Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

744 SULLIVAN SULLIVAN
He then returned to London, bringing with
him his music to Shakespeare's 'Tempest'
(op. 1 a, dedicated to Sir George Smart), which
was produced at the Crystal Palace, April 5,
1862, and repeated on the 12th of the same
month.
This beautiful composition made a great
sensation in musical circles, and launched him
into London musical society. Two very graceful
pianoforte pieces, entitled 'Thoughts,' were
among his earliest publications. The arrival
of the Princess of Wales in March 1863, produced
a song, ' Bride from the North,' and a
Procession March and Trio in Ely ; and a song
entitled ' I heard the Nightingale ' was published
April 28 of the same year. But his
next work of importance was a cantata called
' Kenilworth, ' words by the late H. F. Chorley,
written for the Birmingham Festival of 1864,
and produced there. It contains a iine duet,
for soprano and tehor, to Shakespeare's words,
'®n such a night as this.' His music to the
b^et of ' L'lle enohantte ' was produced at
Covent Garden, May 16, 1864.
At this date he lost much time over an
opera called The ' Sapphire Necklace,' also by
Chorley ; the undramatio character of the
libretto of which prevented its representation.
The music was used up in other works. In
March 1866 Sullivan produced a Symphony in
E at the Crystal Palace, which has been often
played subsequently, there and at the Philharmonic,
etc. In the same year he expressed his
grief for the loss of his father in an overture
entitled 'In Memoriam,' which was produced
(Oct. 30) at the Norwich Festival of that year.
A concerto for violoncello and orchestra was
played by Piatti at the Crystal Palace on
Nov. 24. This was followed by an overture,
'
Marmion, ' ooinraissioned by the Philharmonic
Society, and produced by them June 3, 1867.
In the autumn of that year he accompanied
his friend the Editor of this Dictionary
[Sir George Grove] to Vienna, in search of
the Schubert MSS., which have since become
so well known. At the same time his
symphony was played at the Gewandhaus
at Leipzig. In 1869 he composed a short
oratorio on the story of the ' Prodigal Son, ' for
the Worcester Festival, where it was produced
on Sept. 8. In 1870 he again contributed a
work to the Birmingham Festival, the ' Overtura
di Ballo ' (in Ely), which, while couched
throughout in dance-rhythms, is constnicted in
perfectly classical form. To continue the list
of his commissioned works : in 1871, in company
with Gounod, Hiller, and Pinsuti, he
wrote xr piece for the opening of the ' Annual
International Exhibition' at the Albert Hall,
on May 1—a cantata by Tom Taylor called
'
On Shore and Sea,' for solo, chorus, and orchestra.
On the recovery of the Prince of Wales
from illness, he composed, at the call of the
Crystal Palace Company, a Festival Te Deum,
for soprano solo, orchestra, and chorus, which
was performed there May 1, IS 72. At this
time he was closely engaged in editing the
collection of ' Church Hynms with Tunes ' for
the Christian Knowledge Society, for which
he wrote twenty-one original tunes. In 1873
he made a third appearance at Biimingham,
this time with the leading feature of the Festival,
an oratorio entitled 'The Light of the World,'
the words selected from the Bible by himself.
The success of this work at Birmingham was
great, and it has often since been performed.
Sullivan succeeded Sir Michael Costa as conductor
of the Leeds Festival of 1880, and wrote
for it ' The Martyr of Antioch, ' to words selected
from Milman's play of that name. The work
lies between an oratorio and a cantata, and was
enthusiastically received. He conducted the
Leeds Festivals from 1883 to 1898, composing
for the latter 'The Golden Legend,' to words
selected by Joseph Bennett from Longfellow's
poem.
We will now go back to those works which
have made Sullivan's name most widely known,
not only in Europe but in Australia and America
—his comic operettas, and his songs.
' Cox and
Box, a newTriumviretta,' wasan adaptation by
F. C. Burnand of Madison Morton's well-known
farce, made still more comic by the interpolations,
and set by Sullivan with a brightness and
a drollery which at once put him in the highest
rank as a comic composer.' It was first heard
at Moray Lodge (Mr. Arthur J. Lewis's) on
April 27, 1867, and produced in public at the
Adelphi a fortnight after, on May 11. The
vein thus struck was not at first very rapidly
worked.
' The Contrabandista ' (2 acts, words
by Burnand) 2 followed at St. George's Opera
House on Dec. 18, 1867 ; but then there was a
pause. 'Thespis, or the Gods grown old ; an
operatic extravaganza,' by Gilbert (Gaiety,
Dec. 26, 1871), and 'The Zoo, an original
musical folly,' by B. Rowe (St. James's, June 5,
1875), though full of fun and animation, were
neither of them sufficient to take the public.
' Trial by Jury, an extravaganza '—and a very
extravagant one too—words by W. S. Gilbert,
produced at the Royalty, March 25, 1875, had
a great success, and many representations, owing
in part to the very humorous conception of the
character of the Judge by Sullivan's brother
Frederick. But none of these can be said to
have taken a real hold on the public. 'The
Sorcerer, an original modern comic opera,' by
W. S. Gilbert, which first established the popularity
of its composer, was a new departure, a
piece of larger dimensions and more substance
than any of its predecessors. It was produced
at the Op&a-Comique, Strand, Nov. 17, 1877,
and ran uninterruptedly for 175 nights. The
,1 See Times of May 13, 1867.
* This opera waa written, composed, and produced in the extraordlnarUy
short apace of aixteen days.