Asimov's Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan

Customer Reviews:

Groooovy baby!.......2000-08-06

Isaac Asimov has such a delightful wit that even his explanations of archaic terms are fun to read. When combined with W.S. Gilbert's hilarious librettos, it makes one entertaining read. Actually, it makes more than one entertaining read. i have read it several times and still enjoy it.

A delight for Gilbert & Sullivan fans.......2000-04-25

Writer Martin Gardner once told Isaac Asimov that if he really wanted to have fun, he should find a book he liked very much and annotate it. "Asimov's Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" is one of the results of that suggestion. This enormous volume contains the words to all the G&S operas, plus extensive notes explaining allusions and words that might be unfamiliar to today's listener. Asimov assumes minimal knowledge on the part of the reader, so this book is useful and entertaining not only for the veteran G&S aficionado but also for the neophyte.

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan

Average customer rating:

Replacement ?
Essential for G&S fans
Why, damme, it's too bad!
The Gilbert And Sullivan Bible
This book has no index!

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0198167105

Amazon.com

Gilbert and Sullivan, librettist and composer, were classically Victorian gentlemen whose comic operas for the Savoy Theater under impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte have endured down to the present day despite the disappearance of the British imperial world which they lampooned. Theirs was a happy combination of Sullivan's cheerily catchy tunes and Gilbert's witty lyrics which captured the comedy of universal human nature. Ian Bradley, annotator of an earlier Gilbert and Sullivan collection, completes and updates the record with the inclusion here of the last collaborations of the two, and new introductions to the operettas that reflect modern interpretations.

Book Description

The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan provides the complete text of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas which are still performed today, together with extensive annotations covering 'lost' songs, alterations and additions, obscure allusions, production points, and comments of interest. Each opera has an introduction which places it in its context, and a potted history of performances up to the present. No other book provides such extensive commentary on the texts of the Savoy Opera nor such a source of innocent merriment to fans of the incomparable Victorian duo. For each opera, there is a short introduction describing how the work came to be written, and giving its performance history. The text, including stage directions, is given on the right-hand page, and on the left (keyed in by line numbers) are notes. These give such information as the identity of a real-life person appearing or mentioned as a character, wordings that were different in the original edition (the one sent to the Lord Chamberlain for licensing), changes made for the first American performance, glosses on technical terms (e.g. legal terms), literary references, cross-references to similar items in other Savoy operas, comments from first-night critics, and many other things

Customer Reviews:

Replacement ?.......2007-09-01

This reeinforces my original G&S Modern Library edition circa 1937 that I still use with my own notes made as I listened to D'Oyly Carte in those days.
Refreshing to know what W.S. meant 50 years before I came along.

Essential for G&S fans.......2006-03-04

Though sung in English, it can be difficult to understand the words of G&S operas without libretti. I listen to the CDs while following along in this book, and it has greatly increased my pleasure in G&S, as well as my admiration for both Gilbert's witty and insightful lyrics and the way Sullivan carries the words along with his music.

Why, damme, it's too bad!.......2005-03-10

$42.00?? C'mon now, this is a paperback for pity's sake! I would have no problems with the price if this book really had enough information contained to make it worthwhile. Basically it consists of the librettos of all the G & S (Thespis excluded. so how is it so darn complete?) operas on the right-hand page, with notes etc. on the left page. In all fairness the notes are on the exhaustive side, but without an index it become a chore to find anything revelant to which you may want to apply them. Coupled with some perfunctory introductions I can't in fairness give this more than 3 stars. Perhaps a bio of the respective librettist & composer would have come in handy, as well as a few illusrations showing productions of the operas over the years; would make me harp less about the price.

The Gilbert And Sullivan Bible.......2004-04-03

This book is the ultimate source for information on all things Gilbert and Sullivan. Written for a contemporary audience, it has a plethora of background info on the productions of the Savoy operas, the singers who originated the roles, the translations to some of the meaning of the words in the lyrics (which were inside jokes back in the time of Gilbert and Sullivan:1870-1900 and a history of performances throughout the 20th century. There are profiles and biographies of William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as well as Richard D'Oyly Carte. William Gilbert was a playwright, poet and writer for the satirical magazine Fun. His comic style of writing came to its full powers when he wrote the lyrics and libretti for all the light operas he conceived. Arthur Sullivan was a serious English composer, who at the time was probably competing against the bigger names of Elgar, Ralph Vaughn Williams or Benjamin Britten. Arthur Sullivan wrote English equivalent for German Lieder as Victorian drawing room songs, as well as symphonies and concerti. The Irish Symphony and the Program Music- The Tempest are his most acclaimed. Gilbert and Sullivan were not always a perfect match. Their personalities were distinctly different. Gilbert was humorous, witty, playful and always catering to popular tastes. Arthur Sullivan was intellectual, artistic, serious and introverted. All his life he was unable to step out of the fame he got for the light operas he wrote with Gilbert. He wanted the fame of the serious music composer and not just the silly light operas he made so popular in what was at the time the ancestor of today's Armerican Broadway- the Savoy.

Richard D'Oyly Carte was the manager and impresario for Gilbert and Sullivan. He first collaborated with them in Trial By Jury in 1875. He would manage finances for the Savoy, a theatre built especially for Gilbert and Sullivan light operas. D'Oyly Carte's children and grandchildren, among them Bridget D'Oyly Carte, would continue to produce Gilbert and Sullivan operas after his death. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company continued successfully launching all the great titles- The H.M. S. Pinafore (first premiered 1878) Pirates Of Penzance (1879-1880) The Mikado (1885)
as well as other great but less popular Princess Ida, Iolanthe, Patience, The Gondoliers, The Yeoman Of The Guard, The Grand Duke and Utopia Limited. The D'Oyly Carte Opera has had a rich history of performers- baritone John Reed, soprano Valerie Masterson, tenor Phillip Potter and mezzo soprano Christene Palmer as well as bass Donald Adams. There is a sensational film made in 1967 of The Mikado starring these legendary singers. I hope this great book gets you into Gilbert and Sullivan. It's enough info for you to acquire a Ph.D. in light opera

This book has no index!.......2003-09-20

I bought this book and then returned it because,
astonishingly, it has no index.
And only a perfunctory table of contents (as you can see above).
Fine if you want to read it like a novel,
but for a reference these are serious shortcomings.

Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score (Dover Vocal Scores)

Average customer rating:

Not a Music Note in It!
Pray Observe the Magnanimity...
Different editions
Good version
Another G&S Winner from Dover

Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score (Dover Vocal Scores)
W. S. Gilbert , and Sir Arthur Sullivan
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Gilbert | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Sullivan | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Musicals | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Opera | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Vocal | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Modern Popular | Historical Period | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0486418936

Book Description

This new edition of the vocal score of the enchanting operetta was prepared by musicologists Carl Simpson and Ephraim Hammett Jones, who returned to original manuscripts and early sources to produce handsome, newly engraved plates closest to Gilbert and Sullivan's original intentions. All of the voice parts appear here, plus a piano reduction of the full score and the complete libretto.

Customer Reviews:

Not a Music Note in It!.......2007-01-12

Be aware that this book does not have a single musical note in it! I ordered 30 copies for a production I am directing and when the book came, it is only the dialogue and the lyrics to the music. You can download that much from the internet! I don't know why the other reviewers talk about it being a vocal score. It has no music in it. If you want to get a vocal score, this is not your ticket. Besides, this book is a copy of another book. Amazon says the book is 48 pages long, but the script is only 20 pages and the other pages are blank. I am sending this back and getting the Shirmer edition.

Pray Observe the Magnanimity..........2006-07-15

I used this score in a production of Pirates at my university, and from the standpoint of a cast member it was excellent. It outlined each part and was easy to read. At any point where scores between production years differ, this handy volume recounts them all with notes as to which part belongs with which year. My only complaints are that it is not ring-bound (regular paperback binding, harder to hold on to/use) and some harmony parts are difficult to pick out because they divide on the page turn and appear at different parts of the page. Other than that, it is a wonderful score and I would recommend it to anyone interested in producing this enchanting operetta.

Different editions.......2002-02-28

We're staging a production of "Pirates" in April 2002, and we have two editions of this score by G. Schirmer. The cheaper one is for the chorus, and has just the choral passages. The more expensive one (listed here) has the complete vocal music and dialogue.

I have seen both, and would rate them at five stars except that the original page plates are a little dirty, introducing some confusing dots and spots.

Good version.......2001-12-08

I'm not sure what an earlier reviewer is saying about this score not having the solo stuff. This book has the complete score and dialoge. I've used it for two productions of POP and it is missing nothing.
Unless this is a different edition than the one I have..but it has the exact same cover and credits so I doubt it.

Another G&S Winner from Dover.......2001-11-06

Once again Dover has managed to produce a Piano Vocal score which is a major improvement over the existing editions. While I can't speak for the Scholarly content, and while it doesn't claim to be a "critical edition", it does EXACTLY what a performer wants in a piano vocal score. It is clear and readable and has the words as well as the music. It is also clearly market with measure numbers at the start of each staff and has clear and well marked Major Measure markers throughout. In sum, if you are looking to perform the work, this is the edition to get.

Book Description

In Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich vein of parodies, spoofs, and spin-offs of the songs, as well as their influence on twentieth century lyricists and composers. He analyzes professional productions across the world, looks at the unique place of GandS in schools, colleges, and universities, and lovingly explores the culture of amateur performance. He also uncovers the largely male world of the obsessive fans, those collecting memorabilia, the myriad magazines, journals, websites, and festivals devoted to GandS, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood."

Customer Reviews:

Gilbert and Sullivan Forever.......2007-05-12

This book is for anyone and everyone who is already a G&S fan (as in fanatic). On the other hand, I expect that it would have limited if any appeal to someone with little interest in G&S. Strong in annecdotes and quotations, the author does not really make a good case for G&S's antecedant position in the development of modern musical theatre which might have given the book a wider audience.

Oh Joy, Oh Rapture....good stuff!.......2007-03-08

Ian Bradley has a good insight into what the State of the Union is right now regarding the Gilbert & Sullivan scene on both sides of the Atlantic. I had a conversation a year ago with a former 'Old D'Oyly Carte' member who expressed an opinion that the Savoy tradition was actually safer in America right now. This book does a good job of explaining why. Excellent research put together very well, 'must' reading for G&S afficienados. I highly recommend it.

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!.......2006-08-03

Ian Bradley's book is an excellent look at the continuing popularit of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas over 100 years after they were written. Books that discuss the history of Gilbert & Sullivan when they are alive are a dime a dozen. Bradley's is the first book to specifically look at the performance and cultural history of the Savoy operas since the expiration of the libretti copyright in 1961. Among the topics that Bradley touches on are the history of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company since 1961, as well as the sad story of its successor; how Gilbert & Sullivan shows and church going often go hand-in-hand; parodies and spinoffs of the shows; professional and amateur productions of Gilbert & Sullivan; and more.

My chief complaint is that when Bradley goes into the performance history since 1961, the writing gets dry and tedious. To elaborate, he simply makes lists of performances in many sections. Frankly, I think that a list of performances would have worked better as an appendix.

With that caveat, this is an excellent resource for any Gilbert & Sullivan fan, and I definitely recommend it.

A rapturous edition/addition.......2005-08-26

Ian Bradley has done a marvelous job in researching the G and S scene since the end of the G and S copyright in 1961. Each chapter is chockfull of interesting notes on productions, singers and the politics that rage behind the scenes. For anyone interested in the current G and S scene, this book is a must. I was a little disappointed in the details of the American G and S scene, but the rest of the book made up for this defect!

HMS Pinafore: or The Lass That Loved a Sailor Vocal Score

Average customer rating:

HMS Pinafore: or The Lass That Loved a Sailor Vocal Score
Gilbert & Sullivan
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Gilbert | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Sullivan | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Musicals | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Opera | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Vocal | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Modern Popular | Historical Period | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881887234

Book Description

Trusted the world over, the classic, authoritative G. Schirmer editions of the stage works of Gilbert and Sullivan have been spruced up! These new vocal scores feature the complete music and all dialogue, gorgeous color covers, plot synopses, articles on the famous partnership, the history of each operetta, filmographies and discographies. The sewn binding ensures a lifetime of use. Unforgettable characters populate this fourth Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, a romantic satire of the British social class system and naval hierarchy. Musical highlights include: We Sail the Ocean Blue * I'm Called Little Buttercup * Sorry Her Lot * I Am the Monarch of the Sea * When I Was a Lad * Never Mind the Why and Wherefore * and more.

Gilbert and Sullivan: The World's Great Classical Music (World's Greatest Classical Music)

Average customer rating:

Gilbert and Sullivan: The World's Great Classical Music (World's Greatest Classical Music)

Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0634027549

Product Description

The masters of English operetta, lyricist/librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan defined the genre and influenced all musical theatre after them. This comprehensive collection in Hal Leonard's acclaimed World's Great Classical Music series presents 67 selections from 13 of their collaborations, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Features arias, duets and ensembles all newly engraved in their original keys for voice and piano, a biography of Gilbert & Sullivan, a plot synopsis for each show, and Gilbert's own illustrations of characters. A Maiden Fair To See (HMS PINAFORE) A Simple Sailor Lowly Born (HMS Pinafore) A Wand'ring Minstrel I (THE MIKADO) Alone, and Yet Alive (THE MIKADO) Am I Alone and Unobserved? (PATIENCE) As Some Day It May Happen (THE MIKADO) Fair Moon, to Thee I Sing (HMS PINAFORE) Free From His Fetters Grim (THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD) Happy Young Heart (THE SORCERER) He Is an Englishman (HMS PINAFORE) Henceforth All the Crimes (RUDDIGORE) I Am a Pirate King from The Pirates of Penzance (Sullivan) I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General (THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE) I Have a Song to Sing, O! from (THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD) I am the Monarch of the Sea (HMS PINAFORE) I'm Called Little Buttercup (HMS PINAFORE) I've Jibe and Joke (THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD) If Somebody There Chanced to Be (RUDDIGORE) If You Give Me Your Attention (PRINCESS IDA) In Ev'r...

The Authentic Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook

Average customer rating:

Limited Usefulness
Some of the best songs from the best composers ever !!
I am wondering why it is listed as differential geometry.

The Authentic Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook
W. S. Gilbert , and A. S. Sullivan
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0486234827

Book Description

Largest selection available; 92 songs, uncut, original keys, in piano renderings approved by Sullivan. Favorites and lesser-known numbers.

Customer Reviews:

Limited Usefulness.......2007-02-19

When I ordered this book, I did not realize that it contained facsimiles of earlier texts (or an earlier text). My real and only objection is that the print and the notes are fairly small and a trifle unclear. It would be difficult to put in on a piano and try to read it.
Loved the illustrations and the feel of the book.

Some of the best songs from the best composers ever !!.......1998-11-03

All the songs to satisfy even the most discriminating G&S fan

I am wondering why it is listed as differential geometry........1998-04-29

It must be because of that line about the square of the hypotenuse.

The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan: Librettos from All Fourteen Operettas (Complete & Unabridged)

Average customer rating:

Good, but the Bradley book upstages it.
The most witty and civilized entertainment ever devised.

The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan: Librettos from All Fourteen Operettas (Complete & Unabridged)
William Gilbert
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1579120377

Book Description

With over 200 line drawings by the author. This ultimate book for the millions of Gilbert & Sullivan fans across the country offers the complete text and lyrics of all the operettas of this most original, creative and much-loved musical team.

Now both veteran and new fans can catch all the nuances of the quick moving wit, satire and wisdom often missed during performances and on recordings.

This book covers all of this dynamic duo's plays including: Thespis, Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Sorcerer, Patience, Utopia, Limited, The Grand Duke, Iolanthe, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, The Yeomen of the Guard and The Gondoliers.

Delightful illustrations by W. S. Gilbert adorn the pages, and an introduction by Deems Taylor brings new insight to the text.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but the Bradley book upstages it........2000-07-22

When I compare this edition of the libretto to the Ian Bradley edition of the collected librettos (Oxford), I find that this has more weak points compared to the Bradley book. Of course, both books suffer from inaccuracies in the libretto, but here is a more serious case. Also, the print of the book is a little bit hard to read, because of its age from many years ago. The Bradley book seems to be easier. Yet even despite these shortcomings I am happy to know that you can still sing along to ANY G&S song in here, or find your favourite passage, be it from MIKADO, PIRATES or PINAFORE, or any other opera. But this book still has two advantages to it - containg the librettist's drawings, and its cheaper price compared to the Bradley book. As well as the libretto for the never-before-heard THESPIS opera. Overall, while I am prepared to recommend this to the true Savoyard, I am not really prepared to recommend this to a beginner, except those who cannot afford to spend more money on the Bradley book. Still, this edition is an easy one with which you can live.

The most witty and civilized entertainment ever devised........1998-10-09

If you are a Savoyard, or even if you know what that means, this jumbo collection is one you will treasure. With a preface by esteemed music critic, Deems Taylor, and illustrations by W. S. Gilbert himself, the complete librettos from all fourteen Gilbert & Sullivan operettas is the perfect companion at a great low price. You'll find yourself humming the Arthur Sullivan melodies as you read "I polished up the handles so carefully," "Let the punishment fit the crime," and "I'm called little Buttercup, Sweet little Buttercup." In one attractive volume are the complete and unabridged texts of "The Mikado," "The Pirates of Penzance, "H.M.S Pinafore," and the eleven other operettas that set a world standard for intelligent musical theatre.

The Mikado: or The Town of Titipu Vocal Score

Average customer rating:

The perfect Mikado
The Mikado Vocal Score (Dover Vocal Scores)
Excellent Score
Great Edition for Performer
A perfect performing edition

The Mikado: or The Town of Titipu Vocal Score

Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Gilbert | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Sullivan | Composers | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Musicals | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Opera | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Vocal | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Modern Popular | Historical Period | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881887242

Book Description

Trusted the world over, the classic, authoritative G. Schirmer editions of the stage works of Gilbert and Sullivan have been spruced up! These new vocal scores feature the complete music and all dialogue, gorgeous color covers, plot synopses, articles on the famous partnership, the history of each operetta, filmographies and discographies. The sewn binding ensures a lifetime of use. The biggest success of the Gilbert and Sullivan career, this witty tale of tangled law and love is a thinly veiled commentary on Victorian England. Musical highlights include: A Wand'ring Minstrel I * As Some Day It May Happen * Three Little Maids from School Are We * The Sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze * Mi-ya Sa-ma * Willow, Tit-Willow * and more.

Customer Reviews:

The perfect Mikado.......2007-08-31

Well, I don't know if it is perfect or not. However, it does have bar numbers, which is more than can be said for most of the vocal editions out there. AND they match the published full scores.

When you are rehearsing or doing any type of serious work with the music, being able to reference bar numbers is invariable. "Second bar of third system on page #148", just doesn't cut it.

The Mikado Vocal Score (Dover Vocal Scores).......2006-03-20

Great for learning both dialogue and vocal score for anyone who is taking part in this production or who is just considering auditioning.

Excellent Score.......2003-07-22

Being a serious fan of Gilbert and Sullivan's work and a performer in several of their collaborations, this is a wonderful score. It has every piece of dialogue, every song, and a great cover. If you are ever going to be in a production of 'The Mikado', buy this score!

Great Edition for Performer.......2001-10-17

As a performer, the most important asset of a score is legibility and freedom from errors. This PV is superb in that it is very legible and corrects errors from prior PV's. It is also inexpensive enough that a performer need not fear guilty about writing in the margins or breaking the binding. While not a critical edition, it has everything that a performer would want in a PV, and I would unhesitatingly recommend it over ANY other PV presently on the market, even those which have been "authenticated".

A perfect performing edition.......2001-01-09

The best friend you could have when performing this show. Newly revised and perfectly engraved, a must.

Sir William s Gilbert: A Study in Modern Satire a Handbook on Gilbert and Gilbert-Sullivan Operas

Average customer rating:

Sir William s Gilbert: A Study in Modern Satire a Handbook on Gilbert and Gilbert-Sullivan Operas
Isaac Goldberg
Manufacturer: Library Reprints
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 072225542X

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books