ABSTRACT
Burnand's generosity of acclaim for his old friend Sullivan—and his old rival, Gilbert—was representative of a general chorus. Readers of the Sunday Times were told of The Gondoliers as ‘this brightest of operas’, while the Globe a London evening paper declared it One of the best, if not the best, of the Gilbert-Sullivan operas’. In its rhythmic and melodic appeal the cachucha might indeed be ranked, as a miniature, with the very best non-Spanish imitation of the Spanish style—Chabrier’s Espana and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Spanish Capuce included. As with The Yeomen of the Guard, changes in the text of The Gondoliers were made after the first night—a great many by Gilbert, a few by Sullivan. On 25 December, with the sanction of the composer but not in his presence, The Yeomen of the Guard became the latest of his works to be staged in Germany and in German.
