ABSTRACT
On 22 April 1890 Sullivan went as the Prince of Wales’s guest to the races at Epsom, travelling there and back from London in the royal train. On that day the letter arrived from Gilbert which began the Carpet Quarrel, as it later became known. In Gilbert’s face-to-face interview with Carte, the dialogue of charge and counter-charge had risen to a dangerous level of offence. To Gilbert, Carte was the man who had ascended the ladder of success on the backs of the librettist and composer; to Carte, Gilbert was totally unappreciative of the way in which the maintenance and conduct of the theatre had helped to build, and keep, the audiences for Gilbert’s and Sullivan’s work. To Gilbert it must have been clear that Sullivan was not going to side with him on the simple basis of ranging the joint creative talent against the managerial interest.
