View source for Major-General's Song

{{Short description|Gilbert & Sullivan song}}
<!-- Please do not add an infobox to this article without first gathering a Talk page consensus to add one. -->
[[File:LyttonMajorGeneral.gif|thumb|right|300px|[[Henry Lytton]] as the Major-General (1919)]]
[[File:MajGeneraldrawing.jpg|right|thumb|Drawing from 1884 children's ''Pirates'']]

"'''I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General'''" (often referred to as the "'''Major-General's Song'''" or "'''Modern Major-General's Song'''") is a [[patter song]] from [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s 1879 [[comic opera]] ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''. It has been called the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan patter song.<ref>Nicholson, David. [https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20071110-2007-11-10-0711090116-story.html "''Pirates'' to Invade Virginia"], ''Daily Press'', November 10, 2007, accessed October 30, 2019</ref> Sung by [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] Stanley at his first entrance, towards the end of Act I, the character introduces himself by presenting his résumé as a [[polymath]] but admitting to fundamental shortcomings. He claims a wide range of classical, historical and scientific knowledge but admits that he knows little of military tactics, weapons or [[jargon]]. The song thereby satirises the idea of the "modern" educated [[British Army]] officer of the latter 19th century.

The song is replete with historical and cultural references, in which the Major-General describes his impressive and well-rounded education in non-military matters, but he says that his military knowledge has "only been brought down to the beginning of the century". The stage directions in the libretto state that at the end of each verse the Major-General is "bothered for a rhyme"; interpolated business occurs here, and in each case he finds a rhyme and finishes the verse with a flourish.<ref>This is demonstrated in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company recordings of the opera. See, e.g.: {{cite web |last=Shepherd|first=Marc |title=The 1968 D'Oyly Carte Pirates |url=http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/pir1968.htm|publisher=Marc Shepherd |date=7 September 2008 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref>

The piece is difficult to perform because of the fast pace and tongue-twisting nature of the lyrics.<ref>Davis, Kimberly. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140911001756/http://archives.timesleader.com/2003/2003_12/2003_08_22_GILBERT_AND_SULLIVAN_TUNES_DELIGHT_IN__INNOCENT_MERRIMENT__PRODU.html "Gilbert and Sullivan Tunes Delight in 'Innocent Merriment' Production"], ''[[Times Leader]]'' (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), 22 August 2003, accessed 16 May 2013</ref><ref>[http://dictionary.onmusic.org/terms/2507-patter_song "Patter song"], ''OnMusic Dictionary'', Connect For Education, Inc, accessed 2 May 2014</ref>

==Historical basis==
The character of Major-General Stanley was widely taken to be a caricature of the popular general [[Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley|Sir Garnet Wolseley]]. The biographer Michael Ainger, however, doubts that Gilbert intended a caricature of Wolseley, identifying instead the older General Henry Turner, an uncle of Gilbert's wife whom Gilbert disliked, as a more likely inspiration for the satire. Nevertheless, in the original London production, [[George Grossmith]] imitated Wolseley's mannerisms and appearance, particularly his large moustache, and the audience recognised the allusion.<ref>Ainger, pp. 182</ref> Wolseley himself, according to his biographer, took no offence at the identification<ref>{{cite book |last=Kochanski |first=Halik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rppyEHJfWhwC&pg=PA73 |title=Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian hero |page=73 |location=London |publisher=Hambledon Press |year=1999 |isbn=1-85285-188-0 |access-date=8 May 2012}}</ref> and sometimes sang "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" for the private amusement of his family and friends.<ref>Bradley (1996), p. 118</ref>

==Lyrics==
{{listen
| type         = music
| filename     = Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance - I am the very model of a modern Major-General (Baker, 1921).mp3
| title        = Major-General's Song
| description  = [[George Baker (baritone)|George Baker]] sings the "I am the very model of a modern Major-General", conducted by [[George W. Byng]] (1920)
}}
[[File:Pirates of penzance restoration.jpg|right|thumb|1880 poster]]

{{blockquote|<poem>
I am the very model of a modern [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-Gineral]],{{#tag:ref|Gilbert wrote "Gineral", which rhymes with mineral.|group=lower-alpha}}
I've information [[Linnaean taxonomy|vegetable, animal, and mineral]],
I know the [[List of English monarchs|kings of England]], and I quote [[The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World|the fights historical]]
From [[Battle of Marathon|Marathon]] to [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]], in order categorical;{{#tag:ref|This is a reference to ''[[The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World]]'' by Sir [[Edward Shepherd Creasy]] (1851). This classic military history describes the great battles of the world, from "Marathon to Waterloo". When the Major-General says that he can name these "in order categorical", he is saying that he will organise the information not merely in a simple order, such as chronological order, but by category – sea battles vs. land battles, etc.<ref>Benford, p. 55</ref>|group=lower-alpha}}
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the [[linear equation|simple]] and [[quadratic equation|quadratical]],
About [[binomial theorem]] I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about [[Pythagorean theorem|the square of the hypotenuse]].

I'm very good at [[integral calculus|integral]] and [[differential calculus|differential]] calculus;
I know the [[binomial nomenclature|scientific names]] of beings [[animalcule|animalculous]]:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.<!-- Please do not respell.  See the note above. -->

I know our mythic history, [[King Arthur]]'s and Sir [[Caradoc]]'s;
I answer hard [[Acrostic (puzzle)|acrostics]], I've a pretty taste for [[paradox]],
I quote in [[elegiac]]s all the crimes of [[Elagabalus|Heliogabalus]],
In [[conic section|conics]] I can floor peculiarities [[parabola|parabolous]];
I can tell undoubted [[Raphael]]s from [[Gerrit Dou|Gerard Dows]] and [[Johan Zoffany|Zoffanies]],{{#tag:ref|Raphael, Dow, and Zoffany lived in three different centuries and painted in different styles; distinguishing their works would not be difficult.<!-- PLEASE ADD a SOURCE for this. -->|group=lower-alpha}}
I know the croaking chorus from ''[[The Frogs]]'' of [[Aristophanes]]!
Then I can hum a [[fugue]] of which I've heard the music's din afore,{{#tag:ref|The Major-General claims to be able to hum a fugue, but because a fugue contains more than one musical line playing simultaneously in [[counterpoint]],<ref>Leonard G. Ratner, ''Classic Music: Expression, Form, and Style'' (London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1980), p. 263.</ref> humming all the parts of a fugue simultaneously is impossible.<ref name=Benford57>Benford, p. 57</ref>|group=lower-alpha}}
And whistle all the [[Air (music)|airs]] from that infernal nonsense ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore|Pinafore]]''.

Then I can write a washing bill in [[Babylonian language|Babylonic]] [[cuneiform]],
And tell you ev'ry detail of [[Caratacus|Caractacus]]'s uniform:{{#tag:ref|In [[John Henry Foley]]'s 1859 sculpture, Caractacus is only wearing a loincloth, and so knowing the details of his "uniform" is not a great achievement.<ref name=Benford57/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.old-print.com/mas_assets/full/N1081859407.jpg |title=Illustration of statue of Caractacus |newspaper=[[The Illustrated London News]] |date=13 August 1859 |access-date=30 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004061206/http://www.old-print.com/mas_assets/full/N1081859407.jpg |archive-date=4 October 2011 }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}}
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.<!-- Please do not respell.  See the note above. -->

In fact, when I know what is meant by "[[mamelon (fort)|mamelon]]" and "[[ravelin]]",
When I can tell at sight a [[Mauser|Mauser rifle]] from a [[javelin]],{{#tag:ref|In early versions of the libretto, "Mauser rifle" in line 26 is "[[Chassepot]] rifle". The Chassepot was an early breech loading rifle used by the French, but it had gone out of production by 1875. The Mauser rifle, adopted by the German army in 1871,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.mauser.com/1871.197.0.html?&L=1|title= History - Company - 1871|access-date= 7 May 2012|publisher= [[Mauser]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111008134034/http://www.mauser.com/1871.197.0.html?&L=1|archive-date= 8 October 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref> became the more widely used rifle, and Gilbert changed the lyric after the 1907 revival of ''Pirates''.<ref>Bradley, 1996, p. 220</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Martyn Green's treasury of Gilbert & Sullivan |last1=Sullivan |first=Arthur |author-link1=Arthur Sullivan |last2=Gilbert |first2=W S |author-link2=W. S. Gilbert |last3=Green |first3=Martyn |author-link3=Martyn Green |last4=Sirmay |first4=Albert |author-link4=Albert Szirmai |author5=Corcos, Lucille |year=1961 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |isbn=978-0-671-45250-6 |oclc=4009569 |page=151}}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}}
When such affairs as [[sortie]]s and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "[[commissariat]]",
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of [[military tactics|tactics]] than a [[novitiate|novice]] in a [[nunnery]] –
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental [[military strategy|strategy]] –
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a [[horse|gee]].{{#tag:ref|The phrase "sat a gee" means "sat on a horse".<ref name=Benford57/>|group=lower-alpha}}

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.<!-- Please do not respell.  See the note above. -->
</poem>}}

'''Notes:'''
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==In popular culture==
{{main|Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan}}

===Film references===
[[File:Modern Major General, Bab.png|thumb|upright|The Major-General carries an encyclopedia in this [[Bab Ballads|"Bab"]] drawing by [[W. S. Gilbert]].]]
''[[The Pirate Movie]]'', a 1982 modern musical parody of ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'', features many songs from the opera, including this song. Contemporary references were introduced, as when the Major-General adds to the song "Man, I'm older than [[The Beatles]], but I'm younger than [[The Rolling Stones]]." In the 1983 film ''[[Never Cry Wolf (film)|Never Cry Wolf]]'', the hero sings the song.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1959&dat=19831108&id=i30hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r4oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3763,892491 |title=Call of the Wild, Section 3 (Arts) |newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]] |date=8 November 1983 |pages=1, 10 |access-date=23 August 2012}}</ref> Similarly, in the 2001 time-travel comedy ''[[Kate & Leopold]]'', Leopold sings the song; however, the scene is anachronistic in that ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' premiered in 1879, ''after'' Leopold had already left his own time of 1876.<ref>Bradley (2005), p. 12</ref> The lead characters of the 2015 film ''[[Those People]]'' sing along to the song in duelling fashion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rooney |first1=David |title=''Those People'': Provincetown Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/people-provincetown-review-804625 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=23 June 2015 |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> A nonsense [[pastiche]] of the song in the 2017 film ''[[Despicable Me 3]]'', sung by [[Minions (Despicable Me)|Minions]], was termed "amusing"<ref>Marsh, Calum. [https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/resistance-is-futile-why-the-ubiquity-of-the-minions-cannot-and-will-never-be-contained "Resistance is futile: Why the ubiquity of the Minions cannot (and will never) be contained"], ''[[National Post]]'', 29 June 2017</ref> and "the film’s finest moment";<ref>Prigge, Matt. [https://www.metro.us/despicable-me-3-finds-a-loopy-series-finally-running-out-of-gas "''Despicable Me 3'' finds a loopy series finally running out of gas"], ''Metro'', 26 June 2017</ref> it was uploaded to YouTube by [[Illumination (company)|Illumination Entertainment]] as a singalong challenge, which has garnered more than 19 million views as of 2023.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwgTtwJHoWQ "#DespicableMeChallenge – In Theaters June 30"], YouTube, [[Illumination Entertainment]], 4 July 2019</ref>

===Television references===
The song, or parts of it, has been sung in numerous television programs.<ref name=Popisms>[http://www.popisms.com/Song/39739/The-Modern-Major-Generals-Song-1879-by-Gil.aspx "The Modern Major-General's Song (1879) by Gilbert and Sullivan"], Popisms.com, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> For example, ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (season 3, episode 52) staged a duet of the song with guest host [[Gilda Radner]] and a {{convert|7|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} talking carrot. Radner had requested a seven-foot-tall talking ''parrot'', but [[Kermit the Frog|Kermit]] had difficulty reading her handwriting.<ref>{{cite episode |url= http://www.tv.com/the-muppet-show/gilda-radner/episode/176733/summary.html?tag=ep_list;ep_title;12 |series= The Muppet Show |title=The Muppet Show: Gilda Radner |season=3 |number=13 |access-date=9 February 2009|work=[[TV.com]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref> In a short cutaway from the 2012 ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "[[Killer Queen (Family Guy)|Killer Queen]]", Peter plays the Major-General in a community theater production and mumbles all through the opening verse of the song.<ref>Pierson, Robin. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140329003847/http://www.thetvcritic.org/reviews/comedies/family-guy/season-77/killer-queen/ "Episode 16 – 'Killer Queen'"]}}, ''The TV Critic'', March 21, 2012, accessed August 29, 2013</ref> The 2003 [[VeggieTales]] cartoon episode ''[[The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!]]'' features Archibald Asparagus singing the first verse of the song.<ref>[http://ringostrack.com/en/movie/veggietales-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment/53943 "''VeggieTales: The Wonderful World of Autotainment'' Soundtrack (2004) OST"], Ringostrack.com, accessed 10 September 2016; and [https://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/veggietales-season-1-episode-15-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment-385279 "VeggieTales Season 1 Episode 15 S1E15 ''The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916121635/https://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/veggietales-season-1-episode-15-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment-385279 |date=2016-09-16 }}, OVguide, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> In Season 2, Episode 13 of [[USA Network]] series ''[[In Plain Sight]]'', "Let's Get It Ahn", [[United States Federal Witness Protection Program|WITSEC]] workers, Mary and Eleanor, sing along to the song while listening to it being played as hold music.<ref name=Popisms/> In a Season 3 episode of ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'', "Room for Change" (1994), [[Al Borland]], believing that he is in a sound-proof booth, belts out the first stanza but is heard by everyone.<ref>Taylor, Duncan. [http://www.hiarchive.co.uk/index.php?content=script&s=3&e=17 "Room for Change"], Home Improvement Archive, 1 July 2007, accessed 10 September 2016</ref>

Other examples of television renditions of the song include the ''[[Babylon 5]]'' episode "[[Atonement (Babylon 5)|Atonement]]", sung by [[Marcus Cole (Babylon 5)|Marcus Cole]] to irritate fellow passenger [[Stephen Franklin (Babylon 5)|Dr. Franklin]];<ref name=GSVLOC>[http://gsvloc.org/gilbert-sullivan-resources/gilbert-sullivan-in-popular-culture/the-pirates-of-penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance''], The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> ''[[The Wind in the Willows (TV series)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' episode "A Producer's Lot" (Series 3, Episode 11) sung by Mole ([[Richard Pearson (actor)|Richard Pearson]]);<ref name=Popisms/> the ''[[Married... with Children]]'' episode "Peggy and the Pirates" (Season 7, Episode 18);<ref name=Popisms/> the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[Disaster (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Disaster]]"<ref name=GSVLOC/> and the ''[[Star Trek: Short Treks]]'' episode "Q&A";<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/michael-chabon-explains-his-new-star-trek-shorts-connections-to-the-next-generation-and|title=Michael Chabon Explains His New Start Trek Short's Connections to ''The Next Generation'' and Picard|last=Britt|first=Ryan|date=October 14, 2019|website=syfywire|access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref> two episodes of ''[[Frasier]]'', including "[[Fathers and Sons (Frasier episode)|Fathers and Sons]]", where [[Martin Crane|Martin]] joins in the song, singing, "With many awful facts about the scary [[hippopotamus]]!";<ref name=GSVLOC/> the ''[[Mad About You]]'' episode "Moody Blues" (Season 6, Episode 5);<ref name=GSVLOC/> and the "[[Deep Space Homer]]" episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref name=Popisms/> Sometimes the song is used in an audition situation. For example, in the ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' episode "And the Plot Moistens" (Season 3, Episode 21), Alan sings the first verse of the song to persuade Jake to join the school musical.<ref name=Popisms/> Similarly, in season 2 of ''[[Slings and Arrows|Slings & Arrows]]'', Richard Smith-Jones uses the song to audition for the festival's musical. In the pilot episode of ''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]'', Annie Wilson sings the beginning of the song in a flash back of her old school performance.<ref name=Popisms/> In the first episode of the 2020 British miniseries ''[[Quiz (TV series)|Quiz]]'', about the [[Charles Ingram]] cheating scandal, Ingram and another Army officer sing the Major-General's Song.<ref>Keller, Joel. [https://decider.com/2020/06/01/quiz-amc-stream-it-or-skip-it/ "Stream It Or Skip It: ''Quiz'' On AMC, a Miniseries About Britain’s ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' Cheating Scandal "], ''[[Decider (website)|Decider.com]]'', 1 June 2020</ref>

Parodies or pastiches of the song have been sung in a number of television programs. For example, the animated series ''[[ReBoot]]'' ended the series ([[List of ReBoot episodes|Episode 39: "End Prog"]]) with a recap of the entire show's plot, set to the song's tune. The ''[[Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip]]'' episode "The Cold Open" (2006), the cast of ''Studio 60'' opens with a parody: "We'll be the very model of a modern network TV show; we hope that you don't mind that our producer was caught doing [[Cocaine|blow]]".<ref>{{cite web| last=Kois| first= Dan| url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2006/10/can_studio_60_be_saved.html |title=Can Studio 60 Be Saved? |publisher= Slate.com| date=23 October 2006 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schillinger |first=Liesl |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/theater/22schi.html |title=Dress British, Sing Yiddish |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 October 2006 |access-date=5 May 2012}}</ref> In ''[[Doctor Who and the Pirates]]'', the [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] (played by [[Colin Baker]]) sings, "I am the very model of a [[Gallifrey]]an buccaneer".<ref>Horakova, Erin. [https://www.tor.com/2012/06/01/big-finish-produces-doctor-who-audio-plays-with-brains-heart-and-humor "Big Finish Produces Doctor Who Audio Plays with Brains, Heart and Humor"], ''[[Tor.com]]'', June 1, 2012; and Baldock, James. [https://metro.co.uk/2016/06/08/happy-birthday-to-doctor-whos-colin-baker-11-reasons-the-sixth-doctor-is-underrated-5931333 "Happy Birthday to Doctor Who’s Colin Baker: 11 reasons the Sixth Doctor is underrated"], ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'', 8 June 2016</ref> Other songs, from ''Pirates'', ''Pinafore'' and ''[[Ruddigore]]'', are parodied. When he hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', [[David Hyde Pierce]]'s monologue was a parody of the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94kmono.phtml |title=David Hyde Pierce's Monologue |publisher=SNL Transcripts |access-date=15 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320074805/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94kmono.phtml |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' short "H.M.S. Yakko", Yakko sings "I Am the Very Model of a Cartoon Individual".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theflatlandalmanack.typepad.com/the_flatland_chronicles/2008/01/the-animaniacs.html |title=The Animaniacs Perform 'The HMS Yakko' |publisher=The Flatland Chronicles |date=20 January 2008 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref> In the ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' episode "[[My Musical]]", the song is parodied in "The Rant Song" sung by Dr. Cox.<ref>{{cite podcast |url=http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/podcast/nbc_scr_podcast_606_20070118.mp3 |title=My Musical: Commentary. |publisher=NBC |host=[[Sarah Chalke]] and [[Debra Fordham]] |date=January 18, 2007 |access-date=2007-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204041602/http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/podcast/nbc_scr_podcast_606_20070118.mp3 |archive-date=February 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dyess-Nugent |first1=Phil |title=Scrubs took its time to make a musical episode, but made it count |url=https://www.avclub.com/scrubs-took-its-time-to-make-a-musical-episode-but-mad-1798237546 |website=The AV Club|date=17 April 2013|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> In a 2011 [[GEICO]] commercial, a couple that wants to save money, but still listen to musicals, finds a roommate, dressed as the Major-General, who awkwardly begins the song while dancing on a coffee table.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/39770/GEICO-Commercial-2011.aspx |title=GEICO Commercial (2011) |publisher=popisms.com |access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref>

===Other parodies and pastiches===
The song has been widely parodied and pastiched,<ref>{{cite video |editor-last=Zetland |editor-first=Earl |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL81E47F8C9314A1D7 |title=Modern Major-General Parodies |publisher=YouTube |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref> including by [[Tom Lehrer]]'s "[[The Elements (song)|Elements Song]]", "The Unix Sysadmin Song", written for the book ''The Unix Companion'' by Harley Hahn, which replaces the military references with [[Unix]] trivia,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harley.com/harley-quotes/unix-sysadmin.html |title=The Unix Sysadmin Song |access-date=7 May 2012 |last=Hahn |first=Harley |year=1999}}</ref> and "Every Major's Terrible", featured in comic No. 1052 on the webcomic ''[[xkcd]]'' in 2012.<ref>Munroe, Randall. [http://xkcd.com/1052/ "Every Major's Terrible"], ''xkcd'', 7 May 2012</ref> This comic then became the subject of numerous musical adaptations.<ref>[http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/08/ben-miller-xkcd-every-majors-terrible/ "xkcd's 'Every Major's Terrible' Is Now a Real Song"], Uproxx.com, 20 August 2012</ref> "The Elements" inspired the "Boy Scout Merit Badge Song", listing all the [[Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)|merit badges]] that can be earned from the [[Boy Scouts of America]].<ref>{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_-nCH3tX1U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/M_-nCH3tX1U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Boy Scout Merit Badge Song |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=18 November 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the video games ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' and ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', the character [[Mordin Solus|Dr. Mordin Solus]] sings a short pastiche version ("I Am the Very Model of a Scientist Salarian").<ref>Graff, Michael. [https://screenrant.com/mass-effect-secret-moments-you-definitely-missed "Mass Effect: Secret Moments You Definitely Missed"], ScreenRant.com, May 0, 2017</ref>

On the last night of [[BBC Proms|The Proms]] in 2000, the outgoing conductor, [[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Sir Andrew Davis]], sang a pastiche of the song celebrating the festival.<ref>{{cite news |first=James R |last=Oestreich |title=A Model Festival for London. But for New York? |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 September 2000 |access-date=9 February 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/24/arts/music-a-model-festival-for-london-but-for-new-york.html}}</ref> When [[Derek Pattinson]] retired as Secretary-General of the [[General Synod|General Synod of the Church of England]] in 1990, a choir sang a variation on the Major-General's Song, with the line "He was the very model of a Secretary-General", in a meeting of the General Synod.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Rev Sir Derek Pattinson |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1531374/The-Rev-Sir-Derek-Pattinson.html |department=Obituaries |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=14 October 2006 |access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref> In 2010, a parody version of the song was posted as an op-ed piece in the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' mocking actions of the [[Attorney General of Virginia]], [[Ken Cuccinelli]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hinkle |first=A. Barton |url=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/op_ed/article/ED-HINKLE7_20100506-183803/342617/ |title=Hinkle: The Attorney General's Song |department=Op-Ed |newspaper=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |date=7 May 2010 |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100531153112/http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/op_ed/article/ED-HINKLE7_20100506-183803/342617/ |archive-date=31 May 2010 }}</ref> In 2010, [[Ron Butler]] released a YouTube video pastiche of the song, in character as [[Barack Obama|President Obama]], that received more than 1.8 million views.<ref>{{cite video |last=Butler |first=Ron |title=Obama! A Modern U.S. President (musical spoof) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y54FRMedT_s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/y54FRMedT_s| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=11 October 2010| access-date=7 May 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A 2015 YouTube parody satirizing county clerk [[Kim Davis]] called "The Modern Fundamentalist" was distributed by media outlets.<ref>[http://www.queerty.com/finally-the-kim-davis-musical-parody-weve-all-been-waiting-for-20150929 "Finally! The Kim Davis Musical Parody We’ve All Been Waiting For"], Queerty, 29 September 2015</ref>

The character [[George Washington]], in the song "Right Hand Man" from the 2015 musical ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]'' by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]], refers to himself with irony as "The model of a modern major-general", which he rhymes with "men are all" and "pedestal". Miranda commented: "I always felt like 'mineral' wasn't the best possible rhyme."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mead |first1=Rebecca |title=All About the Hamiltons |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/hamiltons |work=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> [[Stephen Colbert]] opined that some verses of "[[Acid Rap|Favorite Song]]" by rap artist [[Chance the Rapper]] (featuring [[Donald Glover|Childish Gambino]]), utilize the same rhythm as the Major-General's Song.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Colbert |first1=Stephen |title=See Stephen Colbert Break Down Chance the Rapper’s 'Favorite Song' (feat. Childish Gambino) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stephen-colbert-breakdown-chance-the-rapper-childish-gambino-favorite-song-716865 |website=Rolling Stone |format=Video |date=22 September 2018}}</ref> [[Randy Rainbow]] released a parody of the song in 2018 titled "A Very Stable Genius", which lampoons [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dicker |first=Ron |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/randy-rainbow-pirates-of-penzance-donald-trump_n_5b4dcbb5e4b0b15aba885450 |title=Randy Rainbow Goes All ''Pirates of Penzance'' on Trump's Putin Loyalty |website=Huffington Post |date=July 17, 2018 |access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Ainger |first=Michael |year=2002 |title=Gilbert and Sullivan, a Dual Biography |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-514769-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Benford |first=Harry |title=Gilbert and Sullivan Lexicon in Which Is Gilded the Philosophic Pill: Featuring New Illustrations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a0o7AAAAMAAJ |edition=3rd Rev. |date=1999 |publisher=Queensbury Press |location=Houston, Tex. |isbn=978-0-9667916-1-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Ian |author-link=Ian Bradley |year=1996 |title=The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan |location=Oxford, England |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-816503-X |url=https://archive.org/details/completeannotate00sull}}
* {{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Ian |title=Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-19-516700-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/ohjoyohraptureen00brad}}

==External links==
<!--Before inserting ANY MORE links here, please see the [[Talk:Major-General's Song#Lyrics of parodies and removed links|talk page]] for the reasons why some links were removed from this page. Thank you.-->
*[http://members.cruzio.com/~keeper/00.html#7 Animaniacs episode ''HMS Yakko'']
*[http://www.amiright.com/parody/performers/g/gilbertsullivan.shtml Gilbert & Sullivan parodies]
*[http://f2.org/humour/songs/usenetpersonality.html "I am the very model of a Usenet personality"], by [[Tom Holt]]
*[http://web.jhu.edu/administration/communications/video_strategy/portfolio/model-university Johns Hopkins University promo]

{{The Pirates of Penzance}}

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[[Category:The Pirates of Penzance]]
[[Category:1879 songs]]
[[Category:Gilbert and Sullivan]]
[[Category:Patter songs]]
[[Category:Songs about science]]
[[Category:Songs about military officers]]
[[Category:Satirical songs]]