Opera in three acts for soloists (2 sopranos, 1 mezzo-soprano, 4 tenors, 1 tenor/baritone, with small solistic passages for other singers) and SSTB choir with orchestra (2 flutes, 2 recorders, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, strings, and basso continuo).

This opera opened at Covent Garden in 1762, under the guidance of theater manager and principal tenor John Beard. As with many ballad operas of this period, the music was borrowed from a large number of sources. Bickerstaff was primarily the playwright, but he was also responsible for appropriating, adapting, and adding to the music, which included works by many composers including Thomas Arne.

The sources of the music, primarily taken from previous works, "fall into four categories: pleasure garden vocal music (the greatest number of airs), Italian opera arias of the 1750s and 1760s, theatre or occasional songs...and common tunes"--Preliminary page vii.

Based on Charles Johnson's 1729 ballad opera, The village opera.

"OPERA is a hybrid edition. The full edition consists of two parts, the printed score and the data storage device containing the text edition and the critical apparatus published with Edirom software"--Title page verso.

Preface in English with German translation.

Credit card flash drive contains, in part, an introduction, text, score, list of sources, critical notes, a manuscript score, the Walsh print of Overture, and wordbooks.

English words.

Opera - Spektrum des europäischen Musiktheater in Einzeleditionen ; 4

Operas > Scores.

Ballad operas > Scores.

Operas.

Ballad operas.

Pasticcios (Music)

Scores.