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Overture In C (In Memoriam)
Encyclopedia
The Overture in C, "In Memoriam", by Arthur Sullivan
, premiered on 30 October 1866 at the Norwich Festival, in honour of his father, who died just before composition began. The piece was written early in Sullivan's career, before he began to work with his famous collaborator, W. S. Gilbert
, on their series of Savoy Opera
s. It was first published by Novello almost twenty years later, in 1885.
In late 1864, Sullivan received commissions to write overtures for the Philharmonic Society of London and the Norwich Festival, respectively. The first was to be based on Sir Walter Scott
's poem Marmion, but the second had no theme assigned. Inspiration for the Norwich Festival commission came with the sudden death of Sullivan's father in September, 1866. Sullivan turned his grief to the completion of this overture. The Overture in C, "In Memoriam," was probably inspired, also, by the poem In Memoriam
, which Alfred, Lord Tennyson had written in memory of Arthur Hallam
, a close friend of Tennyson's and also his sister's fiancé.
Sullivan's overture enjoyed considerable popularity in the composer's own lifetime, but it is rarely heard today.
The piece's dark, slow texture nevertheless has its main theme in the major key, as seen here in its first appearance in Myles B. Foster's piano reduction:
This theme reaches its final, grandest restatement in the last section of the overture.
Only two recordings were made prior to 1992. Since that time, the piece has been recorded four more times.
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, premiered on 30 October 1866 at the Norwich Festival, in honour of his father, who died just before composition began. The piece was written early in Sullivan's career, before he began to work with his famous collaborator, W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, on their series of Savoy Opera
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
s. It was first published by Novello almost twenty years later, in 1885.
In late 1864, Sullivan received commissions to write overtures for the Philharmonic Society of London and the Norwich Festival, respectively. The first was to be based on Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's poem Marmion, but the second had no theme assigned. Inspiration for the Norwich Festival commission came with the sudden death of Sullivan's father in September, 1866. Sullivan turned his grief to the completion of this overture. The Overture in C, "In Memoriam," was probably inspired, also, by the poem In Memoriam
In Memoriam A.H.H.
In Memoriam A.H.H. is a poem by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, completed in 1849. It is a requiem for the poet's Cambridge friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage in Vienna in 1833...
, which Alfred, Lord Tennyson had written in memory of Arthur Hallam
Arthur Hallam
Arthur Henry Hallam was an English poet, best known as the subject of a major work, In Memoriam A.H.H., by his best friend and fellow poet, Alfred Tennyson...
, a close friend of Tennyson's and also his sister's fiancé.
Sullivan's overture enjoyed considerable popularity in the composer's own lifetime, but it is rarely heard today.
The piece's dark, slow texture nevertheless has its main theme in the major key, as seen here in its first appearance in Myles B. Foster's piano reduction:
Only two recordings were made prior to 1992. Since that time, the piece has been recorded four more times.