The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-11
EEgIish Dpcra.

''Sir Arthur Sullivan; Life Story. Let
tiers, and "reminiscences, is copiousiy
illustrated book by Arthur Lawrence. 1t
will probably be of interest to those who
care for the history OF musical compost
tion, for besides the purely personal ele-
ment it contains much information about
the development of light opera in England.
About half the Illustrations are portraits
of the composer, as he appeared at differ
ent periods OF his life, and there are also
SMILES of first drafts of various must
cal compositions. Mr.. B. W. Findon has
also contributed three chapters on 'Sulli-
van as a Musician"
Most of the book deals with the adult life
of the composer but there are one or two
anecdotes OF his boyhood which are inter
esting and significant. 1t is recorded that
when he was thirteen years old he came
home from the Chapel Royal, much de-
lighted with a work by Sir Frederick Ouse-
ley. entitled The Martydom of st. Poly
carp" He said to his father: There is a
splendid march in The Martyrdom of st.
Polycarp' You ought TO get it for the
band" Mr.. Sullivan said that he could
do nothing. as the music had not been pub
lished The boy rose early one morning
and wrote out the march from memory, in
full military band score, before nightfall
winch was rainier remarkable ledl OF
memory for boy of thirteen.
Among letters written in Sulliyan's stu
dent days is one which contains a new and
rather interesting anecdOte about Dickens.
Tie particular purpose OF our visit 90 Paris
was 10 hear Madame NiaIdot in Gluck's ''Orfeo -
She intensely emotional and her performance
was certainly one of the greatest things ] have
( ever on the stage. Chorley, Dickens, and
T | went together. ard | remember that we were
7 so much moved lay the performance. and it was
OF so affecting character, that the tears streamei
down our faces. We SIinly tried TO restrain
/ ourselves.
/ went about good deal with Dickens. He
rushed about tremendously all the time, and
was often with him. Iii, French was not par
! uculariy good. 1t VAS quite an Englb;hman s
I French, but he managed 10 make himself under
! Stood and interviewed everybody. OF course, he
was much my senior, but | have never met anyone
whom | have liked better. There was one mega
/ tive quality which ! always appreciated. There
/ was not the least suspicion OF the poser about
{ him His electric vitality was extreme, but it
was inspiring and not 0ycrpowering He always
/ gave the impression OF being immensely in
/ teTested ia everything. listening with the most
I charming attention and kccnness TO all might
say, however youthful and inexperienced ones
! opinion might be. lie was delightful companion,
but never obtuded himself upon one. In fact.
( he the bes; OF good company
] II his return from Paris on this oc-
casion that the Train accident occurred alluded
/ 10 in F0rster's Biography. Dickens told me that
/ he did not feel anything until he got back 10
London. then lie felt quite shattered and broken
! up, and Dickens added, Il felt | should never be
able to 90 in the railway train again and that
must take some strong measure to fight against
my own nervous weakness" The next day, or
the day after. he went TO Paris and back again
over the same ground. II lie had not faced the
trouble in this way he thought that his travelling
days on the railway were over.
An odd little story, told in the same let
ter. about Rossni. Is that one morning
/ Sullivan called on him and found him try
ing over a small piece of music. When
the visitor asked what 1t was. Rossini
I gravely informed him that it was the
/ birthday of his dog. for whom a lite piece
was written on every such anniversary.
/ Another anecdote has to do with the
I composition of that song. with which
I Americans are now familiar 10 the point of
exhaustion. The Lost Chord" The music
was written while Sullivan was watching
1 by the bedside of his dying brother
When ii comes TO the history of III NJ.
! s Pinafore," one is inclined to suspect
/ that the biographer has taken some Ameri-
! can humor seriously. He describes the
vogue which the piece had in America at
/ some length and says that a hundred
| thousand barrel organs were constructed
to play nothing else %. that church choirs
| added # to their repertoire, and a "seri-
/ GUS notice was 10 be found in daily paper
/ saving that the Church Choir Pinafore
! Company" prefaecd their "pinafore" per-
! Torrance with the Gloria from Mozart
Twelfth Mass and Handels "Hallelujah
! Chorus" This is rather apocryphal. II is
| not so hard to believe the following state
ment. quoted from an authority of the
| time:
At present there are forty-two companies play.
! ing ''Pinafore' about the country. Companies
formed after p. M yesterday are not in
| Guided
| There is subsequently, an account OF the
tour which Gilbert and Sullivan made with
their own opera company, and of the pro-
duction of THE Pirates of PenZance' at
the Fifth Avenue Theatre on New Year
! Eve 1879. The libretto and music of the
latter piece were kept in manuscript to
keep any American manager from produc
| ing IL, as the copyright law was then In a
most unsatisfactory condition.
Among the fac-simile letters is one from