RELEVANT LINKS AND WEB RESOURCES

  • Bear, Richard. The Beggar's Opera. November 1995.

    Bear's website provides an introduction to the contributions of composer John Gay and his most popular work, The Beggar's Opera. The site also contains a full transcription of the play as well as commentary and bibliography.

  • Berger, James. The Beggar's Opera

    University of Dallas created this web page to feature their actual production of The Beggar's Opera. The site includes colorful illustrations of the costumes, photos of the production, program notes and promotional material.

  • Campbell, Christopher and Rich Provine. "The Beggar's Opera:" A Collaborative Aid for Study of the Airs. December, 1997.

    This site is devoted to the analysis of the airs in The Beggar's Opera. The site features lyrics, essays, audio examples, and origins of the tunes.

  • Gordon, Barclay. Operetta Then and Now: The Beggar's Opera. 2002.

    This page is brief, but informative. It provides helpful information about the characters and pencil sketches of the characters.

  • Hume, Robert D. The Beggar's Opera. 2002.

    This site is an article from the Grove Music Dictionary online. The article includes information on The Beggar's Opera and a synopsis of the play.

  • Kemmerer, Kathleen Nulton, ed. The Life of John Gay. The Penn State Archive of Samuel Johnson's Lives of the Poets. September 2000.

    This website gives comprehensive biographical information on many English poets, including John Gay. The pages on John Gay includes helpful background on Gay's life as well as including links to several pages on John Gay and The Beggar's Opera.

  • Liukkonen Petri. Books and Writers, 2000.

    This website is a resource for information about authors and books. The page on John Gay gives a brief overview of his life and major works.

  • Nelson, Lesley. The Contemplator's Short History of John Gay and The Beggar's Opera, 1996.

    This website is a resource for folk songs of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and America. The page on The Beggar's Opera provides some biographical information on John Gay and the ballad opera and also provides links to other related sites.

  • Price, Curtis and Robert D. Hume. Ballad Opera. 2002.

    This site is an article from the Grove Music Dictionary online. The article includes information about ballad operas, The Beggar's Opera, and the successors of John Gay.

  • The Shakespeare Theater. The Beggar's Opera. 2002.

    This page is an extension of The Shakespeare Theatre's website. The company performed The Beggar's Opera in their 1988-1989 season. The site features colorful photographs, a history of the play and the music, and program notes.

  • Slade, Roger.Eighteenth-Century English Music July, 2001.

    This website gives a short historical overview of the history of music in England up until the start of the 18th century. The main body of the website gives biographical and musical information about the main British composers of the time, of which there were few who were recognized amongst their powerful foreign counterparts (this website focuses on nine British composers).

  • Woodall, Maureen. Victoria Conservatory of Music Opera Studio, 2002.

    This website was prepared for the Victoria Conservatory of Music Opera Studio where The Beggar's Opera was produced in March of 2000. The site gives a synopsis of the play, background information on John Gay, Terms, and the Conservatory Director's comments on the play. The site also provides helpful links to other websites on the play.

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