At the age of eight, Arthur Sullivan composed his first anthem,"By the Waters of Babylon." He so impressed his father that he was sent to a private school to encourage his musical talent. He went on to study at the Royal Academy and was sent to Leipzig on a scholarship. He discovered with George Grove the lost opera, "Rosamunde," of Schubert, one of his favorite composers. The largest part of the book concerns his work in light opera and his partnership with W.S. Gilbert, a partnership which was first suggested by D'Oyley Carte, manager of the Royalty Theatre.
This report prepared by Jack Goodstein