Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) was an English composer best known for
his operatic collaborations with the dramatist
W. S. Gilbert. Among his early works were a ballet, a symphony, a cello concerto and a one-act
comic opera,
Cox and Box, which is still widely performed. He wrote his first opera with Gilbert,
Thespis, in 1871. The impresario
Richard D'Oyly Carte engaged Gilbert and Sullivan to create a one-act piece,
Trial by Jury, in 1875. Its box-office success led the partners to collaborate on twelve full-length comic operas, known as the
Savoy operas, including
H.M.S. Pinafore,
The Pirates of Penzance and
The Mikado. Sullivan's only
grand opera,
Ivanhoe, though initially successful in 1891, has rarely been revived. His works include twenty-four operas, eleven major orchestral works, ten choral works and
oratorios, two ballets,
incidental music to several plays, and numerous church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. His hymns and songs include "
Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "
The Lost Chord". This
carte de visite of Sullivan was taken around 1870 by the English photographer H. J. Whitlock.
Photograph credit: H. J. Whitlock; restored by Adam Cuerden
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