Llewellyn "Lyn" Cadwaladr (1857 – 7 February 1909) was a Welsh operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

who originated roles in, or starred in early tours of, comic operas and operettas of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

and

Stephens Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States of America *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), Brit ...

, Robert Planquette and others in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, often in America for the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...

. He was touring as Ralph in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

'' when he was asked to create the role of Frederic in the ''ad hoc'' 1879 British copyright performance of '' The Pirates of Penzance''.

Early life and career

Cadwaladr was born in 1857 in

Ruabon Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church ...

, Denbighshire, the son of Robert Cadwaladr, a mining engineer, and his wife Pamela. His siblings included Thomas (born 1854), David Samuel (born 1859) and Robert (born 1860). He trained at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.Stone, David
"Lyn Cadwaladr"
''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 20 November 2006, accessed 6 April 2015 Cadwaladr made his debut in

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's ''

Rienzi ' (''Rienzi, the last of the tribunes''; WWV 49) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name (1835). The title is commonly shortened to ''Rienzi ...

'' with the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1879, aged 22. That June, he joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, playing the leading tenor role of Ralph Rackstraw in

's ''

'' on tour. During that tour, he became part of an important historical footnote when he originated the role of Frederic in the hastily assembled single British copyright performance of '' The Pirates of Penzance'' in

Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignt ...

on 30 December 1879. He added another major role, Alexis in ''

The Sorcerer ''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Lo ...

'', on tour from March 1881. Carte sent Cadwaladr to New York later in 1881, where he created the role of the Duke of Dunstable in the first authorised American production of '' Patience'' at the

Standard Theatre Standard Theatre or Standard Theater may refer to: ;in Australia *Royal Standard Theatre, in Sydney, known as "Standard Theatre", since demolished ;in Canada; * Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) ;in the United States *Standard Theatre, early n ...

. At the same theatre, he originated the role of Charles Lorrimer in the American production of

and Stephens's ''

Claude Duval Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He came from a family of decayed nobility, and worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little else ...

'' in March–April 1882. That summer, he toured the English provinces as the Duke in ''Patience'', returning to New York late that year in Carte's productions of

Planquette The river Planquette () is one of the small streams that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, into the Canche. Its length is . The river rises at Planques and passes Fressin, Wambercourt, Cavron-Saint-Martin and join ...

and Farnie's '' Rip Van Winkle'', playing Hans Van Slous and the First Lieutenant. He next created the role of Earl Tolloller in the first New York production of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'', later touring in the role in Britain throughout most of 1883. In 1884 he left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company to appear as Rochester in Planquette and Farnie's ''

Nell Gwynne Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

'' at London's

Avenue Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, ...

and Comedy Theatres. He rejoined D'Oyly Carte in early 1885 at the Savoy Theatre, playing Alexis in the first revival of ''

'', where he was substituting for an ailing

Durward Lely Durward Lely (2 September 1852 – 29 February 1944) was a Scottish opera singer and actor. Although he had an extensive opera, concert and acting career, he is primarily remembered as the creator of five tenor roles in Gilbert and Sullivan's comi ...

. He next toured in repertory as Ralph, Frederic, the Duke of Dunstable and Tolloller and later in the year also as Alexis. He was back in America late in 1885, where he played the role of Nanki-Poo in Carte's tour of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'', appearing in the same role in Germany from late 1886 to early 1887 and then in Britain. He next played Richard Dauntless in the first provincial tour of ''

Ruddigore ''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...

'' for the rest of 1887. Through most of 1888, he toured in repertory as Ralph, Frederic, the Duke of Dunstable and Nanki-Poo. From late 1888 to early 1889, he starred as Colonel Fairfax in the first provincial tour of ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

''.

Last years

He again left D'Oyly Carte in July 1889, taking roles at London's

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

in the operettas ''Castle of Como'', ''Gretna Green'' and '' Les Cloches de Corneville''. He next toured in South America in 1890 as the leading tenor with Edwin Cleary's English Comic Opera Company, in various roles including Ralph, Frederic, Nanki-Poo and the Defendant in ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

'', among others. In 1893, he again rejoined D'Oyly Carte, touring in his old Gilbert and Sullivan tenor roles and also starring as John Manners in ''

Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of the incumbent Duke) and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it ...

'', Captain Fitzbattleaxe in '' Utopia, Limited'', Marco in '' The Gondoliers'', and Vasquez in ''

The Chieftain ''The Chieftain'' is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand based on their 1867 opera, ''The Contrabandista''. It consists of substantially the same first act as the 1867 work with a completely new second act. It premiered at ...

''. In later years, he appeared in London in

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

, including '' A Greek Slave'' at Daly's Theatre in 1898–99, and in musical and operatic sketches in variety halls. In Australia in 1904, he briefly toured as Richard Dauntless in ''Ruddigore'' and Claude Melnotte in ''Castle of Como''. Cadwaladr died in Chelsea in London in 1909. He is buried in an

unmarked grave An unmarked grave is one that lacks a marker, headstone, or nameplate indicating that a body is buried there. However, in cultures that mark burial sites, the phrase unmarked grave has taken on a metaphorical meaning. Metaphorical meaning As a f ...

in the Actors' Acre in Brookwood Cemetery.Clarke, John M. ''London's Necropolis: A Guide to Brookwood Cemetery'', Sutton Publishing (2004), p. 212

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwaladr, Llewellyn 1857 births 1909 deaths People from Ruabon Welsh operatic tenors Alumni of the Royal Irish Academy of Music 19th-century Welsh male opera singers Burials at Brookwood Cemetery 20th-century Welsh male opera singers