The Cambridge Companion to Gilbert and Sullivan

by Edited by David Eden , Meinhard Saremba

• ISBN13: 9780521888493
• ISBN10: 0521888492
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-08-31
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Memorable melodies and fanciful worlds - the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan remain as popular today as when they were first performed. This Companion provides a timely guide to the history and development of the collaboration between the two men, including a fresh examination of the many myths and half-truths surrounding their relationship. Written by an international team of specialists, the volume features a personal account from film director Mike Leigh on his connection with the Savoy Operas and the creation of his film Topsy-Turvy. Starting with the early history of the operatic stage in Britain, the Companion places the operas in their theatrical and musical context, investigating the amateur performing tradition, providing new perspectives on the famous patter songs and analysing their dramatic and operatic potential. Perfect for enthusiasts, performers and students of Gilbert and Sullivan's enduring work, the book examines their legacy and looks forward to the future.

Table of Contents

Preface

Background

Savoy Opera and its discontents: the theatrical background to a quarrel

Identity crisis and the search for English opera: the Savoy Theatre in the 1890s

Resituating Gilbert and Sullivan: the musical and aesthetic context

'We sing as one individual'?: popular misconceptions of 'Gilbert and Sullivan'

Focus

The operas in context: stylistic elements ndash; the Savoy and beyond

The librettos in context: Gilbert's 'Fables in Song'

'This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter': patter songs and the word-music relationship

Standing still and moving forward: The Mikado, Haddon Hall, and concepts of time in the Savoy Operas

Musical contexts I: motives and methods in Sullivan's allusions

Musical contexts II: characterisation and emotion in the Savoy Operas

Reception

Topsy-Turvy: a personal journey

Amateur tenors and choruses in public: the amateur scene

Champions and aficionados: amateur and listener experiences of the Savoy Operas in performance

'How great thy charm, thy sway how excellent!': tracing Gilbert and Sullivan's legacy in the American musical

'See how the Fates their gifts allot': the reception of productions and translations in Continental Europe

Into the Twenty-First Century

Adventures in musical detection: scholarship, editions, productions and the future of the Savoy Operas

Alphabetical list of stage and choral works

Modern editions of works

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