Leonard Osborn
Encyclopedia
Leonard Osborn was an English opera
singer, best known for his portrayal of the tenor
roles in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
. An accomplished actor and dancer, he later became a stage director for the company.
, London, England. He performed in amateur Gilbert and Sullivan
productions and worked as a chemist before joining D'Oyly Carte as a tenor chorister in 1937 (the company was paying choristers more than his old job). During his first season with the company, he was given the small role of First Yeoman (and, occasionally played the slightly larger role of Leonard Meryll) in The Yeomen of the Guard
. In 1938, he added the roles of the Defendant in Trial by Jury
and Francesco in The Gondoliers
. He also substituted as Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe
in 1939. In 1940, he continued to play the Defendant and chorus roles.
He joined the Royal Air Force
in July 1940, where he sang in many military concerts. In 1946, after the end of World War II
, he rejoined D'Oyly Carte as principal tenor, immediately playing Tolloller and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado
. From 1946 to 1959, he regularly played the roles of the Defendant, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
, Tolloller, Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard, Marco in The Gondoliers, Mr. Box in Cox and Box
, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore
(his favourite role), and, from 1954, Cyril in Princess Ida
. Reviewing Iolanthe in 1951, The Times
wrote, "Mr. Leonard Osborn's tenor voice has a ring and a line that did justice to 'Blue Blood'." The Gramophone called Osborn "one of the most melodious Ralph Rackstraws that the D'Oyly Carte Company have ever produced … finely characterised, beautifully enunciated and with some ringing top notes."
Osborn left the D'Oyly Carte company in November 1959, to enter the retail business in Surrey, occasionally directing amateur productions. In 1975, during the company's centennial season, Osborn was invited to participate in the final performance of Trial by Jury, in which the regular D'Oyly Carte chorus was augmented by fourteen former stars of the company.
In 1977 he rejoined the company as stage director for Princess Ida for the Sadler's Wells special Jubilee season. In September of that year, Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Year, the company gave a Royal Command Performance
at Windsor Castle
, directed by Osborn. He served as production director for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company until 1980.
Osborn died in London at the age of 79.
eleven D'Oyly Carte recordings made between 1949 and 1955. His recorded roles were the Defendant in Trial by Jury (1949), Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
(1949), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
1950), Nanki-Poo in The Mikado (1950), Marco in The Gondoliers (1950), Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore (1950), Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard (1950), Tolloller in Iolanthe (1952), the Duke in Patience (role sung partly by Osborn and partly by Neville Griffiths) (1952), and Cyril in Princess Ida (1955).
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, best known for his portrayal of the tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
roles in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
. An accomplished actor and dancer, he later became a stage director for the company.
Life and career
Leonard Alfred George Osborn was born in TootingTooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London, England. He performed in amateur Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
productions and worked as a chemist before joining D'Oyly Carte as a tenor chorister in 1937 (the company was paying choristers more than his old job). During his first season with the company, he was given the small role of First Yeoman (and, occasionally played the slightly larger role of Leonard Meryll) in The Yeomen of the Guard
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...
. In 1938, he added the roles of the Defendant in Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
and Francesco in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. He also substituted as Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
in 1939. In 1940, he continued to play the Defendant and chorus roles.
He joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in July 1940, where he sang in many military concerts. In 1946, after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he rejoined D'Oyly Carte as principal tenor, immediately playing Tolloller and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado
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 operatic collaborations...
. From 1946 to 1959, he regularly played the roles of the Defendant, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Tolloller, Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard, Marco in The Gondoliers, Mr. Box in Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore
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 together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
(his favourite role), and, from 1954, Cyril in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
. Reviewing Iolanthe in 1951, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote, "Mr. Leonard Osborn's tenor voice has a ring and a line that did justice to 'Blue Blood'." The Gramophone called Osborn "one of the most melodious Ralph Rackstraws that the D'Oyly Carte Company have ever produced … finely characterised, beautifully enunciated and with some ringing top notes."
Osborn left the D'Oyly Carte company in November 1959, to enter the retail business in Surrey, occasionally directing amateur productions. In 1975, during the company's centennial season, Osborn was invited to participate in the final performance of Trial by Jury, in which the regular D'Oyly Carte chorus was augmented by fourteen former stars of the company.
In 1977 he rejoined the company as stage director for Princess Ida for the Sadler's Wells special Jubilee season. In September of that year, Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Year, the company gave a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
, directed by Osborn. He served as production director for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company until 1980.
Osborn died in London at the age of 79.
Recordings
Osborn sang in all but one of Decca'sDecca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
eleven D'Oyly Carte recordings made between 1949 and 1955. His recorded roles were the Defendant in Trial by Jury (1949), Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
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, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
(1949), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
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. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
1950), Nanki-Poo in The Mikado (1950), Marco in The Gondoliers (1950), Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore (1950), Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard (1950), Tolloller in Iolanthe (1952), the Duke in Patience (role sung partly by Osborn and partly by Neville Griffiths) (1952), and Cyril in Princess Ida (1955).