G&S Discography: Bibliography

By far, the most helpful source of information in preparing this Discography is the wealth of correspondence I've received from fans and specialists who have visited the site and have contributed literally hundreds of suggestions, additions, and opinions. However, I've also consulted the following written sources:

Ayre, Leslie.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion.
Plume Books: New York, 1976.

Has catalog numbers for some of the recordings of the '50s and '60s not found in any of my other sources. (This is not otherwise a book on my recommended list.)

Dillard, Philip H.
Sir Arthur Sullivan: A Resource Book.
Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland and Folkestone, England, 1996.

Amongst much other useful information, this book has a comprehensive list of G&S recordings on LP, CD and cassette. It is the best post-78 era discography in print.

Francis, John W. N.
"The Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas on 78s," in
ARSC Journal, Volume 20, No. 1 (Spring, 1989).

This is a discography of the "complete sets" (defined by Francis as any compilation of five or more sides) from the 78 RPM era. There are a few omissions, but it is by far the most thorough discography of the vintage complete sets to appear in print.

Jacobs, Arthur
Arthur Sullivan: A Victorian Musician
Amadeus Press: Portland, OR; 1986 (2nd ed.)

Arthur Jacobs wrote the definitive biography of Sir Arthur Sullivan. While there is no coverage of recordings in this book, it supplied much of the background information on Sullivan's compositions that appears at this site.

Rees, Terence.
A Sullivan Discography.
The Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, n.d..

This discography confines itself to Sullivan recordings on 78 RPM records. The overwhelming majority of these are of detached numbers, and so fall out of the scope of this web site. However, this is a useful source of information about the earliest complete recordings.

Rollins, Cyril, and R. John Witts.
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas.
Michael Joseph Ltd: London, 1961.
Plus: Supplements, privately printed, dated 1966, 1971, 1976, 1982.

This classic book, plus four supplements that go through 1982, lists the issue dates and complete cast lists for every D'Oyly Carte recording. Although not related to the discography, this book also lists the casts and operas of every D'Oyly Carte touring season; it is one of the truly indispensable resources on any collector's bookshelf. The book is no longer in print and is one of the hardest G&S books to find.

Turnbull, Stephen.
Compact Discography.
The Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, 1993, 1996.

This short pamphlet lists every recording of Sullivan's music that has appeared on compact disc (through early 1996), including most of the re-issues. The recordings are also graded on a four-star system. My own ratings are independent of these.

Wolfson, John.
The Savoyards on Record.
Packard Publishing Limited: Chichester, England, 1985.

This book presents recording made by the "Savoyards" -- that is, artists who worked under the direction of Gilbert and/or Sullivan at some point in their careers. The vast majority of these recordings are of individual songs or arias, and hence are out of the scope of this discography. However, most of the important acoustical and electrical recordings issued on 78 RPM discs are listed here, including all of the Gramophone Company and HMV sets up to 1936. No sets published after that date are listed.