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ballad opera

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Copyright

ballad opera. Opera with spoken dialogue and using popular tunes of the day provided with new words. Form originated in England with Allan Ramsay's The Gentle Shepherd (1725), but the success in 1728 of Gay's The Beggar's Opera started the vogue for this type of entertainment which lasted for nearly 30 years. Charles Coffey's The Devil to pay (1731) was adapted in Ger. in 1743 as Der Teufel ist los and est. the Singspiel tradition which culminated in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. There are also wider definitions of the genre; and in the 20th cent. Vaughan Williams's Hugh the Drover (1914) is described as a ‘romantic ballad opera’ by the composer although it has no spoken dialogue and does not exclusively comprise traditional tunes.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-balladopera.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-balladopera.html

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ballad opera

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Copyright

ballad opera, a theatrical and musical form, very popular in England in the 18th cent., in which the action of the play (usually comic) is carried in spoken prose, interspersed with songs. The first ballad opera is John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728).

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-balladopera.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-balladopera.html

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ballad opera

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

ballad opera in English drama, a play of comic, satiric, or pastoral intent, interspersed with songs, most of them sung to popular airs. First and best was The Beggar's Opera (1728) by John Gay . The vogue for these operas lasted until c.1750.

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"ballad opera." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ballad opera." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-balladop.html

"ballad opera." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-balladop.html

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