Editing Arthur Sullivan (section)

===Orchestration===
Hughes concludes his chapter on Sullivan's orchestration: "[I]n this vitally important sector of the composer's art he deserves to rank as a master."<ref>Hughes, p. 118</ref> Sullivan was a competent player of at least four orchestral instruments (flute, clarinet, trumpet and trombone) and technically a most skilful orchestrator.{{refn|Sullivan could also play the oboe and bassoon, but less proficiently.<ref name=young4/>|group= n}} Though sometimes inclined to indulge in grandiosity when writing for a full symphony orchestra, he was adept in using smaller forces to the maximum effect.<ref>Hughes, pp. 96–97</ref> Young writes that orchestral players generally like playing Sullivan's music: "Sullivan never asked his players to do what was either uncongenial or impracticable."<ref>Young, p. 178</ref><ref>Hughes, p. 96</ref>

{{listen|type=music
|filename=Overture di ballo.ogg
|title=''Overture di Ballo''
|description=The ''[[Overture di Ballo]]'' (1870) is regarded as Sullivan's most successful orchestral work.<ref name=Hughes14>Hughes, p. 14</ref> This [[military band]] arrangement is performed by the [[United States Marine Band|U.S. Marine Band]].
}}
Sullivan's orchestra for the Savoy operas was typical of the theatre orchestra of his era: 2 flutes (+ [[piccolo]]), oboe, 2 clarinets, [[bassoon]], 2 [[French horn|horns]], 2 [[cornet]]s, 2 trombones, [[timpani]], percussion and strings. According to [[Geoffrey Toye]], the number of players in Sullivan's Savoy Theatre orchestras was a "minimum" of 31.<ref>Seeley, Paul. "Authentic Sullivan", ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', November 2016, p. 1372; and "The Savoy Opera Revival", ''The Observer'', 28 September 1919</ref> Sullivan argued hard for an increase in the pit orchestra's size, and, starting with ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', the orchestra was augmented with a second bassoon and a second tenor trombone.<ref>Hughes, p. 108</ref> He generally orchestrated each score at almost the last moment, noting that the accompaniment for an opera had to wait until he saw the staging, so that he could judge how heavily or lightly to orchestrate each part of the music.<ref>Findon, p. 107</ref> For his large-scale orchestral pieces, which often employed very large forces, Sullivan added a second oboe part, sometimes [[double bassoon]] and [[bass clarinet]], more horns, trumpets, tuba, and occasionally an organ and/or a harp.<ref>Eden and Saremba, Appendix: The orchestration of Sullivan's major works</ref>

One of the most recognisable features in Sullivan's orchestration is his woodwind scoring. Hughes especially notes Sullivan's clarinet writing, exploiting all registers and colours of the instrument, and his particular fondness for oboe solos. For instance, the ''Irish Symphony'' contains two long solo oboe passages in succession, and in the Savoy operas there are many shorter examples.<ref>Hughes, p. 104</ref> In the operas, and also in concert works, another characteristic Sullivan touch is his fondness for [[pizzicato]] passages for the string sections. Hughes instances "Kind Sir, You Cannot Have the Heart" (''The Gondoliers''), "Free From his Fetters Grim" (''The Yeomen of the Guard'') and "In Vain to Us You Plead" (''Iolanthe'').<ref>Hughes, p. 117</ref>