William Schwenck Gilbert, Arthur Seymour Sullivan

Trial by Jury

While librettist W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) had worked previously in 1871-72 to write Thespis, a work for the Christmas season, the 1875 one-act comic opera Trial by Jury is considered the first of the numerous famous collaborative works referred to as the Savoy Operas. Gilbert, having already written a libretto in need of a composer, was suggested by opera impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte to reach out to Sullivan, as Carte quickly needed a short work to accompany Jacques Offenbach's popular companion piece, La Périchole. Premiering on March 3rd, 1875 at the Royalty Theatre in London, the composer conducting, the bottom-of-the-bill operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan became an unexpected hit on its own, and it quickly went on tour all over England and Ireland. The work, which lampoons the "Learned Judge" character and the legal system in general within the context of a "breath of promise of marriage" lawsuit, has remained a staple in the light opera repertory. Instrumentation: Vocal Soli (6 roles, STTBBB): Mixed Chorus: Piano accompaniment. The orchestra score and parts are also available from Edwin F. Kalmus. Reprint edition.