Book Description
"A Gilbert is of no use without a Sullivan." With these words, W.S. Gilbert summed up his reasons for persisting in his collaboration with Arthur Sullivan despite the combative nature of their relationship. In fact, Michael Ainger suggests in Gilbert and Sullivan the success of the pair's work is a direct result of their personality clash, as each partner challenged the other to produce his best work. After exhaustive research into the D'Oyly Carte collection of documents, Ainger offers the most detailed account to date of Gilbert and Sullivan's starkly different backgrounds and long working partnership. Having survived an impoverished and insecure childhood, Gilbert flourished as a financially successful theater professional, married happily and established himself as a property owner. His sense of proprietorship extended beyond real estate, and he fought tenaciously to protect the integrity of his musical works. Sullivan, the product of a supportive family who nourished his talent, was much less satisfied with stability than his collaborator. His creative self-doubts and self-demands led to nervous and physical breakdowns, but it also propelled the team to break the successful mode of their earliest work to produce more ambitious pieces of theater, including The Mikado and The Yeoman of the Guards. Offering previously-unpublished draft libretti and personal letters, this thorough double-biography will be an essential addition to the library of any Gilbert and Sullivan fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

One World: Two Emperors
As a student of the operatic stage, and currently in my Masters trainging, I have come to further appreciate reading for enjoyment and extended learning. Now in my mid-twenties, I have appeared in four (with a fifth waiting in the wings) Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Until I bought this book I had only a limited, but interesting knowledge of the calamity these men created.

I appreciated the thought and careful attention to detail that was put in this book. Two biographies in one kept it interesting and full of suspense until the very end, while not tiring or exhausting the reader with useless detail. Not only did I come to know more about my favorite of the opera repertoire, but I got a chance to spend half a decade in Victorian England (leaving me to wonder why we do not still write letters as a means of correspondence). The critical account that Mr. Ainger produces, not only provides us with the history behind the operas, but even the detailed happenings of the actors, authors, and composers individual lives. As an actor, I was able to transfer myself, almost placing myself, ex-oficio in the triumvirate of Gilbert, Sullivan, and D'Oyly Carte. I would have never imagined Sir Arthur Sullivan hob-knobbing with not only Englands elite, but the likes of Gioacchino Rossini, Clara Schumann and Charles Dickens. My only reservation with this book was that it tended to be slightly wordy in areas of very small importance, but hardly deterring from the kinship of the rest of the novel.

With much more knowledge to be obtained, and plenty of studying and years of school left, I am much more appreciative of the chances I have had to follow in the creator of the Major-General's foot steps, and would wholly recommend this book, riveting to the end, to any lover of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Side-by-Side with G & S
This unusual approach to a biography works well. It gives new insights into G & S both as individuals and as a 'duo', and is obviously very well-researched. Two areas I found especially interesting were the information about their family backgrounds, and the large number of quotes from correspondance, not only between G & S as individuals, but between them and so many other people of their time. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

However, I do have a problem with one particular area which I can only assume is the result of ignorance on the part of the author and/or his proof-readers. Would anyone ever think of using a lower case 'q' for Queen Victoria? All titles should be capitalized. When referring to Her Majesty's eldest son, Edward, he is called the prince of Wales when it should be the Prince of Wales: this error is repeated in the case of his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh and other people with titles. How about some characters from the G & S operas - sir Joseph Porter? captain Corcoran? the mikado of Japan? major-general Stanley?..... I'm sure the author would be upset if he saw his name printed as mr. Ainger: I certainly would be in his place! I may be nit-picking in the opinion of some people, but, as an American, I have to say: "Let's get these things right!" My hope is that they will be corrected when the book is reprinted.

"Of convincing detail full . . ."
In the preface of this dual biography of Gilbert and Sullivan, Michael Ainger draws attention to the previous book dealing with the same topic, Leslie Baily's "The Gilbert and Sullivan Book."Ainger points out that in the half century that has passed since the publication of Baily's book, great collections of Gilbert-and-Sullivaniana have become available in Britain and America, and that he has been able to incorporate their contents into this book.

In the past few days I have read both books for comparison (which makes this my third time through with Baily, not much when spread over fifty years.)There can be no doubt that Mr. Ainger crams more facts into his closely set and rather gray-looking 504 pages than Baily put in his typographically more generous and colorful 475.

Here is an example: Baily reproduces a newspaper engraving in which Gilbert and Sullivan are present in a courtroom as they attempt to defend their ownership of "H.M.S. Pinafore" against the claims of some disgruntled former financial backers.Standing in the dock and testifying is the great actor-manager, Sir Henry Irving--employer of novelist Bram Stoker and model for his Count Dracula.Baily does not explain what the greatest Hamlet of the Nineteenth Century had to do with "H.M.S. Pinafore."Ainger has no room for the old drawing but he does explain what Irving was saying.(It had to do with the technical meaning of the word, "run," when applied to theatrical productions.Now you know.)

Or consider this: Baily often refers to the lovely, wealthy, cultivated, married American lady--irrevocably separated from her husband--with whom Sullivan had a long and intimate liaison.Ainger peers into the diaries that Sullivan kept under lock and key to speculate on whether the symbols used referred to his sexual activities with her.

After reading both books together, I find myself with the impression that Ainger set out to fill in all the gaps in Baily's narrative.To a great extent, he has succeeded in doing just that.But I am not convinced that the result was worth all of his effort.From Baily's book as well as from practically everybody in the past century who has written about him, it is clear that W. S. Gilbert was often thin-skinned, irascible and pugnacious.That fact may be taken as given.I, for one, have little interest in the details of his petty quarrels, and especially not in those that never impinged on the creation or production of the Savoy operas.

Ainger has written a serious and dense book for dedicated fans of Gilbert and Sullivan.He does not write of the operas, themselves, but of their texts and development--quite different things.Ainger is scholarly and he expects much from his readers.Unless you are pretty close to the stage at which you are able to quote long passages of G&S without written aid, you are going to find Ainger's accounts of dialogue changes fairly heavy going.

Baily was a better writer than Ainger.He had a clear grasp of his audience (after all, he published four popular editions in just four years.)It consisted of people who enjoyed the works of G&S and had some familiarity with them: fans, not experts.Above all, he knew that he was writing the epic tale of the rise and fall of a great partnership.

For a reader who feels some interest in G&S and who desires only a single good book about them, Baily's book is, hands down, the best choice.The readerwith deeper interest should acquire both, Baily for narrative and overall architecture of the tale, Ainger for nitty-gritty detail.For the hopelessly addicted fanatic who inflicts stunned guests with detailed comparisons of the electronic recordings of the 1920s, the mono recordings of the 1950s and the stereo recordings of the 1960s, who wonders why the pre-1920 acoustic recordings haven't yet appeared on CD, get both and add to them Wren's "A Most Ingenious Paradox." While both Ainger and Baily are basically sound, Wren's book abounds in wrong-headed analyses and fatuous conclusions, but his factual underpinning is reliable enough.Demolishing Wren's arguments is an excellent way for exercising your wits and the pleasure he affords when you exasperatedly throw his book across the room is both great and easily renewable. ... Read more

Book Description
Identifies 968 articles, monographs, and dissertations by and about Gilbert and Sullivan. ... Read more

Book Description
Written more than a century ago and initially regarded even by their creators as nothing more than light entertainment, the fourteen operas of Gilbert and Sullivan emerged over the course of the twentieth century as the world's most popular body of musical-theater works, ranking second only to Shakespeare in the history of English-language theater. Despite this resounding popularity and proven longevity, most books written about the duo have focused on the authors rather than the works. With this detailed examination of all fourteen operas, Gayden Wren fills the void. His bold thesis finds the key to the operas' longevity, not in the clever lyrics, witty dialogue, or catchy music, but in the central themes underlying the characters and stories themselves. Like Shakespeare's comedies, Wren shows, the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan endure because of their timeless themes, which speak to audiences as powerfully now as they did the first time they were performed. Written out of an abiding love for the Savoy operas, this volume is essential reading for any devotee of these enchanting works, or indeed for anyone who loves musical theater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

beware: opinion often masquerading as fact...
Wren, no doubt, has thoroughly researched his topic. He has lived with these operas and knows them intimately as anyone could.One cannot help but admire the depth of analysis given to several of the Savoy operas.I was particularly impressed by his analysis of the subtle flower imagery running thru Ruddigore, and his work on Gilbert's poetical schemes.His musical analysis falls short most of the time, and betrays a lack of understanding regarding Sullivan's approach (or indeed, theatrical music in general).His attacks do not suffer from the German 19th century-influenced prejudices which affected Gervase Hughes' study of Sullivan's music but often miscontrues meaning and in some cases, misses the joke entirely (yes, Sullivan could joke right along with Gilbert; Gilbert in fact famously remarked "I never had to explain a joke to Sullivan").
Wren decries the simple and lovely strophic setting ofPatience's air "Love is a plaintive song," complaining (like some other authors) that Sullivan failed to capture the lyric.Not true.The simple, largely diatonic setting exquistely captures lyric and character's frame of mind-- Patience is simple and straightforward, she is unhappy, confused, and parroting what Angela has led her to think love should be; a full out, through-composed dark aria would be uncalled for, and unconvincing from this character.In the same opera, when we meet Grosvenor in Act I, the music that accompanies his entrance is nearly Wagnerian in its dense chromatic wandering, admirably suited to a trendy, artistic young man of the time.Later, when Grosvenor emerges as "An Everyday Young Man," he sings a song that is literally reduced to two chords-- a subtle joke to be sure, but the humor is evident.Wren applauds Sullivan for relying less on recit in later operas, taking it's lack of use as evidence of compositional maturity (a prejudice similar to Gervase's, in that through-composed opera was somehow philsophically preferable to the recit-aria Italian format) when in fact, Sullivan uses recit only where it serves his purpose-- and doesn't when it is not called for.In Ruddigore, Dame Hannah's first song is interupted by a recit like passage-- to call attention to the lines she utters, when Sullivan could have every easily continued in the verse-form.This surprising and effective touch is evidence of compositional maturity, not a lapse into formula by an undeveloped talent.
The bibliography at the end is thorough but also full of editorializations on each book mentioned, which could have been informative but instead are too subjective.
All this being said, the book is worth a look, mainly for the informed analyses of the lyric and historical backgrounds, but it should be complemented by other books on the Savoy operas and certainly an acquaintance with good productions.

Usher: "What he may say you needn't mind."
Mr. Wren has written a sometimes interesting and occasionally useful book, one, however, not quite so interesting or so useful as the author fancies it to be.

The bibliography at the back of the book casts a particularly interesting light on the mind of the author.He goes out of his way to slag many or even most of the previous writers in the field, some for lapses of scholarship, some for mere redundancy, some for poor physical layout, some for lack of concern for thematic criticism (i.e., for not writing THIS book), and poor old Leslie Baily for being nice to the memory of Richard D'Oyly Carte.

By his own testimony, Mr. Wren is a director of G&S stage productions.Like many directors, Mr. Wren has a fully matured appreciation of the essential rightness of his opinions, however crackpot.That is to say,his half-baked notions do not always agree with my reasoned conclusions--or maybe it's the other way around.

The book abounds with points suitable for sticking in one's craw.There are nice pieces of logic of almost Gilbertian circularity.The later--but not the latest--Savoy operas are good and the early ones are bad.Why?Because the early ones are not like the later ones.Some things clearly intended not to be amusing are criticized for the grievous sin of not being funny, while some hilarious bits are buried beneath ponderous and gloomy commentary.

It is with his critique of "H.M.S. Pinafore" that Mr. Wren's critical wheels go wobbly.He devotes a lengthy analysis to the "simple eloquence" of Ralph Rackstraw and the management style of Captain Corcoran.Unfortunately, the analysis comes to grief, as Wren points out, on the Captain's use of the word, "Elysian."A lesser man might harbor doubts, but Mr. Wren is a director, so it is clear to him that the error is not his but W. S. Gilbert's.Poor Gilbert simply did not understand his own carefully worked out plan.Mr. Wren displays shocking lack of insight when he dismisses Dick Deadeye as a mere villain. (And later, even worse, he airly defines Katisha in "The Mikado" as a stage dragon and deems her two songs so out of character that they might be omitted from performance.INFAMOUS!)

With "Pricess Ida," Gilbert's "respectful per-version," that is, his witty improvement on Tennyson's dreary old poem, Mr. Wren plunges right off the critical rails.What a load of what some Canadians would call codswallop!(And yes, Mr. Wren, I have read Tennyson, too.) After reading his doom-laden take on "Ida," one trembles before the heart of darkness that Mr. Wren would surely extract from the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera."

Mr. Wren likes spoken dialogue. He dislikes dry recitative.He likes choruses to take an active part in the dramatic structure of a piece.He likes complicated verbal interactions involving several characters at a time.He adores big, concerted finales.He does not care much for parody.These are all perfectly acceptable positions to take when defining a personal taste.However, if they are used as tools of general criticism and applied in a world larger than that of Gilbert and Sullivan, they very promptly disclose that such trifles as "Carmen," "Die Zauberfloete," "Don Giovanni" and "Kiss Me, Kate" are whatWilfred Shadbolt would describe as very dull dogs indeed.

If you are sufficiently interested in G&S to look up this book, by all means acquire it.It is an entertaining and salutary exercise to determine just how often an apparently rational and reasonable man's opinions can go haring off along the wrong path.It also offers a good opportunity for you to formulate your own ideas out of sheer reaction to Mr. Wren's.

Very insightful and straight to the point
There is no critical showboating in "A Most Ingenious Paradox", just dead on, revelatory insights presented in a modest, straightforward voice.He really appears to have lived with each of the G & S operas, and got it in his bones.Very little overlap here with other G & S books, so even the most jaded Savoyard will find something fresh in this book.

A new and interesting slant on the Savoy operas
In the past, when asked to name the minimal list of books essential to a full understanding and thereby appreciation of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, I would have cut it down to three. For a study of the social conditions behind Gilbert's satire, there is the long out of print "The World of Gilbert and Sullivan" by W.A. Darlington. For a fairly well balanced discussion of both the scripts and the music, there is "Gilbert & Sullivan Opera: a New Assessment" by Audrey Williamson, which passed into a second edition when I saw it last. Then there is the indispensable single volume edition of"The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" by Ian Bradley under the aegis of Oxford University Press.

Now from that same august publisher comes a volume I might seriously consider as a fourth: "A Most Ingenious Paradox" by Gayden Wren. Having worked most of his life in the theatre and specializing in Gilbert & Sullivan, Wren has come up with the thesis that "Beneath the surface charm of the Savoy operas...lies a powerful thematic core that makes their works effective to this day" (p. 4). Well, so it is with Shakespeare, Shaw, and even Rodgers & Hart. It is the examples offered up by Wren that affords so much surprise and delight.

The book is organized into fairly self-contained chapters.The first deals with "Gilbert before Sullivan," the second with "Sullivan before Gilbert." Then we have a chapter for each of the 14 works, followed by a chapter about their careers after "The Grand Duke" and a final one about their "Legacy." There follows an appendix with plot outlines, details about the original "Ruddygore" script and score, notes, an excellent critical bibliography, and index.

I think that directors will appreciate the emphasis Wren puts upon the seriousness that underlies some of the works, and not only "Yeomen of the Guard." For example, considerthe scene just before the finale between Iolanthe and the Lord Chancellor in which things do become "life or death" and which could easily lead to an unhappy ending with no violence to what has gone before. Of course, the public expected a happy ending with G&S, but that was no reason they had to get one.

His remarks about "The Mikado," although confined to only 15 pages did make me suddenly aware of how Gilbert keeps tipping his hand all through by having the characters call attention to their being in a play: "Japanese don't use pocket-handkerchiefs," "the Japanese equivalent for Hear, hear, hear," "Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances," and so on.I part company on him with him on some remarks about "Princess Ida," but his comparison between the opera and the Tennyson original is quite revealing. In general, I kept nodding and thinking about most of his conclusions with "Of course, I should have realized that years ago."

The style is friendly, the author taking it for granted, of course, that you know the plots of the operas fairly well to begin with. Yes, I think I might recommend this as the fourth essential book. But please give it a try and let me know what you think.

A little postscript would be in order here. Naxos is reissuing at budget prices the old "Martyn Green" G&S sets that used to be available on London and then Richmond mono LPs. Thus far they have added to their catalogue "The Mikado," "HMS Pinafore," "Pirates of Penzance/Trial by Jury," and just this month "The Gondoliers." Anyone intererested in the Wren book would certainly want to own these vintage recordings. ... Read more

Book Description
Here is a guide book with a difference, for the Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiast as well as the general reader.By moving in and around London, backwards and forwards in time,Andrew Goodman unfolds the story of the most astonishing partnership in the history of British musical entertainment against the authentic background of the era in which it flourished.

With much original research and many hitherto unpublished illustrations, Andrew Goodman makes an invaluable contribution to our knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Gilbert and Sullivan in this handsome volume, which is already a classic of its kind.The book summons up a bygone era in a predominantly celebratory tone, recalling the lost grandeur of the city's great entertainment palaces, its atmospheric streetlife and nightlife, its splendour and its squalor.

Acclaimed film-maker Mike Leigh, director of Topsy Turvy the new film about Gilbert and Sullivan set during their collaboration on The Mikado, provides a new Foreword. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Travel Guide
Well researched, the book would make an excellent companion on a walking tour of London.The author knows what buildings are still standing from Gilbert and Sullivan's world, which have been demolished, and which have changed.Gives great descriptions of the theaters, including the Savoy, where the productions were staged, and so forth.

If I have a criticism of the book, it is laid out geographically -- so you might be discussing Gilbert in 1876 at one minute and Arthur Sullivan in 1885 at another, because that is where the next building on the street leads you.The continuity suffers a little because of this.

But if you know a Gilbert and Sullivan fan who is making a pilgrimage to London, this is the perfect book for them.

A very fine book-a treasure trove of info on G&S and London
This is a marvelous book.This is a charming account of the relationshipbetween Gilbert and Sullivan (both individually and as collaborators) withLondon.The author Andrew Goodman (who really knows his stuff) organizedthis enormous treasure-trove of information by neighborhood.The book getsoff to a strong start by reviewing how London developed-it impressed me howmuch London is a Victorian city, with many famous neighborhoods were allbut farmland in the early 19th century.This book is meant not only forlovers of G&S but lovers of London and good travel writing as well. ... Read more