Robert Scott Fishe (12 February 1871 – 31 August 1898) was an English

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

and actor best remembered for creating roles in the 1890s with the

D’Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

. As a boy, Fishe was a chorister with the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

. After beginning his professional stage career, he was hired in 1891 by

Richard D'Oyly Carte 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. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

for the chorus of

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

's grand opera ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

''. He soon toured in South America with other D'Oyly Carte artistes, performing in

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

s and surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Chile. In 1892, Fishe played leading roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in other West End companies, but from spring 1893, he performed exclusively with D'Oyly Carte. Although he had begun to suffer from tuberculosis, he created several roles, most notably in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

's last two operas: Mr. Goldbury in ''

Utopia, Limited ''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...

'' (1893) and the Prince of Monte Carlo in ''

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...

'' (1896). He played the title role in several revivals of ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

''. In 1896, he travelled to South Africa for a D'Oyly Carte tour. There, he fell ill again, but he was able to return to the stage briefly at the end of 1897, after which run his health deteriorated. After several attempts to recuperate, Fishe gave up all hope of recovery, and he committed suicide at the age of 27.

Early career

"Bob" Fishe was born in Stanhope Street in St Pancras, London, to Jane (''née'' Scott) and Robert Fishe, an

ironmonger Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

. Although his mother went by the name "Fishe", she did not marry his father until 1874. On their

banns The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" (from a Middle English word meaning "proclamation", rooted in Frankish and thence in Old French), are the public announcement in a Christian parish church, or in the town cou ...

entry, Robert Fishe is listed as a widower, and his bride as a spinster; they were living at the same address. He began to perform as a boy in church choirs and at concerts and was selected as a chorister with the

Joseph, Tony. "A gun in his bedroom", ''Gilbert & Sullivan News'', Vol.V, No.1, Spring 2013 pp. 8–9 He made his professional stage debut singing nautical songs in a variety show at Hengler's Circus in London. He sang in the chorus at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

in Luscombe Searelle's ''The Black Rover'' and was then hired in 1891 by

for the chorus of Arthur Sullivan’s grand opera ''

'' at the Royal English Opera House.Stone, David
"R. Scott Fishe"
Who Was Who in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, 14 November 2012, retrieved 4 June 2013 Later in 1891, still only twenty years old, Fishe and other D'Oyly Carte regulars, including Leonora Braham, went to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

with the Edwin Cleary Opera Company. There they performed in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Valparaiso,

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, and other cities. Fishe had roles in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

'' (the Pirate King), ''

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

'' (Major Murgatroyd), ''

'' (title role), ''

The Sorcerer ''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas stor ...

'' (Sir Marmaduke), ''

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Dorothy'' (TV series), 1979 American TV series * Dorothy Mills, a 2008 French movie, sometimes titled simply ''Dorot ...

'' (Harry Sherwood), ''Pepita'' (Bombardos) and '' Erminie'', among other works. The Company was shipwrecked off the coast of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

in the middle of the tour, losing most of their possessions, but there were no deaths. Some of the company, including Fishe, made their way on horseback across the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. They returned to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in March 1892. Fishe was then engaged by the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

, immediately performing the role of Thomas Merton in ''

The Vicar of Bray Vicar of Bray may refer to: * "The Vicar of Bray" (song), an 18th-century satirical song about a quasi-fictional clergyman, to which all other uses refer *Vicar of Bray (term), a satirical description of an individual fundamentally changing his pr ...

'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

. At the end of the run, he left the Savoy to star in ''

Ma mie Rosette ''Ma mie Rosette'' ("My Dear Rosette") is an opéra comique in four acts with music by Paul Lacôme and words by Jules Prével and Armand Liorat. It is set in 16th-century Navarre, ruled by the young and famously amorous Henry IV of France, Henri ...

'' at the

and then at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

from November 1892 to February 1893. Fishe began to suffer from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, perhaps as early as on the South America tour, and the disease was to advance over the ensuing years. After ''Ma mie Rosette'', he travelled to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to convalesce.

Savoy Theatre

In the spring of 1893, Fishe returned to the Savoy Theatre to create roles in several more

Savoy Opera Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which imp ...

s. These began with the role of Jack in the short-lived ''

Jane Annie ''Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize'' is a comic opera written in 1893 by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle, with music by Ernest Ford, a conductor and occasional composer. When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the pr ...

'', which opened in May 1893. In his 1908 memoir,

Rutland Barrington Rutland Barrington (15 January 1853 – 31 May 1922) was an English singer, actor, comedian and Edwardian musical comedy star. Best remembered for originating the lyric baritone roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas from 1877 to 1896, his p ...

tells the following story about Fishe: Chieftain poster 1894

In October 1893, Fishe created the part of Mr. Goldbury in

's ''

'', and in July 1894 he created the role of Gerard de Montigny in '' Mirette'', resuming this role when the revised version opened in October. In December 1894 he created the role of Ferdinand de Roxas in

Burnand Burnand () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 563 communes of the Saône-et-Loire ...

and Sullivan's ''

The Chieftain ''The Chieftain'' is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and Francis Cowley Burnand, F. C. Burnand based on their 1867 opera, ''The Contrabandista''. It consists of substantially the same first act as the 1867 work with a completely new se ...

''. In April 1895 Fishe joined a D'Oyly Carte touring company, appearing in his old roles of Tommy Merton, Mr. Goldbury, Gerard de Montigny, and Ferdinand de Roxas. When ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen; the next was ''The Mikado''. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Thea ...

'' was added to the repertoire, Fishe appeared as Florian. Fishe returned to the Savoy Theatre in November to play the title role in the revival of ''The Mikado''. He continued to play at the Savoy, creating the role of the Prince of Monte Carlo in Gilbert and Sullivan's last opera, ''

'', in 1896 and then played the title role in another revival of ''The Mikado''.

Later life

In December 1896, Fishe travelled to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

together with

Emmie Owen Emily Mary Owen (28 November 1871 – 18 October 1905) was an English opera singer and actress, known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. She is best remembered for originating the ro ...

and George Thorne in a D'Oyly Carte tour. There he appeared as the Mikado of Japan in ''The Mikado'' and Giuseppe in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time t ...

''. However, he fell ill again during the tour and returned to England in early 1897. After another convalescence, in December 1897 he returned to the Savoy Theatre, playing Colonel Macrobrunner in ''

The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'', after which run his health deteriorated. Fishe never fully recovered from tuberculosis, and

paid for first-class passage for him to go to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

to recuperate. Believing he had no hope of recovery, however, Fishe returned to England and was sent to

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

in the hope that the bracing sea air at that resort would help him. When that also failed, he went to London where, having obtained a revolver, he committed suicide on 31 August 1898, aged 27 years.Notice of Fishe's suicide
''The New York Times'', 1 September 1898, p. 7, retrieved 9 November 2009

Notes

References

*
Fishe anecdote about ''Jane Annie'' performance
*Lamb, Andrew. "Comic Opera Goes Latin-American, 1890-92: Part 2" in ''The Gaiety'', Winter 2006, pp. 29–47.

External links

Information and drawings of Fishe in Fitzgerald, Percy Hetherington, ''The Savoy Opera and the Savoyards'', pp. 226 and 240"> Information and drawings of Fishe in Fitzgerald, Percy Hetherington, ''The Savoy Opera and the Savoyards'', pp. 226 and 240
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishe, Robert Scott 1871 births 1898 deaths 19th-century British male opera singers Suicides by firearm in England People from St Pancras, London Singers from the London Borough of Camden Male actors from London English operatic baritones 19th-century English male actors English male stage actors 1890s suicides Actors from the London Borough of Camden