Gilbert and Sullivan - part 1
Gilbert and Sullivan are the librettist William S Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan who together wrote fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896 in the Victorian era. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, established in 1881, performed and promoted their works for over a century - of which the best known are H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado.
G & S performances are in the tradition of the comic opera - so they are set in fanciful topsy-turvy worlds with absurd plots and characters. Nothing is to be taken seriously, because it all turns out alright in the end. Pirates turn out to be noblemen, people in authority end up in disgrace. Gilbert and Sullivan operettas continue to enjoy broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout the English-speaking world. Often amateur groups adapt the lyrics fitting in topical or local references, satirizing their own contexts and current events. Some of the lines from Gilbert and Sullivan's works have become part of the English language, such as "I've got a little list" "a short sharp shock", and "let the punishment fit the crime". Maybe you have a similar tradition in your own culture?
The Major-General's Song is a 'patter song' from the Pirates of Penzance and one of the most famous G & S songs. It is sung by Major-General Stanley and is full of historical and cultural references, demonstrating the Major-General's apparently impressive and well-rounded education (particularly strong in the classics) that contrasts strikingly with his complete lack of any basic grasp of useful military knowledge. The song satirises the idea of the "modern" educated British Army officer of the later 19th century.
* A patter song is a song sung at speed demonstrating verbal inventiveness
Try the quiz and then, for part 2 listen to the song with the words and notes!
