Happy Birthday, Sir Arthur

Today we celebrate the birthday of Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). From his diary: It was on a very cold morning, with the snow falling heavily, that Gilbert came round to my place, clad in a heavy fur coat. He had called to read over to me the manuscript of Trial By Jury. He read it through, as it seemed to me, in a perturbed sort of way, with a gradual crescendo of indignation, in a manner of a man considerably disappointed with what he had written. As soon as he had come to the last word, he closed up the manuscript violently, apparently unconscious of the fact that he had achieved his purpose so fas as I was concerned, insasmuch as I was screaming with laughter the whole time. It was a Beautiful Thing.