A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert & Sullivan

by Gayden Wren

Book Overview

Written more than a century ago and initially regarded even by their creators as nothing more than light entertainment, the fourteen operas of Gilbert & Sullivan emerged over the course of the twentieth century as the world's most popular body of musical-theater works, ranking second only to Shakespeare in the history of English-language theater.
Despite this resounding popularity and proven longevity, most books written about the duo have focused on the authors rather than the works. With this detailed examination of all fourteen operas, Gayden Wren fills this void. His bold thesis finds the key to the operas' longevity, not in the clever lyrics, witty dialogue, or catchy music, but in the central themes underlying the characters and stories themselves. Like Shakespeare's comedies, Wren shows, the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan endure because of their timeless themes, which speak to audiences as powerfully now as they did the first time they were performed.

Written out of an abiding love for the Savoy operas, this volume is essential reading for any devotee of these enchanting works, or indeed for anyone who loves musical theater.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195145143
• ISBN13: 9780195145144
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 9.3" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

beware: opinion often masquerading as fact...

Wren, no doubt, has thoroughly researched his topic. He has lived with these operas and knows them intimately as anyone could. One cannot help but admire the depth of analysis given to several of the Savoy operas. I was particularly impressed by his analysis of the subtle flower imagery running thru Ruddigore, and his work on Gilbert's poetical schemes. His musical analysis falls short most of the time, and betrays a lack of understanding regarding Sullivan's approach (or indeed, theatrical music in general). His attacks do not suffer from the German 19th century-influenced prejudices which affected Gervase Hughes' study of Sullivan's music but often miscontrues meaning and in some cases, misses the joke entirely (yes, Sullivan could joke right along with Gilbert; Gilbert in fact famously remarked "I never had to explain a joke to Sullivan"). Wren decries the simple and lovely strophic setting of Patience's air "Love is a plaintive song," complaining (like some other authors) that Sullivan failed to capture the lyric. Not true. The simple, largely diatonic setting exquistely captures lyric and character's frame of mind-- Patience is simple and straightforward, she is unhappy, confused, and parroting what Angela has led her to think love should be; a full out, through-composed dark aria would be uncalled for, and unconvincing from this character. In the same opera, when we meet Grosvenor in Act I, the music that accompanies his entrance is nearly Wagnerian in its dense chromatic wandering, admirably suited to a trendy, artistic young man of the time. Later, when Grosvenor emerges as "An Everyday Young Man," he sings a song that is literally reduced to two chords-- a subtle joke to be sure, but the humor is evident. Wren applauds Sullivan for relying less on recit in later operas, taking it's lack of use as evidence of compositional maturity (a prejudice similar to Gervase's, in that through-composed opera was somehow philsophically preferable to the recit-aria Italian format) when in fact, Sullivan uses recit only where it serves his purpose-- and doesn't when it is not called for. In Ruddigore, Dame Hannah's first song is interupted by a recit like passage-- to call attention to the lines she utters, when Sullivan could have every easily continued in the verse-form. This surprising and effective touch is evidence of compositional maturity, not a lapse into formula by an undeveloped talent. The bibliography at the end is thorough but also full of editorializations on each book mentioned, which could have been informative but instead are too subjective. All this being said, the book is worth reading and is an outstanding resource for the informed analyses of the lyric and historical backgrounds, but it should be complemented by other books on the Savoy operas and certainly an acquaintance with good productions.

Very insightful and straight to the point

There is no critical showboating in "A Most Ingenious Paradox", just dead on, revelatory insights presented in a modest, straightforward voice. He really appears to have lived with each of the G & S operas, and got it in his bones. Very little overlap here with other G & S books, so even the most jaded Savoyard will find something fresh in this book.

A new and interesting slant on the Savoy operas

In the past, when asked to name the minimal list of books essential to a full understanding and thereby appreciation of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, I would have cut it down to three. For a study of the social conditions behind Gilbert's satire, there is the long out of print "The World of Gilbert and Sullivan" by W.A. Darlington. For a fairly well balanced discussion of both the scripts and the music, there is "Gilbert & Sullivan Opera: a New Assessment" by Audrey Williamson, which passed into a second edition when I saw it last. Then there is the indispensable single volume edition of "The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" by Ian Bradley under the aegis of Oxford University Press. Now from that same august publisher comes a volume I might seriously consider as a fourth: "A Most Ingenious Paradox" by Gayden Wren. Having worked most of his life in the theatre and specializing in Gilbert & Sullivan, Wren has come up with the thesis that "Beneath the surface charm of the Savoy operas...lies a powerful thematic core that makes their works effective to this day" (p. 4). Well, so it is with Shakespeare, Shaw, and even Rodgers & Hart. It is the examples offered up by Wren that affords so much surprise and delight. The book is organized into fairly self-contained chapters.The first deals with "Gilbert before Sullivan," the second with "Sullivan before Gilbert." Then we have a chapter for each of the 14 works, followed by a chapter about their careers after "The Grand Duke" and a final one about their "Legacy." There follows an appendix with plot outlines, details about the original "Ruddygore" script and score, notes, an excellent critical bibliography, and index. I think that directors will appreciate the emphasis Wren puts upon the seriousness that underlies some of the works, and not only "Yeomen of the Guard." For example, consider the scene just before the finale between Iolanthe and the Lord Chancellor in which things do become "life or death" and which could easily lead to an unhappy ending with no violence to what has gone before. Of course, the public expected a happy ending with G & S, but that was no reason they had to get one. His remarks about "The Mikado," although confined to only 15 pages did make me suddenly aware of how Gilbert keeps tipping his hand all through by having the characters call attention to their being in a play: "Japanese don't use pocket-handkerchiefs," "the Japanese equivalent for Hear, hear, hear," "Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances," and so on. I part company on him with him on some remarks about "Princess Ida," but his comparison between the opera and the Tennyson original is quite revealing. In general, I kept nodding and thinking about most of his conclusions with "Of course, I should have realized that years ago." The style is friendly, the author taking it for granted, of course, that you know the plots of the operas fairly well to begin with. Yes, I think I might recommend