Sir W. S. Gilbert

Jeremy Tambling (University of Hong Kong)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

Born 18 Nov 1836
Died 29 May 1911
Activity 1856-1911

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Librettist
Playwright / Dramatist

Resources

Gilbert's Works

Save to Bookshelf

William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) co-authored the “Savoy operas” – the name given to the operettas which were commissioned by Richard D'Oyly Carte (1844-1901), who built the Savoy theatre in the Strand for them (1881) – as he later built the Royal English Opera House (now the Palace) for Sullivan's

Ivanhoe

in 1891. Carte had intended to become a composer, but began in theatre management in 1874 with

opéra bouffes

by Serpette (1846-1901) and Lecocq (1832-1918). Gilbert was a journalist and barrister and dramatist, writing opera burlesques, while Sullivan, the son of an Irish musician with a career in military music, had studied as a star pupil at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Leipzig Conservatory (1858-1861) and wrote choral settings and…

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2062 words

Citation: Tambling, Jeremy. "Sir W. S. Gilbert". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 January 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1740, accessed 26 November 2024.]