ballad opera

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ballad opera

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 Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature 2003, originally published by Oxford University Press 2003. (Hide copyright information) 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. 22 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (December 22, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-balladopera.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "ballad opera." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-balladopera.html

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