Who was Arthur Sullivan?
Music Composer.
Date and Place of Birth:
13th May 1842, London, England. Christened Arthur
Seymour Sullivan.
Family Background:
Second son of Thomas Sullivan, a sergeant bandmaster
at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and Professor of Clarinet
at the Royal Military School of Music and Mary Clementina Sullivan
Coghlan.
Education:
Studied music under William Sterndale Bennett
at the Royal Academy of Music, London after winning a Mendelssohn
Scholarship and at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Germany.
Chronology/Biography of Sir Arthus Sullivan:
1856: Promoted to
the rank of First Boy in the Chapel Royal Choir.
1861: Returned to
London after his studies in Leipzig. (15th April) His orchestral
suite "The Tempest" was first performed at the Crystal
Palace.
1863: Worked as
organist for two institutions including St. Michael's Church in
London.
1867: Composed the
music for the comic opera "Cox and Box", libretto by F.C.
Burnand.
1871: Became the
first Principal of the National Training College, which was later
to become the Royal College of Music.
1872:
Composed his Te Deum.
1875: First performance
of "Trial by Jury" with libretto by Gilbert.
1876: Richard D'Oyly
Carte formed his comic opera company.
1877: Building of
the Savoy Theatre by D'Oyly Carte which was to make the joint works
of Gilbert and Sullivan famous. First
performance of "The Sorcerer".
1878: First performance
of HMS Pinafore.
1880: First performance
of "The Pirates of Penzance".
1881: First performance
of "Patience" a satire about Oscar Wilde
and his circle.
1882: First performance
of "Iolanthe".
1883: Knighted.
1885: First performance
of "The Mikado".
1886: Composed his
most important Cantata "The Golden Legend".
1887: First performance
of "Ruddigore".
1888: First performance
of "The Yeoman of the Guard".
1889:
First performance of "The Gondoliers".
1890:
Quarreled with Gilbert supposedly about the
style of carpet in the Savoy Theatre
1891:
Composed a serious opera "Ivanhoe".
He also composed many ballads and hymn tunes. His most famous song
cycles were "Orpheus with his Lute" and the Lost chord".
His most famous hymn tune was "Onward Christian Soldiers.
1892:
Composed "Haddon Hall" with libretto by
Sydney Grundy.
1893:
First performance of "Utopia Limited". The
rift between Gilbert and Sullivan was
temporarily halted.
1895: Composed "The
Chieftain" with libretto by Burnand.
1896:
First performance of "The Grand Duke".
1898: Composed "The
Beauty Stone with libretto by Comyn Carr.
1899: Composed "The
Rose of Persia" with libretto by Basil Hood. His last years
were spent in obscurity in much pain which even morphine couldn't
relieve.
(1901): Edward German
completes Sullivan's work "The Emerald Isle".Marriage:
Never married.
Places of Interest:
BATH:
The Assembly Rooms.
LONDON:
The Royal Academy of Music.
Savoy Hotel. (Site of the original Savoy Theatre).
Date and Place of Death:
22nd November 1900, London, England.
Age at Death:
58.
Site of Grave:
St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England.
Grave of Sir Arthur Sullivan,
Crypt of St Paul's Cathedral London
(© A Blagg)
