Editing Arthur Sullivan (section)

==Personal life==

===Romantic life===
[[File:fanny ronalds 2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Fanny Ronalds]]|alt=Photo of Ronalds from the waist up, facing the camera. She is handsome and well-dressed, with a fur collar and an "up" hairdo.]]
Sullivan never married, but he had serious love affairs with several women. The first was with Rachel Scott Russell (1845–1882), the daughter of the engineer [[John Scott Russell]]. Sullivan was a frequent visitor at the Scott Russell home in the mid-1860s, and by 1865 the affair was in full bloom. Rachel's parents did not approve of a possible union with a young composer of uncertain financial prospects, but the two continued to see each other covertly. At some point in 1868 Sullivan started a simultaneous (and secret) affair with Rachel's sister Louise (1841–1878). Both relationships ended by early 1869.<ref>Ainger, p. 87; and Jacobs, pp. 53–55.</ref>{{refn| Some two hundred love letters from the two Scott Russell women survive and are excerpted in detail in Wolfson.<ref>Wolfson, ''passim''</ref>|group= n}}

Sullivan's longest love affair was with the American socialite [[Fanny Ronalds]], a woman three years his senior, who had two children.<ref name=ainger128>Ainger, pp. 128–129</ref> He met her in Paris around 1867, and the affair began in earnest soon after she moved to London in 1871.<ref name=ainger128/> According to a contemporary description of Ronalds, "Her face was perfectly divine in its loveliness, her features small and exquisitely regular. Her hair was a dark shade of brown – ''châtain foncé'' [deep chestnut] – and very abundant&nbsp;... a lovely woman, with the most generous smile one could possibly imagine, and the most beautiful teeth."<ref>Quoted in Jacobs, p. 88</ref> Sullivan called her "the best amateur singer in London".<ref>Ainger, p. 167</ref> She often performed Sullivan's songs at her famous Sunday soirées.<ref name=ainger128/> She became particularly associated with "The Lost Chord", singing it both in private and in public, often with Sullivan accompanying her.<ref>Ainger, p. 135</ref> When Sullivan died, he left her the autograph manuscript of that song, along with other bequests.<ref>Ainger, p. 390</ref>

Ronalds was separated from her American husband, but they never divorced. Social conventions of the time compelled Sullivan and Ronalds to keep their relationship private.{{refn|In Sullivan's diary, she appears as "Mrs. Ronalds" when he refers to their meetings in public, and "L. W." (for "Little Woman") or "D. H." (possibly "Dear Heart") for when they were alone together. When noting their private meetings, Sullivan indicated with tick marks the number of sexual acts completed. After the relationship with Ronalds had ceased to be sexual the tick marks no longer appeared alongside mentions of her, but continued to be used for his relationships with other women who have not been identified, and who were always referred to by their initials.<ref>Jacobs, p. 161; and Ainger, p. 177</ref>|group= n}} She apparently became pregnant at least twice and procured abortions in 1882 and 1884.<ref>Jacobs, pp. 178, 203–204; and Ainger, pp. 210 and 237–238</ref> Sullivan had a roving eye, and his diary records the occasional quarrels when Ronalds discovered his other liaisons, but he always returned to her.{{refn|One such flirtation was with "Anna", whom he met in Paris in 1878.<ref>Jacobs, p. 20</ref>|group= n}} Around 1889 or 1890 the sexual relationship evidently ended – he started to refer to her in his diary as "Auntie"<ref>Jacobs, p. 295</ref> – but she remained a constant companion for the rest of his life.<ref>Ainger, pp. 306 and 342</ref>

In 1896 the 54-year-old Sullivan proposed marriage to the 22-year-old Violet Beddington (1874–1962), but she refused him.<ref>Ainger, pp. 364–365</ref>{{refn|Beddington later married [[Sydney Schiff]], who used elements of her relationship with Sullivan in his 1925 novel ''Myrtle''. She was the younger sister of [[Ada Leverson|Ada Beddington]].<ref>Whitworth, Michael H. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/40728 "Schiff, Sydney Alfred (1868–1944)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, January 2008, accessed 26 October 2012 {{ODNBsub}}; and Usher, David A. "In Search of Miss Violet: The Personal Journey of a Gilbert & Sullivan Devotee", ''GASBAG'', Friends of the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Volume XLIV, No. 1, Issue 259, Summer 2013, pp. 24–29</ref><ref name="Jacobs">Jacobs, p. 371</ref>|group= n}}

===Leisure and family life===
[[File:Bertie and arthur sullivan.jpg|thumb|upright|Sullivan and his nephew [[Herbert Sullivan|Herbert ("Bertie")]]|alt=Sullivan, seated, with Herbert standing behind his left shoulder; both are very well-dressed and mustachioed]]
Sullivan loved to spend time in France (both in Paris and on the [[French Riviera|Riviera]]), where his acquaintances included European royalty and where the casinos enabled him to indulge his passion for gambling.<ref>Young, pp. 246–247 and 250</ref> He enjoyed hosting private dinners and entertainments at his home, often featuring famous singers and well-known actors.<ref name=GGReminiscence>Grossmith, George. [https://gsarchive.net/sullivan/html/grossmith.html "Sir Arthur Sullivan: A Personal Reminiscence"], ''The Pall Mall Magazine'', February 1901, reprinted at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 28 July 2018</ref> In 1865 he was initiated into [[Freemasonry]] and was Grand Organist of the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] in 1887 during Queen Victoria's [[Golden Jubilee#For Queen Victoria|Golden Jubilee]].<ref>Beresiner, Yasha. [http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/beresiner12.html "Gilbert and Sullivan: Musical Masons"], ''Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry'', 18 December 2007</ref> Sullivan's talent and native charm gained him the friendship of many, not only in the musical establishment, such as Grove, Chorley and Herman Klein, but also in society circles, such as [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh]].<ref>Jacobs, p. 73 and ''passim''</ref> Sullivan enjoyed playing tennis; according to [[George Grossmith]], "I have seen some bad lawn-tennis players in my time, but I never saw anyone so bad as Arthur Sullivan".<ref name=GGReminiscence/>

Sullivan was devoted to his parents, particularly his mother. He corresponded regularly with her when away from London, until her death in 1882. [[Henry Lytton]] wrote, "I believe there was never a more affectionate tie than that which existed between [Sullivan] and his mother, a very witty old lady, and one who took an exceptional pride in her son's accomplishments."<ref>Lytton, Henry (1922). [https://gsarchive.net/books/lytton_secrets/ch4.html "Leaders of the Savoy"], ''Secrets of a Savoyard'', the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 28 July 2018</ref> Sullivan was also very fond of his brother Fred, whose acting career he assisted whenever possible,{{refn|In 1871 Fred appeared as Cox in his brother's ''[[Cox and Box]]'' at the [[Alhambra Theatre]],<ref>Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/S/SullivanFrederic.htm "Frederic Sullivan"], ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 27 January 2007, accessed 28 July 2018</ref> and he toured as Cox in his own production that summer.<ref>"Public Amusements", ''Liverpool Mercury'', 5 September 1871, p. 1</ref> Later that year, he played Apollo in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Thespis'' at the Gaiety Theatre, remaining at the Gaiety thereafter. He took his own company on tour in the summer of 1874, appearing in ''Cox and Box'' and ''[[The Contrabandista]]'', and later that year he again played Cox, this time at the Gaiety.<ref>Ainger, p. 107; and "The London Theatres", ''The Era'', 6 September 1874, p. 11</ref> The next year, he created the role of the Learned Judge in ''[[Trial by Jury]]'', a role that he would play in London and on tour for the rest of his career.<ref>Ainger, pp. 107, 113 and 120</ref>|group= n}} and of Fred's children.<ref>Hayes, ''passim''</ref> After Fred died at the age of 39, leaving his pregnant wife, Charlotte, with seven children under the age of 14, Sullivan visited the family often and became guardian to the children.<ref>Hayes, pp. 6–7</ref>

In 1883 Charlotte and six of her children emigrated to [[Los Angeles]], California, leaving the oldest boy, [[Herbert Sullivan|"Bertie"]], in Sullivan's sole care.<ref>Ainger, pp. 224–225</ref> Despite his reservations about the move to the United States, Sullivan paid all the costs and gave substantial financial support to the family.<ref>Hayes, p. 9</ref> A year later, Charlotte died, leaving the children to be raised mostly by her brother.{{refn|One of the children, [[Frederic Richard Sullivan]], went on to become a well-known film director.<ref>Hayes, pp. 10–12</ref>|group=n}} From June to August 1885, after ''The Mikado'' opened, Sullivan visited the family in Los Angeles and took them on a sightseeing trip of the American west.<ref>Hayes, pp. 14–22</ref> Throughout the rest of his life, and in his will, he contributed financially to Fred's children, continuing to correspond with them and to be concerned with their education, marriages and financial affairs. Bertie remained with his Uncle Arthur for the rest of the composer's life.<ref>Hayes, pp. 23–32</ref>

Three of Sullivan's cousins, the daughters of his uncle John Thomas Sullivan, performed with the [[D'Oyly Carte Opera Company]]: Rose, Jane ("Jennie") and Kate Sullivan, the first two of whom used the stage surname Hervey. Kate was a chorister who defected to the Comedy Opera Company's rival production of ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', where she had the opportunity to play the leading soprano role, Josephine, in 1879.<ref>Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/S/SullivanKate.htm Kate Sullivan], ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 27 January 2007, accessed 28 July 2018</ref> Jennie was a D'Oyly Carte chorister for fourteen years.<ref>Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/H/HerveyJennie.htm Jennie Hervey], ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 8 August 2002, accessed 28 July 2018</ref> Rose took principal roles in many of the [[Savoy opera#Companion pieces|companion pieces]] that played with the Savoy operas.<ref>Rollins and Witts, pp. 8, 10–12, 70, 71, 73–75 and 77; and Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/H/HerveyRose.htm Rose Hervey], ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 7 August 2002, accessed 28 July 2018</ref><ref>See Sullivan family tree in appendix to Jacobs</ref>