Sullibration! (A Salute to Sir Arthur Sullivan)

Here’s my tribute to a composer whose work I’ve been into since I was four years old. He’s the English classical music composer, Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan. Most people only know of his partnership with the dramatist William Schwenck Gilbert (think “The Pirates of Penzance”, “H.M.S. Pinafore”, and “The Mikado”). His compositional versatility has only been re-evaluated since the mid-20th century. This aspect of his career continually astounds me. How could the guy who wrote the music for “The Pirates of Penzance” also write “The Lost Chord”, “Onward Christian Soldiers”, the operas “Ivanhoe” and “The Beauty Stone”, the “Irish” Symphony, and “Overture di Ballo”? Some of these are still performed occasionally, though the two serious operas are rarities that have only recently been given their due, with important professional recordings. Sullivan wrote his best work for musicians like himself, but he wrote his lighthearted theater pieces for money, which I continually forget. There are beautiful moments in both types of pieces, music lovers, so open your hearts and listen joyfully. I present a sampling of Gilbert and Sullivan plus some delightful moments from his serious pieces. Here’s a toast to the versatile career of this musical knight. May his versatility be remembered and Sullibrated throughout the world! May we sing and play his praises loudly so all may hear! Three cheers for Sir Arthur! Hip, hip, hurrah!

I’d like to share with you some music from the last two Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Many people think that in terms of his output of light music, these are some of Sullivan’s most tuneful pieces. Such a shame that they are rarely performed, due to their large casts and excessive lengths, but on the positive side, these works have many delightful musical moments!

“Utopia, Limited” Medley (9:23)

The selections are as follows:
1. “Drawing Room Music”
2. “Society Has Quite Forsaken All Her Wicked Courses” (Minstrel Song)
3. “First You’re Born”
4. “Henceforward of a Verity” (from the Act I Finale)
5. “It’s Understood, I Think”
6. “A King of Autocratic Power We”
7. “Oh, Maiden Rich”
8. “Oh Make Way for the Wise Men!” / “In Every Mental Lore”
9. “There’s a Little Group of Isles Beyond the Wave” (Act II Finale)

Here are the bits of material from this operetta that I was able to learn so far. I arranged this as an improvised four-hand piano medley: two tracks, each with two hands worth of my piano playing. The sound I used is “Natural Grand,” which is the piano sound I’ve been using on my Yamaha Motif 6 since earlier this year. The first track consists primarily of bass lines and chords, while the second track features mostly melody lines and my own harmonic ideas on the higher notes. Gilbert’s libretto is very weak, and Sullivan’s music is reminiscent rather than fresh, but it has its charms. Enjoy this sampling from a Gilbert and Sullivan rarity!

“The Grand Duke” Medley (9:28)

The selections are as follows:
1. Overture (includes references to “The Good Grand Duke”, “Why, who is this approaching?”, “My Lord Grand Duke, Farewell” (from the Act I Finale), “Your Highness, There’s a Party at the Door”, and “Well, You’re a Pretty Kind of Fellow”)
2. “The Prince of Monte Carlo” (The Herald’s Song)
3. “Oh, a Monarch Who Boasts Intellectual Graces” (from Act I Finale)
4. Dance (Act II)
5. “By the Mystic Regulation”
6. “Come, Bumpers – Aye, Ever-So-Many” (The Baroness’s Song)
7. “For This Will Be a Jolly Court” (from Act I Finale)

Here’s what I’ve memorized thus far, from the last Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration. Just as in “Utopia, Limited”, Gilbert’s libretto is flawed in many ways, but Sullivan’s score is another praiseworthy effort. It’s another improvised four-hand piano joy-fest!

That’s all I have so far, but keep checking back! There might be something new!

The Music of “Forever Joyful: An Operatic Musical Comedy”

This project is a tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan’s individual influences on me as an artist. Gilbert taught me everything I know about words, and a lesson in great diction is to hear the experts deliver his lines as only they could. Sullivan taught me everything I know about music, and there is still much to learn. His satires of serious composers served as my introduction to a serious appreciation of classical music. Together with the best shows of Broadway from throughout the decades, the “music” of musical theater has played an important part in my life. I acknowledge my appreciation for this music, as well as a love for my values and sense of optimism, in a story which I’m currently writing. The words have been taking shape since late September or early October of 2013, inspired initially by a health/nutrition class I took at Palomar College. In the interest of focusing only on my music, I will not include the words of the story here, which are lengthy, operatic, self-indulgent, and about as arrogant as anything I’ve ever composed. The musical ideas for the show will combine a wide range of musical influences, including classical music, jazz, Broadway musicals, hymns, rap songs, and others. This is not the first time this has been done, but my treatment of this idea will hopefully be different enough, and full enough of just the right amount of funkiness, to distinguish it from other attempts at musical genre-bending. These three improvisations attempt to illustrate the old-fashioned joy and lightheartedness of the story, whose characters are inspired by people I’ve gotten to know throughout my life, most notably my neighbor, Anne, who inspired most of this story’s content. So sit back and enjoy yourself, as I give you these improvisations inspired by this quirky story of optimism kicking cynicism’s butt!

Lady Anne (8:24)

I made this on Christmas morning, 2013, inspired initially by Sir Arthur Sullivan and Kate Smith. This improvisation takes place during the winter, and tells of how Anne Trustworthy (“Lady Anne” as she’s affectionately known) got the whole cast together to make the holidays happen for her friends. The community’s tight budget allowed them to stage a small-scale revue to raise money. The music is dedicated to my neighbor Anne, and is a mixture of her favorite music styles and ideas, from the hymn-like organ section, to the formality of the harpsichord section, and finally, to the frivolity of the many informal dances done by the cast, as expressed in a series of short musical sections influenced by Broadway shows, cowboy songs, and of course, Gilbert and Sullivan.

Hail to Thee, Fruit and Yogurt (4:44)

I made this on February 13, 2014. Here’s a solo piano improvisation in three sections, inspired by Sullivan and by boogie woogie, honoring one of my recent favorite meals. This piece will also be used in “Forever Joyful” in keeping with the show’s themes of joy and health.

Behold the Grape Tomato (5:42)

This was made July 19, 2014. Here’s a Sullivanesque improvisation, reminiscent of his spoofs of classical composers of the Baroque era, namely ideas of Handel found in “Trial by Jury” (“All hail, great Judge”) and “Princess Ida” (“This helmet, I suppose”). My neighbor Anne brought over some tomatoes from her garden to give to my mother; this piece was inspired by my reaction to the flavor of one of them. It tastes just like this music sounds! The sound I used is “Movie Ensemble”, made up of strings, brass, cymbals and tympani. I recorded this on one track, but I adjusted the volume on each of my keyboard’s four sliders accordingly throughout this improvisation. Enjoy!

Till next time, everybody … It’s been fun!