John Gay (1685-1732)

"When we risk no contradiction,/ It prompts the tongue to deal in fiction."

"Life is a jest; and all things show it. I thought so once; but now I know it."

The Contemplator's History of the Beggar's Opera--Provides a history, plus machine-generated melodies for the airs that are helpful, if annoying.
Backgrounds to the Beggar's Opera
Lots of recordings on You-Tube

11 November 2017
Roxanne Kent-Drury