Portal:Gilbert and Sullivan

Topics

Culture

Geography

Health

History

Mathematics

Nature

People

Philosophy

Religion

Society

Technology

---

W. S. Gilbert

Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900). Together, they wrote fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado are among the best known. Gilbert, who wrote the words, created fanciful "topsy-turvy" worlds for these operas, where each absurdity is taken to its logical conclusion—fairies rub elbows with British lords, flirting is a capital offence, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy, and pirates turn out to be noblemen who have gone wrong. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, composed the music, contributing memorable melodies that could convey both humour and pathos. Producer Richard D'Oyly Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and nurtured their collaboration. He built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works—which came to be known as the Savoy Operas—and he founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed and promoted their works for over a century. The Gilbert and Sullivan operas have enjoyed broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout the English-speaking world. The collaboration introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre through the 20th century. The operas have also influenced political discourse, literature, film and television and have been widely parodied and pastiched by humorists.

More about Gilbert and Sullivan...

The Absent-Minded Beggar is an 1899 poem by Rudyard Kipling, famously set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan. The song was written as part of an appeal by the Daily Mail to raise money for soldiers fighting in the South African War (sometimes known as the Boer War) and their families. The chorus of the song exhorted its audience to "pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay— pay— pay!" The patriotic poem and song caused a sensation and was constantly performed throughout the war and beyond. Vast numbers of copies of the poem and sheet music were published, and large quantities of merchandise were sold to aid the charity.

The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu, is a comic opera in two acts, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on March 14, 1885, in London, where it ran at the Savoy Theatre for 672 performances, which was the second longest run for any work of musical theatre and one of the longest runs of any theatre piece up to that time.

More anniversaries...

Isidore Godfrey (27 September 1900 – 12 September 1977) was musical director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for 39 years, from 1929 to 1968. He conducted most of the company's performances during that period, except for a few London seasons when Malcolm Sargent was guest conductor and brief periods in the summers of 1947 and 1948 when Boyd Neel filled in as guest conductor. Godfrey led the company in numerous tours, both domestic and foreign, during his tenure, and he conducted most of the company's recordings over that long period.

• After-dinner speech by Arthur Sullivan at the Little Menlo, London
  A very early wax cylinder recording (October 5, 1888) of Arthur Sullivan recording an audio letter to be sent back to Thomas Alva Edison at a phonograph party hosted by Edison's London representative, George Gouraud.

Creatures of Impulse

• ... that the New York Times wrote that W. S. Gilbert's play Creatures of Impulse (pictured) was a "burletta of the stamp that was in vogue a hundred years ago, resembling Midas"?
• ... that Robert the Devil, an operatic parody by W. S. Gilbert of Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable, ends with the devil being punished by becoming part of the exhibit at Madame Tussaud's?

► Gilbert and Sullivan

no subcategories

Parent project

Opera

Main project

Gilbert and Sullivan

Related projects

Theatre • Musical Theatre

What are WikiProjects?

Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert and Sullivan topics

The Triumvirate: W. S. Gilbert • Arthur Sullivan • Richard D'Oyly Carte

The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: Thespis • Trial by Jury • The Sorcerer •H.M.S. Pinafore • The Pirates of Penzance • Patience • Iolanthe • Princess Ida • The Mikado • Ruddigore • The Yeomen of the Guard • The Gondoliers • Utopia, Limited • The Grand Duke

Other Works, People and Related Matters: Other Works by W. S. Gilbert • Other Operas by Arthur Sullivan • Other Music by Arthur Sullivan • Savoy opera • People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan • Gilbert and Sullivan performers • D'Oyly Carte Opera Company • Helen Carte • Rupert D'Oyly Carte • Bridget D'Oyly Carte • Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan • International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

Featured articles

2

Good articles

2

Template:/box-footer

Add {{Portal|Gilbert and Sullivan}} to the See also section of Gilbert and Sullivan-related articles. Join WikiProject Gilbert and Sullivan and list yourself as a Participant in the project. Cleanup: A cleanup listing for this project is available, updated by WolterBot. More information... Requested articles: Somerset Opera, Grim's Dyke Opera, Cotswold Savoyards Stubs: Stub-Class Gilbert and Sullivan articles A list of articles needing immediate attention is available.

Comedy	Theatre	Musical Theatre	Opera

• What are portals?
• List of portals
• Featured portals