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Excerpt: No airy fairy she,As she hangs in arsenic green ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

As they would have been read by Gilbert himself
Actually, they practically are read by Gilbert himself, since actor Jim Broadbent will for a long time be associated with that role. His readingsare marvelous, especially because he manages to use a different voice foreach new character--and there are many, many of them. It is fascinating tocatch so many of the concepts Gilbert was to recycle in the later Savoyworks. "The Bumboat Woman's Story" is rich in pre-hints of"HMS Pinafore" and was indeed the inspiration for the ballet"Pineapple Poll," which uses only Sullivan's music for theoperettas (with a snatch of his Da Ballo Overture thrown in). Doubtless thefunniest of the lot is "Etiquette" on the last side of the secondtape in which two men thrown up on a dessert island cannot converse becausethey had not been properly introduced aboard the ill-fated vessel. Not allthe poems are comical-- some are darkly pessimistic--but there is many alaugh that will educed by Broadbent's delivery.

"Bab," by theway, was Gilbert's baby nickname; and his use of it tells us a lot abouthis personality.

Dove Audio, however, has packaged these two cassetteswith no table of contents at all; and so there is no way to tell ahead oftime exactly what Bab Ballads are recorded, which is really an intolerablesituation for an item like this. Also the use of "unabridged" atthe top of this Amazon.com page is misleading. While each poem is in factcomplete, there are represented here only a very small portion of Gilbert'sBB output. What we do have is excellently done, but the 3 hours on thesetapes do not hold an "unabridged" collection by any means.

Oh, Rapture! A W.S.Gilbert-Lover's Dream Come True
W.S. Gilbert was the master of the perfect phrase, the sly aside, the cutting quip. Jim Broadbent is the actor who portrayed Gilbert to perfection in the film "Topsy-Turvy." Now Broadbent brings hissmooth delivery to these colorful ballads, some of which can be recognizedas the inspiration for Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular operas. If youhave even the slightest appreciation for G&S, buy this and learn why somany of us love them so.If you're as much of a fan as I am already, you*OWE* it to yourself to get the Broadbent Bab Ballads. Click on BUY NOW andrun, don't walk, to the checkout. And be prepared for ecstatic rapture andunmingled joy.

Gilbert is a master craftsman of the English language!!
William S. Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) was a master craftsman of the English language.He was renowned as a poet, playwrite and author long before his association with Sir Arthur Sullivan of musical renown. The "Babb Ballads" show the crafstman at his best with sparklingrhymes and funny stories.If you truly love the English language and theskill with which it can be used to amuse and entertain, this book is onethat you should not be without.

Bab Ballads is a wonderful book of poetry.
Bab Ballads contains many of the poems that William Scwenck Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan) wrote for the magazine "Fun."They are very funny and I suggest you buy this book ... Read more

Product Description
A treasury of all fourteen of the beloved Savoy Operas

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S comic operas are some of the world’s best-loved musical works, delighting audiences with their joyous wit and extravagant wordplay. From the triumphant comic romps The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, and The Mikado to less frequently performed gems such as the partially lost work Thespis, all appear here in their most accurate and faithful form. Including fascinating new commentary on each work, performance histories, plot summaries, original cast lists, and illustrations from the original productions, this ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan collection will charm and satisfy new fans as well as devotees of these incomparable musical masterminds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Savoy Operas
I think Amazon should reward its customers for providing reviews that basically market a purchased item. ... Read more

Product Description
With over 200 line drawings by the author. This ultimate book for the millions of Gilbert & Sullivan fans across the country offers the complete text and lyrics of all the operettas of this most original, creative and much-loved musical team.

Product Description
In one concise volume, the complete texts of these perennially popular light operas. From Trial by Jury to The Pirates of Penzance: the complete librettos of all fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Gilbert's verses for Sullivan's music are the most fastidiously turned and inventively rhymed in all lyric comedy. As the Savoy Operas enter their second century on a swell of renewed popularity, Gilbert's reputation as the supreme wordsmith of light opera remains secure. Complete and authentic, these are the librettos on which modern performances and recordings are based. Scattered among the songs are over seventy of the amusing, quirky pictures Gilbert drew to illustrate them. A chronology prepared for this edition sketches the authors' lives and careers. This is a book that no lover of Gilbert and Sullivan, musical comedy, or indeed the English theater will want to be without.Amazon.com Review
From Thespis to The Grand Duke, here are all thewords to all the operettas on which William Schenk Gilbert and ArthurSeymour Sullivan collaborated. A fixture in Anglo-American musictheater and humor for well over a century, their wit retains its edgeafter all these years. Norton offers the libretti available in handy,totable book form and generously illustrates them with Gilbert'saccomplished pen-and-ink drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Imperfect but a good investment
I invested in this book intending to listen to and memorize all fourteen of the Savoy operas...I now know ten of them practically from heart, which scares my friends terribly.The funny thing is that, although I intended to buy it solely so that I could sing the words to Sullivan's wonderful hummable tunes, I found myself reading the plays just for the pleasure of Gilbert's clever rymes and horribly improbable plotlines.His "Bab" illustrations are also included beside the text, which opens up another side of Gilbert's genius.But be forewarned:There are several mistakes in the text - mostly words such as "is" being replaced with "it," but also some words that are different.Perhaps the words have changed over time from the origonal texts, but once in a while you'll find a word sung differently than what's written.I treat the book like I'd treat an edition of Shakespeare - dramatic work is always bent and changed slightly.In spite of the minor textual mistakes, it is a very useful book and it's nice to have the libretto laid out without any commentary or annotations.

I Still remember My Mother's Old 78's
Back in prehistoric times when records were brittle things and only came in one speed, 78 RPM's, one of my mother's favorite albums was "H.M.S. Pinafore."She played it frequently.Too young to understand thesatire, I was attracted by the catchy music.I loved to hear the captainsing "I am the Captain of the Pinafore," immediately followed bythe response of the chorus.This plus "Poor Little Buttercup"and "The Ruler of the Queen's Navee" made a fan of me forlife.

Several years later, and after having attended performances ofseveral of these comic operas, I began to read Gilbert's lyrics.I mustconfess that I got much greater enjoyment out of reading lyrics that werefrom Gilbert and Sullivan performances that I had attended.I think thatmust be because neither the words nor the music are nearly as enjoyable inthe absence of the other.

I have read that Gilbert and Sullivan had avery stormy relationship.I'm glad that they managed to work together asoften as they did because they really complemented one another.What theyaccomplished as a team speaks for itself in the continued performance of somany of their works over a hundred years after they were firstperformed.

I have an older hardback of THE COMPLETE PLAYS and I foundsome humor in the following which may have been corrected in later copies. The book starts off with Chronological Biographies of each man.InGilbert's it states< "first meeting with Arthur Sullivan autumn of1870."In Sullivan's we find the following."Met W. S. Gilbert1871."Something metaphysical afoot perhaps.

In summary, in myopinion, the works in this book, while certainly enjoyable reading, werereally meant to be performed in order to give maximum enjoyment.Othersmay very well disagree with this opinion and I see nothing wrong with that.

A most excellant book
This book is full of musical plays and the scripts are worded well for possible performance. The only problem is that the sheet music is missing and from experience it is a headache to find but other than that it is agood book that stimulates the imagination. ... Read more

Product Description
20 great songs from 6 great shows by this beloved duo renowned for their comedic classics. Includes: Behold the Lord High Executioner * The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring * He Is an Englishman * I Am the Captain of the Pinafore * (I'm Called) Little Buttercup * Miya Sama * Three Little Maids * Tit-Willow * We Sail the Ocean Blue * When a Merry Maiden Marries * When Britain Really Ruled the Waves * When Frederic Was a Lad * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Drama / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Drama / General; ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1908.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more