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
The definitive reference work to the composer who matched his scintillating, melodious music to Gilbert's clever words. ... Read more

Book Description
A full biography of a composer whose work extended far beyond the operettas for which he is known today. ... Read more

Book Description
The life story, reminiscences and letters of Gilbert's collaborator, profusely illustrated. Chapters include: Boyhood, At Leipzig, First Public Success, First and Second Visit to Paris, Sullivan Meets Gilbert, Idling in Italy, American Reminiscences, The Gilbert & Sullivan Popular Operas, Sir Arthur's Favourite Opera, Dissolution of the Partnership, Personality and Methods of Work, Anecdotal, An Appendix compiledby Wilfred Bendall gives a complete listing of Sir Arthur Sullivan's work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Musicologist Analyzes Sir Arthur Sullivan
Perhaps the most detailed musicological study of all of the compositons - not just the operettas - of Sir Arthur Sullivan. This is a relatively slim book, but it is packed with musical examples, analysis and commentary. This is definately a book for those with a musical education, a music theory book and dictionary or perhaps simply a Ph.D. in Musicology, is a good companion for reading Hughes' book.

The book analyzes Arthur Sullivans style, breaking it down into chapters dealing with musical forms such as melody, harmony, word setting, orchestration, etc. Copious examples in musical notation and snippets from scores, many from very obscure non-Savoy operas. (E.g. quotes from "The Zoo" which was still officially lost at the time of the original edition).

Hughes takes a very objective style, unusual for a books on Sullivan which tend be limited to the more prosaic descriptions of his operettas. He takes Sullivan to task for some of his failings (e.g. harmon! y) and praises him where appropriate (e.g. melody and word setting).

A unique and very detailed tome! ... 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

Book Description
What is probably the most famous pairing in musical history began without fanfare in 1871 when writer William S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan teamed up to produce a Christmas entertainment called Thespis. The two men parted ways soon afterward and it took a theatrical promoter named Richard D'Oyly Carter to reunite them four years later.

Their first big hit came in 1878 with their operetta H.M.S. Pinafore. It reached the United States the following year and created the same excitement that we associate with a major rock concert or blockbuster movie. Despite some disagreements, the two men combined for 11 other operettas before going their separate ways. Today Gilbert and Sullivan societies exist all over the world. Audiences still enjoy their combination of clever, humorous lyrics and tuneful melodies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pretty good introduction to G&S for young people
With all respect to Mr. Rufino, I think he was over-harsh in down-rating this book because it is not an entirely different book, something that it was never intended to be.

This book is clearly aimed at young readers who want more information on the famous team of Gilbert and Sullivan than is to be found in a typical theater program but who are not ready to tackle such magisterial tomes as Leslie Baily's "The Gilbert and Sullivan Book."On the whole, I think that the 40-odd pages that Mr. Whiting devotes to his main task successfully accomplish the task set out for them.

I am knocking one star off my rating for the very thing that Mr. Rufino praised: the graphics and photos.One of the graphics is an entire page devoted to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (for some largely incomprehensible reason.)There is, admittedly, some tenuous relationship between Doyle and Gilbert.The two were rough contemporaries.Both started out in the professions, Gilbert in law and Doyle in medicine.Neither found much financial reward or personal satisfaction in them.Each turned to writing and found himself in the end ranked among the most famous men of their times.If Whiting had stopped there, I would have no significant objection.However, he had to go on and point out that Doyle's most famous character often says, "Elementary, my dear Watson."Now, as every American Sherlockian and every English Holmesian will heatedly point out, Holmes NEVER said those words!Such a howling clunker dropped so gratuitously forces me wonder just how much understanding the author has of his materials.Then there is the photograph of Sullivan in which he is specifically described as youthful.One has only to glance at it to see that he had arrived at prosperous middle age.He would not live to reach his 59th birthday.

A TRIFLING ADDITIONAL NOTE: Like most people writing about G&S, Mr. Whiting omits one of their collaborations.In addition to the comic operas, they also created a dignified oratorio, "The Martyr of Antioch."Posterity may well have forgotten that piece of high-minded Victoriana but the contemporaries of G&S took it very seriously indeed.Sullivan would certainly have regarded it as a major landmark in his career as a musician.

I've Got a Little List
If you know nothing about G&S before you purchase this book, this book is a good introduction. It will take you about 30 minutes to complete. The graphics and photos are well done. However, if you are a musician and want more than merely an introduction, this is not the book for you. ... 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