Henry A. Lytton
Sir Henry Lytton (born Henry Alfred Jones; 3 January 1865 – 15 August 1936) was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the starring comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas from 1909 to 1934. He also starred in musical comedies. His career with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company spanned 50 years, and he is the only performer ever knighted for achievements in Gilbert and Sullivan roles. Lytton was born in London; he studied there with a painter but then went on the stage in defiance of his family's wishes. At the age of 19 he married Louie Henri, an actress and singer who helped him gain a place in a D'Oyly Carte touring company in 1884. After briefly playing in other companies, he and his wife rejoined D'Oyly Carte. He had an early breakthrough in 1887 when the Savoy Theatre star George Grossmith fell ill, and the 22-year-old Lytton went on for him in Ruddigore. Lytton starred in D'Oyly Carte touring companies from 1887 to 1897, playing mostly the comic patter roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan (and other) operas. From 1897 to 1903 he appeared with the company continuously at the Savoy Theatre, playing a range of baritone parts, from romantic leads to character parts in new operas and revivals. During this time his brief and costly attempt at theatrical production in London led to his abandoning thoughts of being an impresario. The D'Oyly Carte company left the Savoy Theatre in 1903, and Lytton appeared in half a dozen West End musical comedies over the next four years, including The Earl and the Girl, The Spring Chicken and The Little Michus. He also wrote for, and performed in, music hall and wrote a libretto. During the two D'Oyly Carte repertory seasons at the Savoy between 1906 and 1909, Lytton rejoined the company, again playing a variety of baritone roles, but mostly not the principal comedian patter roles. Beginning in 1909, and continuously to 1934, he was the principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in London and on tour. |
Birth and Death Data: Born January 3, 1865 (London), Died August 15, 1936 (Earl's Court)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1930
Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gramophone | 4580a | 7-in. | May 1902 | Laughing Song | Henry A. Lytton | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9464 | 12-in. | 11/19/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Aileen Davies ; Darrell Fancourt ; Elsie Griffin ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Derek Oldham | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9465 | 12-in. | 11/19/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris | Vocal solos, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9466 | 12-in. | 11/19/1926 | The Mikado | George Baker ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Leo Sheffield | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9470 | 12-in. | 11/22/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Elsie Griffin ; Harry Norris ; Derek Oldham | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9488 | 12-in. | 11/26/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Darrell Fancourt ; Elsie Griffin ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Derek Oldham | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9489 | 12-in. | 11/26/1926 | The Mikado | George Baker ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Aileen Davies ; Beatrice Elburn ; Elsie Griffin ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Derek Oldham ; Leo Sheffield | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9492 | 12-in. | 11/26/1926 | The Mikado | George Baker ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Aileen Davies ; Beatrice Elburn ; Elsie Griffin ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Derek Oldham ; Leo Sheffield | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9493 | 12-in. | 11/26/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Aileen Davies ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris ; Leo Sheffield | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc9494 | 12-in. | 11/26/1926 | The Mikado | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Henry A. Lytton ; Harry Norris | Male vocal chorus and soloist, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18644 | 12-in. | 2/6/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | George Baker ; Nellie Briercliffe ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Henry A. Lytton | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18645 | 12-in. | 2/6/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | Nellie Briercliffe ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Henry A. Lytton | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18646 | 12-in. | 2/6/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18648 | 12-in. | 2/6/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | George Baker ; Nellie Briercliffe ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Darrell Fancourt ; Charles Goulding ; Sydney Granville ; Elsie Griffin ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton ; Stuart Robertson | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18705 | 12-in. | 3/14/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | George Baker ; Nellie Briercliffe ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Darrell Fancourt ; Charles Goulding ; Elsie Griffin ; Bertha Lewis ; Henry A. Lytton | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc18713 | 12-in. | 3/24/1930 | H.M.S. Pinafore | George Baker ; D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Darrell Fancourt ; Elsie Griffin ; Henry A. Lytton | Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lytton, Henry A.," accessed November 6, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104359.
Lytton, Henry A.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104359.
"Lytton, Henry A.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Henry Lytton
Discogs: Henry A. Lytton
Grove: Henry A. Lytton
IMDb: Henry A. Lytton
Britannica: Henry A. Lytton
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Lytton, Henry A., 1865-1936 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83174056
Wikidata: Henry Lytton - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2014357
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/69127562
MusicBrainz: Henry Lytton - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2961a9b9-36f8-4bc7-ab66-9cf2fd4cd4e2
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