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Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan: 20th Anniversary Edition

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Ian Bradley's Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan has established itself across the world as the authorized and definitive 'Bible' for all those interested in the Savoy operas. Originally published in two Penguin paperbacks in the 1980's, a single-volume comprehensive compendium, hailed widely as "easily the best annotated Gilbert & Sullivan available" (Gayden Wren, New York Times ) was published by Oxford University Press in 1996. This brand new 20th anniversary edition includes Thespis, Gilbert and Sullivan's first collaboration which is now being increasingly performed, despite the loss of the vocal and orchestral scores. It also features a completely new introduction, reflecting on the state of Gilbert and Sullivan nearly 150 years after the pair began their legendary collaboration, and new annotations addressing recent performance history, newly discovered 'lost' songs and dialogue, and, for the first time, Gilbert and Sullivan references in contemporary popular culture. Scholars, performers, and fans are sure to rejoice in this indispensable companion to the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire, newly updated for the present day.

1296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 1996

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About the author

Ian Bradley

100 books7 followers
Ian Bradley is a Church of Scotland minister, academic, broadcaster, journalist and lecturer. He has written over 40 books. He is currently Principal of St Mary's College and Reader in Church History and Practical Theology at the University of St. Andrews.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Greg Kerestan.
1,287 reviews19 followers
February 16, 2016
An indispensable volume for fans of music, satire or British humor and culture. Gilbert and Sullivan's mixture of bookish intellectualism and outright silliness may or may not have invented the musical as a genre, but it certainly established a template for the twentieth-century sense of humor. Without these classic comedies, "The Pirates of Penzance," "The Mikado" and "HMS Pinafore" being the most famous, there would be no Blackadder, no Monty Python, and almost certainly no Broadway as we know it.
Profile Image for Art.
551 reviews17 followers
April 30, 2016
Fun. This twelve-hundred page book includes the scripts and commentaries of thirteen musical comedies. I picked this up for background and “Pirates of Penzance.”

These shows take us back to a quaint era of innocence and naiveté. Through these comedies, we return to the fun of the eighteen-seventies Victorian era. But these satires remain with us, thanks to the timeless melodies and situations we can recognize today. “Penzance,” for example, offers a pompous major general who we can recognize in the politics of today.

Reading a play or comedy is an acquired tasted that I still work to master. Skilled pros of the cast and crew transform the words on paper into memorable productions. Sullivan’s tuneful music can transcend Gilbert’s words on the printed page.

“Pirates of Penzance” is a laugh-out-loud and funny favorite of mine. The show stopper: Introducing himself, the major general launches into a fast and famous patter song: “I am the very model of a modern major general. …” Reading the lyrics here helped catch the silly and tongue-twisting bit, which goes quickly on stage.

Skylight produced this about five years ago. Time to see this audience favorite again, after reading the annotated script. http://www.skylightmusictheatre.org/s...
Profile Image for Peter Talbot.
198 reviews5 followers
September 29, 2020
The best all around version of the funniest stuff in English.
And if someday it should happen that a victim must be found, I've got a little list.
I've got a little list.
Of society offenders who might well be underground and who never would be missed,
they never would be missed.

A complete delight.

If you only sample the patter songs in each of the operettas that alone is worth the price of this thoroughly enjoyable book.

I am proud to say this book as its own shelf in the downstairs bathroom.
23 reviews3 followers
January 12, 2014
This contains all G&S's Libretti.The fact that i own this makes me a very big geek
1,285 reviews9 followers
February 12, 2015
Great to have all the lyrics and the interesting stories, but needed more clarification on some uniquely British things such as the legal system. Some illustrations would have been nice.
Profile Image for Jane.
1,123 reviews20 followers
May 28, 2021
This is a must for any G & S fan. It is exactly what is promised from the title. Each opera is introduced with an overview and the extensive collection of notes for each opera give the reader a very good understanding of the work.
Profile Image for Sammy.
954 reviews33 followers
September 25, 2024
A gorgeous volume. It is tragic that no-one on Goodreads has seen fit to review this yet!

Bradley's volume contains the complete text of every one of the Gilbert/Sullivan operettas, complete with annotations in the margins, providing a useful contextual and historical overview. I recommend enjoying this alongside a music-biography of the works. The 20th anniversary edition contains impressive updates as well as including a couple of the early works previously excluded.
Profile Image for Greg.
724 reviews15 followers
August 11, 2007
Of course, I HEARD them long before this (except the underrated Grand Duke, which I had to search out). But Bradley's notes rule like Vicki herself. Life's a pudding full of plums.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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