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Henry A. Lytton
1865–1936
Best remembered as one of the great comic stars of Gilbert and Sullivan, he spent about fifty years with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and became the only performer knighted for work in that tradition. He also wrote memoirs that give a lively first-hand glimpse of stage life in the late Victorian and Edwardian theatre.
1 Audiobook
The Secrets of a Savoyard
by Henry A. Lytton
About the author
Born in 1865, Henry A. Lytton was an English actor and singer whose long career made him one of the best-known comic baritones in Gilbert and Sullivan performance. He joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1880s and became especially admired for roles such as Ko-Ko, the Lord Chancellor, and Jack Point, building a reputation for precise comic timing as well as strong character work.
Over the course of roughly half a century on stage, he became a central figure in the Savoy opera tradition. He was knighted in 1930, a rare honor for a performer in light opera, and is often noted as the only artist to receive a knighthood specifically for achievements as a Gilbert and Sullivan performer.
Lytton also left behind written recollections of theatrical life, including The Secrets of a Savoyard, which helps keep his voice alive beyond his performances. He died in 1936, but his name still turns up whenever readers and music lovers explore the history of comic opera in Britain.