The Beggar's Opera

LibriVox recording of The Beggar's Opera by John Gay. Read in English. The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. The piece satirises Italian Opera, which had become popular in London, by telling a story of beggars, highwaymen and "women of the town" rather than the classical or mythological figures of grand opera. The Airs in the opera were set to popular street ballads, hymns, folk songs of the time and some tunes from operas by Handel and others. The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances, a record for any play in Englan