The Beggar's Opera : Its Predecessors and Successors (Paperback)

Introduction; 1. Opera in England prior to The Beggar's Opera; 2. The Gentle Shepherd: the first ballad opera; 3. The Beggar's Opera: its conception; 4. John Gay; 5. The plot and characters of The Beggar's Opera; 6. The music of The Beggar's Opera and its sources; 7. Polly: the sequel to The Beggar's Opera; 8. The publication of The Beggar's Opera; 9. Production and criticism; 10. Later ballad operas; Index.