Grossmith (1847-1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades and as a writer and composer he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical sketches, some 600 songs and piano pieces, three books, and both serious and comic articles for newspapers and magazines. He is best remembered for creating a series of memorable characters in the comic operas of Gilbert & Sullivan from 1877-89, and also for the comic novel The Diary of a Nobody (1892) which he wrote in collaboration with his brother Weedon. This book of reminiscences was first published in 1888, and in 1910 he produced a second volume entitled Piano and I: Further Reminiscences.