GILBERT AND SULLIVAN REMINISCENCES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1596, 25 November 1920, Page 36

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN REMINISCENCES.

It is related that W. S. Gilbert, when at work on. “The Mikado,” went round to see a close family friend with the verses for “Three Little Maids from School are We” in his pocket. Taking them out he read them aloud and awaited her verdict—which predicted a great success. “Ah!” he replied, doubt in his eyes, “I wonder — I wonder!” It seems that Sir William Gilbert used to attribute his first inspiration for that most famous of duets between the merry man and his maid, “I Have a Song to Sing O!” in “The Yeomen of the Guard” to an old Cornish chanty sung by the sailors aboard his yacht. It was a great favourite of his.' There are twelve verses, and the singer and the questioner sing alternate lines. The last verse runs: Come and I will sing you. What will you sing me? I will sing you twelve O! What is your twelve O? Twelve are the twelve Apostles. The concluding lines of the other eleven verses; taking them in the reverse order, are: “Eleven of them have gone to Heaven”; “Ten are the Commandments”; “Nine is the moonlight bright and clear”; “Eight are the eight Archangels”;' “Seven are the seven stars in the sky”; “Six are" the cheerful waiters”; “Five are the ferrymen in the boat”; “Four are the Gospel preachers”; “Three of them are strangers” “Two of them are lily-

white maids, dressed all in green 01”; “One of them is all alone, and ever will remain so.” There was an informal pact between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur .Sullivan that when the former handed a libretto to the latter he should never give him any suggestion as to a rhythm or air which might have been running in his head whilst writing it, lest it should throw out the other’s musical inspiration set in motion by the verses. When the “Merryman” song was handed to Sir Arthur, however, he declared that for a time it baffled him completely, and he finally went to Gilbert to ask if he could give him any clue as to his own source of inspiration, on the chance that he could “dip a bucket in the same well!” “I will give you one O!” chanted Gilbert, softly. “I have it! Of course!” swiftly replied Sullivan, and the melodiously ingenious number which has held audiences spellbound in five continents was the result.