The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-30
ARTHUR SULLIVAN AT HOME.
A Musical Composers Manual Labor
How He Wrote "The Lost Chord"

now rae W rOte ''Ane LOSt
The Young Woman
In talking with Sir Arthur Sullivan, and
In thinking OF the work ne has done and
the great influence he has exercised on the
musical world. 1t is difficult to believe that
he was born hfty-five years ago, for two
very different reasons. In talking with him
It is hard TO believe that he is over fifty;
because of his extreme youIhfulneSS, so far
as the word indicates extreme mental and
physical alertness indicated in the keen,
quick glance, the good-humored laugh, and
the intense interest which Sir Arthur takes
in everything connected with his profession
and outside of it; and on the other hand,
it is very hard to believe that all he has
done has been accomplished in the space of
one lifetime Il found Sir Arthur at home,
he continues, 'on the occasion of which l
am writing, at his town mousse IN victoria
street, and a vertiable House Beautiful it
is. From the moment you enter the hall,
with its hanging Arabian lamps, Its ornate
and harmonious decorations, with its lovely
screen of old Cairo WOODWORK, until you
find yourself seated with Sir Arthur In his
study, a handsome room on the ground
floor facing the street, you are impressed
with the melodious harmony, so to speak,
or your SURROUNDINGS. OF course, there IS
a good deal of scope for the young woman
in the musical world Sir Arthur Sullivan
remarks in reply to one of my questions;
but, as you know, the profession III all its
branches is very much overcrowded 1t is
curious thing that, although so very many
young women are exceptionally gifted, they
only shine as executantS. They do not seem
to possess any real power, so far as COM
position is concerned. They can compose
an intelligent letter. and just as you would
not on that ground describe him a liter
airy man, this feminine facility in compost
tion implies little more. Yet they are spleh-
did executants, singers and players
F" Do you still give audiences to young
people who wish your opinion with regard
to their ability as singers or pianotorte
players" l interject; or have you found 1t
too much of tax on your time? L nave
o to give 1T Sp one
not very easily make distinctions-tha |
should have no time for anything else, but
be listening to the efforts of beginners FOR
the rest of my life / have been obliged TO
have a little form printed which / send
out in very much the same way that | sup
pose an editor does in regard TO rejected
manuscripts. | get a score of letters every
day on the subject as it is, and my secre-
Then. again, don't at all like delivering
judgment. It's very unpleasant. One must
give honest criticism, and 1t is very I'M
po no fh 20 Then in
response to a. more personal reference. Sir
Arthur replied: Yes, musical composition
entails a great deal of hard manual labor
Here, for example, and as he spoke sir
Arthur brought down from shelf pom
derous volume containing. as l discovered,
some 40 tremendous pages or Iull orcheStfdi
score, lis my scoring in "lVanhoe, every
seni-quaver of which for voices fiddles,
other stringed and wind instruments, and
so on, has necessarily to be written out with
my own hand before the work can be ready
for the copyist.' Every worker feels the
SITdln OF DOWNRIGHT CLERICAL WOIhs uul TIC
enormous amount of manual labor entalled
in the orchestrating of q full score, for
voice and band parts, is of an exceptionally
heavy character, and an awkward accom-
paniment to the genius of the composer.
LAS far as the greater public is concerned,
l am not sure" continues the writer, that
it is not by such splendid pieces of melody
as The Lost Chord rather than by larger
efforts, that the good work which Sir Ar
thur Sullivan has done will be best or more
popularity remembered. The composition of
this truly beautiful song is also linked with
sad memories in the life of the composer,
for its composition came about in this way.
His much-loved brother Frederick fell i'll,
and for three weeks his brother Arthur
watched by his bedside night and day. One
night-the end was not very far off then
while his sick brother had for a time fallen
into a peaceful sleep, and he was sitting as
usual by the bedside, he CHANGED to come
across the verses of Adelaide Proctor's,
with which he had five years previously
been very much impressed. Now, in the
stiffness of the night, he read them over
again. and almost as he did so he conceived
their musical equivalent. A stray sheet of
music paper was at hand, and he began to
write. Slowly the music grew and took
he determined to finish the song. Even If,
in the cold light of day, it were to prove
worthless it would at least have helped to
while away the hours of watching. In a
short time it was complete, and not long
afterward in the publishers hands. Thus
was written The Lost Chord, perhaps the
most successful song of modern times-at
all events one whose sale has, up to now,
exceeded go 000 comics -