Arthur Sullivan's brother Frederic (25 December 1837 – 18 January 1877) was an actor and singer. He's best remembered as the creator of the role of the Learned Judge in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury (1875 – the first of the Savoy Operas); it provided a model for the comic roles in the later Savoy Operas. He died of liver disease and tuberculosis, just 24 days after his 39th birthday. Arthur Sullivan composed the tune to The Lost Chord at Fred's bedside just five days before he died, and dedicated the song to his memory.
© Haydn Thompson 2017