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 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 April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104359.

Lytton, Henry A.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104359.

"Lytton, Henry A.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104359

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