Who was Cunningham Bridgeman? Part 1.5 Sing!
I love living in The Future I’m calling this “Part 1.5” of this story, because it is a short diversion from the main plot. But an exciting one. In Part 1 of this story I began to explore the mystery of Cunningham Bridgeman. The mystery is, who is he, and how did he come to […]
Who was Cunningham Bridgeman? Part 1
The short answer is, he was the coauthor of the early and influential book, Gilbert, Sullivan And D’Oyly Carte: Reminiscences Of The Savoy And The Savoyards (among other titles), written in 1913-1914 with François Cellier. That book, published with the imprimatur of Cellier—one of Sullivan’s closest friends and longest collaborators—is still today quoted by authors […]
10 November, 1899: The Absent Minded Distraction, Part 2
10 November, 1899 Called1. Bosworth. about foreign production & publication of new opera. He to be my representative in Germany & Austria, with Bloch-Erben (Ferenzcy [sic]) as his agents, at 20 p.c. 2. Byng & Coates – latter to sing “Ab: M. Beg” – Today Sullivan notes visits from three gentlemen. Meeting number 1 is […]
7 November, 1899: The Absent-Minded Distraction, Part 1
7 November, 1899 Bendall took printer’s copy of “Ab: Mind: Beg:” to Balch –Daily Mail – also my M.S. to Alhambra for Byng to score.Rehearsal at Savoy. It’s a busy time for Sir Arthur Sullivan. It’s been more than three years since the production of The Grand Duke, his final collaboration with W.S. Gilbert. Since […]
Searching the unsearchable, or What is a Sullivan Diary? Part 2
In my last post on Sullivan’s diaries, I claimed that the only way to positively know when a keyword has made its final appearance in Sullivan’s diaries is to read every subsequent word of every subsequent day of every subsequent year. In a world of Ferraris and easy text searching, this sounds like buggy whip […]
What is a Sullivan Diary? or, Bertie’s Electrical Career, Part 4.
Part 4 of 3. It’s entirely possible that you, Dear Reader, have now heard more than enough about young Herbert Sullivan’s failure to launch a career. (That story begins here.) This post is inspired by my accidental discovery of new information for that story—I do owe Bertie a partial apology—and a realization that most people […]
3 October, 1891: Bertie’s Electrical Career, Part 3.
3 October, 1891 Tom Chappell called with message from Gilbert,decision of “making up” – promised to write to him.Sent letter to Teddington by Louis – dined at Garrick. Having returned from betting on horses, Sullivan is back in London, and suddenly, his diary becomes interesting! His long-time publisher and friend, Thomas Chappell is doing Yeoman’s […]
2 October, 1891: Bertie’s Electrical Career, Part 2.
1 October, 1891 Newmarket 2 October, 1891 Returned from Newmarket. 8.p.m. dined at homedidn’t go out ___ __ In Part 1 of this story, I did warn you that Sullivan’s diary entries during the First October Meeting at Newmarket can be very boring. But this will give us time to further relate the story of […]
29 September, 1891: Bertie’s Electrical Career, Part 1.
Since your humble diarist took some time off, today’s Sullivan diary entries come from two days, back-to-back: 28 September, 1891 Went to city – called on Sir J. Pender about Bertie. 29 September, 1891 Went to Newmarket (1st Oct: Meeting) to staywith Russie. wrote to Valabrègue etc. Bertie accomptme to station & went to see […]
Does Captain Basil Hood get a mention in Sherlock Holmes?
During the first week of July my friend had been absent so often and so long from our lodgings that I knew he had something on hand. The fact that several rough-looking men called during that time and inquired for Captain Basil made me understand that Holmes was working somewhere under one of the numerous […]