Bow Thy Head to Destiny . . .!
The miniature masterpiece, Trial
by Jury, cobbled together in less than three weeks, with its clever story and
range of Handelian, Italian, and Tink-a-Tank music, ran for nearly two years,
with Arthur's brother Fred in the part of the Learned Judge. Suddenly, tragedy
struck. His beloved Fred (aged 39) died, bringing 'Trial' to an abrupt halt, and
inspiring one of Arthur's most beautiful songs 'The Lost
Chord'.
Were I Thy Bride . . .!
After
several inconclusive romances Arthur befriended Mrs
Ronalds, a famous and beautiful
American singer, who remained a constant companion throughout his life. William
S Gilbert, although known for having an eye for the ladies, was undoubtedly faithful
to Kitty and their marriage. Arthur Sullivan never married but was loved and in turn loved many
women till the day he died.
Replying We Sing As - One
Individual . . .!
The
resilient Sullivan quickly returned to composing his mixture of happy tunes, to
match Gilbert's fascinating characters. Their
next show The Sorcerer broke new ground and founded a completely new style of
acting. Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte didn't cast established 'stars' in their
shows, but chose their own actors; one of the most famous was George
Grossmith. The following year they produced HMS
Pinafore which took the whole English speaking world by storm. It faltered to
begin with - extremely hot weather kept audiences away from stuffy theatres.
Sullivan, however, played a 'Pinafore' selection at the Summer Proms, and the
crowds poured in. Shortly afterwards Carte formed a new company with Sullivan
and Gilbert as shareholders on very firm contracts!
Away We Go To a Balmy Isle . . .!
The Pirates of
Penzance,
their next show, uniquely received its premier in America (home
to new brands of music). Sullivan forgot to
take his half completed score with him, and had to compose it again from scratch! He
slaved furiously throughout Christmas, finishing it the day before dress
rehearsal. The overture was completed at 5am on the morning of the show! By this
time his Kidney complaint was beginning to trouble him considerably. However, the
shows were successes beyond their wildest dreams - their lot was indeed a happy
one!
Let All Your Doubts Take Wing . .
.!
By now our intrepid trio
were truly wandering minstrels. Sullivan was a Social Lamb, Gilbert a Social
Tiger. Next Gilbert, with a vitriolic pen nib, wrote Patience, a satire on
the aesthetic craze, with Oscar Wilde and James Whistler the butts of his wit.
Sullivan, with a pen full of honey, composed its music. It broke new ground in
costumes and scenery, had one of the longest runs of the Savoy Operas, and was
the first G&S show staged at the revolutionary new Savoy Theatre, which
pioneered the use of the new (and mistrusted) electric light.
Tantantara! Tzing! Boom! . . .!
Their
next opera, Iolanthe composed by the newly knighted Sir Arthur Sullivan, was
the first to have its glittering premier at 'The Savoy', tiaras and jewellery
sparkling in the (by now revered) electric lights. Records throw light on Gilbert's writing
methods. The operas were the product of painstaking writing, correcting, testing
and re-writing. Iolanthe was the product of at least four re-writings. On the
other hand Sullivan wrote a marathon session of five songs in one night,
including the famous 'When Britain Really Ruled the Waves'. It also hailed their
first major quarrel.
Take Any Heart - Take Mine . . .!
'Princess
Ida' followed, based on Alfred
Lord Tennyson's poem The Princess. Princess Ida parodied the Women's Suffrage Movement and Charles Darwin's
'Origin of Species'. An anecdote told about Gilbert during this period goes:
When reading about ladies who padlocked themselves to the Prime Minister's
shouting 'Votes for Women', he declared he would follow suit by chaining himself
outside Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital yelling 'Beds for Men'!
Toffee In Moderation Is a Capital
Thing . . .!
The
three men, now rich beyond their wildest dreams, owned large houses with
luxuries like bathrooms and telephones, sailed yachts, and entertained and
travelled on a lavish scale. And their best was still to come . . .
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