The Authentic Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook by William Schwenck Gilbert

The Authentic Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook by William Schwenck Gilbert

The songs of Gilbert & Sullivan, as with many near-legendary works adopted by an enthusiastic, uncritical public, have not always survived in the most reliable form. A word gets lost or blurred, a strophe is dropped, and the song evolves along uncontrollable lines. Fortunately many of the early vocal scores authorized by Sir Arthur Sullivan still exist and are reprinted here, in the most complete and authentic anthology of Gilbert & Sullivan currently available.
Ninety-two songs from all fourteen operettas are reproduced in the form Sullivan approved. Each number in this collection solo, chorus, patter song, ballad, etc. is presented uncut, unedited, in the original key, in Sullivan's original piano arrangements. The memorable ditties from the pair's 25-year collaboration (1871 96) appear, along with many not so well known, including a piece from their first joint effort, Thespis (1871), the entire score of which has been lost except for two numbers.
Contents include:
Thespis Little Maid of Arcadee
Trial by Jury O gentlemen, listen I pray
The Sorcerer Welcome joy Adieu to sadness
HMS Pinafore When I was a lad; He is an Englishman
The Pirates of Penzance Poor wand'ring one; With cat-like tread
Patience Prithee, pretty maidens; Sad is that woman's lot
Iolanthe Oh foolish fay; What I went to the Bar
Princess Ida Expressive glances
The Mikado A wand'ring minstrel I; Three little maids
Ruddigore I once was a very abandoned person
The Yeomen of the Guard Oh A private buffoon
The Gondoliers I stole the Prince
Utopia, Limited Society has quite forsaken all her wicked courses
The Grand Duke So ends my dream
Malcolm Binney and Peter Lavender collected these rare, complete vocal scores suitable for amateur and professional performance or reading; James Spero has added complete title and premiere information and a plot synopsis for each operetta. Gilbert & Sullivan lovers and all who delight in an irresistible lyric will find the authentic best in English light opera between these sturdy covers.

W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) was an English librettist, dramatist, and poet. Born in London, Gilbert was raised by William, a surgeon and novelist, and Anne Mary, an apothecary's daughter. As a child he lived with his parents in Italy and France before finally returning to London in 1847. Gilbert graduated from Kind's College London in 1856 before joining the Civil Service and briefly working as a barrister. In 1861, he began publishing poems, stories, and theatre reviews in Fun, The Cornhill Magazine, and Temple Bar. His first play was Uncle Baby, which ran to moderate acclaim for seven weeks in 1863. He soon became one of London's most popular writers of opera burlesques, but turned away from the form in 1869 to focus on prose comedies. In 1871, he began working with composer Arthur Sullivan, whose music provided the perfect melody to some of the most popular comic operas of all time, including H. M. S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), and The Mikado (1885). At London's Savoy Theatre and around the world, The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company would perform Gilbert and Sullivan's works for the next century. Gilbert, the author of more than 75 plays and countless more poems, stories, and articles, influenced such writers as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, as well as laid the foundation for the success of American musical theatre on Broadway and beyond.