Arthur Sullivan
British composer Arthur Sullivan wrote orchestral, choral, opera, and ballet music, but is best known for his comic operas created with librettist W.S. Gilbert. Sullivan began composing music as a youngster, and attended the Royal Academy of Music in London in the mid-1850s, and then the Conservatory in Leipzig, Germany, graduating in 1861. Sullivan received commissions from festivals, which included his successful orchestral work Overture di Ballo. He also worked as a church organist to supplement his modest commission money and composed a number of hymns, including "Onward Christian Soldier" (1872). In 1875 Richard Carte, a theatre manager, needed a piece to fill out a bill and brought Sullivan together with W.S. Gilbert to create a one-act comic opera Trial by Jury. The two went on to create a string of comic operas, including their highly popular H.M.S Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. Sullivan had a particular facility with comic opera, and Gilbert became a master of creating a libretto that is clear, funny and sometimes outrageous. While both men now made more than a good living, Carte made an even better one, and constructed the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to showcase Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. However, the relationship between Sullivan and Gilbert was often difficult. Both men wanted assurances that their contributions and credit were equal. When Princess Ida (1884) was unsuccessful, Sullivan began to feel constrained by the relationship, but in the end the two came out with one of their most successful works, The Mikado. During this time Sullivan continued to teach, conduct, and compose successful works such as The Golden Legend. Never in very good health, Sullivan’s health declined in the summer of 1900, and he died later that year. Arthur Sullivan is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
