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Richard D'Oyly Carte (3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. Rising from humble beginnings, Carte built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establishing an opera company that ran continuously for over a hundred years and a management agency representing some of the most important artists of the day. Carte started his career working for his father, Richard Carte, in the music publishing and musical instrument manufacturing business. As a young man, he conducted and composed music, but he soon turned to promoting the entertainment careers of others through his management agency. Carte believed that a school of wholesome, well-crafted, family-friendly, English comic opera could be as popular as the risqué French works dominating the London musical stage in the 1870s. To that end, he brought together the dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan and, together with his wife Helen Carte, he nurtured their collaboration on a series of thirteen Savoy operas. He founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and built the state-of-the-art Savoy Theatre to host the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Carte also built the Savoy Hotel in London, and acquired other luxury hotels. In addition, he erected the Palace Theatre, London, which he had intended to be the home of a new school of English grand opera, although this ambition was not realised beyond the production of a single grand opera by Sullivan, ''Ivanhoe''. Nevertheless, his partnership with Gilbert and Sullivan, and his careful management of their operas and relationship, created a series of works whose success was unprecedented in the history of musical theatre. His opera company, later operated by Helen and then by his son, Rupert, and granddaughter, Bridget, promoted those works for over a century, and they are still performed regularly today. ==Early life== Carte was born in Greek Street in the West End of London on 3 May 1844.〔 He was the eldest of six children. His father, Richard Carte (originally Cart; 1808–1891), was a flautist, and his mother was the former Eliza Jones (1814–1885); they had eloped, to the disappointment of her father, Thomas Jones, a clergyman.〔Young, pp. 98–99〕 His siblings were Blanch (1846–1935), Viola (1848–1925), Rose (b. 1854), Henry (1856–1926) and Eliza (1860–1941). Carte was of Welsh and Norman ancestry; D'Oyly is a Norman French name which "was a forename (not part of a double surname)".〔Jacobs, Arthur. ("Carte, Richard D'Oyly (1844–1901)", ) ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004, accessed 12 September 2008, 〕〔The name comes from his mother's grandmother, Elizabeth D'Oyly, who was a descendant of Peregrine D'Oyly of Overbury Hall in Layham, Suffolk (c. 1625–1667).〕 To supplement his income as a performer, Carte's father joined the firm of Rudall, Rose & Co., musical instrument makers and music publishers, in 1850.〔Burgess, Michael. "Richard D'Oyly Carte", ''The Savoyard'', January 1975, pp. 7–11〕 After he became a partner in the business, it changed its name to Rudall, Rose, Carte and Co. and later to Rudall, Carte & Co.〔"New Music", ''The Era'', 21 March 1869. Rudall, Carte and Co was still trading in the West End in 1954: see ''The Times'', 16 December 1954, p. 1〕 Carte was brought up in Dartmouth Park Road.〔Ainger, p. 75〕〔Sharp, Rob. ("Blue plaque at London home of a Victorian Simon Cowell" ). ''The Independent'', 13 December 2010〕 His cultured mother exposed her family to art, music and poetry, and young Carte studied the violin and then the flute at an early age.〔Joseph, p. 8〕 The family spoke French at home two days a week, and his parents often took their children to the theatre.〔 He was educated at University College School, which he left in 1860. In 1861, he achieved First Class level in the matriculation examination〔"University Intelligence", ''The Daily News'', 1 February 1861〕 and then attended University College, London. However, he left later that year to work in his father's business, along with his brother, Henry.〔(Rivington and Son (Solicitors) ), London Metropolitan Archives, National Archives, accessed 11 April 2009〕 He studied music during this time and composed some pieces, which he dedicated to the actress Kate Terry.〔Stone, David. (Biography of Carte ) at the ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'' website, 27 August 2001, accessed 14 October 2009〕 He also acted in amateur theatricals.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Richard D'Oyly Carte」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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