Gay, John 1685-1732

Overview

Works:	2,552 works in 11,090 publications in 6 languages and 115,484 library holdings
Genres:	Ballad operas Drama Librettos Criticism, interpretation, etc Picaresque drama Operas Musical films Vocal scores Poetry Film adaptations
Roles:	Author, Librettist, Translator, Other, Composer, Bibliographic antecedent, Contributor, Lyricist, Creator, Editor, Adapter, Honoree, Musician, Performer, Illustrator
Classifications:	PR3474, 822.5

Publication Timeline

Most widely held works about John Gay

John Gay and the London theatre by Calhoun Winton( )
John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, 1728-2004 : adaptations and re-writings( )
John Gay by Patricia Meyer Spacks( Book )
John Gay : social critic by Sven Armens( Book )
Slavery and Augustan literature : Swift, Pope and Gay by J. A Richardson( )

Documenting eighteenth century satire : Pope, Swift, Gay, and Arbuthnot in historical context by Pat Rogers( )
The letters of John Gay by John Gay( Book )
Die 3groschenoper = The threepenny opera by Kurt Weill( Visual )
John Gay, favorite of the wits by William Henry Irving( Book )
John Gay by Oliver Warner( Book )
John Gay, a profession of friendship by David Nokes( Book )
John Gay and the Scriblerians by Peter Elfed Lewis( Book )
John Gay : his place in the eighteenth century by Phoebe Fenwick Gaye( Book )
Deep play : John Gay and the invention of modernity by Dianne Dugaw( Book )
John Gay: an annotated checklist of criticism by Julie Thompson Klein( Book )
Life and letters of John Gay (1685-1732) : author of "The beggar's opera" by Lewis Melville( Book )
Slavery and Augustan literature : Swift, Pope, Gay by J. A Richardson( Book )
Mr. Gay; being a picture of the life and times of the author of the Beggar's opera by Oscar Sherwin( Book )
The life of Mr. John Gay : author of the Beggar's-opera, &c by Edmund Curll( )
Miscellanies by Austin Dobson( Book )

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Most widely held works by John Gay

The beggar's opera by John Gay( )

618 editions published between 1728 and 2016 in 6 languages and held by 11,392 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

In this work, John Gay turned the conventions of Italian opera riotously upside-down, instead using traditional popular ballads and street tunes, while also indulging in political satire at the expense of the then Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole

Fables by the late Mr. Gay. In one volume complete by John Gay( )

287 editions published between 1764 and 2010 in English and French and held by 3,622 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Acis and Galatea by George Frideric Handel( )

50 editions published between 1951 and 2019 in English and German and held by 2,556 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Recorded Feb. 1978 in Henry Wood Hall, London

The beggar's opera : as it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Lincolns-Inn-Fields by John Gay( )

240 editions published between 1728 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 2,549 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Fables. By the late Mr. Gay by John Gay( )

142 editions published between 1733 and 2018 in English and held by 1,780 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Polly : an opera. Being the second part of The beggar's opera. Written by Mr. Gay by John Gay( )

111 editions published between 1729 and 1777 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,520 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The beggar's opera by Benjamin Britten( Recording )

120 editions published between 1929 and 2016 in 4 languages and held by 1,381 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

N 1981 Richard Bonynge, together with an illustrious cast of singers (Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, et. al.) and actors (Angela Lansbury, Warren Mitchell, Michael Hordern, et. al.) went into Kingsway Hall for a recording of a new edition (by Richard Bonynge and Douglas Gamley) of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. Written in 1728, it is a ballad opera in three acts (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 broadsheet ballads, opera arias, church hymns and folk tunes of the time.) Running for 62 consecutive performances, the piece notched up a record the longest run in theatre history up to that time. Unlike other existing recordings of The Beggar's Opera, this new performing edition features opera stars alongside great actors as well as a full-size (double woodwind) orchestra. One of the most sought after of Sutherland/Bonynge collaborations, the original CD has long been out of print and here reappears with the original liner notes as well as the full libretto

Fables. By the late Mr. Gay. Volume the second by John Gay( )

103 editions published between 1738 and 1772 in 3 languages and held by 1,346 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The shepherd's week : In six pastorals. By Mr. J. Gay by John Gay( )

96 editions published between 1714 and 2018 in English and held by 1,294 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Trivia, or, The art of walking the streets of London by John Gay( )

99 editions published between 1701 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,260 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Fables. By the late Mr. Gay. In two volumes by John Gay( )

55 editions published between 1755 and 1799 in English and held by 872 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Wine : a poem by John Gay( )

70 editions published between 1708 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 848 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Gay's first known printed piece, in which he denies that water-drinkers can make successful authors. cf. Oxford companion to English literature

The poetical works of John Gay, including 'Polly', 'The beggar's opera' and selections from the other dramatic work by John Gay( Book )

31 editions published between 1926 and 1994 in English and Undetermined and held by 826 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Eighteenth century plays by John Hampden( Book )

17 editions published between 1928 and 1980 in English and held by 766 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Fables. By the late Mr. John Gay. In two parts. Complete in one volume by John Gay( )

44 editions published between 1774 and 2018 in English and held by 687 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The beggar's opera by John Gay( Visual )

58 editions published between 1983 and 2016 in English and Undetermined and held by 676 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

A ballad opera set among London's 18th century criminal classes, full of satirical jibes about corruption in high places

The beggar's opera, written by Mr Gay by John Gay( )

97 editions published between 1728 and 2018 in English and held by 672 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Ovid's Metamorphoses in fifteen books by Ovid( Book )

17 editions published between 1717 and 1961 in English and held by 632 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The beggar's opera : a ballad-opera by John Gay (1728) in a new musical version realised from the original airs : op. 43 by Benjamin Britten( )

53 editions published between 1949 and 2016 in 3 languages and held by 604 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

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 broadsheet ballads, opera arias, church hymns and folk tunes of the time

Three hours after marriage : a comedy by John Gay( )

51 editions published between 1717 and 2018 in English and Undetermined and held by 582 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

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Audience Level