Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert and Sullivan, English theater collaborators who wrote lighthearted musical satires of Victorian England and the British Empire. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911) wrote the words and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900) the music. Their major operettas include H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), Patience (1881), Iolanthe (1882), Princess Ida (1884), The Mikado (1885), Ruddigore (1887), and The Gondoliers (1889). Both enjoyed independent success as well, Gilbert as a journalist and playwright and Sullivan as a composer.