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The Corresponence of James McNeil Whistler
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Arthur Seymour Sullivan, 1842-1900

Nationality: English
Date of Birth: 1842.05.13
Place of Birth: 8 Bothwell Terrace, Lambeth Walk, London
Date of Death: 1900.11.22
Place of Death: 1 Queen's Mansions, Victoria Street, Westminster, London

Identity:

Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan was a composer and conductor of choral settings, orchestral works and operetta.

Life:

Sullivan is perhaps best known for his partnership with W. S. Gilbert on the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. They first collaborated in 1871 when they enjoyed a modest success with Thespis for John Hollingshead's Gaiety Theatre. This led to further successful collaborations such as Trial by Jury ( 1875) but it was their production of HMS Pinafore in 1878 which brought them popular success and large audiences. In Patience (1881), Gilbert & Sullivan's satire on the æsthetic movement the actor George Grossmith impersonated JW in the character of Bunthorne.

Bibliography:

Grove Music Online, http://www.grovemusic.com (accessed September 2004); Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford, 2004, on-line edition (accessed September 2004).