Sir Arthur Sullivan Biography

SIR ARTHUR SEYMOUR SULLIVAN was the first holder of the Mendelssohn scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. His principal ambition was to be a serious composer-thus the success of his collaboration with Gilbert did not satisfy him. Despite many serious compositions (the oratorios such as Kenliworth and The Golden Legend, and the grand opera Ivanhoe), only the operettas remain popular, and two of his songs ("Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord") continue to be sung.