The Army, the Navy, the Church, and the Stage

[sovay]

Oh, damn it: John Reed, patter baritone of the D'Oyly Carte.

He was ninety-four; I can't really argue. But I had just looked him up a few days ago, having finally acquired a recording of the 1968 D'Oyly Carte Pirates of Penzance (and therefore been on a limited-resource Gilbert and Sullivan bender), and was obscurely comforted that he was still alive. His Lord Chancellor features twice in last night's linkdump. Literally, I was just listening to him.

I suppose that's as good a note to go out on as any.

"Love, unrequited" (Iolanthe, 1960)

When you're lying awake with a dismal headache, and repose is taboo'd by anxiety,
I conceive you may use any language you choose to indulge in, without impropriety . . .

"If you give me your attention" (Princess Ida, 1965)

To ev'rybody's prejudice I know a thing or two;
I can tell a woman's age in half a minute—and I do.

"I am the very model of a modern Major-General" (The Pirates of Penzance, 1968)

But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

Comments

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

Iolanthe was one of the first things I remember my Mom and Dad playing around the house, at least on record. On tape, it was the Hair Broadway soundtrack and the Godspell movie soundtrack, with occasional Randy Newman (Good Old Boys, which means I still know all the words to "Rednecks" and "Guilty").

I'm really sorry about Reed, though. One more quitting the chorus to join the Choir Invisibule.

[sovay]

Iolanthe was one of the first things I remember my Mom and Dad playing around the house, at least on record.

That's neat. My grandparents had the giant book of Gilbert and Sullivan libretti, which meant that I knew the lyrics and plots to most of their operettas years before I heard any of the music. Most of the songs did not sound at all as I'd imagined them . . .

One more quitting the chorus to join the Choir Invisibule.

At least they'll have awesome diction?