W. S. Gilbert bibliography

This is a selected list of W. S. Gilbert's works, including all that have their own Wikipedia articles. For a complete list of Gilbert's dramatic works, see List of W. S. Gilbert dramatic works.

Poetry

  • The Bab Ballads, a collection of comic verse published roughly between 1865 and 1871
  • Songs of a Savoyard, London: George Routledge and Sons, 1890, a collection of Gilbert's song lyrics[1]

Selected short stories

  • Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales, a collection of short stories and essays, mainly from before 1874.[2]
  • Gilbert, W. S. (2018). Andrew Crowther (ed.). The Triumph of Vice and Other Stories. Alma Classics. ISBN 978-1-84-749754-3.
  • Links to several Gilbert stories
Publications that include one or more of Gilbert's short stories that are not in Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1985). Peter Haining (ed.). The Lost Stories of W.S. Gilbert. London(?): Robson Books. ISBN 9780860513377.
  • Belgravia, vol. 2 (1867). “From St. Paul’s to Piccadilly,” pp. 67–74
  • Fun, vol. 1 new series (1865-1866) (several contributions by Gilbert; near end of volume, Fun Christmas Number 1865, with Gilbert’s “The Astounding Adventure of Wheeler J. Calamity,” pp. 17–18)
  • London Society, vol. 13 (1868) (three “Thumbnail Sketches” by Gilbert, pp. 50–57, 132-136, 315-319)
  • On the Cards: Routledge’s Christmas Annual (1867) (“Diamonds,” pp. 25–37, and “The Converted Clown,” pp. 137–139)

Other books

  • The Pinafore Picture Book, London: George Bell & Sons, 1908, retelling the story of H.M.S. Pinafore for children, in prose narrative form[1]
  • The Story of The Mikado, London: Daniel O'Connor, 1921, a similar retelling of The Mikado for children[1]

Plays and musical stage works

Selected stage works that were important to Gilbert's career or were otherwise notable, in chronological order, excluding those listed under other headings below:

  • Dulcamara, or the Little Duck and the Great Quack (1866 musical spoof of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore). Gilbert's first solo success for the theatre, and the first of his five "operatic burlesques".
  • La Vivandière (1867), a parody of Donizetti's La figlia del regimento
  • Harlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren (1867), a Christmas pantomime.
  • The Merry Zingara (1868), a parody of Michael Balfe's The Bohemian Girl
  • Robert the Devil (1868), a parody of Meyerbeer's Robert le diable. One of Gilbert's most successful early plays, it opened the Gaiety Theatre, London and ran in the provinces for 3 years.
  • The Pretty Druidess (1869), a parody of Norma – the last of Gilbert's five "operatic burlesques"
  • An Old Score (1869) (rewritten as "Quits!" in 1872) Gilbert's first full-length comedy.
  • The Princess (1870). Musical farce; the precursor to Princess Ida.
  • The Palace of Truth (1870). The first of Gilbert's blank verse "Fairy Comedies".
  • Creatures of Impulse (1871), with music by Alberto Randegger, based on Gilbert's 1870 short story called "A Strange Old Lady".
  • Pygmalion and Galatea (1871). Gilbert's most successful work up to this time. A reinterpretation of the Pygmalion myth in which the innocent former statue, Galatea, is unable to bear the cynicism and jealousies of the real world.
  • Randall's Thumb (1871). A comedy that opened the Royal Court Theatre.
  • The Wicked World (1873). A fairy comedy about how mortal love upsets the fairy world.
  • The Happy Land (1873). This work was briefly banned for its sharp satire of government ministers. It also travesties The Wicked World.
  • The Realm of Joy (1873). Set in the box office of a thinly-disguised The Happy Land, it satirises the audience for scandalous plays and the Lord Chamberlain's censorship of plays.
  • The Wedding March (1873) a farce adapted from Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie by Eugène Labiche
  • Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (published 1874, performed 1891). Gilbert's burlesque of Hamlet.
  • Charity (1874). Concerns Victorian attitudes towards sex outside of marriage. Anticipates the 1890s "problem plays" of Shaw, Ibsen.
  • Sweethearts (1874). A drama about love revisited after 30 years.
  • Tom Cobb (1875). This was possibly one of Gilbert's best comedies.[3]
  • Broken Hearts (1875). The last of Gilbert's "fairy comedies", this was one of Gilbert's favourite plays.
  • Dan'l Druce, Blacksmith (1876). A three-act drama that introduced antecedents of some of Gilbert's later characters.
  • Engaged (1877). Probably the most famous of Gilbert's non-Sullivan works for the theatre.
  • The Ne'er-do-Weel (1878); rewritten as "The Vagabond" after a few weeks. Friendship, sacrifice and rotating lovers: it unsuccessfully combined sentimental scenes with comedy.
  • The Forty Thieves (1878). An "amateur pantomime at the Gaiety," written with three other writers, in which WSG played Harlequin.
  • Gretchen (1879). One of Gilbert's favorites – his take on the Faust legend.
  • Foggerty's Fairy (1881). Gilbert's Back to the Future play.
  • Brantinghame Hall (1888), a drama. Gilbert's biggest flop, it sent producer Rutland Barrington into bankruptcy.
  • The Fortune Hunter (1897). Not a good play; its reception provoked WSG to announce retiring from writing for the stage.
  • The Fairy's Dilemma (1904). WSG finally works out a lifelong obsession with pantomime and harlequinade.
  • The Hooligan (1911). Gilbert's last play, written in a new, serious style.

German Reed Entertainments

Gilbert wrote six one-act musical entertainments for the German Reeds between 1869 and 1875. They were successful in their own right and also helped form Gilbert's mature style as a dramatist.[4] These include:

Early comic operas

The Gilbert and Sullivan operas

All of these comic operas are full-length two-act works, except for Trial by Jury, which is in one act, and Princess Ida, which is three acts. All except for Trial by Jury contain spoken dialogue; the dialogue in Princess Ida is written in blank verse.[5]

Later operas without Sullivan

Though not as popular as the works with Arthur Sullivan, a few of Gilbert's later comic operas arguably have stronger plots than the last two Gilbert and Sullivan operas.[6]

  • The Mountebanks (1892; music by Alfred Cellier). This is the "lozenge plot" that Sullivan declined to set on several occasions.
  • Haste to the Wedding (1892; music by George Grossmith). An unsuccessful adaptation of The Wedding March.
  • His Excellency (1894; with music by Osmond Carr). Gilbert felt that if Sullivan had set it, the piece would have been "another Mikado".
  • Fallen Fairies (1909; music by Edward German). Gilbert's last opera, which was a failure.

Parlour ballads

Gilbert is known to have written lyrics for twelve parlour ballads.[7] These are:

  • "The Yarn of the Nancy Bell", with music by Alfred Plumpton. One of the Bab Ballads. Published by Charles Jeffreys in 1869.[7]
  • "Thady O'Flynn", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey & Co on 7 October 1868. From No Cards.[8]
  • "Would You Know that Maiden Fair", with music by Frederic Clay. From Ages Ago. Published by Boosey c. 1869.[9]
  • "Corisande", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey on 18 June 1870.[7]
  • "Eily's Reason", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey on 27 February 1871.[7]
  • Three songs from A Sensation Novel: "The Detective's Song", "The Tyrannical Bridegroom", and "The Jewel". Published by Hopwood & Co in 1871.[10]
  • "The Distant Shore", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Published by Chappell & Co on 18 December 1874.[7]
  • "The Love that Loves me Not", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Published by Novello, Ewer & Co in 1875.[7]
  • "Sweethearts", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Based on the play of the same name and used to promote it. Published by Chappell & Co in 1875.[11]
  • "Let Me Stay", with music by Walter Maynard. Published by Boosey on 13 December 1875. The same lyric was set by Edward German for Broken Hearts.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Crowther, Andrew. "Gilbert's Non-Dramatic Works" Archived April 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The W.S. Gilbert Society, accessed 13 September 2015
  2. ^ Gilbert (1890), passim
  3. ^ Crowther (2000), p. 81
  4. ^ Woodbridge Wilson, Frederic. "Reed, Thomas German", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 31 January 2013 (subscription required)
  5. ^ Bradley, passim
  6. ^ See, e.g., Wolfson, pp. 64–65.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Allen, p. 74
  8. ^ Allen p. 25
  9. ^ Allen p. 28
  10. ^ Allen p. 32
  11. ^ Allen, p. 41

References

  • Allen, Reginald (1963), W. S. Gilbert: An Anniversary Survey and Exhibition Checklist with Thirty-five Illustrations, The Biographical Society of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
  • Bradley, Ian (1996). The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816503-3.
  • Crowther, Andrew (2000). Contradiction Contradicted – The Plays of W. S. Gilbert. Associated University Presses. ISBN 0-8386-3839-2.
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1890). Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales. London: George Routledge and Sons.
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1875). Original Plays: First Series. London: Chatto and Windus.
  • Stedman, Jane W. (1996). W. S. Gilbert, A Classic Victorian & His Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816174-3.
  • Wolfson, John (c. 1976). Final Curtain: The Last Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. London: Chappell & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-903443-12-0.
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