Sullivan, Sir Arthur

Sullivan, Sir Arthur (1842–1900). Sullivan's musical pedigree was Mendelssohnian and the influence may be traced in much of his music, particularly Iolanthe. He was born in Lambeth Walk (London), son of a professional musician at one time bandmaster at Sandhurst. Blessed with a fine voice, Sullivan was a chorister at the Chapel Royal and was publishing by the time he was 13. In 1856 he won the Mendelssohn scholarship and entered the Royal Academy of Music. From 1858 to 1861 he studied at Leipzig. At the age of 21 his incidental music for The Tempest won great acclaim. In 1866 he produced his only symphony and was offered the professorship in composition at the academy. The following year his short comic opera Box and Cox received its first performance. The year 1870 saw the overture Di Ballo—stylish and elegant—and 1873 the oratorio The Light of the World. The great collaboration with Gilbert got off to a faltering start in 1871 with Thespis but took fire in 1875 with Trial by Jury. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), and Mikado (1885) followed in quick succession. The Savoy theatre, specially built by D'Oyly Carte for the operas, opened in 1881. Sullivan's serious work continued with The Golden Legend (1886) and Ivanhoe (1891). The last of the collaborations, The Grand Duke, was put on in 1896. He was knighted in 1883 at Gladstone's suggestion. His popular pieces included ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ (1871) and ‘The Lost Chord’ (1877), written on the death of his brother Frederick. Sullivan possessed a wealth of melody, brilliant orchestration, considerable poetry, and much humour. The serious work is good; the comic operas incomparable.

J. A. Cannon