supported Carte by making an affidavit that Gilbert later discovered contained errors regarding legal expenses from a previous lawsuit. Gilbert felt this was a moral issue and could not look past it, while Sullivan believed Gilbert was questioning his good faith. The partnership was so profitable that Carte and his wife sought to reunite the author and composer, and a mediator named Tom Chappell successfully brought them back together within two weeks. This reconciliation led to two further collaborations, Utopia, Limited and The Grand Duke, but the underlying tensions remained. The final break occurred in 1898, when Gilbert was denied entry to a performance of Sullivan's opera The Beauty Stone, an incident that marked the end of their personal relationship, though they did not speak to each other at the 21st anniversary of The Sorcerer in 1898.
The Final Bow
After The Grand Duke closed in 1896, the partners saw no reason to work together again, and their final years were marked by separate endeavors and a lingering sense of loss. Sullivan continued to write comic operas for the Savoy with other librettists, most successfully with Basil Hood in The Rose of Persia, while Gilbert wrote several works with other collaborators. Sullivan died in 1900, and Gilbert wrote that any memory of their rift had been completely bridged over, stating that Sullivan was a composer of rare genius who had allowed his genius to shed some of its lustre upon Gilbert's humble name. Gilbert was knighted during the first repertory season of the Savoy Theatre in 1906, and he assisted Mrs. Carte in staging two repertory seasons between 1906 and 1909, which revived interest in the works. Gilbert died in 1911, and his final comic opera, Fallen Fairies, was not a success. The legacy of the partnership was carried forward by Richard D'Oyly Carte's son, Rupert, who took over the opera company and ensured that the works continued to be performed. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company toured nearly year-round, performing exclusively the Gilbert and Sullivan operas until it closed in 1982, giving well over 35,000 performances during the 20th century.
Enduring Legacy
The influence of Gilbert and Sullivan extends far beyond the stage, permeating popular culture, literature, and political discourse for nearly 150 years. Lines and quotations from their operas have become part of the English language, such as short, sharp shock and let the punishment fit the crime, and have been quoted in legal rulings by the United States Supreme Court. The operas have influenced political style and discourse, literature, film, and television, and have been widely parodied by humorists like Tom Lehrer and Allan Sherman. The American and British musical owes a tremendous debt to G&S, who were admired and copied by early musical theatre authors and composers such as Ivan Caryll, P. G. Wodehouse, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The works have been recorded and broadcast extensively, with the first commercial recordings of individual numbers beginning in 1898 and the first album of a complete opera, The Mikado, produced in 1917. The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, held every August in England since 1994, continues to celebrate the works with numerous professional and amateur productions. The operas have also influenced the development of amateur theatre, with the National Operatic and Dramatic Association reporting that nearly 200 British troupes were performing Gilbert and Sullivan in 1914, constituting most of the amateur companies in the country. The enduring success of the partnership is a testament to the unique blend of charm, silliness, and gentle satire that has made their works immune to fashion and timeless in their appeal.