| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| ballad opera |
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| 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 Beggars Opera (1728) by John Gay. The vogue for these operas lasted until c.1750. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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