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 […]
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 […]
Did Arthur Sullivan visit brothels? Part 4.
In this series, I have argued that, notwithstanding a scene in the movie Topsy-Turvy, the only assertions that Sir Arthur Sullivan ever engaged the services of a sex worker in a brothel were made by his 20th century biographer Arthur Jacobs, and that I find those hypotheses unsupported by today’s available evidence. But I have […]
Did Arthur Sullivan visit brothels? Part 3.
A prolonged longing? As I wrote in Parts 1 and 2 of this story, I believe that Sullivan’s biographer Arthur Jacobs erred when he suggested that Sullivan frequented a Parisian brothel at the address “No. 4 Rue M.T.” Instead, I suggested that Sullivan and his mistress Fanny Ronalds used that location for their own pleasures […]
Did Arthur Sullivan visit brothels? Part 2.
The Mystery in the Rue Mont-Thabor As we saw in Part 1 of this story, on 10 April 1882, Arthur Sullivan arrived in Paris in the early morning hours and checked into the Grand Hotel. At noon he “went to keep appointment at No. 4 Rue M.T.”, where he “stayed till 5.30 (2)”. The Rue […]