The Beggar's Opera

Contents

• 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.