Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan and over 300,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle � Amazon�s new wireless reading device. Learn more

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

24 used & new from $6.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share with Friends

Share your own customer images

Search inside this book

Start reading A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan on your Kindle in under a minute. Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan (Hardcover)

by Gayden Wren (Author) "When Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated for the first time in 1871, it was by no means apparent that Gilbert's destiny lay in opera, or in..." (more)
Key Phrases: henceforth all the crimes, carpet quarrel, lozenge plot, Princess Ida, The Yeomen of the Guard, Sir Joseph (more...)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

List Price:	$45.00
Price:	$45.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
	Special Offers Available
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Upgrade this book for $4.99 more, and you can read, search, and annotate every page online. See details

Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

5 new from $35.00 19 used from $6.99

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book)		$14.81
Paperback	$30.00	$30.00	33 used & new from $6.25

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Purchase this entertainment book and get 12 issues to either Rolling Stone, Men's Journal or Us Weekly for $2.95 each. That's less than $0.25 an issue. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.

Frequently Bought Together

Price For All Three: $111.01

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

This item: A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gayden Wren
Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!: The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan by Ian Bradley
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan by Ian Bradley
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan

by Ian Bradley

4.4 out of 5 stars (16) $39.57

Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera

DVD ~ Eric Idle

3.9 out of 5 stars (37) $22.49

Topsy-Turvy

DVD ~ Jim Broadbent

4.1 out of 5 stars (119)

Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne

DVD ~ Gilbert & Sullivan

4.3 out of 5 stars (25) $26.99

Gilbert and Sullivan: A Dual Biography

by Michael Ainger

4.7 out of 5 stars (3) $27.95

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
New York Times editor Wren credits the lasting vitality of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan to their universal themes and the humanity of their characters. Those who would credit the brilliant pairing of witty language and superb music will dispute this, but Wren substantiates his claims with detailed arguments that prompt a new look at these familiar works. Although many books are available on the lives of Gilbert and Sullivan, the operas, and their place in Victorian life, there are a number of reasons to purchase this one. Wren's lengthy and intimate acquaintance with the works as performer, director, and teacher allows him to write with affection in an uncluttered style that will please both the general reader and the scholar. Beginning chapters cover each man's work prior to their collaboration, with subsequent chapters devoted to each Gilbert and Sullivan opera in chronological order and the final sections treating their later, separate work and their legacy. Plot summaries are given in an appendix, and a useful bibliography discusses the relative merits of each work. Finally, Wren illustrates Gilbert and Sullivan's complex and often adversarial relationship and its integral role in the success (or failure) of each opera. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"There are a multitude of books about Gilbert and Sullivan...many of them, as [Wren] duly notes, are sketchy or superficial. But no one could fairly throw these adjectives at A Most Ingenious Paradox itself. Mr. Wren argues his case in impressive detail."--The Wall Street Journal
"Wren's book is both a fascinating read and a valuable resource."--American Theatre
"Essential to a full understanding and appreciation of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas...I kept nodding and thinking about most of his conclusions with 'Of course, I should have realized that years ago."--Brattleboro Reformer
"Wren's lengthy and intimate acquaintance with the works as performer, director and teacher allows him to write with affection in an uncluttered style that will please both the general reader and the scholar...Highly recommended." --Library Journal
"Wren is an excellent professor of G&S literature and makes an impressive number of points that will absorb (and sometimes annoy) advanced Savoyards."--Opera News
"Wren is a gifted writer and gives his honest views with confidence, providing clear style of presentation, clarity of description and much to get one thinking."--Classical Music Web
"Wren's analyses of The Mikado and The Gondoliers are models of their kind...Sometimes brilliant, occasionally maddening, Wren is almost unfailingly provocative."--Gramophone
"Thoughtful analyses of each of the Savoy operas....a book worth adding to your library."--G&S Bag
"A fascinating study for anyone interested in the delightful works of Gilbert & Sullivan as well as the contemporary American musical theatre..."--Recommended Books
"Gayden Wren's book is a worthwhile and long overdue attempt to get to the heart of the Savoy operas. It is thoughtful on many aspects of both words and music."Music and Letters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (December 20, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195145143
ISBN-13: 978-0195145144
Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,206,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#51 in Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Sullivan
#54 in Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Gilbert

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
When Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated for the first time in 1871, it was by no means apparent that Gilbert's destiny lay in opera, or in collaboration with Sullivan. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
henceforth all the crimes, carpet quarrel, lozenge plot, doleful train, foolish fay, statutory duel, happy the lily, mature operas, flower imagery, previous operas, subsequent operas, lord high executioner, later operas, patter song, ghost scene, character humor

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Princess Ida, The Yeomen of the Guard, Sir Joseph, D'Oyly Carte, Captain Corcoran, Fallen Fairies, New York, Lord Chancellor, George Grossmith, Arthur Sullivan, Fairy Queen, The Pierpont Morgan Library, Bab Ballads, Castle Adamant, The Beauty Stone, Don Alhambra, Gilbert's Ida, Rose Maybud, Rutland Barrington, Sir Despard, Tennyson's Ida, The Hours Creep On Apace, Pirate King, Mad Margaret, Matter Matter Matter

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 83 books:

The Pirates of Penzance: Chorus Parts by Arthur Sullivan on 58 pages
Yeomen of the Guard by Arthur Sullivan on 54 pages
Princess Ida (Gilbert & Sullivan vocal scores) by "Gilbert" on 50 pages
Trial by Jury: Vocal Score by Arthur Sullivan on 30 pages
Bab Ballads, The by W., S. Gilbert on 14 pages

See all 83 books this book cites

2 books cite this book:

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!: The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan by Ian Bradley on page 180
Valuing Musical Participation by Stephanie Pitts in Back Matter

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan by Ian Bradley

Discusses:

Gilbert and Sullivan by Michael Ainger

Discusses:

The New Penguin Opera Guide by Amanda Holden

Discusses:

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! by Ian Bradley

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	68% buy the item featured on this page: A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan 4.0 out of 5 stars (4) $45.00
	27% buy The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan 4.4 out of 5 stars (16) $39.57
	5% buy The Gilbert and Sullivan Lexicon in Which Is Gilded the Philosophic Pill: Featuring New Illustrations 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

savoy operas(1)

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new and interesting slant on the Savoy operas, August 8, 2002

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

In the past, when asked to name the minimal list of books essential to a full understanding and thereby appreciation of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, I would have cut it down to three. For a study of the social conditions behind Gilbert's satire, there is the long out of print "The World of Gilbert and Sullivan" by W.A. Darlington. For a fairly well balanced discussion of both the scripts and the music, there is "Gilbert & Sullivan Opera: a New Assessment" by Audrey Williamson, which passed into a second edition when I saw it last. Then there is the indispensable single volume edition of "The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" by Ian Bradley under the aegis of Oxford University Press.

Now from that same august publisher comes a volume I might seriously consider as a fourth: "A Most Ingenious Paradox" by Gayden Wren. Having worked most of his life in the theatre and specializing in Gilbert & Sullivan, Wren has come up with the thesis that "Beneath the surface charm of the Savoy operas...lies a powerful thematic core that makes their works effective to this day" (p. 4). Well, so it is with Shakespeare, Shaw, and even Rodgers & Hart. It is the examples offered up by Wren that affords so much surprise and delight.

The book is organized into fairly self-contained chapters.The first deals with "Gilbert before Sullivan," the second with "Sullivan before Gilbert." Then we have a chapter for each of the 14 works, followed by a chapter about their careers after "The Grand Duke" and a final one about their "Legacy." There follows an appendix with plot outlines, details about the original "Ruddygore" script and score, notes, an excellent critical bibliography, and index.

I think that directors will appreciate the emphasis Wren puts upon the seriousness that underlies some of the works, and not only "Yeomen of the Guard." For example, consider the scene just before the finale between Iolanthe and the Lord Chancellor in which things do become "life or death" and which could easily lead to an unhappy ending with no violence to what has gone before. Of course, the public expected a happy ending with G&S, but that was no reason they had to get one.

His remarks about "The Mikado," although confined to only 15 pages did make me suddenly aware of how Gilbert keeps tipping his hand all through by having the characters call attention to their being in a play: "Japanese don't use pocket-handkerchiefs," "the Japanese equivalent for Hear, hear, hear," "Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances," and so on. I part company on him with him on some remarks about "Princess Ida," but his comparison between the opera and the Tennyson original is quite revealing. In general, I kept nodding and thinking about most of his conclusions with "Of course, I should have realized that years ago."

The style is friendly, the author taking it for granted, of course, that you know the plots of the operas fairly well to begin with. Yes, I think I might recommend this as the fourth essential book. But please give it a try and let me know what you think.

A little postscript would be in order here. Naxos is reissuing at budget prices the old "Martyn Green" G&S sets that used to be available on London and then Richmond mono LPs. Thus far they have added to their catalogue "The Mikado," "HMS Pinafore," "Pirates of Penzance/Trial by Jury," and just this month "The Gondoliers." Anyone intererested in the Wren book would certainly want to own these vintage recordings.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful and straight to the point, June 8, 2003

By	Waxwing Slayne - See all my reviews

There is no critical showboating in "A Most Ingenious Paradox", just dead on, revelatory insights presented in a modest, straightforward voice. He really appears to have lived with each of the G & S operas, and got it in his bones. Very little overlap here with other G & S books, so even the most jaded Savoyard will find something fresh in this book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars beware: opinion often masquerading as fact..., June 16, 2007

By	Claude Greenmount "semper ubi sub ubi!" (The Universe) - See all my reviews

Wren, no doubt, has thoroughly researched his topic. He has lived with these operas and knows them intimately as anyone could. One cannot help but admire the depth of analysis given to several of the Savoy operas. I was particularly impressed by his analysis of the subtle flower imagery running thru Ruddigore, and his work on Gilbert's poetical schemes. His musical analysis falls short most of the time, and betrays a lack of understanding regarding Sullivan's approach (or indeed, theatrical music in general). His attacks do not suffer from the German 19th century-influenced prejudices which affected Gervase Hughes' study of Sullivan's music but often miscontrues meaning and in some cases, misses the joke entirely (yes, Sullivan could joke right along with Gilbert; Gilbert in fact famously remarked "I never had to explain a joke to Sullivan").
Wren decries the simple and lovely strophic setting of Patience's air "Love is a plaintive song," complaining (like some other authors) that Sullivan failed to capture the lyric. Not true. The simple, largely diatonic setting exquistely captures lyric and character's frame of mind-- Patience is simple and straightforward, she is unhappy, confused, and parroting what Angela has led her to think love should be; a full out, through-composed dark aria would be uncalled for, and unconvincing from this character. In the same opera, when we meet Grosvenor in Act I, the music that accompanies his entrance is nearly Wagnerian in its dense chromatic wandering, admirably suited to a trendy, artistic young man of the time. Later, when Grosvenor emerges as "An Everyday Young Man," he sings a song that is literally reduced to two chords-- a subtle joke to be sure, but the humor is evident. Wren applauds Sullivan for relying less on recit in later operas, taking it's lack of use as evidence of compositional maturity (a prejudice similar to Gervase's, in that through-composed opera was somehow philsophically preferable to the recit-aria Italian format) when in fact, Sullivan uses recit only where it serves his purpose-- and doesn't when it is not called for. In Ruddigore, Dame Hannah's first song is interupted by a recit like passage-- to call attention to the lines she utters, when Sullivan could have every easily continued in the verse-form. This surprising and effective touch is evidence of compositional maturity, not a lapse into formula by an undeveloped talent.
The bibliography at the end is thorough but also full of editorializations on each book mentioned, which could have been informative but instead are too subjective.
All this being said, the book is worth a look, mainly for the informed analyses of the lyric and historical backgrounds, but it should be complemented by other books on the Savoy operas and certainly an acquaintance with good productions.

Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 4 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Usher: "What he may say you needn't mind."
Mr. Wren has written a sometimes interesting and occasionally useful book, one, however, not quite so interesting or so useful as the author fancies it to be. Read more

Published on April 1, 2005 by L. E. Cantrell

› See all 4 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
biography what is the best memoir of 2008-2009?	27	6 hours ago
biography WHAT T IS THE BEST BIOGRAPY YOU EVER READ?	215	13 hours ago
biography What are some of the best biographies of women you've ever read.	50	1 day ago
biography What I thought about the books by Aaron Bowers	0	4 days ago
biography what is the best biography you've ever read?	402	4 days ago
biography Judicial biographies anyone?	12	5 days ago
biography Best Biography On A Musician?	125	6 days ago

The Biography community

Latest activity 3 hours ago

8,560 customers have contributed 9,146 products, 532 lists & guides and more...

› Explore the community

Explore more

› See all Customer Communities

› Your communities

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

Listmania!

Here's a How-de-do! Gilbert & Sullivan on Video and DVD: A list by David Horiuchi
SULLIVAN 101: THE SHORT COURSE.: A list by The Riviera Reviewer
Everything Pirate: A list by Pip

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...

Love the Gilbert and Sullivan operas: A guide by Yi-Peng
Have A Fundamental Linda Ronstadt Collection: A guide by Mike Vegas King

Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Broadway & Musicals
Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > History & Criticism
Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians
Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Opera
Books > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Gilbert
Books > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Sullivan
Books > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Opera

An Explosion of Popcorn Flavor!

Munchies have never been better. The Fireworks Popcorn & Seasoning Set gives you four popcorn types and four seasonings, including white cheddar, butter burst, caramel pecan, and popcorn salt--all for $15.49.