Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!: The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan
by Ian Bradley
In Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at
the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein
of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth century lyricists and composers. He analyzes professional productions across the world, looks at the unique place of G&S in schools, colleges, and universities, and lovingly explores the culture of amateur
performance. He also uncovers the largely male world of the obsessive fans, those collecting memorabilia, the myriad magazines, journals, websites, and festivals devoted to G&S, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood."
Paperback
English
Brand New
Publisher Description
In Oh Joy Oh Rapture expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth century lyricists and composers. He analyzes professional productions across the world, looks at the unique place of G&S in schools, colleges, and universities, and lovingly explores the culture of amateur performance. He also uncovers the largely male world of the obsessive fans, those collecting memorabilia, the myriad magazines, journals, websites, and festivals devoted to G&S, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood."
Author Biography
Ian Bradley is one of world's leading authorities on and enthusiasts for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. He annotated them from top to toe in The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan (OUP, 1996), has broadcast regularly on the operas for the BBC, and acted as consultant to the D'Oyly Carte
Company. He is Vice President of the Arthur Sullivan Society and honorary life president of the St. Andrews University Gilbert and Sullivan Society with whom he has performed several principal bass-baritone roles. His abiding passion for G&S is fitted into his more serious life as a minister in the
Table of Contents
1: Something lingering - the enduring influence of Gilbert and Sullivan through the twentieth century
2: A thing of shreds and patches - the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company 1961-1982
3: Unfriended, unprotected and alone - the new D'Oyly Carte 1988-2003
4: Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances - Professional productions 1961-2003
5: Masculine insects with the morals of a Methodist - Gilbert and Sullivan fans
6: Amateur tenors sing choruses in public - the world of amateur performance
7: In this college, useful knowledge - G & S in schools and universities
8: Things are seldom what hey seem - parodies, spoofs and spin-offs
9: Maintaining with no little heat their various opinions - G & S scholarship, partisanship and appreciation
10: Peep with security into futurity - Buxton it is!
Review
"An exhaustive study of the performance history of the Savoy Operas.... Enlivened by a gallery of appropriately Gilbertian eccentrics."--Crispin Jackson, The Tablet
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott
"'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News
"Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
"An exhaustive study of the performance history of the Savoy Operas.... Enlivened by a gallery of appropriately Gilbertian eccentrics."--Crispin Jackson, The Tablet
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott
"Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
"'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News
Long Description
In Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera
Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth century lyricists and composers. He analyzes professional productions across the
world, looks at the unique place of G&S in schools, colleges, and universities, and lovingly explores the culture of amateur performance. He also uncovers the largely male world of the obsessive fans, those collecting memorabilia, the myriad magazines, journals, websites, and festivals devoted to G&S, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood."
Review Text
"An exhaustive study of the performance history of the Savoy Operas.... Enlivened by a gallery of appropriately Gilbertian eccentrics."--Crispin Jackson, The Tablet
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott
"'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News
"Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
"An exhaustive study of the performance history of the Savoy Operas.... Enlivened by a gallery of appropriately Gilbertian eccentrics."--Crispin Jackson, The Tablet
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott
"Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
"'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News
Review Quote
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott "'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News "Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
Feature
The first significant and in-depth analysis of the enduring popularity of Gilbert & Sullivan by one of the world's leading authorities on their work
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