Arthur Sullivan was born in May 1842, the son of a bandmaster. He composed his first anthem at the age of 8 and was admitted as a chorister at the Chapel Royal. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and in Leipzig. He sought work as a music teacher and an organist. He wrote his first comic opera in 1866 and 5 years later he first collaborated with WS Gilbert. The pair were to write 14 highly successful comic operas in partnership before they parted in 1890 following a row over expenses. They did reunite a few years later to write 2 comic operas, but neither reached the success of their initial collaboration He continued to write comic operas in collaboration with others but none of them reached the success he had achieved in collaboration with Gilbert. Sullivan was knighted for his services to music in 1883 and died in November 1900 following a bout of Bronchitis.
