The Light of the World is an oratorio composed in 1873 by Arthur Sullivan. Sullivan wrote the libretto with the assistance of George Grove, based on the New Testament. The work was inspired by William
Illustration of the premiere
Sullivan in about 1870
The Light of the World, the painting that inspired the oratorio
The Golden Legend (cantata)
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The Golden Legend is an 1886 cantata by Arthur Sullivan with libretto by Joseph Bennett, based on the 1851 poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The piece premiered at the triennial Lee
The Light of the World (Sullivan)
…many fine choruses, brilliant solos, and beautiful pastoral passages. While not of a consistency or individuality of The Martyr of Antioch or The Golden Legend, The Light of the World has more than enough virtues to justify a professional revival." The first professional recording of the piece, released in…
Early vocal score, c. 1889
Page from a proof score of The Golden Legend signed by Sullivan, 1886
Sullivan and soloists at the premiere of the 1886 Leeds Festival
The Prince and Elsie – illustration to Longfellow's poem