Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
Come with me, little maid, Nay, shrink not, thus afraid - I'll harm thee not! Fly not, my love, from me - I have a home for thee - A fairy grot, Where mortal eye Can rarely pry, There shall thy dwelling be! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

As they would have been read by Gilbert himself
Actually, they practically are read by Gilbert himself, since actor Jim Broadbent will for a long time be associated with that role. His readingsare marvelous, especially because he manages to use a different voice foreach new character--and there are many, many of them. It is fascinating tocatch so many of the concepts Gilbert was to recycle in the later Savoyworks. "The Bumboat Woman's Story" is rich in pre-hints of"HMS Pinafore" and was indeed the inspiration for the ballet"Pineapple Poll," which uses only Sullivan's music for theoperettas (with a snatch of his Da Ballo Overture thrown in). Doubtless thefunniest of the lot is "Etiquette" on the last side of the secondtape in which two men thrown up on a dessert island cannot converse becausethey had not been properly introduced aboard the ill-fated vessel. Not allthe poems are comical-- some are darkly pessimistic--but there is many alaugh that will educed by Broadbent's delivery.

"Bab," by theway, was Gilbert's baby nickname; and his use of it tells us a lot abouthis personality.

Dove Audio, however, has packaged these two cassetteswith no table of contents at all; and so there is no way to tell ahead oftime exactly what Bab Ballads are recorded, which is really an intolerablesituation for an item like this. Also the use of "unabridged" atthe top of this Amazon.com page is misleading. While each poem is in factcomplete, there are represented here only a very small portion of Gilbert'sBB output. What we do have is excellently done, but the 3 hours on thesetapes do not hold an "unabridged" collection by any means.

Oh, Rapture! A W.S.Gilbert-Lover's Dream Come True
W.S. Gilbert was the master of the perfect phrase, the sly aside, the cutting quip. Jim Broadbent is the actor who portrayed Gilbert to perfection in the film "Topsy-Turvy." Now Broadbent brings hissmooth delivery to these colorful ballads, some of which can be recognizedas the inspiration for Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular operas. If youhave even the slightest appreciation for G&S, buy this and learn why somany of us love them so.If you're as much of a fan as I am already, you*OWE* it to yourself to get the Broadbent Bab Ballads. Click on BUY NOW andrun, don't walk, to the checkout. And be prepared for ecstatic rapture andunmingled joy.

Gilbert is a master craftsman of the English language!!
William S. Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) was a master craftsman of the English language.He was renowned as a poet, playwrite and author long before his association with Sir Arthur Sullivan of musical renown. The "Babb Ballads" show the crafstman at his best with sparklingrhymes and funny stories.If you truly love the English language and theskill with which it can be used to amuse and entertain, this book is onethat you should not be without.

Bab Ballads is a wonderful book of poetry.
Bab Ballads contains many of the poems that William Scwenck Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan) wrote for the magazine "Fun."They are very funny and I suggest you buy this book ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

W.S.Gilbeft's Bab Ballads in Print Again

This is a very readable reprinting of the 50 Bab Ballads by W. S. Gilbert originally published by George Routledge and Sons in 1878.In lacks Gilbert's original drawings, but the 50 ballads of the 1878 edition are all present with very few typographical errors.Unfortunately some of the ballads refer to the drawings which are no longer there. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
He saw his ANNIE tremble and he saw his ANNIE start, Her changing colour trumpeted the flutter at her heart; Young GILBERT'S manly bosom rose and sank with jealous fear, And he said, "O gentle ANNIE, what's the meaning of this here?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Everything from Soup to Nuts..
The Benford Lexicon, now in a new edition, is simply put, an absolutely essential work for anyone who wishes to understand Gilbert and Sullivan. By using this book, the shellac of years of tradition can be stripped off of performances, and the true wit and beauty of Gilbert, as reflected in the Music of Sulivan, can shine through. It also is quite helpful to the audience member in understanding some of the clever, although now not fully topical, references in these works. (Capt. Shaw, Army-Navy Stores, Knightsbridge, Camberwell a Bower, Peckham an Arcadian Vale... and so forth..)

A Must-Have Resource for All Savoyards
This book is the first place I turn to with any language question in the wonderful world of Gilbert & Sullivan.Mr. Benford writes clearly and consisely, with a delightful (and occasionally wince-inducing) wit.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
This series of biographies presents the great composers against the background of their times. Each draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings and, when they exist, photographs, to present a complete picture of the composer's life. ... Read more

Book Description
In Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth century lyricists and composers. He analyzes professional productions across the world, looks at the unique place of GandS in schools, colleges, and universities, and lovingly explores the culture of amateur performance. He also uncovers the largely male world of the obsessive fans, those collecting memorabilia, the myriad magazines, journals, websites, and festivals devoted to GandS, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Gilbert and Sullivan Forever
This book is for anyone and everyone who is already a G&S fan (as in fanatic). On the other hand, I expect that it would have limited if any appeal to someone with little interest in G&S. Strong in annecdotes and quotations, the author does not really make a good case for G&S's antecedant position in the development of modern musical theatre which might have given the book a wider audience.

Oh Joy, Oh Rapture....good stuff!
Ian Bradley has a good insight into what the State of the Union is right now regarding the Gilbert & Sullivan scene on both sides of the Atlantic. I had a conversation a year ago with a former 'Old D'Oyly Carte' member who expressed an opinion that the Savoy tradition was actually safer in America right now. This book does a good job of explaining why. Excellent research put together very well, 'must' reading for G&S afficienados. I highly recommend it.

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!
Ian Bradley's book is an excellent look at the continuing popularity of the Gilbert & Sullivan operasover 100 years after they were written. Books that discuss the history of Gilbert & Sullivan when they are alive are a dime a dozen. Bradley's is the first book to specifically look at the performance and cultural history of the Savoy operas since the expiration of the libretti copyright in 1961. Among the topics that Bradley touches on are the history of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company since 1961, as well as the sad story of its successor; how Gilbert & Sullivan shows and church going often go hand-in-hand; parodies and spinoffs of the shows; professional and amateur productions of Gilbert & Sullivan; and more.

My chief complaint is that when Bradley goes into the performance history since 1961, the writing gets dry and tedious. To elaborate, he simply makes lists of performances in many sections. Frankly, I think that a list of performances would have worked better as an appendix.

With that caveat, this is an excellent resource for any Gilbert & Sullivan fan, and I definitely recommend it.

A rapturous edition/addition
Ian Bradley has done a marvelous job in researching the G and S scene since the end of the G and S copyright in 1961.Each chapter is chockfull of interesting notes on productions, singers and the politics that rage behind the scenes.For anyone interested in the current G and S scene, this book is a must.I was a little disappointed in the details of the American G and S scene, but the rest of the book made up for this defect! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Groooovy baby!
Isaac Asimov has such a delightful wit that even his explanations of archaic terms are fun to read. When combined with W.S. Gilbert's hilariouslibrettos, it makes one entertaining read. Actually, it makes more than oneentertaining read. i have read it several times and still enjoy it.

A delight for Gilbert & Sullivan fans
Writer Martin Gardner once told Isaac Asimov that if he really wanted to have fun, he should find a book he liked very much and annotate it. "Asimov's Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" is one of the resultsof that suggestion. This enormous volume contains the words to all theG&S operas, plus extensive notes explaining allusions and words thatmight be unfamiliar to today's listener. Asimov assumes minimal knowledgeon the part of the reader, so this book is useful and entertaining not onlyfor the veteran G&S aficionado but also for the neophyte. ... Read more