Product Description
In one concise volume, the complete texts of these perennially popular light operas. From Trial by Jury to The Pirates of Penzance: the complete librettos of all fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Gilbert's verses for Sullivan's music are the most fastidiously turned and inventively rhymed in all lyric comedy. As the Savoy Operas enter their second century on a swell of renewed popularity, Gilbert's reputation as the supreme wordsmith of light opera remains secure. Complete and authentic, these are the librettos on which modern performances and recordings are based. Scattered among the songs are over seventy of the amusing, quirky pictures Gilbert drew to illustrate them. A chronology prepared for this edition sketches the authors' lives and careers. This is a book that no lover of Gilbert and Sullivan, musical comedy, or indeed the English theater will want to be without.Amazon.com Review
From Thespis to The Grand Duke, here are all thewords to all the operettas on which William Schenk Gilbert and ArthurSeymour Sullivan collaborated. A fixture in Anglo-American musictheater and humor for well over a century, their wit retains its edgeafter all these years. Norton offers the libretti available in handy,totable book form and generously illustrates them with Gilbert'saccomplished pen-and-ink drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Imperfect but a good investment
I invested in this book intending to listen to and memorize all fourteen of the Savoy operas...I now know ten of them practically from heart, which scares my friends terribly.The funny thing is that, although I intended to buy it solely so that I could sing the words to Sullivan's wonderful hummable tunes, I found myself reading the plays just for the pleasure of Gilbert's clever rymes and horribly improbable plotlines.His "Bab" illustrations are also included beside the text, which opens up another side of Gilbert's genius.But be forewarned:There are several mistakes in the text - mostly words such as "is" being replaced with "it," but also some words that are different.Perhaps the words have changed over time from the origonal texts, but once in a while you'll find a word sung differently than what's written.I treat the book like I'd treat an edition of Shakespeare - dramatic work is always bent and changed slightly.In spite of the minor textual mistakes, it is a very useful book and it's nice to have the libretto laid out without any commentary or annotations.

I Still remember My Mother's Old 78's
Back in prehistoric times when records were brittle things and only came in one speed, 78 RPM's, one of my mother's favorite albums was "H.M.S. Pinafore."She played it frequently.Too young to understand thesatire, I was attracted by the catchy music.I loved to hear the captainsing "I am the Captain of the Pinafore," immediately followed bythe response of the chorus.This plus "Poor Little Buttercup"and "The Ruler of the Queen's Navee" made a fan of me forlife.

Several years later, and after having attended performances ofseveral of these comic operas, I began to read Gilbert's lyrics.I mustconfess that I got much greater enjoyment out of reading lyrics that werefrom Gilbert and Sullivan performances that I had attended.I think thatmust be because neither the words nor the music are nearly as enjoyable inthe absence of the other.

I have read that Gilbert and Sullivan had avery stormy relationship.I'm glad that they managed to work together asoften as they did because they really complemented one another.What theyaccomplished as a team speaks for itself in the continued performance of somany of their works over a hundred years after they were firstperformed.

I have an older hardback of THE COMPLETE PLAYS and I foundsome humor in the following which may have been corrected in later copies. The book starts off with Chronological Biographies of each man.InGilbert's it states< "first meeting with Arthur Sullivan autumn of1870."In Sullivan's we find the following."Met W. S. Gilbert1871."Something metaphysical afoot perhaps.

In summary, in myopinion, the works in this book, while certainly enjoyable reading, werereally meant to be performed in order to give maximum enjoyment.Othersmay very well disagree with this opinion and I see nothing wrong with that.

A most excellant book
This book is full of musical plays and the scripts are worded well for possible performance. The only problem is that the sheet music is missing and from experience it is a headache to find but other than that it is agood book that stimulates the imagination. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the plot and characters of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and discusses staging, casting, and other aspects of production for an amateur company. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Everything from Soup to Nuts..
The Benford Lexicon, now in a new edition, is simply put, an absolutely essential work for anyone who wishes to understand Gilbert and Sullivan. By using this book, the shellac of years of tradition can be stripped off of performances, and the true wit and beauty of Gilbert, as reflected in the Music of Sulivan, can shine through. It also is quite helpful to the audience member in understanding some of the clever, although now not fully topical, references in these works. (Capt. Shaw, Army-Navy Stores, Knightsbridge, Camberwell a Bower, Peckham an Arcadian Vale... and so forth..)

A Must-Have Resource for All Savoyards
This book is the first place I turn to with any language question in the wonderful world of Gilbert & Sullivan.Mr. Benford writes clearly and consisely, with a delightful (and occasionally wince-inducing) wit.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This series of biographies presents the great composers against the background of their times. Each draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings and, when they exist, photographs, to present a complete picture of the composer’s life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Enjoyable Look into the D'Oyly Carte's Past
As an avid Gilbert and Sullivan fan, buying a copy of this book was logical.Aside from it, I only had Martyn Green's Treasury of Gilbert & Sullivan and assorted vocal scores.This needed to be remedied.Though I don't believe the DOC Picture History is an absolutely necessary buy G&S fans, I'll certainly enjoy it for some time.

Good things about it:
* Lots of excellent pictures from every era of the company's existence up to its close in 1982
* Brief information about the photos
* Good introductions to the various eras (Early Years/Lytton/Green/Pratt/Reed)

Things that could have been improved, etc.:
* Why, oh why, did they choose a photo of Martyn Green as King Gama for the heading to his era?Not very flattering
* Many of the pictures in this book are available on the web, if in generally lower quality

It can be lived without, but the Official D'Oyly Carte Picture History will continue to give me pleasure for years to come. ... Read more