Jon Johanning <[log in to unmask]> writes:

>This set me to thinking about the great collaboration of Gilbert
>and Sullivan, and how uneven it was.  Whereas the former was absolutely
>brilliant at his trade (with a few blemishes, as noted below), Sullivan
>must have been one of the worst composers who ever lived.  Good grief, what
>awful stuff he turned out!  Does anyone disagree? (I expect some one will.)

To be fair to Jon Johanning, I suspect he twinkled as he wrote these words.
Still, I hope he has his virtual umbrella ready unfurled to protect him
from the deluge of outraged complaints his provoking comment will rightly
inspire.

As a wholehearted admirer of Gilbert, I yield to no one in my admiration
of his gifts.  Nevertheless, I am happy to concede that the fact of G&S's
survival into our own time is almost entirely down to the merits of his
collaborator.

Music has a way of riding time better than words, and Sullivan's tunes
have dated much less than Gilbert's verbal brilliance.  I think the current
revival of many of his works independent of the Savoy Operas is evidence
for his continued vitality - if Jon Johanning doesn't know Sullivan's music
for "The Tempest" or his "Irish Symphony" I suggest he ought to hear them.

Sullivan is a composer of real if limited individuality whose work has a
magical way of insinuating itself - this is music to love, even where we
cannot wholeheartedly admire the composer's technique or taste.

As far as Gilbert's texts are concerned, I think people in the USA have
the advantage of us here in Britain.  I was responsible a few years back
for a production of "The Mikado" which did the rounds in England, Wales
and Scotland before heading out to Los Angeles, and I remember being
much struck by the affinity of WSG's prose and modern spoken American.
Audiences seemed to have much less of a Gilbertian gap to bridge in LA than
in Leeds or Edinburgh, both in detail ("Attorney" still means what Gilbert
intended in the States, though not in common English parlance) and more
generally, in rhythms, structures and diction.  Apparently American has
retained a richness of utterance, a love of rhetorical flourishes, which
English has lost.

>it's a shame that such brilliant writing is marred by these specimens
>of 19th-century culture.

Jon Johanning's comments on Gilbert's "blemishes" are undermined by a
chronic lack of perspective.  Political Correctness will doubtless shift
round again, and it does us no good to comfort ourselves with the thought
that our currently acceptable definitions of "racist" and "sexist" language
are in any sense definitive.

At the time and place Geraint Evans recorded Koko's song, the "N"
word was in, and "Black" was most definitely out.  In any case, I think
A.P.Herbert's emendation "Painted with vigour, and permanent walnut-juice"
is much wittier than the original.  Gilbert, ever the pragmatist (many of
his best "gag" lines originated with the performers anyway) would surely
have approved.

Christopher Webber,  Blackheath, London,  UK.
http://www.nashwan.demon.co.uk/zarzuela.htm
"ZARZUELA!"