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MMD > Archives > March 2005 > 2005.03.01 > 02Prev  Next


Gilbert & Sullivan Songs on Piano Rolls
By Julian Dyer

There were, unsurprisingly, a great many Sullivan rolls issued in the
UK.  In the 1914 Themodist catalogue there were no less than 38 rolls
of Sullivan compositions, although not all were Savoy Operas -- plenty
of hymns to keep the frivolity away.  By 1924 just a handful of
additional song rolls had been issued.

Extracting from my typed-in catalogue (I didn't dash this lot off
tonight!), the listed rolls were:

Chorister, The  (Accompaniment only, F major)  61673

Distant Shore, The  (Accompaniment for medium voice, F major)  60199

Emerald Isle, The (Sullivan and German): Selections  9720

Gondoliers, The: Potpourri  9788  73771  TL 20117

Iolanthe: Selections  60373  T 70523  T 81746

Ivanhoe: Ho! Jolly Jenkin  (Accompaniment for low voice, D major)  TL 33005

It came upon the midnight clear (Sacred song arranged as a piano solo) 74289

Lead, kindly light (three verses) (Hymn arranged as a piano solo)  7572  88091

Let me dream again (Song arranged as a piano solo)  6069

Light of the world, The "And God shall wipe away all tears"
  (Aria arranged as a piano solo)  7574

Lost Chord, The (Song arranged as a piano solo)  7527  64141
  TL 21578 (Accompaniment for medium voice, F major)  285  TL 33059

Mikado, The:
  Behold the Lord High Executioner 26159 (words)
  For he's gone and married Yum-yum; Finale Act II  9784
  Fantaisie by Gustav Lange  60343  T 82792
  Flowers that bloom in the spring, The 26161 (words)
  A more humane Mikado never did in Japan exist 26157 (words)
  Potpourri  9780  T 68541  T 80536
  Potpourri arranged for four hands by Alfred Oelschlegel  3342  T82984
  Selection arranged by W. Winterbottom (Rolls 1 & 2) T 30281 & T 30282
  There is beauty in the Bellow of the Blast 26162 (words)
  Tit Willow 26160 (words)

A wand'ring Minstrel, I  9783

My dearest heart 26683 (words)

Onward, Christian Soldiers T21746

Overture, C major, "In Memoriam"  TL 16012  TL 22332

Patience:
  Act I, Sextet, "I hear the soft note of the echoing voice"  9792
  Potpourri  9785  T 70803  T 81744
  Quadrilles, arranged by Chas. d'Albert. Figures 1, 2, 3  L 3723,
    Figures, 4, 5  L 3724

Pinafore, H. M. S.:
  Act II, Nightingale's song, "Maiden fair to see"  9794
  Potpourri  9779  T 69293  T 89484
  Transcription by Ed. Dorn  60339

Pirates of Penzance, The:
  Poor wandering one  9781
  Potpourri  9777  T 69813  T 89462

Princess Ida
  Fantaisie by W. Kuhe  TL 15607  TL 21401

Rose of Persia, The
  Selection  60495

Ruddigore:
  Selection arranged by W. Winterbottom. Rolls 1 & 2, T24169 & T24170

Sailor's Grave, The  (Accompaniment for low voice, C major)  TL 33054

Savoy Memories Arranged by H. Derry
  Roll I  TL 15462  TL 20062
  Roll II  L 2845  TL 20063
  Roll III  TL 15464  TL 21239

Selection of Sullivan's songs Arranged by G. W. Byng  L 1723
  L 12157  TL 20127

Selection of songs Arranged by Chas. Godfrey, Jun.  60309

Trial by Jury:
  Selection by Harry Derry  L 9091  TL 15572  TL 21371
  When I, good friends, was called to the bar (Judge's song)
   (Arranged as a piano solo)  TL 15609

Yeoman of the Guard:
  Selections arranged by Chas. Godfrey, Jun.  60455  TL 15735

The 1914 catalogue lists three series: Standard 65-note (mostly 4-digit
numbers), Themodist-Metrostyle 65-note (numbers starting 1, 6 or 7) and
88-note (numbers starting 2 and 8). The later song rolls are all 26xxx.
Most of these would have been issued on Universal labels as well.

The 65-note rolls without an L prefix use American masters, as do the
88-note ones starting with 8. The L-prefix and 88-note rolls starting
with 2 or 3 are from British masters and most probably were never
offered for sale in America.

Answering the earlier question using the above list, you can see that a
cluster of five song rolls (26157 to 26162) were issued of Mikado, and
one hymn. The accompaniment rolls would expect the singer to know the
words or possess the sheet music, and are proper accompaniments which
don't mask the sung line, unlike the later song rolls that tend to
emphasise the melody to help weaker singers. The 'piano solo' rolls are
the fully-figured arrangements that you might find on a song roll, but
don't actually have the words on the roll.

It's interesting to see that the famous "Patter" songs are missing from
this list, as is almost anything humorous. How times change!

Julian Dyer

P.S.:  Yesterday's Animatic roll from Mikado is played by Patrick
O'Sullivan, who presumably was not a relative of the composer.


(Message sent Tue 1 Mar 2005, 23:40:06 GMT, from time zone GMT.)

Key Words in Subject:  Gilbert, Piano, Rolls, Songs, Sullivan

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