Biography of Arthur Sullivan
Operetta Master, Musical Partner of Playwright William Gilbert
Biography of British composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, the Gilbert & Sullivan collaboration and their "Savoy Operas."
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan, English composer of the 19th century, is best known for the series of sparkling and witty comic operettas he wrote in collaboration with librettist Sir William Gilbert. The humorous The Mikado is their most popular.
Aside from The Mikado, other popular Gilbert and Sullivan operettas include HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, Patience, Iolanthe, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The Gondoliers. Together, they produced 13 operettas.
Sullivan was born in London, May 13, 1842. The son of a bandmaster, he was properly trained in the German tradition, won the first Mendelssohn Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London and studied further at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he met Liszt and Grieg, before returning to England as a church organist. He became a professor of Composition at the Royal Academy.
Prior to his partnership with Gilbert, Sullivan was already composing sacred music, with “Onward, Christian Soldiers” probably the best known. He also composed serious instrumental music and concert works. Although his compositions were overshadowed by the 19th-century composers like Brahms, Mendelssohn and Schumann, his works were still attractive and crafted professionally.
Sullivan much wanted to succeed as a composer of serious music, the oratorio, in particular, but it's his operettas with Gilbert that is well remembered and kept alive. His operatic works, for example, the opera Ivanhoe in 1890, he valued highly.
His career focus and direction changed from a significant meeting (in 1871) with playwright William Gilbert. The changes also brought Gilbert and Sullivan fame and prominence. Together they produced successful operettas known as "Savoy Operas" usually performed at the Savoy Theatre in London's Strand.
His partnership with Gilbert broke down in 1896. He died 4 years later, in November 22, 1900, following a heart attack.
Although to this day The Mikado is a universal favourite, it is worth noting that H.M.S. Pinafore which opened in London (May 1878) run for 700 consecutive performances. From historical context their light opera paved way to the development of the stage and screen musical age. Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1883.
Quoted from Queen Victoria (1819-1901):
"You ought to write a grand opera, Sir Arthur, you would do it so well."
Sullivan's Major Works
- The Sorcerer, 1877
- HMS Pinafore, 1878
- The Pirates of Penzance, 1879
- Patience, 1881
- Iolanthe, 1882
- Princess Ida, 1884
- The Mikado, 1885
- The Yeomen of the Guard, 1888
- The Gondoliers, 1889
Sources:
The Grove Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan (1994).
The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham, OUP (2002).
