Podcasts about sir arthur sullivan

Writer and resident Gilbert & Sullivan expert Julia Sirmons joins to discuss Mike Leigh's 'Topsy-Turvy', a story of the aforementioned musical duo and the production of one of their most popular shows, 'The Mikado'. It's a film that feels at once like an outliler in Leigh's career up to that point (his first film not set in contemporary working-class London) and a pitch-perfect culmination of many of his career-long explorations. We begin with a discussion about the legacy of director Mike Leigh, his unusual method for drawing brilliant performances from his ensemble of some of the very best British actors, and his trademark style and narrative construction. Then, we unpack the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, exploring Topsy-Turvy's commitment to authenticity in its recreation of 19th century English theater culture, and the wise decision to focus the film on a particularly unstable moment in the long collaboration between the wordsmith and composer. Finally, we discuss the film's evocation of art and its production process, emphasizing the granular repetition of the work as well as the undergirding capitalist mechanics that necessitated performers assume a strong identity as a collective labor force. Follow Julia Sirmons on Twitter.Read Julia's recent piece on Sally Potter's 'The Tango Lesson' at Wig-Wag.Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Sir Arthur Sullivan became the most renowned composer of the Victorian era, with his fame spreading across Europe and America too. His output spanned many genres including oratorios, a symphony, chamber music, hymns and anthems, but it was for his collaboration with the librettist W. S. Gilbert on operetta's that he is best remembered today. He was a personal friend to royalty, and he was knighted when he was in his early forties. He also had a liking for playing cards, buying race horses and gambling, frequently loosing the substantial earnings from the stage works he'd composed. Sullivan became a pillar of the British musical establishment, so that when he died, despite wanting to be buried with his family in Brompton Cemetery, he was laid to rest in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, with an additional service at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace. Music Featured: HMS Pinafore (Overture) HMS Pinafore (When I was a lad) O Israel Overture ‘In Memorium' Will he come? Symphony in E major, ‘Irish Symphony' (Andante espressivo) Cox and Box (excerpt) The Merry Wives of Windsor (excerpts) Lead Kindly Light HMS Pinafore (excerpts) Pirates of Penzance (excerpt) Who is like unto thee Mikado (excerpts) The Golden Legend (excerpt) Ruddigore (excerpts) The Yeomen of the Guard (excerpts) Ivanhoe (excerpt) Utopia Limited (Society has quite forsaken) The Long Day Closes Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001kpgh And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we've featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Synopsis In London on today's date in 1871 an audience gathered in the newly-finished Royal Albert Hall to attend the first-ever concert to be performed there. This occurred a month BEFORE the official opening of this famous Victorian edifice as a special thank-you for the workers who constructed the building. The orchestra that played that concert was famous in its day – though now totally forgotten. It was called The Wandering Minstrels and its players were all British aristocrats – Lords, Right Honourables, and senior military – who from 1861 to 1896 played exclusively for charity events. One strict rule of membership was that only amateur musicians were allowed. If you earned even one penny as a professional, you were out. That happened to one member, the composer Frederick Clay, who had to leave The Wandering Minstrels when music he wrote for the stage started to pull in a few pennies. Clay even collaborated with W.S. Gilbert, the famous librettist for Sir Arthur Sullivan, who himself occasionally performed as a guest with The Wandering Minstrels. And yes, it's likely that the Gilbert & Sullivan song A Wandering Minstrel I from The Mikado was an in-joke reference to the aristocratic orchestra, especially since Nanki-Poo, who sings it, was (after all) a nobleman in disguise. Music Played in Today's Program W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) & Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) "A Wand'ring Minstrel I," fr "The Mikado" D'Oyly Carte Opera Company; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Royston Nash, conductor. London/Decca 425190

WPMT's premiere of “The Mikado” airs at 1 PM CT, Enjoy the satire in this historic work that originally premiered in 1885 and still holds its ground today, featuring Kenny Baker as "Nanki-Poo," Evelyn Case as "Yum-Yum" and Gordon MacRae as "Ko-Ko” with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, and book and lyrics by W. S. Gilbert, as it was heard on The Railroad Hour in December of 1949.

Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" is an operetta. An operetta is like an opera, with one big difference. In opera, everything is sung, but in operetta, there are spoken lines between the singing. Composers who wrote operettas in English include Sir Arthur Sullivan (who can't be separated from William S. Gilbert, who wrote the words for Gilbert and Sullivan operettas), Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml.

Box and Cox is a one act farce by John Maddison Morton and is based on a French one-act vaudeville, Frisette, which had been produced in Paris in 1846. The original play was used by Sir Arthur Sullivan for his comic opera, which he renamed "Cox and Box. Box and Cox was first produced at the Lyceum Theatre, London, on 1 November 1847, billed as a "romance of real life." The play became popular and was revived frequently through the end of the nineteenth century, with occasional productions in the twentieth century.  Our adaption was written by Neville Teller and first broadcast across the USA in October 2015 in a production by Shoestring Radio Theatre, San Francisco.

Did you know Gilbert and Sullivan wrote a King Arthur play? Well, okay, that Sir Arthur Sullivan provided music for a King Arthur play in new verse, which was such a hit that it toured the UK and the US? And did you know that it was only one of three plays either performed or published in 1895? We did! Today, we take a look at King Arthur: A Drama in a Prologue and Four Acts, with verse by J. Comyns Carr and music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, as well as Mordred: A Tragedy by Henry Newbolt. As an extra special bonus, we'll be dropping the Zoom video for the Melodrama episode for our patrons on Patreon. To join, visit http://www.patreon.com/hamlettohamilton.com Season Two we're looking at Arthur Through the Ages, looking at how English verse playwrights took on the King Arthur myth, from 1587-2019. Show Notes and Texts: https://www.hamlettohamilton.com/s2e8.html

Synopsis On today’s date in 1995, an opera by the American composer Amy Beach received its first professional production at Lincoln Center in New York City–63 years after Beach completed it–in the summer of 1932. Beach was 65 years old in 1932 and for years had wanted to write an opera on an American theme. She settled on a play written by Nan Bagby Stephens, a writer from Atlanta. Their operatic collaboration was entitled “Cabildo,” after the famous prison in New Orleans where the pirate Pierre Lafitte was imprisoned during the War of 1812. Stephens even supplied Beach with authentic Creole songs and dances to incorporate in her score. Beach had a concise one-act opera finished by August of 1932, but it was never staged during her lifetime. Both the Depression and the outbreak of World War II postponed various attempts at a staging. Sadly, when an opera workshop at the University of Georgia finally got around to an amateur production in 1945, Beach had already died. The manuscript of the opera remained unpublished for decades, but with the passage of time, interest in Amy Beach led to the Lincoln Center performance in 1995, conducted by Ransom Wilson. Music Played in Today's Program Amy Beach (1867 – 1944) Cabildo ensemble; Ransom Wilson Delos 3170 On This Day Births 1842 - English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, in Lambeth (London); 1913 - American organist and record retailer, William Schwann, in Salem Ill.; In 1949 he began publication of the Schwann Record Catalog, a guide to phonograph records in print; Premieres 1833 - Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 ("Italian"), in London, by the Philharmonic Society, with the composer conducting; 1877 - Franck: "Les Eolides," in Paris at a Lamoureux Concert; 1949 - Panufnik: "Sinfonia Rustica," in Warsaw; 1987 - Harbison: Symphony No. 2, by the San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt conducting; 1993 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Bassoon Concerto, by the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Lorin Maazel, with Nancy Goeres the soloist; 1995 - first professional production of Any Beach: opera "Cabildo," at Alice Tully Hall in New York City as a "Great Performances" telecast conducted by Ransom Wilson; The world premiere performance was given on Feb. 27, 1945 (two months after Beach's death), by the Opera Workshop at the University of Georgia in Athens, directed by Hugh Hodgson; 2001 - Harbison: "North and South (Elizabeth Bishop Cycle)," by the Chicago Chamber Musicians; Others 1862 - First concert by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra in New York City; His program includes the American premieres of Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" Overture and Liszt's arrangement for piano and orchestra of Schubert's "Wanderer Fantasy." 1875 - American premiere of J.S. Bach's "Magnificat," during the May Festival in Cincinnati, conducted by Theodore Thomas; The Cincinnati Commercial review of May 14 was not favorable: "The work is difficult in the extreme and most of the chorus abounds with rambling sub-divisions. We considering the ‘Magnifcat' the weakest thing the chorus has undertaken . . . possessing no dramatic character and incapable of conveying the magnitude of the labor that has been expended upon its inconsequential intricacies. If mediocrity is a mistake, the ‘Magnifcat' is the one error of the Festival"; Thomas also conducted the next documented performance in Boston on Mar. 1, 1876 (for which composer John Knowles Paine performed as organ accompanist to a chorus of 300). Links and Resources On Amy Beach

Synopsis On today’s date in 1995, an opera by the American composer Amy Beach received its first professional production at Lincoln Center in New York City–63 years after Beach completed it–in the summer of 1932. Beach was 65 years old in 1932 and for years had wanted to write an opera on an American theme. She settled on a play written by Nan Bagby Stephens, a writer from Atlanta. Their operatic collaboration was entitled “Cabildo,” after the famous prison in New Orleans where the pirate Pierre Lafitte was imprisoned during the War of 1812. Stephens even supplied Beach with authentic Creole songs and dances to incorporate in her score. Beach had a concise one-act opera finished by August of 1932, but it was never staged during her lifetime. Both the Depression and the outbreak of World War II postponed various attempts at a staging. Sadly, when an opera workshop at the University of Georgia finally got around to an amateur production in 1945, Beach had already died. The manuscript of the opera remained unpublished for decades, but with the passage of time, interest in Amy Beach led to the Lincoln Center performance in 1995, conducted by Ransom Wilson. Music Played in Today's Program Amy Beach (1867 – 1944) Cabildo ensemble; Ransom Wilson Delos 3170 On This Day Births 1842 - English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, in Lambeth (London); 1913 - American organist and record retailer, William Schwann, in Salem Ill.; In 1949 he began publication of the Schwann Record Catalog, a guide to phonograph records in print; Premieres 1833 - Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 ("Italian"), in London, by the Philharmonic Society, with the composer conducting; 1877 - Franck: "Les Eolides," in Paris at a Lamoureux Concert; 1949 - Panufnik: "Sinfonia Rustica," in Warsaw; 1987 - Harbison: Symphony No. 2, by the San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt conducting; 1993 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Bassoon Concerto, by the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Lorin Maazel, with Nancy Goeres the soloist; 1995 - first professional production of Any Beach: opera "Cabildo," at Alice Tully Hall in New York City as a "Great Performances" telecast conducted by Ransom Wilson; The world premiere performance was given on Feb. 27, 1945 (two months after Beach's death), by the Opera Workshop at the University of Georgia in Athens, directed by Hugh Hodgson; 2001 - Harbison: "North and South (Elizabeth Bishop Cycle)," by the Chicago Chamber Musicians; Others 1862 - First concert by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra in New York City; His program includes the American premieres of Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" Overture and Liszt's arrangement for piano and orchestra of Schubert's "Wanderer Fantasy." 1875 - American premiere of J.S. Bach's "Magnificat," during the May Festival in Cincinnati, conducted by Theodore Thomas; The Cincinnati Commercial review of May 14 was not favorable: "The work is difficult in the extreme and most of the chorus abounds with rambling sub-divisions. We considering the ‘Magnifcat' the weakest thing the chorus has undertaken . . . possessing no dramatic character and incapable of conveying the magnitude of the labor that has been expended upon its inconsequential intricacies. If mediocrity is a mistake, the ‘Magnifcat' is the one error of the Festival"; Thomas also conducted the next documented performance in Boston on Mar. 1, 1876 (for which composer John Knowles Paine performed as organ accompanist to a chorus of 300). Links and Resources On Amy Beach

Once in royal David's city (Solo first verse sung by David Wade a chorister of The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy) Words: Mrs C. F. Alexander (1818-1895) Tune: ‘Irby', H. J Gauntlett (1808-1876), rev. A. H. Mann (1850-1929) Descant: Philip Berg (b. 1959) WELCOME The Chaplain BIDDING PRAYER ANTHEM Zion hört die Wächter singen Words: P. Nicolai (1556 – 1608) Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) First Lesson Isaiah 9: 2, 6 & 7 (The Prophecy of the Messiah's Birth); Read by Professor Danielle A George CAROL It came upon the midnight clear, Words: Edmund Sears (1810 – 76) Music: Traditional English, adapted by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 –1900) Second Lesson Matthew 1:18-23 (The Birth of Emmanuel) Read by Air Marshal Sir Julian Young CAROL When Christ was born of Mary free Words: 15th century Music: Timothy Hamilton (b. 1973) Third Lesson John 1; 1-14 (The Incarnation of the Word of God) Read by Mrs Toni Allen CAROL God rest you merry, gentlemen, Words: English traditional Music: Traditional, arr. Philip Berg (b. 1959) The Chaplain COLLECT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE Almighty God, you make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as we joyfully receive him as our redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. THE BLESSING CAROL Hark! the herald-angels sing Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and others Music : Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) CLOSING VOLUNTARY I Saw Three Ships English Traditional Carol, arr. for voices and organ by Philip Berg MVO (b. 1959). Transcribed for saxophone ensemble, and played, by Alfie Beston (current chorister).

Once in royal David's city (Solo first verse sung by Darragh Keane a chorister of The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy) Words: Mrs C. F. Alexander (1818-1895) Tune: ‘Irby', H. J Gauntlett (1808-1876), rev. A. H. Mann (1850-1929) Descant: Philip Berg (b. 1959) WELCOME The Chaplain BIDDING PRAYER ANTHEM Zion hört die Wächter singen Words: P. Nicolai (1556 – 1608) Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) First Lesson Isaiah 9: 2, 6 & 7 (The Prophecy of the Messiah's Birth); Read by Sir Michael Hirst CAROL It came upon the midnight clear, Words: Edmund Sears (1810 – 76) Music: Traditional English, adapted by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 –1900) Second Lesson Matthew 1:18-23 (The Birth of Emmanuel) Read by The Rt Hon Sir Gary Hickinbottom CAROL When Christ was born of Mary free Words: 15th century Music: Timothy Hamilton (b. 1973) Third Lesson John 1; 1-14 (The Incarnation of the Word of God) Read by Professor Sir Colin Berry God rest you merry, gentlemen, Words: English traditional Music: Traditional, arr. Philip Berg (b. 1959) The Chaplain THE COLLECT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE THE SOCIETY'S COLLECT Almighty and eternal God, we thank thee on this day for our forebears who by their vision gathered in the spirit of faith and service to form the unity of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor. Grant to us the same vision and the strength of heart and mind to uphold their purpose, united in fellowship to honour and serve our Sovereign Lady The Queen, her Crown and her dignity; this we pray in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. THE BLESSING CAROL Hark! the herald-angels sing Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and others Music : Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) CLOSING VOLUNTARY I Saw Three Ships English Traditional Carol, arr. for voices and organ by Philip Berg MVO (b. 1959). Transcribed for saxophone ensemble, and played, by Alfie Beston (current chorister).

Once in royal David's city (Solo first verse sung by Liam Butterworth, a chorister of The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy) Words: Mrs C. F. Alexander (1818-1895) Tune: ‘Irby', H. J Gauntlett (1808-1876), rev. A. H. Mann (1850-1929) Descant: Philip Berg (b. 1959) WELCOME The Chaplain BIDDING PRAYER My sisters and brothers in the name of Christ welcome to this Carol Service. Christmas draws near and we prepare for our celebration of the birth of God's beloved Son. Through the days of Advent we follow the light of Christ, and we travel in spirit with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to acclaim with the multitude of the heavenly host the coming of the Prince of Peace. Through Scripture and silence, prayer and song, let us hear again the wonderful story of our redemption, and, hearing, let us rejoice and respond with lively faith. Amen. Choir Anthem Zion hört die Wächter singen Words: P. Nicolai (1556 – 1608) Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) First Lesson Isaiah 9: 2, 6 & 7 (The Prophecy of the Messiah's Birth); Read by Peter Charlton Carol It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Words: Edmund Sears (1810 – 76) Music: Traditional English, adapted by Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 –1900) Second Lesson Matthew 1:18-23 (The Birth of Emmanuel) Read by Elizabeth Stanton Jones Choir Anthem I saw a fair mayden sytten and sing. Words: 15th Century Music: R. R. Terry (1865-1938) Third Lesson John 1; 1-14 (The Incarnation of the Word of God) Read by Sir Andrew Parmley Carol The Three Kings Words and music: Peter Cornelius (1824-94), arr. Philip Berg (b. 1959) COLLECT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE The Chaplain Almighty God, you make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as we joyfully receive him as our redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. THE BLESSING Carol Hark! The Herald-Angels Sing Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and others Music : Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) CLOSING VOLUNTARY I Saw Three Ships English Traditional Carol, arr. for voices and organ by Philip Berg MVO (b. 1959). Transcribed for saxophone ensemble, and played, by Alfie Beston (current chorister).

Vox Satanae – Episode 470 – 136 Minutes – Week of April 20, 2020 This week we hear works by Jan Ladislav Dussek, Otto Nicolai, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Nikos Skalkottas, and Heinz Winbeck.

For our 99th episode, you can count on Julia to describe the origins of every single element name on the periodic table. We’ve got you covered from Actinium to Zirconium! Later, enjoy a quiz called “Title Elements”! . . . [Music: 1) Tom Lehrer, “The Elements,” Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, 1959; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]

Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" is an operetta. An operetta is like an opera, with one big difference. In opera, everything is sung, but in operetta, there are spoken lines between the singing. Composers who wrote operettas in English include Sir Arthur Sullivan (who can't be separated from William S. Gilbert, who wrote the words for Gilbert and Sullivan operettas), Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml.

Allan Corduner is an astonishingly versatile actor, equally at home in the West End, on Broadway, in television series such as Homeland, or in films like Yentl, Florence Foster Jenkins, and Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy, in which he played the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, perfect casting for an actor who is also an accomplished pianist. He talks to Michael Berkeley about his favourite music, with pieces by Scriabin, Sibelius, and Bruch that reflect his Russian, Finnish and Jewish heritage. And Allan chooses piano music by Schubert, which he loved playing as a child, and his favourite recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, with Glenn Gould. Producer: Jane Greenwood A Loftus production for BBC Radio 3.

The musicians at the New York premiere of The Pirates of Penzance threatened to strike because the score was too difficult, too "operatic"! Silly, of course, but perhaps they had a point. There are many allusions and parodies of current opera styles in Sullivan's score. In this podcast, Dr. Nic gives us an idea of just how the composer went about it, and why. Enjoy!

Sarah Lenton recommends the best recording of The Mikado by Sir Arthur Sullivan.

On this day in 1891, Sir Arthur Sullivan's opera Ivanhoe — that's right, opera, not operetta — had its first performance. On today's "A Classical Day in the Life", we explore Sullivan's more serious side.

"Lucy In The Sky, written by Elizabeth Heffron, with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan; from the episode "Gold Rush" recorded on Aug 29, 2016 at Town Hall Seattle. Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review and tell others about us! Live show info online at www.sandboxradio.org

Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky review (1) I AND YOU, by Lauren Gunderson, at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; (2) THE 39 STEPS, by Patrick Barlow, at Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble; (3) DRACULA, by John L. Balderston & Hamilton Deane, at The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves; (4) RUMORS, by Neil Simon, at the Kirkwood Theatre Guild; (5) YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, by W.S. Gilbert & Sir Arthur Sullivan, at Winter Opera St. Louis; (6) NUNSENSE, by Dan Goggins, at Hawthorne Players; and (7) A MOURNING HOLLOW, by 9 playwrights, at Tesseract Theatre.

Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky review (1) TWELFTH NIGHT, by William Shakespeare, at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, (2) THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, by W.S. Gilbert & Sir Arthur Sullivan, at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, (3) SHLEMIEL THE FIRST, adapted from I. B. Singer by Robert Brustein, et al., at New Jewish Theatre, (4) ANYTHING GOES, by Cole Porter et al., at the Fox Theatre, (5) AN ILIAD, by Lisa Peterson & Denis O'Hare, at Upstream Theater, (6) MRS. MANNERLY, by Jeffrey Hatcher, at Max & Louie Productions, (7) TALKING HEADS, by Alan Bennett, at St. Louis Actors' Studio, and (8) MURDERED TO DEATH, by Peter Gordon, at the Alpha Players of Florissant.

Many selections sung by Clara Butt, a very great artist: 1.Softly and gently  (Elgar:The Dream of Gerontius)2. Where corals lie   (Elgar:Sea Pictures)3.The Enchantress (Hatton)4.The Leaves and the Wind (Cooper)5.The Sweetest flower that blows (Hawley)6. Barbara Allen (Traditional)7. Kathleen Mavourneen (Crouch)8. Ye Banks and braes (Scottish air)9.The Promise of life (Cowen)10.En priere (Faure)11.The Birth of the flowers(Lehmann)12. Lusinghe piu care (Handel:Alessandro)13. Rend'il sereno (Handel:Sosarme)14. Ombra mai fu (Handel:Serse)15, In questa tomba oscura (Bethoven)16.Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix (Samson et Delilah)17. Che faro senza Euridice (Orfeo)18.  Brindisi from Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti)                       ( 66 min.)   Clara Butt was born in Southwick, Sussex. Her father was Henry Albert Butt who was a sea captain and who was born in 1848 in Saint Martin, Jersey, Channel Islands. He married Clara Hook in 1869, who was born in Shoreham, the daughter of Joseph Hook, mariner (1861 and 1871 census, in 1881 in New Shoreham workhouse). In 1880 the family moved to Bristol and Clara was educated at South Bristol High School, where her singing talent was recognised and encouraged. At the request of her headmistress, she was trained by the bass Daniel Rootham and joined the Bristol Festival Chorus, of which he was musical director. In January 1890 she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. In her fourth year she spent three months studying in Paris at the expense of Queen Victoria. She also studied in Berlin and Italy. She made her professional début at the Royal Albert Hall in London in Sir Arthur Sullivan's The Golden Legend on 7 December 1892. Three days later she appeared as Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Lyceum Theatre. Bernard Shaw wrote in The World that she ‘far surpassed the utmost expectations that could reasonably be entertained' (14 December 1892). She returned to Paris and made further studies with Jacques Bouhy (the teacher of Louise Homer and Louise Kirkby Lunn) and later with the soprano Etelka Gerster in Berlin. Camille Saint-Saëns wanted her to study Dalila, but due to laws then extant forbidding the representation of biblical subjects on the British stage, nothing came of it. Soon she had acquired an excellent reputation, aided by her physical presence - she was 6 feet 2 inches tall. She made many gramophone recordings, often accompanied by the (uncredited) pianist Miss Lillian Bryant. She was primarily a concert singer and only ever appeared in two opera productions, both of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, in 1892 and 1920. Edward Elgar composed his Sea Pictures for contralto and orchestra with Clara Butt in mind as the soloist, and she sang at the first performance at the Norwich Festival on 5 October 1899, with the composer conducting. In 1900 she married the baritone Kennerly Rumford, and thenceforth often appeared with him in concerts. The couple eventually had three children two sons and a daughter. Besides singing in many important festivals and concerts, she was honoured with royal commands from Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and King George V. She made tours to Australia, Japan, Canada, the United States and to many European cities. During the First World War she organised and sang in many concerts for service charities, and for this she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours. That year she sang four performances of Gluck's Orphee at Covent Garden under the baton of Sir Thomas Beecham. According to The Times she 'played fast and loose with the time and spoilt the phrasing' and it appears not to have been a success. Butt's three sisters were also singers. One of them, Ethel Hook, became a famous artist in her own right and made some superb solo recordings. In later life Clara Butt was dogged by tragedies. Her elder son died of meningitis while still at school, and the younger committed suicide. During the 1920s she became seriously ill of cancer of the spine, but her faith gave her the strength to continue working. She made many of her later records seated in a wheelchair. She died in 1936 at the age of 63 at her home in North Stoke, Oxfordshire, as a result of an accident she suffered in 1931. Sir Thomas Beecham once said, jokingly, that "on a clear day, you could have heard her across the English Channel". Not all serious musicians admired her booming contralto, which can be mistaken for a man's voice on some recordings, or her rather 'populist' approach to her art.  

Join Thos and Michael Rice (from OperaNow) as they discuss the early careers of those godfathers of musical theatre, WS Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, from Thespis to The Pirates of Penzance.

Sir Arthur Sullivan, the musical half of the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership, was buried in the crypt of St Paul's by order of Queen Victoria. The most important musician of his day, he composed a symphony, a concerto...