Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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746 SULLIVAN SULLIVAN
was ready when its popularity was over, and that melodious style and independent treatment
Messager's pretty Basoche was produced ' ' ; at that marks the anthems of certain periods of
the close of the run of this piece, the theatre the old English school. His part-songs, like
was transformed into a music-hall. Sullivan his anthems, are flowing and spirited, and always
wrote a good many sets of incidental music to appropriate to the words. There are two sets :
plays, beside 'The Tempest,' with which his one sacred, dedicated to his friend Franklin
first recognition had been obtained. 'The Taylor, and one secular, of which ' hush thee,
Merchant of Venice,' at the Prince's Theatre, my babie has long been an established favourite.
'
Manchester, 1871; 'The Merry Wives of His Hymn-tunes are numerous— 56 in all
Windsor, 'Gaiety Theatre, 1874 ; ' Henry VIII.,' and some of them, such as Onward, Christian
'
Manchester, 1878 :
' Macbeth,' Lyceum Theatre, Soldiers,' have become great favourites. The
1888 ;
Tennyson's ' Foresters,' 1892 (first produced
whole were republished in a volume by Novello
in America, and afterwards at Daly's in 1902.
Theatre) ; and Comyns Carr's If his vocal works have gained Sir Arthur
'
King Arthur,'
Lyceum 'I'heatre, 1894, are the most important Sullivan the applause of the public, it is in his
of these compositions. The Diamond Jubilee orchestral music that his name will live among
of Queen Victoria was celebrated by Sullivan musicians. His music to The Tempest ' ' and
'
in two compositions : the ballet, Victoria and 'The Merchant of Venice,' his oratorios, his
Merrie England,' produced at the Alhambra, Overture di Ballo, and, still more, his Symphony
May 25, 1897, in which a danced fugue was in E—unfortunately his only work in this department—show
what remarkable gifts he had
the best and most interesting number ; and a
'
Festival Te Deura, ' given at the Chester Festival for the orchestra. Form and symmetry he
of 1897. The opening of the Imperial Institute seemed to possess by instinct ; rhythm and
in 1893 suggested a March, and various public melody clothe everything he touched ; the music
events of the same kind were celebrated by shows not only sympathetic genius, but sense,
compositions, for in some sort Sullivan ranked judgment, proportion, and a complete absence
as a poet laureate of music] Such unprecedented
of pedantry and pretension ; while the orches-
recognition speaks for itself. But it tration is distinguished by a happy and original
beauty hardly surpassed by the greatest masters.
During the early part of his career Sullivan
was organist of St. Michael's Church, Chester
Square. - After this, in 1867, he undertook the
direction of the music at St. Peter's, Cranley
is higher praise to say, with a leading critic,
that 'while Mr. Sullivan's music is as comic
and lively as anything by Offenbach, it has the
extra advantage of being the work of a cultivated
musician, who would scorn to write ungrammatically
even if he could.'
Sullivan's songs were in their day as well
known as his operettas. They are almost always
of a tender or sentimental cast ; and some of
them, such as ' Sweet day so cool, so calm, so
bright ' ; the Arabian Love ' Song,' by Shelley ;
' fair dove, fond dove,' by Jean Ingelow ;
the Shakespeare Songs and the Song-cycle of
'The Window,' written for the purpose by
Tennyson, stand in a very high rank. None of
these, however, have attained the popularity of
others, which, though slighter than those just
named, and more in the ballad style, have hit
the public taste to a remarkable degree. Such
are Will he come ' ? ' and The ' Lost Chord,' O
'
ma charmante' (V. Hugo)
'
; The Distant Shore
and Sweethearts ' ' (both by W. S. Gilbert), etc.
[His last composition, in the shape of a single
song, was "The Absent- Minded Beggar' to
words by Kipling ; this served its purpose of
obtaining substantial aid for charities consequent
upon the Boer War.]
The same tunefulness and appropriateness
that have made his songs such favourites also
distinguish his numerous Anthems. Here the
excellent training of the Chapel Eoyal shows
itself without disguise, in the easy flow of the
voices, the display of excellent, and even learned,
counterpoint, when demanded by words or subject,
and the frequent examples throughout of
Gardens, for which many of his anthems were
composed, and where he remained till 1871. He
was musical adviser to the Royal Aquarium Company
from its incorporation in July 1874 down
to May 1876, organised the admirable band with
which it started, and himself conducted its performances.
For the seasons 1878 and 1879 he
conducted the Promenade Concerts at Covent
Garden for Messrs. Gatti ; and for those of 1875-
1876, and 1876-77, the Glasgow Festivals. He
was Principal of the National Training School at
South Kensington from 1876 to 1881, when his
engagements compelled him to resign in favour
of Dr. Stainer, and he was a member of the
He re-
Council of the Royal College of Music.
ceived the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music
from the University of Cambridge in 1876, and
Oxford, 1879. In 1878 he acted as British
Commissioner for Music at the International
Exhibition at Paris, and was decorated with the
Ligion d'honneur. He also bore the Order of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and on May 22, 1883,
was knighted by Queen Victoria.
[At the Leeds Festival of 1898 it was evident
that he was in failing health, but he accomplished
the difficult task of conducting the performances,
although suffering much pain. He died in
London, Nov. 22,
1900, and was buried in St.
Paul's Cathedral on the 27th. A preliminary
funeral service was held in the Chapel Royal.