Bab Ballads And Savoy Songs

By W. H. Gilbert

This book contains a collection of verse written and illustrated by W. S. Gilbert. "The Bab Ballads" was written prior to his becoming famous for his comic opera "Librettos", and was integral to the development of his famous "topsy-turvy" style. This approach entailed silly situations being followed through to their logical conclusions - in hilarious style. This volume is highly recommended for lovers of comic literature, and is not to be missed by fans and collectors of Gilbert's work. William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) was an English dramatist, illustrator and poet, most famous for the co-writing the Savoy operas with Sir Arthur Sullivan. Many vintage texts such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now, in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Mar 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473360846

Book preview

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BAB BALLADS AND SAVOY SONGS

BY

W. H. GILBERT

Copyright © 2013 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Contents

W. S. Gilbert

THE BAB BALLADS.

THE YARN OF THE NANCY BELL.

CAPTAIN REECE.

THE BISHOP AND THE BUSMAN.

THE FOLLY OF BROWN.

BY A GENERAL AGENT.

THE THREE KINGS OF CHICKERABOO.

THE BISHOP OF RUM-TI-FOO.

TO THE TERRESTRIAL GLOBE.

BY A MISERABLE WRETCH.

GENERAL JOHN.

SIR GUY THE CRUSADER.

KING BORRIA BUNGALEE BOO.

THE TROUBADOUR.

THE FORCE OF ARGUMENT.

ONLY A DANCING GIRL.

THE SENSATION CAPTAIN.

THE PERIWINKLE GIRL.

BOB POLTER.

GENTLE ALICE BROWN.

BEN ALLAH ACHMET;

OR, THE FATAL TUM.

SONGS OF A SAVOYARD

THE ENGLISHMAN.

THE DISAGREEABLE MAN.

THE MODERN MAJOR-GENERAL.

THE HEAVY DRAGOON.

ONLY ROSES!

THEY’LL NONE OF ‘EM BE MISSED.

THE POLICEMAN’S LOT.

AN APPEAL.

EHEU FUGACES—!

A RECIPE.

THE FIRST LORD’S SONG.

WHEN A MERRY MAIDEN MARRIES.

THE SUICIDE’S GRAVE.

HE AND SHE.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR’S SONG.

WILLOW WALY!

THE USHER’S CHARGE.

KING GOODHEART.

THE TANGLED SKEIN.

GIRL GRADUATES.

THE APE AND THE LADY.

SANS SOUCI

THE BRITISH TAR.

THE COMING BYE AND BYE.

THE SORCERER’S SONG.

SPECULATION.

THE DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO.

THE REWARD OF MERIT.

WHEN I FIRST PUT THIS UNIFORM ON.

SAID I TO MYSELF, SAID I.

THE FAMILY FOOL.

THE PHILOSOPHIC PILL.

THE CONTEMPLATIVE SENTRY.

SORRY HER LOT.

THE JUDGE’S SONG.

TRUE DIFFIDENCE.

THE HIGHLY RESPECTABLE GONDOLIER.

DON’T FORGET.

THE DARNED MOUNSEER.

THE HUMANE MIKADO.

THE HOUSE OF PEERS.

THE ÆSTHETE.

PROPER PRIDE.

THE BAFFLED GRUMBLER.

THE WORKING MONARCH.

THE ROVER’S APOLOGY.

WOULD YOU KNOW?

THE MAGNET AND THE CHURN.

BRAID THE RAVEN HAIR.

IS LIFE A BOON?

A MIRAGE.

A MERRY MADRIGAL.

THE LOVE-SICK BOY.

W. S. Gilbert

William S. Gilbert was born on the November 18, 1836 at 17 Southampton Street, Strand, London. His upbringing was marked by conflict with, and between, his parents who were stern and cold. His father, once a naval surgeon wrote short stories and novels in his later years and his mother Anne Mary Bye Morris, was the daughter of Thomas Morris, a famed apothecary.

Much of Gilbert’s childhood would be spent travelling throughout Europe due to his father’s work. He was educated in France from the age of seven. On returning to London, he attended Western Grammar School, Brompton and finally Great Ealing School. It was here that Gilbert discovered his love of plays and literature, becoming head boy and writing plays for school performances.

After school he joined Kings College London with the intention of later joining the Royal Artillery. However, the end of the Crimean War meant fewer recruits were needed and he decided instead to join the Civil Service, where, for four years he was an assistant clerk in the Privy Council Office. He did not enjoy the career and spent much of his time as a volunteer officer in the Militia, formed in defence of Britain, where he attained the rank of Captain. After a brief stint as a barrister, Gilbert supplemented his income by writing stories, comic rants, grotesque illustrations, theatre reviews and illustrated poems for magazines.

His career as a writer, journalist, comedian and comic artist quickly took off and he wrote for a number of well-known titles at the time including Cornhill Magazine, London Society, Tinsley’s Magazine, Temple Bar, L’Invalide Russe and Illustrated London Times. In 1870 he was sent as a wartime correspondent to France, to report on the Franco-Prussian War for The Observer.

Gilbert married Lucy Agnes Turner "Kitty" in 1867. Kitty was eleven years his junior, and Gilbert wrote many love letters and other letters of affection to her during their relationship. They were well known in the social circles of London at the time. They would have no children together, but were famed for their large collection of exotic pets.

Gilbert’s career as a playwright first started to take shape when he collaborated with Charles Millward on several pantomimes in the 1860s. He opened the Gaiety Theatre, London, with a triple bill of operatic parody, Robert the Devil (1868), which ran for over 100 nights.

In the 1870s Gilbert wrote a number of German Reed entertainments, named after Thomas German Reed who attempted to reform English Theatre between 1869 and 1875. The plays were innocent, family oriented plays and Gilbert would produce six musical entertainments for the German Reeds with some of the music for his plays composed by Thomas German Reed himself.

Gilbert directed his first play early in his career, which was a natural progression of the high level of productive involvement he took in his plays. He developed his craft for direction by attending rehearsals from Tom Robertson, learning his craft first hand from a director whom he admired. Gilbert’s directorial style can be termed realist, because his comedy takes place in a world where the characters are not aware of their own absurdity.

1871 saw Gilbert’s first collaboration with Albert Sullivan. Their play, Thespis, or The God’s Grown Old (1871), also ran at the Gaiety Theatre outrunning five competitors during the 1871, holiday season. The two went their separate ways at the end of this production, and it wasn’t until four years later that they would again work together. In 1875 Gilbert asked Sullivan to set the work for his piece, Trial by Jury, it was their first run-away sensation at the box office.

In 1877 Gilbert wrote his most successful comic play, Engaged, which would become the inspiration for Oscar Wilde’s, The Importance of Being Earnest. During much of this period Gilbert worked tirelessly to improve the respectability of theatre, which still retained a perception among critics as lowbrow and tawdry. In 1877 Gilbert continued his collaboration with Sullivan producing the play, The Sorcerer, quickly followed by, H.M.S. Pinafore in May 1878. So successful was Pinafore, as it became known, that long time producer Richard D’Oyly