Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
The Modern Major-Gineral
References
Britannica AI Icon

The Modern Major-Gineral

work by Gilbert
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The "Modern Major-General" is a famous patter song from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. The song is sung by Major-General Stanley, a character who boasts of his extensive, though often superficial, knowledge across various fields.1

The song is known for its rapid-fire delivery of complex rhymes and its humorous portrayal of a Victorian gentleman who is an expert in everything except, perhaps, military matters. It was written by W.S. Gilbert, with music by Arthur Sullivan, and premiered in 1879. The operetta itself is a comic masterpiece, satirizing Victorian society and conventions through witty lyrics and memorable melodies.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. Arthur Sullivan
  2. The Pirates of Penzance
  3. W.S. Gilbert

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.