Gilbert and Sullivan Archive A SENSATION NOVEL A Musical Play Book by W. S. Gilbert Music by Thomas German Reed

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First performed on January 31, 1871 (the same year as his first collaboration with Sullivan, Thespis). This play anticipates Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author. Gilbert satirizes the sensation novels of his day by having the stock characters in such a novel come to life and comment disparagingly on the plot, complaining because they are compelled to do the author's bidding, which is often at variance with their own desires. A Sensation Novel involves a bad baronet, a baby changed a birth, a self-decapitation, and other elements familiar to Gilbert and Sullivan devotees.

• Plot Summary by Arthur Robinson

• Playscript, submitted to the Archive by Mike Nash [141K Microsoft Word File]

• MIDI Files, sequenced by Mike Nash.
  • No. 11a, "No Father's Care (The Foundling)", sung by Alice
  • No. 12a, "With Rage Infuriate I Burn! (The Jewel)", sung by Alice and Rockalda
  • No. 13, "When Information I Receive (The Detective's Song)", sung by Gripper
  • No. 16, "Oh, Agony! And Oh, Despair! (The Tyrannical Bridegroom)", sung by Herbert

• The Sensation Novel at Buxton — On July 30, 1999, a group of friends calling themselves "The Cheshire Set" performed The Sensation Novel at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival at Buxton, England. As, at that time, the original Thomas German Reed score was available for only one of the songs in this musical play, Mike Nash composed original music for the remainder of the songs. Mike has been kind enough to permit us to post these songs in the G&S Archive as NoteWorthy files, providing MIDI music and the full score for each song. These are freely available to performing groups -- Mike only asks that you contact him and you give him the appropriate credit.
  • Mike Nash Music for The Sensation Novel (NoteWorthy Files — 49K Zipped File)
  • 1999 Buxon Festival Sensation Novel Web Pages

  Since that time the original scores for three additional songs have been found -- they are provided above.

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