IN HONOUR OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN.
(Try singing this to Model of a Major General)

This ditty is to honour the clever pair Gilbert and Sullivan,
Who wrote so many fun things to get you all going on,
The words were often long and seemed almost extemporaneous,
The music as fast that it seemed like you’re running for an omnibus.
But then try and sing it as a group, to make the voices sound as one
Would try the very skill of every musical comedian.
They made fun of folks rich and poor or fat and thin,
Queen Victoria was not amused, she stuck out her royal chin.
And said all grand “We’ll have to make them Knights you see
This may stop all their silly nonsensical frivolity.”
Theatre lovers came in droves to hear their expansive conundrums
Even all the rich and snobby Lords and Ladyums.

To take a breath the singers dare not dream of it
And needed oxygen to get to the very end of it,
And if you’ve even sung in one of their musicals
You would have to agree it takes humungous singing skills.
So first just go out and buy a compact disc or two
And play it and sing along till you turn blue,
Then when rehearsal time at last comes around
You will not fall purple coloured on the ground.
So listen all you Gilbert and Sullivan fans so dear
Have pity as well as applause for the singers you hear,
For they have gasped and often turned blue in the face
When practising silly songs at such a ridiculous pace.

I make a suggestion with my tongue in cheek
That all who read this, will just for one week
Join a theatrical group who performs with gusto these songs
They enjoy listening too and constantly criticized the wrongs
For you may hear some fancy slight technical variance
Chosen now that the copyright’s over to take a chance
To upset the perfectionist who believe our two friends
Would turn over in their graves, or give them the bends
To have the words changed to meet modern configurations
But I disagree, I know they would laugh at the situations.


Now as I come to the end of this ditty to our clever friends
I hope you will configure a way to explain, or make amends
If you have sat and criticized some mediocre performance
By an amateur company who chose your favourite by happenstance
And messed it up quite royally in your critical eyes, for you do see
That they did it for fun and not for curtain calls and lots of glory.
And that I know what Gilbert and Sullivan really enjoyed
They joy of voices singing each song and even new words employed .
So sit down and write a ditty or song nonsensical and full of fun
Then you will have succeed just as our two witty friends have done.

M Ann Margetson 27 Jan 1999 ©
POEMS99/Inhonour

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