Suggested Familiarity of Gilbert and Sullivan in 1920

One thing that truly stood out to me from our Vaughan Williams reading about Holst was the implied familiarity his target audience must have had with Gilbert and Sullivan.  This is shown through two quotes he takes from two different Savoy Operas and uses without any explanation.  The first occurs on p. 133, when Vaughan Williams is discussing Holst's ethnic background.  Referring to Holst's last name (from his Swedish ancestory), Vaughan Williams writes:

"...'in spite of all temptations' which his name may suggest, Holst 'remains an Englishman'."

This is a quote from Act 2 of H.M.S. Pinafore, in which it is sung about Ralph Rackstraw:

"Despite of all temptations to belong to other nations, he remains an Englishman."

The fact that this quote is inserted and given no explanation, not even mentioning the show or that it is a reference to Gilbert and Sullivan, suggests rather strongly that whoever this essay about Holst was intended to reach, they would have at least a cursory familiarity with one of the most popular of the Savoy Operas.

The second quote used by Vaughan Williams occurs on p. 146, in his discussion of Holst’s flaws.  This reference is:

“…say ‘nothing in particular and say it very well’.”

While technically a paraphrase, this is a reference to the less-familiar Gilbert and Sullivan show Iolanthe.  Unlike Pinafore, which, according to the G&S Archives "ran for 571 performances and became a huge fad in England," Iolanthe had a still-successful but more modest run of 398 performances.  It refers to a line in the song "When Britain Really Ruled the Waves":

"When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte, as every child can tell, the House of Peers throughout the war did nothing in particular, and did it very well."

To me, the use of this more obscure reference, and especially the paraphrasing of it, without any explanation does, in fact, imply that Vaughan Williams and his intended readership had a more than passing familiarity with these shows.  It would be an interesting experiment to see what other, if any, similar references can be found in other writings of this time period.  Perhaps a project for another time.