Arthur Sullivan: A Life of Divine Emollient

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Ian Bradley (Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History, University of St Andrews)

Arthur Sullivan

A Life of Divine Emollient

Ian Bradley (Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History, University of St Andrews)

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English

Oxford University Press
08 April 2021

Choral music; Sacred & religious music; Biography: religious & spiritual; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Christian spirituality & religious experience

Series: Spiritual Lives

This book charts the life of Arthur Sullivan--the best loved and most widely performed British composer in history. While he is best known for his comic opera collaborations with W. S. Gilbert, it was his substantial corpus of sacred music which meant most to him and for which he wanted to be remembered. His upbringing and training in church music, and his own religious beliefs, substantially affected both his compositions for the theatre and his more serious work, which included oratorios, cantatas, sacred ballads, liturgical pieces, and hymns.

Focusing on the spiritual aspects of Sullivan's life--which included several years as a church organist, involvement in Freemasonry, and an undying attachment to Anglican church music--Ian Bradley uses hitherto undiscovered letters, diary entries, and other sources to reveal the important influences on his faith and his work. No saint and certainly no ascetic, he was a lover of life and enjoyed its pleasures to the full. At the same time, he had a rare spiritual sensitivity, a sincere Christian faith, and a unique ability to uplift through both his character and his music that can best be described as a quality of divine emollient.

By: Ian Bradley (Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History University of St Andrews)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 366g
ISBN: 9780198863267
ISBN 10: 0198863268
Series: Spiritual Lives
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 08 April 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ian Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at the University of St Andrews.

Reviews for Arthur Sullivan: A Life of Divine Emollient

...this is a quietly ground-breaking study that will usefully shake received opinion and stimulate further investigation. * Rubert Christiansen, Literary Review *