Gilbert died pulling Ruby Preece out of the swimming pool at Grim's Dyke, his Middlesex, Norman Shaw designed home.

She subsequently  changed her name to Patricia and married Stanley Spencer as his second wife.  Stanley's third marriage was back to Wife Number 1, Hilda, IIRC.

O gosh, Tony, I'll have to go away and think of that one very hard seriously.  It might throw a whole new light...

I had my doubts about Sullivan at one point, but this beautiful American divorcee with whom he spent all his time lots of his time would seem to upset that theory.

I have been very good and not mentioned the word "camp" in relation to G and S once.  I will continue my self denying ordinance.

And yes, Tony, Patricia Preece was a Sapphiste, as dear Dr Grew might say.  http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/spencer/room3.htm

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news---
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous;
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

Love the rhyme in lines 7&8

Andy has quoted one of the best known and brilliant pieces of Gilbert's verses.

It is one of the series of entrance songs that Gilbert wrote for the characters all played by George Grossmith in which they reveal themselves as charlatans.

(The exceptions I can think of are the Lord Chancellor, Jack Point and Robin Oakapple.)

The insane brilliance of the versification of the Major General's song (quoted by Andy) makes listeners not notice the charlatanism: the point is that he knows nothing about modern gunnery and warfare than "a novice in a nunnery" but nonetheless he can call himself the very model...  (The issue of class is lurking here.)

He is in the same line of self-revealing frauds from the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury ("many a burglar I've restored to his friends and his relations") to the Duke of Plaza Toro in The Gondoliers ("He lead his regiment from behind, he found it less exciting.")

Each of these have a different character: Ko Ko is a cheeky chappy, Bunthorne an pretentious closet case, Sir Joseph is a pompous parvenu snob, and the Major General is a sweet old buffer - his Act 2 song "Sighly softly to the river" is very touching and has been called Schubertian.  (I can see what that means, but perhaps some Schubert lover might like to comment.)

Which leads to the interesting subject of Gilbert as a satirist, and that raises some interesting issues.

Thanks for that, reiner.

Away to the fleeting world go you
Where pirates all are well to do
But I'll be true to the song I sing
And live and die a Pirate King
O...

In fact I have just realised that appearing one thing and being another is the clue to the Grossmith roles up to Gondoliers.

Jack Point's Act 2 solo A private buffoon is the opposite position: he is forced to appear one thing (a cheerful clown) when he knows he is desperate to amuse a selfish and arrogant employer.

Robin Oakapple has to appear a Bad Baronet when he just wants to be a simple village youth.

The Lord Chancellor certainly sings about fancying his young wards while trying to maintain his dignity, but he is probably the one who does not fit the bill:

Professional licence if carried too far
Your chance of promotion will certainly mar
And I fancy the rule might apply to the Bar
Says I to myself says I.

This honesty may be why he alone among the Grossmith roles (excepting Point) is near to tragedy in his one line Iolanthe, thou livest.

J W Wells produces exactly what he promises, but his patter song is still shameless self-promoting advertising.

I think Tony and I agree about the Sorcerer - you get what's on the tin, but Wells is still a salesman.  (And his patter number is brilliant - if it wasn't overshadowed by the later songs - not that all the Grossmith roles involve patter.)

Am I right that Grossmith did not appear in Utopia Limited?  And he was the Grand Duke Rudolf himself?  If so, my neat description does not include those two late comparative failures.  Everyone in The Grand Duke has major identity problems, but what do you expect when over half the cast are luvvies?

Grossmith left after Yeomen, so he didn't even appear in The Gondoliers. But your theory about identity in the comic baritone roles is interesting, DB. There are one or two other examples in the other characters, though not many. Nanki Poo pretends to be a minstrel and Strephon doesn't want Phyllis to know he is half a fairy. Rackstraw and the Captain don't know they are supposed to be each other! Some people think Jack Point was Gilbert himself, though they may just be thinking of the Private Buffoon song.

Though death is threatened a number of times throughout the operas, it only happens twice (unless we count the "legal" deaths in The Grand Duke) - JP (which was an after thought) and JW Wells. His matter-of-fact death weakens the end of The Sorcerer for me.

I reckon The Sorcerer is one of the richest seams of operatic parody in all G&S.

Besides the clear reference to "Udite, udite, o rustici" there's, "Sprites of earth and air" which sends up the Wolf's Glen scene from Freischütz, and the overtly parodic "Tea-Cup Brindisi" in the Act 1 finale.  In Act 2 it settles firmly into Traviata territory, especially here:


That's just for starters!

And I always feel "Ah love, true love" in the Act 1 finale has something of a Brahms slow waltz about it.