The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan: Librettos from All Fourteen Operettas (Complete & Unabridged) - Hardcover

William Gilbert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1579120377 ISBN 13: 9781579120375

Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1998

Synopsis

With over 200 line drawings by the author. This ultimate book for the millions of Gilbert & Sullivan fans across the country offers the complete text and lyrics of all the operettas of this most original, creative and much-loved musical team.

Now both veteran and new fans can catch all the nuances of the quick moving wit, satire and wisdom often missed during performances and on recordings.

This book covers all of this dynamic duo's plays including: Thespis, Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Sorcerer, Patience, Utopia, Limited, The Grand Duke, Iolanthe, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, The Yeomen of the Guard and The Gondoliers.

Delightful illustrations by W. S. Gilbert adorn the pages, and an introduction by Deems Taylor brings new insight to the text.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Complete with illustrations by W.S. Gilbert and a preface by the late music critic Deems Taylor, The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan captures and celebrates the whimsy, the brilliance and the timelessness of some of the best musical theater ever written. Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert were gifted individuals who combined their talents to bring about one of the greatest creative teams in history - they produced fourteen light operas in all, which continue to delight audiences the world over.

The Pirates Of Penzance

"I am the very model of a modern Major-General,

I've information vegetable, animal & mineral,

I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,

From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;"

The Mikado

"Three little maids from school are we,

Pert as a school-girl well can be,

Filled to the brim with girlish glee,

Three little maids from school!"

H.M.S. Pinafore

"Never mind the why and wherefore,

Love can level ranks, and therefore

I admit the jurisdiction;

Ably you have played your part;

You have carried firm conviction

To my hesitating heart."

And 11 others....

From the Inside Flap

In an age where television and movies seem to be taking over popular culture, the sardonic, playful, intelligent, works of Gibert & Sullivan are a refreshing escape.

The combination of Arthur Sullivan - child prodigy turned noted composer - and William Gilbert - whose career in the military and stint as a barrister predated his true calling as a crafter of caustic wit and dramatic criticism - takes its place in musical theater history alongside creative teams such as Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein, George & Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim. These timeless mainstays of the stage can be found everywhere, from high school auditoriums to professional G&S companies all over the world; now the complete works, including a preface by the famed music critic Deems Taylor and charming illustrations by William Gilbert, are collected here in one volume. Find your favorite passages in classics such as The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Ruddigore and H.M.S. Pinafore. Or, discover and explore lesser known works: Ida; Utopia, Limited; The Yeoman of the Guard and Iolanthe.

The Fourteen Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas:

Thespis

Trial By Jury

The Sorcerer

H.M.S. Pinafore

The Pirates of Penzance

Patience

Iolanthe

princess Ida

The Mikado

Ruddigore

The Yeoman Of The Guard

The Gondoliers

Utopia, Limited

The Grand Duke

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The new work had its first performance on March 25, 1875 (as an after-piece, not a curtain-raiser), and was an instantaneous success, running for the balance of the year. Here was something new, and something wholly English. Thespis had been pure extravaganza; it might conceivably have been written by two clever Frenchmen. But Trial by Jury was satire - an English institution laughed at by Englishmen, in the same terms that had made the Bab Ballads irresistible. Even the music was satirical, with its Handelian choruses and burlesque Italian grand opera finale. Soon everybody was quoting the lines and humming the tunes. By the time the piece had finished its run, "Gilbert and Sullivan" was well on the way to being, not two names, but a trade-mark.

Excerpted from The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan. Copyright (c) 1960 by Deems Taylor. Reprinted with permission by BD&L

Edition details

• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1579120377
• ISBN 13: 9781579120375
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: W. S. Gilbert
• Number of pages: 711