The Beggar's Opera Essays

Discussion From research it shows that one of the earliest signs of a jukebox musical was John Gay’s creation of The Beggar’s Opera (1728). Before The Beggar’s Opera all popular theatre was opera and the main operas were mostly written by a man name Georg Frideric Handel. The daring storylines and poetry were written in a time when all operas focused on love, romance, gods and heroes. In contrast, Gay took a completely different approach and wrote a performance based on thieves, maliciousness, and

some afternoon tea with John Gay, a more realistic journey would be to engage with technology at the very tips of my fingers. Let me take you three centuries ago and walk through Gay’s life to find out what might have influenced him to write the Beggar’s Opera. It all started on 30 June 1685 in Barnstaple, England where Gay was born. Gay went to London after finishing his studies to be an apprentice to a silk merchant but he disliked the job. He continued exploring other jobs in London; being a secretary

John Gays''s "The Beggar's Opera" is a prime example of literary parody, a genre that emerged in 18th century England as a form of satire and social commentary. Through his deployment of exaggerated characters, mock-heroic elements, and musical parody, Gay uses the burlesque to satirize his time's social and political norms. The Beggar's Opera is a play set in London's criminal underworld and features a cast of characters, mainly thieves, prostitutes, and highwaymen. Gay employs the burlesque by

The Beggar's Opera (1728) by John Gay has undergone many critical examinations. There are many various views on the "hidden agendas" that led to its creation. Examples include the satire on the political sphere like Walpole and his statesmen, or the social sphere with the biased law system due to the inequality between the rich and the poor. Or even the satire on Italian Operas being too dramatic. The formation of this opera eventually led to the term "Ballad Opera" being coined; considering the

Wilde. In Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, both playwrights situate the plot of their respective plays around the idea of the love triangle in a subtle, yet clever method that is entertaining to audiences and readers alike. However, the presence of the love triangle is not merely included for entertainment, but also to serve a greater dramatic purpose. By examining the love triangles between Polly and Lucy for Macheath in The Beggar’s Opera and Gwendolen and Cecily

“The Beggar’s Opera” by John Gay is an opera that tells the story of Peachum, who runs a gang that commits criminal activities. Peachum’s daughter, Polly, falls in love with Captain Macheath, who is a highwayman. Polly’s parents are not happy with the marriage as they do not want her money to go to Macheath and they make plans to kill him by having him hanged for his criminal activities as a highwayman. In “The Beggar’s Opera” betrayal and using people occur in order for a character to gain something

In the story “ The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, the theme of greed is exaggerated through Tom Walker’s life story. Throughout the story, Walker’s estranged and miserly relationship with his wife, his self-beneficial life choices that harm others, and his unfortunate and pitiful death, demonstrate horrible occurrences in a greed-filled lifestyle. Irving also elucidates to readers that consistent desires and the feelings of dissatisfaction towards everything will eventually lead to an

century, two forms of musical theatre were popular in Britain: ballad operas (like John Gay’s ‘The Beggar’s Opera’, 1728) and comic operas (like Balde’s ‘The Bohemian Girl’, 1845). Other musical theatre forms developed by the 19th century, such as music hall, melodrama, burlesque and vaudeville. This became popular because most London theatres were licensed only as music halls and couldn’t perform plays without music. The comic opera is argued to be the earliest form of the musical theatre we know today

ideas about the East, and the issues of race, gender and sexual identity, along with the portrayal of the tensions between the two cultures. Arthur Groos in his essay, “Return of the Native” points out that “the opera presents an inter-racial tragedy set during one of the most momentous historical

The day before the Regatta Hobart, Australia A young man of near eighteen years old walked out of his bedroom of the apartment that accommodated him alone and waltzed progressively across his lounge room carpet to an antique gramophone wearing only what he had worn when he came into this world. He lifted the needle and placed on a record that he had slipped from its cover. Replacing the needle, he rotated the handle for the turntable to spin. Out of the bell came the music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan

it. At age 18, he had to earn money to support his family. Christian Gottlob Neefe eventually became Beethoven’s teacher. By June 1782 Beethoven had become Neefe’s assistant. In 1783, Beethoven published his first piece and played continuo in the opera. In 1787 he planned to go to Vienna to meet Mozart. The journey was cancelled due to the death of Beethoven’s

What is Polyphony? Polyphony is the texture of music containing two or more individual lines of melody, rather than one monotonous line of melody. This was brought later into the middle ages after monophony and later developed into homophony. Monophony is the musical texture with only one voice, Polyphony is the musical texture containing 2 or more individual melodies played simultaneously and Homophony is the musical texture of the melody accompanies with chords. Figure 1.1- Polyphony

What is the definition of the word passion? The definition of that word is “a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. " Some are passionate about singing, others are passionate about dancing, perhaps fishing, or travelling. I also have a passion. However, it is slightly different from these. I am passionate about helping other people. Any person with a passion wants to spend as much time as possible doing it because it is something they love, however not

Baroque music is a style of western art music. It was followed after the Renaissance music and was followed in turn by classical music. It emerged in the seventeenth century as a shorthand notation for keyboardists who were accompanying a soloist or small ensemble performing a work originally composed for a larger group. Key composers of the Baroque music are Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, Jean Philippe Rameau, Johann Pachelbel, George

IC2016 World Premiere Concert has given me a wonderful experience of magnificent pieces of music works. Among those amazing works in the concert, the masterpiece of Prokofiev’s, Romeo and Juliet Suite No.2, 64B was the one who caught my attention the most. This report will discuss how Prokofiev evokes the elements of romantic music in the movements of Romeo and Juliet Suite No.2, 64B by looking at each of the movements. Romeo and Juliet Suite No.2, 64B is classified as one of the Post-Romanticism

The drama, in its truest sense, combines all other forms of art (music, vocal, dance and design) to represent and effectively convey a message to its audience, be it heroism, romaticism, chivalry or just a mere reflection of ordinary life. The ability of the drama to deliver a subject matter to the audience with a tied up emotional bearing made it a popular entertainment during the Renaissance period- the rebirth of classical values (NAXOS.com, 2015). Rossini is one of the most celebrated composers

Evocative of much of the work he composed during his younger years Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 is a testament to his genius and mastery of classical musical forms. Written when he was just eighteen years old the composition is a concise and peculiar example of classical Sonata form. Instead of having an introduction before the exposition Mozart ops to present the primary theme of the piece’s Allegro movement at the start of the first downbeat. Exceptionally melodic the primary theme

Found in act II of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera: Le Nozze De Figaro, Voi che sapete is a melodious piece of music sung by the character Cherubino. Cherubino is a trouser role traditionally sung by a female mezzo-soprano. The piece is a clear example of Mozart’s masterful ability to create beautiful music that still serves as a thematic device within the context of the story. Both the construction of the melody and the accompaniment serve the story and the character fully. Set in the bedroom

Along with a few other genres, classical music was the one of the major gateways to many other music genres that are popular today. Many of the hits today would likely not have been here if it weren 't for the impeccable, creative minds of the baroque age. One of the most popular musician/composers of this era was Johann Sebastian Bach. Sadly, many of today’s youth do not know about Bach or any of his advancements in classical music. Johann Sebastian Bach lived a very interesting and musical life

How Far I’ll GO ¬¬¬¬¬¬ “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein. From this quote, it is obvious how important music is and that it may shape our lives. Today the song “How Far I’ll Go” from the Disney Film “Moana” will be discussed regarding its suitability for Triple J’s Special Broadcast “Songs that Shape Us”. This popular track is about being independent and following