Gilbert and Sullivan : a dual biography / Michael Ainger.
| Author/creator |
Ainger, Michael |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2002. |
| Description | xv, 504 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Gilbert's family tree -- Sullivan's family tree -- Curtain-raiser: the London grocer and the Irish soldier -- 1836-1866. By different routes to the stage door -- 1836-1853. Gilbert: a dramatic childhood ; Sullivan: a musical background -- 1853-1858. The Chapel Royal and King's College -- 1858-1862. Sullivan at Leipzig ; Gilbert at law -- 1863-1866. Gilbert and Sullivan: the ballad writers -- 1867-1877. Establishing reputations: from Cox and Box to The Sorcerer -- 1867-1868. Gilbert and Sullivan in the theater -- 1869-1871. The meeting of Gilbert and Sullivan: Thespis -- 1872-1873. Different worlds: Gilbert's The Wicked World ; Sullivan's The Light of the World -- 1874-1875. Trial by Jury -- 1875-1876. In search of a manager -- 1876. Sullivan is honored ; Gilbert is ridiculed -- 1877. The Comedy Opera Company and The Sorcerer -- 1877-1884. The G & S phenomenon: from HMS Pinafore to Princess Ida -- 1877-1878. HMS Pinafore -- 1878-1879. Troubled waters -- 1879-1880. America and The Pirates of Penzance -- 1880-1881. Patience -- 1881. The Savoy Theatre -- 1881-1882. Iolanthe -- 1883-1884. Princess Ida -- 1884-1891. The golden years: from The Mikado to the carpet quarrel -- 1884-1885. The Mikado -- 1885-1887. Ruddigore -- 1887-1888. "A fresh start" -- 1888. "A new departure": The Yeomen of the Guard -- 1888-1889. "I have lost the liking for writing comic opera" -- 1889. The Gondoliers -- 1889-1890. Carpets, etc. -- 1890-1891. Disentangling the knot -- 1891-1911. Utopia and beyond -- 1891-1893. Picking up the thread -- 1893. Utopia, Limited -- 1893-1896. The Grand Duke -- 1896-1898. They went on... "but did not speak to each other" -- 1899-1900. "I am sorry to leave" -- 1900-1905. A Gilbert without a Sullivan -- 1905-1906. The trouble with casting -- 1907-1908. Interpolations -- 1909-1910. Enter fairies: their flight and fall -- 1910-1911. "A very honorable end" -- Curtain call: a selection of the characters in the story and what happened to them subsequently. |
| Abstract | Introduced by a mutual colleague in the theater world, Gilbert and Sullivan followed very different paths to the stage door. Having survived an insecure childhood, Gilbert flourished as a financially successful theater professional, married happily, and established himself as a property owner. An extremely disciplined writer, he was also fiercely protective of the integrity of his work. By contrast, Sullivan enjoyed a stable and musical start in the midst of a supportive family, yet grew into a restless artist. His creative self-doubts and self-demands led to a nervous and physical breakdown. But these doubts and demands also propelled the team to break the successful formula of their earlier work to produce more ambitious pieces of theater, including The Mikado and The Yeoman of the Guard. The first joint biography of Gilbert and Sullivan based on original research in over half a century, the book draws from the recently available D'Oyly Carte collection of letters, as well as public records, manuscripts of the operas, and numerous other repositories of personal and professional correspondence. The result of meticulous research, this is a rich, thorough, and insightful account of two talented men and their combined artistic legacy. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 485-488) and index. |
| LCCN | 2001056046 |
| ISBN | 0195147693 |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.S95 A77 2002 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |