Victorian England, the images conjured invoke restrained and proper individuals strolling along the Thames near the recently opened Big Ben tower amid a backdrop of industrial haze. This is hardly the picture painted by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan whose operas ridicule this posh, aristocratic view of the era through satire.
Following the success of The Sorcererand Trial by Jury, Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert began work on H.M.S. Pinafore. The work was to be premiered at the Opera Comique in London on May 25, 1878 and become one of the duos most famous works. The plot draws on stock nautical characters from literature of the time as well as contemporary political figures. Sir Joseph Porter was instantly recognizable as W.H. Smith, who had recently been appointed First Lord of the Admiralty despite never having served in the Navy. Having had family who served in the Royal Navy, the former lawyer, Gilbert, also likely drew on personal sources, albeit not to the extent of the courtroom drama, Trial by Jury. The success of H.M.S. Pinaforeled to many more collaborations between the duo.
The works of Gilbert and Sullivan are an interesting stepping stone in the evolution of opera. During the mid 19thcentaury, French composers began incorporating dialogue instead of sung recitative into their often comic works. Some famous French operettas included Orphée aux enfers(Orpheus in the Underworld) by Offenbach, which features the famous dance melody used so frequently. German composers began to adopt this tradition as well, with works including Die Fledermaus(The Bat) by Johann Strauss, and Die Lustige Frau(The Merry Widow) by Lehar. These pieces were lighter in character and became known as operetta, or ‘little opera’. By far the most famous English language operetta composers are Gilbert and Sullivan. Despite some modern productions, these works used fully trained operatic voices when they premiered and in subsequent performances. Trial by Jury, for example, does not use any dialogue, which essentially makes it a one act opera. Operetta often parodies operatic tropes. The class struggle between the main couple in H.M.S. Pinaforeis not that unlike that of the protagonists of La Traviataor Turandot.
Despite its comic nature, operetta is increasingly being reclaimed by opera houses. German works such as Die Lustige Frauor Die Fledermaushave now become commonplace at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Atlanta Opera and City Opera have recently performed works by Gilbert and Sullivan, among others. Ironically, the snobbery which G&S mocks, is sadly frequently directed against their work by self-proclaimed opera connoisseurs. Hopefully, the trend of operetta revival in opera houses will continue and these works will reclaim their place in the operatic domain.
Following the success of The Sorcererand Trial by Jury, Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert began work on H.M.S. Pinafore. The work was to be premiered at the Opera Comique in London on May 25, 1878 and become one of the duos most famous works. The plot draws on stock nautical characters from literature of the time as well as contemporary political figures. Sir Joseph Porter was instantly recognizable as W.H. Smith, who had recently been appointed First Lord of the Admiralty despite never having served in the Navy. Having had family who served in the Royal Navy, the former lawyer, Gilbert, also likely drew on personal sources, albeit not to the extent of the courtroom drama, Trial by Jury. The success of H.M.S. Pinaforeled to many more collaborations between the duo.
The works of Gilbert and Sullivan are an interesting stepping stone in the evolution of opera. During the mid 19thcentaury, French composers began incorporating dialogue instead of sung recitative into their often comic works. Some famous French operettas included Orphée aux enfers(Orpheus in the Underworld) by Offenbach, which features the famous dance melody used so frequently. German composers began to adopt this tradition as well, with works including Die Fledermaus(The Bat) by Johann Strauss, and Die Lustige Frau(The Merry Widow) by Lehar. These pieces were lighter in character and became known as operetta, or ‘little opera’. By far the most famous English language operetta composers are Gilbert and Sullivan. Despite some modern productions, these works used fully trained operatic voices when they premiered and in subsequent performances. Trial by Jury, for example, does not use any dialogue, which essentially makes it a one act opera. Operetta often parodies operatic tropes. The class struggle between the main couple in H.M.S. Pinaforeis not that unlike that of the protagonists of La Traviataor Turandot.
Despite its comic nature, operetta is increasingly being reclaimed by opera houses. German works such as Die Lustige Frauor Die Fledermaushave now become commonplace at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Atlanta Opera and City Opera have recently performed works by Gilbert and Sullivan, among others. Ironically, the snobbery which G&S mocks, is sadly frequently directed against their work by self-proclaimed opera connoisseurs. Hopefully, the trend of operetta revival in opera houses will continue and these works will reclaim their place in the operatic domain.
