Gilbert and Sullivan

For those unfamiliar with Gilbert and Sullivan operas (as they called them), they do have a lot in common.  Mostly they share these characteristics:

• Most of the operas have the following "stock" roles:  a beautiful soprano; an ingénue (usually a mezzo-soprano); a contralto, usually an aging spinster; a heroic (but usually naïve) tenor; a comedian role (baritone); and two basses (or baritones).  Most of the roles were written for specific singers, as indicated in Table 1, below.
• Many of the operas contain a patter song, usually autobiographical, of the comedian's role, usually shortly after his first appearance on stage.  In The Sorcerer, the title character introduces himself with "My name is John Wellington Wells."  In H. M. S. Pinafore, Sir Joseph tells how he became First Lord of the Admiralty in "When I was a lad. . . ."  In The Pirates of Penzance,  General Stanley tells us: "I am the very model of a modern major general. .  . ."  In Iolanthe the Lord Chancellor introduces himself with "When I went to the Bar as a very young man . . .", but later sings a patter song (the nightmare song):  "When you're lying awake with a dismal headache . . . ."  In Ruddigore there is a patter-trio:  "My eyes are fully open to my awful situation--"
• Some of the operas use a plot device of two characters having been mixed up as babies.  This occurs in H. M. S. Pinafore and  The Gondoliers.  In The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic's nursery maid Ruth accidentally apprentices him to a pirate instead of to a pilot.  One reason for this is that Gilbert himself was kidnapped as an infant and held for ransom.  Other of the operas have characters being mixed up.  In Ruddigore, Robin is the real baronet; Sir Despard thinks his older brother dead, and has assumed the title (with its curse).  In The Sorcerer, all the characters fall in love with the wrong person.
• The chorus members are usually of one category:  all Sir Joseph's female relatives, Japanese noblemen, bridesmaids, soldiers, &c.  Some of these are outlined in Table 2, below.

Table 1: Roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas

Table 2.  Choruses

Reference:

• More about Gilbert & Sullivan
• Iolanthe (1882)
  • March of the Peers
• Ruddigore (1888)
  • When the Night Wind Howls

• Last updated: June 20, 2003 by Webmaster.
• Back to the Fall 1999 Program (N.U.T.S.) page
• To the Home Page
• For corrections, additions, suggestions, or comments, please Email me.
• URL: http://www.oocities.org/the_notables/Gilbert_and_Sullivan.html