This proved a success, and in 1876 D ' Oyly Carte assembled a group of financial backers to establish the Comedy Opera Company, which was devoted to the production and promotion of family-friendly English comic opera.

In Pinafore, Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte used several of the principal cast members that they had assembled for The Sorcerer.

The BBC assembled a cast to broadcast the opera ( together with the rest of the Gilbert and Sullivan series ) in 1966 ( led by former D ' Oyly Carte comic Peter Pratt ) and again in 1989.

Carte later said it was " the scheme of my life " to found a school of high-quality, family-friendly English comic opera, in contrast to the bawdy burlesques and adaptations of French operettas that dominated the London musical stage at that time.

Over the next two years, Richard D ' Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa were two of several theatrical managers who negotiated with the team but were unable to come to terms.

Nevertheless, Carte and his syndicate were sufficiently encouraged to commission another full-length opera from the team.

The two men formed a partnership and in 1890 accepted an invitation from Richard D ' Oyly Carte to transfer to his new Savoy Hotel in London, together with the third member of their team, the maître d ' hôtel, Louis Echenard.

Lesser taboo terms include " pony and trap " for " crap " ( as in defecate, but often used to denote nonsense or low quality ); to blow a raspberry ( rude sound of derision ) from raspberry tart for " fart "; " D ' Oyly Carte " for " fart "; " Jimmy Riddle " for " piddle " ( as in urinate ), " J. Arthur Rank " ( a film mogul ), or " ham shank " for " wank ", " Bristol Cities " ( contracted to ' Bristols ') for " titties ", etc.

He built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works ( which came to be known as the Savoy Operas ) and founded the D ' Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed and promoted Gilbert and Sullivan's works for over a century.

Gilbert already had available the libretto he had written for Rosa, and Carte suggested that Sullivan write the score.

Carte proposed a revival of Thespis for the 1875 Christmas season, which Gilbert and Sullivan would have revised, but he was unable to obtain financing for the project.

This event cleared the way for Carte, Gilbert and Sullivan to form the D ' Oyly Carte Opera Company, which then produced all of their succeeding operas.

Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte tried for many years to control the American performance copyrights over their operas, without success.

Richard D ' Oyly Carte was the booking manager for Oscar Wilde, a then lesser-known proponent of aestheticism, and dispatched Wilde on an American lecture tour in conjunction with the opera's U. S. run, so that American audiences might better understand what the satire was all about.

Sullivan had been satisfied with the libretto, but two months after Ida opened, Sullivan told Carte that " it is impossible for me to do another piece of the character of those already written by Gilbert and myself.

" As Princess Ida showed signs of flagging, Carte realised that, for the first time in the partnership's history, no new opera would be ready when the old one closed.

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.

Between 1868 and 1877, Carte wrote and published the music for a number of his own songs and instrumental works, as well as several comic operas: Doctor Ambrosias – His Secret, at St. George's Hall ( 1868 ); Marie, with librettist E. Spencer Mott, at London's Opera Comique in 1871 ; and Happy Hampstead, with librettist Frank Desprez, which debuted on an 1876 provincial tour and then played at the Royalty Theatre in 1877.

Carte announced his ambitions on the front of the programme for the latter: " It is my desire to establish in London a permanent abode for light Opera.

Meanwhile, Sullivan's popular 1867 opera, Cox and Box, had been revived at the Gaiety Theatre in 1874, and Carte had already asked him to write a piece for the Royalty.

Carte knew that Gilbert had worked with Sullivan to create Thespis in 1871, and he now suggested that Sullivan could write the music for Trial by Jury.

Encouraged by the success of Trial by Jury, Carte made attempts in 1875 – 76 to raise money for either a revival of Thespis or a new piece.

This allowed Carte to lease the Opera Comique and to give Gilbert and Sullivan firm terms for a new opera.

Legal action over the ownership of the rights ended in victory for Carte, Gilbert and Sullivan.

She immediately became principal soprano in a D ' Oyly Carte touring company, playing the roles of Elsie, Phyllis in Iolanthe, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Princess Lucilla Chloris in His Majesty, and later adding the roles of Aline in The Sorcerer, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance.

" Carte and his manager, George Edwardes ( later famous as manager of the Gaiety Theatre ), introduced several innovations at the theatre including free programme booklets, the orderly " queue " system with numbered tickets for the pit and gallery ( an American idea ), tea served at the interval and a policy of no tipping for cloakroom or other services.

In the 1890s, under its famous manager, César Ritz, and chef Auguste Escoffier, it became a well-known luxury hotel and would generate more income and contribute more to the D ' Oyly Carte fortunes than any other enterprise, including the opera companies.

There were further changes and cuts, including a new overture, when Rupert D ' Oyly Carte revived Ruddigore after the First World War.

At least one D ' Oyly Carte company, and sometimes as many as three, played Pinafore under Carte's aegis every year between 1878 and 1888, including its first London revival in 1887.

" Carte and his manager, George Edwardes ( later famous as manager of the Gaiety Theatre ), introduced several innovations including numbered seating, free programme booklets, proper whisky in the bars, the " queue " system for the pit and gallery ( an American idea ) and a policy of no tipping for cloakroom or other services.

By then, Grossmith had become friendly with many in the music and theatre establishments, including Arthur Sullivan and impresario Richard D ' Oyly Carte ; and Grossmith had the opportunity to perform in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury and other Sullivan works at charity benefits.

By including in it the statement that the " King's Evil " had been cured by the Pretender, Carte lost the favour of most of his patrons.

In 1890, during the run of Gilbert and Sullivan's previous opera, The Gondoliers, Gilbert accused their producer, Richard D ' Oyly Carte, of unfair accounting for the expenses of their shows, including charging to the partnership the cost of a new carpet for the Savoy Theatre.

During this period, Carte also presented various companion pieces with the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, including the 1877 revival of Dora's Dream by Arthur Cecil and Alfred Cellier ; The Spectre Knight ( 1878 ); revivals of Trial by Jury ; several pieces by George Grossmith beginning in 1878: Beauties on the Beach, A Silver Wedding, Five Hamlets, and Cups and Saucers ; revivals of Gilbert's After All!

In April 1890, during the run of The Gondoliers, Gilbert discovered that maintenance expenses for the theatre, including a new £ 500 carpet for the front lobby of the theatre, were being charged to the partnership instead of borne by Carte.

He appeared as a guest artist numerous times with D ' Oyly Carte after his retirement, including their " last night " concert.

Reed continued to direct, and to sing occasionally in concerts, until at least 2004, including at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, where he also gave talks and participated in events, often with other former members of the D ' Oyly Carte.

He also directed several musical and shows, including the nude revue Carte Blanche.

There have been several attempts at a reconstruction, including one by David Russell Hulme that was included on the 1994 new D ' Oyly Carte Opera Company recording.

The story involves many well-known people, including George Bernard Shaw, who hires Holmes to look into the death of an unpleasant theatre critic ; Sir Arthur Sullivan, one of whose singers at the D ' Oyly Carte Opera Company was another victim of the murderer ; and others including W. S. Gilbert, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry and Frank Harris.

Rosa's place in English music was indicated by the number of leading musicians who attended his funeral, including Sullivan, Stanford, Mackenzie and George Grove, together with Richard D ' Oyly Carte, George Edwardes and Augustus Harris.

In 2009, MOMA honored Strand Releasing with " Carte Blanche " a 20 year retrospective honoring select filmmakers from the Strand roster including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Fatih Akin, François Ozon and Jacques Nolot, adding their films into the MOMA permanent collection.

He has strong interests in music, including the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, and is the co-author ( with Frederic Lloyd ) of Gilbert and Sullivan: The Official D ' Oyly Carte Picture History.