THE SAVOY TRIUMVIRATE.*
Ma. FRANgots CELLIER., who for some thirty-five years was connected as musical director with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, had only reached the year 1884 in his genial reminiscences when he died last February, and the work has been completed by his friend Mr. Cunningham Bridgeman, who describes himself as "one of the oldest and closest sur- viving associates and camp followers of the D'Oyly Carte Army Corps." The collaboration has resulted in a readable rather than a remarkable volume, which will recall to middle- aged playgoers many pleasant evenings spent at the Opera Comique and the Savoy. Neither of the joint-authors makes any pretence to criticism : they are enthusiasts about their subject, which they approach more from the point of view of the raconteur than the historian. Yet in his statement of the aims of the composer and librettist Mr. Cellier shows a thorough appreciation of the nature of the pioneer work which they had undertaken. "It was obvious," he remarks, "that the lesson which both Gilbert and Sullivan had come to teach would not precisely suit the existing school of actors and singers.... The Gilbertian methods appeared at once to be only adaptable to novices in the school of acting "—and the most successful of the Savoy performers were dis- coveries. A new type of actor and singer was required to render justice to the aim and intention of both com- poser and author. " Beyond all else distinct emphasis and phrasing, clear enunciation of every word, were absolutely essential. . . . That the past-masters of musical buffoonery were clever and accomplished actors and singers of their kind none will deny, but they had become too saturated with the obsolescent spirit of Victorian burlesque and extravaganza ever to become capable exponents of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera." Mr. Cellier sums up the situation very happily when he observes that "neither Gilbert, Sullivan, nor D'Oyly Carte wanted their comedians to paint their noses red. The new triumvirate had brought about a revolution. They had devised other methods of convulsing the world with laughter." All this is perfectly true. The new genre of light opera was, in the famous phrase which Sir W. Gilbert is reported to have applied to the Hamlet of a popular actor, "funny without being vulgar." Gilbert's taste was not above reproach, but his lapses were in the direction of a certain frigidity of wit, and never erred against decency. A writer in the Quarterly Review once saluted him as the British Aristo- phanes, which was ridiculous overpraise as well as being inept, for Gilbert had no real lyrical impulse, and never indulged in the Rabelaisian vein. His prose dialogue was never quite natural, but, when criticism has done its worst, how immeasurably superior he was in the mixture of wit and craftsmanship to the librettists who preceded him I Alone of his tribe he has coined phrases in verse which stick, when the quips of H. J. Byron and Planche—excellent of their kind —are forgotten. The literary polish of Gilbert's work was happily matched by the urbanity and symmetry of • Gilbert, Sullivan, and D'Oyly Carte : Reminiscences of the Savoy and the Saeoyards. By Francois Caller and Cunningham Bridgeman. Loudon; Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons. [12s. 6d. net.]
Sullivan's music, which was complementary to the contribution of his colleague in its essential geniality. Mr. Cellier does not expressly say as much as this, but be would probably have
assented to this view. He is right, again, in his insistence on the high degree of efficiency which both of the collaborators exacted from their interpreters, though one famous Savoyard could never be trusted in the matter of accurate intonation. Gilbert, who "produced" the operas with the most meticulous care, would not stand any liberties being taken with his text, and was strong enough to enforce his will. " Gagging " was never allowed, and, similarly, Sullivan insisted that, as far as human nature permitted, the performer should sing what he wrote, and in the way he wanted it sung. They were, in short, benevolent despots whose methods were justified by results, and their success was due to a fortunate conjunction of talent and organization. The share of Mr. D'Oyly Carte, the third member of the Savoy triumvirate, is harder to define, because it was less apparent to the public eye; but these pages make it clear that his antecedents and education placed him in a category above the average theatrical impresario, that he showed both enterprise and enlightenment in his managerial methods, and that be owed a great deal to the remarkable
business talents of his wife. Though he never had a failure until his unlucky excursion into grand opera, there were plenty of difficulties to be overcome in the early years of the venture—the opposition of recalcitrant directors, and the unfair competition of American pirates. In this context we make no excuse for quoting the following story, for the authenticity of which, by the way, Mr. Cellier does not vouch. But it is quite good enough to be true :—
" A certain American impresario, whose patriotism excelled his judgment, suggested to Gilbert that, while 'H.M.S. Pinafore' had decidedly caught on in New York, he guessed that they could heap up a bigger pile of dollars if an American version of the piece were prepared. Say now, Mr. Gilbert,' said our American friend, 'all you've got to do is first to change H.M.S. to IT.S.S., pull down the British ensign and hoist the Stars and Stripes, and anchor your ship off Jersey Beach. Then in the place of your First Lord of Admiralty introduce our Navy Boss. All the rewriting required would be some new words to Bill Bobstay's song—just let him remain an Amer'can instead of an Englishman. Now ain't that a cute notion, sir ? ' Gilbert, pulling at his moustache, replied: Well—yes—perhaps your suggestion is a good one ; but I see some difficulties in carrying it out. In the first place, I am afraid I am not sufficiently versed in your vernacular to translate my original English words. The best I could do would be something like this improvisation :- " He is Amerl-can.
The' he himself has said it, 'Tis not much to his credit That he is Ameri-can- For he might have been a Dutchman, An Irish, Scotch, or such man, Or perhaps an Englishman. But, in spite of hanky-panky,
Be remains a true-born Yankee, A cute Ameri-can." ' The New York impresario was delighted—vowed it would save the situation and set New York ablaze. Mr. Gilbert replied that, after two minutes' careful consideration, he didn't think it would do at all. He was afraid that such words might disturb the friendly relations existing between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 'Besides, my friend,' Gilbert added, 'you must remember I remain an English- man. No, sir, as long as " H.M.S. Pinafore" holds afloat she must keep the Union Jack flying.' `Quite appreciate your patriotic sentiments, Mr. Gilbert,' replied the American, ' but say—ain't it c'rect that "Pinafore" was translated into German?" Quite correct—and played in Germany, but under its Teutonic) name "Amor am Bord " it was not easy for any one to imagine that the ship had been taken from the English.' This sounds like a Transatlantic fairy-tale. But it is repeated here for what it is worth."
In the main the record is one of uninterrupted success, and it is embellished by a large number of photographs of favourite Savoyard actors and actresses, most of whom exemplify the transitoriness of footlight fame. When a performance of The Pirates of Penzance by children was successfully organized in 1884, the talent of the principal performers seemed to augur brilliant adult careers, but, as Mr. Bridgeman observes, " the majority have been swallowed up in the vortex of
London, and been reduced to nobodies in particular." Mr.
Cellier recalls the fact that the Savoy was the first theatre at which electric light was used as an illuminant and again as a decoration of the actresses in Iolanthe, also that it was here that the queue system was introduced, and "sky-borders" abolished. Of more importance was the educative influence of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas on the pit and gallery. " There was no rag, tag, and bobtail' attached to a Savoy
crowd." The close-packed galleryites " resembled a huge, well-dressed concert choir, not only in the formation of their ranks, tier above tier, but in their behaviour," and gratuitous recitals of popular items from the Savoy operas by these accomplished " gods " formed a regular feature of Savoy premieres. A climax was reached, according to Mr.
Bridgeman, on the first night of Ruddigore. "Men and women of social rank, who on ordinary occasions were accustomed to dawdle leisurely into the stalls, now took their places in the queue with the professional first-nighters of the pit and gallery, caring not which door they entered, so long as they could get inside the theatre and be able to say they had been there. Hours before the doors were opened every access to the Savoy, northwards from the Strand, and southwards from the Thames Embankment, was packed with a mass of fevered humanity." And now the sons and daughters of those who flocked to see the " blameless dances " of the Savoyards show an even greater avidi ty f or the orgiastic achievements of the Russian tallet. After Princess Ida the story is taken up by Mr. Bridge- man, who not only gives us the casts of each of the successive operas, but copious extracts from the libretti. The level of genial appreciation maintained throughout Mr. Cellier's reminiscences is heightened to something like idolatry, and the account of the celebrities who attended the first night of Ruddigore is quite a masterpiece of ornamental inanity, winding up with the following passage
As a matter of course, all the guiding stars of the literary and journalistic firmament shed the full lustre of their rays upon the scene, whilst the academicals were led by their chiefs : Clement Scott, Moy Thomas, Beatty Kingston, Ernest Bendall, Dr. Hneffer, Joseph Bennett, and Dr. Louis Engel. The Prince and Princess of Wales were expected, but, as their Royal Highnesses were pre- vented coming, the Royal Box was occupied by the Lord Mayor (Sir Reginald Hanson)and the Lady Mayoress, who were always great supporters of music and the drama. In a stall directly beneath London's Chief Magistrate sat Madame Albani, upon whom a careless pair of opera-glasses directed themselves in a manner to which La Diva was, happily, not accustomed. It was not simply the lens that was focussed on the famous prima donna —that would have been in the order of things—but the complete body of the lorgnette fell from the height above, narrowly escaping Albani's head."
Even this, however, is eclipsed by the account of the high jinks of the Savoyards at a river picnic, in which we read that "after lunch those who were capable engaged in a game of rounders, or kiss-in-the-ring."
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