author
Arthur Sullivan
1842–1900
Best known for the sparkling comic operas created with W. S. Gilbert, he also wrote orchestral, choral, and ceremonial music that made him one of Victorian Britain's most admired composers. His melodies helped shape works like H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado, which still delight audiences today.
2 Audiobooks
The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan
by Arthur Sullivan, W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert
After Dinner Toast at Little Menlo
by Arthur Sullivan
About the author
Born in London on 13 May 1842, Arthur Sullivan showed musical promise early. He sang as a chorister at the Chapel Royal, studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and then trained at the Leipzig Conservatory. His incidental music for The Tempest brought him early notice and helped launch a career that moved confidently between the concert hall, the church, and the theater.
Sullivan is most widely remembered for his partnership with librettist W. S. Gilbert. Together they created 14 comic operas, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. Their works combined wit, theatrical energy, and wonderfully memorable tunes, and they became some of the most successful and enduring pieces of musical theater in the English-speaking world.
Though comic opera made him famous, Sullivan wanted to be known for more than light music alone. He composed orchestral works, songs, hymns, choral music, and the grand opera Ivanhoe, and he was knighted in 1883. He died in London on 22 November 1900, leaving behind music that ranges from playful and satirical to grand and heartfelt.