Sir Arthur Sullivan is now principally remembered for the light operas he produced in collaboration with W.S. Gilbert: however, he was not only the successful composer of a wide variety of musical works, but also a well-known figure in society, who was on friendly terms with several members of the Royal Family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Louise and her husband, the Marquess of Lorne. Queen Victoria admired his music, and he enjoyed the patronage and friendship of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, an amateur violinist and President of the Royal Albert Hall Amateur Orchestral Society, of which Sullivan was the conductor.