The Beggar's Opera (Multi-signed souvenir volume)

John Gay

Published by Marttin Secker, London, 1930

About this Item

From Wikipedia: The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today. Ballad operas were satiric musical plays that used some of the conventions of opera, but without recitative. The lyrics of the airs in the piece are set to popular broadside ballads, opera arias, church hymns and folk tunes of the time. The Beggar's Operapremiered at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre on 29 January 1728 and ran for 62 consecutive performances, the second-longest run in theatre history up to that time (after 146 performances of Robert Cambert's Pomonein Paris in 1671). The work became Gay's greatest success and has been played ever since; it has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century". In 1920, The Beggar's Operabegan a revival run of 1,463 performances at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London, which was one of the longest runs in history for any piece of musical theatre at that time." This book was printed as a souvenir for "Members of the Audience on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary and 1,685th performance at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. June 5th, 1930." (apparently Wikipedia''s count is short by more than 200 performances). This copy is fine in blue cloth with gilt titles on the spine. It is signed on the souvenir page by the Producer, Nigel Playfair, the Chief Player, Frederick Ranalow and the Master of the Musick, Frederic Austin. In addition, it is signed by A.P. Herbert, who wrote the Prologue, on the Prologue page. No other marks or damage at all. . FO25.

Seller Inventory # B1095

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Beggar's Opera (Multi-signed souvenir volume)
• Publisher: Marttin Secker, London
• Publication Date: 1930
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: Special souvenir edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Signed/Inscribed