W. S. Gilbert bibliography

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This is a selected list of W. S. Gilbert's works, including all that have their own Wikipedia articles. For a complete list of Gilbert's dramatic works, see List of W. S. Gilbert dramatic works.

Poetry[edit]

  • The Bab Ballads, a collection of comic verse published roughly between 1865 and 1871
  • Songs of a Savoyard, London: George Routledge and Sons, 1890, a collection of Gilbert's song lyrics[1]

Selected short stories[edit]

  • Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales, a collection of short stories and essays, mainly from before 1874.[2]
  • Gilbert, W. S. (2018). Andrew Crowther (ed.). The Triumph of Vice and Other Stories. Alma Classics. ISBN 978-1-84-749754-3.
  • Links to several Gilbert stories
Publications that include one or more of Gilbert's short stories that are not in Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1985). Peter Haining (ed.). The Lost Stories of W.S. Gilbert. London(?): Robson Books. ISBN 9780860513377.
  • Belgravia, vol. 2 (1867). “From St. Paul’s to Piccadilly,” pp. 67–74
  • Fun, vol. 1 new series (1865-1866) (several contributions by Gilbert; near end of volume, Fun Christmas Number 1865, with Gilbert’s “The Astounding Adventure of Wheeler J. Calamity,” pp. 17–18)
  • London Society, vol. 13 (1868) (three “Thumbnail Sketches” by Gilbert, pp. 50–57, 132-136, 315-319)
  • On the Cards: Routledge’s Christmas Annual (1867) (“Diamonds,” pp. 25–37, and “The Converted Clown,” pp. 137–139)

Other books[edit]

Plays and musical stage works[edit]

Selected stage works that were important to Gilbert's career or were otherwise notable, in chronological order, excluding those listed under other headings below:

German Reed Entertainments[edit]

Gilbert wrote six one-act musical entertainments for the German Reeds between 1869 and 1875. They were successful in their own right and also helped form Gilbert's mature style as a dramatist.[4] These include:

Early comic operas[edit]

The Gilbert and Sullivan operas[edit]

All of these comic operas are full-length two-act works, except for Trial by Jury, which is in one act, and Princess Ida, which is three acts. All except for Trial by Jury contain spoken dialogue; the dialogue in Princess Ida is written in blank verse.[5]

Later operas without Sullivan[edit]

Though not as popular as the works with Arthur Sullivan, a few of Gilbert's later comic operas arguably have stronger plots than the last two Gilbert and Sullivan operas.[6]

Parlour ballads[edit]

Gilbert is known to have written lyrics for twelve parlour ballads.[7] These are:

  • "The Yarn of the Nancy Bell", with music by Alfred Plumpton. One of the Bab Ballads. Published by Charles Jeffreys in 1869.[7]
  • "Thady O'Flynn", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey & Co on 7 October 1868. From No Cards.[8]
  • "Would You Know that Maiden Fair", with music by Frederic Clay. From Ages Ago. Published by Boosey c. 1869.[9]
  • "Corisande", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey on 18 June 1870.[7]
  • "Eily's Reason", with music by James L. Molloy. Published by Boosey on 27 February 1871.[7]
  • Three songs from A Sensation Novel: "The Detective's Song", "The Tyrannical Bridegroom", and "The Jewel". Published by Hopwood & Co in 1871.[10]
  • "The Distant Shore", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Published by Chappell & Co on 18 December 1874.[7]
  • "The Love that Loves me Not", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Published by Novello, Ewer & Co in 1875.[7]
  • "Sweethearts", with music by Arthur Sullivan. Based on the play of the same name and used to promote it. Published by Chappell & Co in 1875.[11]
  • "Let Me Stay", with music by Walter Maynard. Published by Boosey on 13 December 1875. The same lyric was set by Edward German for Broken Hearts.[7]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Crowther, Andrew. "Gilbert's Non-Dramatic Works" Archived April 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The W.S. Gilbert Society, accessed 13 September 2015
  2. ^ Gilbert (1890), passim
  3. ^ Crowther (2000), p. 81
  4. ^ Woodbridge Wilson, Frederic. "Reed, Thomas German", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 31 January 2013 (subscription required)
  5. ^ Bradley, passim
  6. ^ See, e.g., Wolfson, pp. 64–65.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Allen, p. 74
  8. ^ Allen p. 25
  9. ^ Allen p. 28
  10. ^ Allen p. 32
  11. ^ Allen, p. 41

References[edit]

  • Allen, Reginald (1963), W. S. Gilbert: An Anniversary Survey and Exhibition Checklist with Thirty-five Illustrations, The Biographical Society of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
  • Bradley, Ian (1996). The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816503-3.
  • Crowther, Andrew (2000). Contradiction Contradicted – The Plays of W. S. Gilbert. Associated University Presses. ISBN 0-8386-3839-2.
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1890). Foggerty's Fairy and Other Tales. London: George Routledge and Sons.
  • Gilbert, W. S. (1875). Original Plays: First Series. London: Chatto and Windus.
  • Stedman, Jane W. (1996). W. S. Gilbert, A Classic Victorian & His Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816174-3.
  • Wolfson, John (c. 1976). Final Curtain: The Last Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. London: Chappell & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-903443-12-0.