What Gilbert and Sullivan Mean to Me

The oeuvre of Gilbert and Sullivan occupies an iconic niche in anglo culture, where it stands alone.  Gilbert and Sullivan works are often compared to others that feature a small orchestra and witty, comedic themes, for example, those of Offenbach, Strauss, Lehar, and Bernstein’s Candide.  These works share engaging, musical themes, actual plots, and the integration of music with lyrics that are complex and contain meaning.  Hardly any grand operas can say the same.

In this company, what sets Gilbert and Sullivan apart is a tight integration of meaningful ideas, razor-sharp wit, and beautiful music into an art that actually challenges and instructs as it entertains. Pinafore directly attacks the caste system, and demolishes it without a break in the song and merriment.  Mikado attacks capital punishment and bureaucracy and never cracks a frown.  Pirates of Penzance is more “about the music,” but still pushes ideas such as: “duty and rule-following are over-rated;” “criminals are humans, too;” and “noblemen & pirates have a lot in common.”  None of these ideas were obvious or widely accepted at the time.

A relevant comparison besides operettas is the comparison with contemporaneous English plays, especially those of Oscar Wilde and Shaw plays such as Arms and the Man and Pygmalion which strongly reflect post-enlightenment England. A characteristic of all these works is that they attack the evils that abound in society while supporting the society itself.  People who don’t agree can still stay and enjoy the show.

Much has been written about contrasts, conflicts, and inequities in Georgian and Victorian England.  Here is what I noticed. While evils abounded, this culture was moving rapidly and profoundly in the right direction as evidenced by the creation of the first stable democracy in history (USA), the abolition of slavery and slave trade throughout the British empire*, and leadership of the industrial revolution which produced huge reductions in mortality and poverty, great improvements in public health, and dealt a mortal blow to caste systems.       

Social justice advocates have much to learn from a culture that made so many improvements in the human condition so rapidly.  The main thing to learn is that dramatic improvements come from attacking evils within a culture rather than attacking the culture itself.  I believe that Gilbert and Sullivan operas attacked evil ideas, not people, and never caused harm to anyone.

___________________________________________________________________ * In 1772, the Mansfield case verdict suggested that slavery was unsupported in English law and slaves reaching England would be free people.  In 1787-89, when slavery was endemic throughout the world, William Wilberforce formed an anti-slavery society, and introduced 12 anti-slavery measures in Parliament, culminating in the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 banning slavery throughout the British Empire.  Due to the huge scope of the British Empire at the time, this event turned the tide against slavery.  Today slavery continues in much of the world where England and the USA have no influence, with China, India, Russia, North Korea, and Iran still among the top 10 in slavery. (Wikipedia)  

Categories: Commentary, Culture