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François Arsène Cellier (14 December 1849 – 5 January 1914), often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is known for his tenure as musical director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs and early revivals of the Savoy operas. Succeeding his elder brother Alfred as the company's chief conductor in 1878, Cellier devoted almost all the rest of his life to
comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...
. He was musical director for the original runs of nine
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...
operas and fourteen full-length pieces by other writers at the
Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...
between 1881 and 1902. He composed songs and also some short curtain raisers that were well received but have rarely been revived.


Life and career


Early years

Cellier was born in South Hackney, London, the youngest of the five children of Arsène Cellier, a language teacher from France, and his wife Mary Ann Peterine, formerly Peacock, ''née'' Thomsett.François Cellier"
Ancestry Institution, Wellcome Library, accessed 20 January 2018
He followed his eldest brother Alfred as a chorister at the Chapel Royal, St James's. Like his brother, and the latter's fellow pupil
Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
, François benefited from the tutelage of the Rev Thomas Helmore, who ensured that the choristers received an all-round education in addition to their musical training. Leaving the choir school at the age of seventeen, Cellier held a series of posts as an organist, first in Belfast, Ireland, and then at the church of St John of Jerusalem, South Hackney, where he had been christened, and in 1870 St Michael's, Lower Sydenham."Popular Composers: Mr. François Cellier", '' The Era'', 12 August 1899, p. 13 After a spell as Sullivan's deputy organist at St Peter's, Cranley Gardens,
South Kensington South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...
, he moved to St Anne's,
Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...
, where he remained for the rest of his career, in tandem with his theatrical conducting work. Cellier married Clara Short in 1873. They had five daughters and a son, François, who became an actor under the name of Frank Cellier and was the father of the actor
Peter Cellier Peter Cellier (born 12 July 1928) is an English actor who has appeared on film, stage and television. He is known for his role as Sir Frank Gordon in ''Yes Minister'' and then '' Yes, Prime Minister'' in the 1980s. Early life Cellier was born ...
.


Conductor and musical director

In July 1878 Cellier succeeded his brother Alfred as the conductor of
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...
's '' H.M.S. Pinafore'' during its long run at the Opera Comique, London. He remained as the company's musical director there and, from 1881, at the
Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...
, until 1902, with a break between July 1880 and April 1881, when his brother temporarily resumed the position. The composer conducted at first nights, but Cellier, as musical director, was the principal conductor for the original runs of ''
Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...
'' (1881–82), ''
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 ...
'' (1882–84), ''
Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen; the next was ''The Mikado''. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Thea ...
'' (1884), ''
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 ...
'' (1885–87), '' Ruddigore'' (1887), '' The Yeomen of the Guard'' (1888–89), '' The Gondoliers'' (1889–91), '' Utopia, Limited'' (1893–94) and '' The Grand Duke'' (1896). As the Savoy's musical director he conducted the London runs of fourteen operas by other authors or composers between 1891 and 1902, fourteen revivals of Gilbert and Sullivan works, beginning with ''
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 Gilbert and Sullivan, collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas stor ...
'' in 1884 and ending with ''Iolanthe'' in 1901, and a similar number of curtain-raisers and afterpieces. He was appointed musical-director-in-chief at Richard D'Oyly Carte's Royal English Opera House for the runs of Sullivan's ''
Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...
'' and Messager's '' La Basoche'' in 1891–92. In the 1890s Cellier began conducting D'Oyly Carte Opera Company productions outside London. In 1890 he took charge of the first provincial performances of ''The Gondoliers'', and in 1894 he conducted a touring company presenting ''Princess Ida'' and ''Utopia, Limited''. In 1902–03 he led a D'Oyly Carte tour of South Africa, conducting six Gilbert and Sullivan operas and '' The Rose of Persia''. He briefly left D'Oyly Carte on his return to England in June 1903. During that month he conducted a one-off matinée performance of his new operetta, ''Bob'' (libretto by Cunningham Bridgman, the manager of a D'Oyly Carte touring company) at the Adelphi Theatre. The piece had been premiered in
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
in April while he was still in Africa. ''Bob'' was also played by D'Oyly Carte touring companies in 1903–04.Walters, Michael, and George Low
"Bob"
the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 1996, accessed 20 January 2018
In December 1904 Cellier conducted a short-lived comic opera, ''Ladyland'', by Eustace Ponsonby and Frank Lambert at the Avenue Theatre. In July 1905 he rejoined the D'Oyly Carte company, until retiring, in 1913, as musical director of the touring repertory company and, at the Savoy, conducting the London repertory seasons of Gilbert and Sullivan operas in 1906–07 and 1908–09.


Composer, orchestrator and author

In addition to ''Bob'', which never played at the Savoy Theatre, Cellier composed music for several companion pieces that played together with the Savoy Operas (and often also on tour), including '' Mrs. Jarramie's Genie'' (1888, composed jointly with his brother Alfred, libretto by Frank Desprez), '' Captain Billy'' (1891, libretto by Harry Greenbank), '' Old Sarah'' (1897, libretto by Greenbank), and '' Pretty Polly'' (1900, libretto by Basil Hood). These short pieces have rarely been revived professionally, but they were popular with amateur groups in the early years of the 20th century. For the ''Children's Pinafore'' in 1879–80 and the ''Children's Pirates'' in 1884, Cellier transposed the song keys to fit each individual child's voice. The choruses, especially the string parts, were rearranged so that the children's voices could be heard, and orchestral accompaniment was provided for the normally unaccompanied numbers for the support of the young male voices. The theatrical newspaper '' The Era'' commented that although his other commitments left him short of time for composition, as a songwriter Cellier was "very favourably known". His published songs in the catalogue of the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
are: "From Dawn to Dawn" (words by R. J. Martin, 1898); "Sad 'tis to Part" (words by W. S. Beadle, 1889); "The Polo Song" (words by "Marksman", 1901); "No Fear!" (words by R. J. Martin, 1903); and four songs with words by Bridgeman: "Coquet and Coy" (1887); "Hampton Courtship" (1887); "'Tis For the Best" (1888); and "Men of the Day" (1888). His short
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
, "Holy, Holy, Holy" was published in 1901. Cellier devoted his brief retirement to writing a book of reminiscences about Gilbert, Sullivan and the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company (''Gilbert and Sullivan and Their Operas''). He died at his home in
Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...
in 1914 before the book was completed, and his collaborator, Bridgeman, completed and published it later that year.


Reputation

Henry Lytton wrote: Cellier's collaborator Bridgeman wrote of his friend's dedication to the music of Arthur Sullivan and Alfred Cellier, to the exclusion, Bridgeman felt, of all other music. Sullivan willed to Cellier the original manuscript scores for ''
The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...
'' and ''
Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...
''. Bridgeman, and the anonymous author of ''The Era's'' profile, considered, as Lytton did, that Cellier's natural talent could have equipped him to rival the creative success of at least one of his two musical idols, but that indolence and lack of ambition prevented it.Bridgeman in Cellier and Bridgeman, p. 170 Both those sources agree that Cellier's conducting technique was unshowy and strictly practical, and he took pleasure in being known as "the musician who conducts in English".


Notes


References

* * *


External links


Chapter of Cellier's book
at the Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte website

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060629162928/http://halhkmusic.com/captainbilly.html Karaoke files for ''Captain Billy'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cellier, Francois Cellier family 1849 births 1914 deaths 19th-century English musicians English composers English people of French descent Composers from London People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan People from South Hackney