Product 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as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a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 G&S 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 G&S, and the arcane interests of some of the faithful "inner brotherhood."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1023287 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review

"An exhaustive study of the performance history of the Savoy Operas.... Enlivened by a gallery of appropriately Gilbertian eccentrics."--Crispin Jackson, The Tablet
"This delightful and informative book could only have come from someone with a vast inside knowledge of the subject. It was clearly written as a labour of love, and Ian Bradley's enthusiasm is evident on every page. It is sure to prove compulsive reading for any admirer of G & S-oh joy, indeed!"--Derek B. Scott
"'Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!' indeed! From Penzance to Pfennig-Halbpfennig, a new Gilbert and Sullivan text by leading authority Ian Bradley (author of the G&S bible, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan) is cause for wild (well, sensible) Savoyard celebration." --Opera News
"Editor of the valuable he Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan again pursues his favorite extracurricular subject, here tracing the recent history--1961 to the present--of the so-called Savoyard movement. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

About the Author

Ian Bradley is one of world's leading authorities on and enthusiasts for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. He annotated them from top to toe in The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan (OUP, 1996), has broadcast regularly on the operas for the BBC, and acted as consultant to the D'Oyly Carte Company. He is Vice President of the Arthur Sullivan Society and honorary life president of the St. Andrews University Gilbert and Sullivan Society with whom he has performed several principal bass-baritone roles. His abiding passion for G&S is fitted into his more serious life as a minister in the Church of Scotland, University Chaplain and Reader in Practical Theology and Church History in the School of Divinity at St. Andrews University. He is the author of more than 30 books.

Customer Reviews

A rapturous edition/addition
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!

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!
Ian Bradley's book is an excellent look at the continuing popularity of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas over 100 years after they were written. Books that discuss the history of Gilbert & Sullivan when they were 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.

Oh Joy, Oh Rapture....good stuff!
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.