Peachum, a receiver of stolen goods, is appalled to find his daughter Polly secretly married to the highwayman Macheath, and resolves to profit by seeing him hanged. Gay sets his satire of thieves, informers and politicians to popular ballad tunes. This edition carries the music of each song and Claud Lovat Fraser’s notes on the designs for the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith revival.
The 1728 sensation that mocked Italian opera and Walpole’s government, and later inspired Brecht and Weill. Download the free EPUB.