John Gay
An 18th-century writer whose witty ballad opera savaged political corruption and invented a new, wildly popular form of musical theatre.
1685–1732 (age 47)·English poet and playwright·Birthday: June 30
Biography
John Gay was the quintessential early 18th-century man of letters, a friend of Pope and Swift who navigated London's literary scene with charm and sharp wit. Born in 1685 to a modest family, he found patronage among the aristocracy but never reliable fortune, a theme that colored his work. His masterpiece, 'The Beggar's Opera' (1728), was a calculated subversion. Set in the criminal underworld, its thieves and prostitutes were transparent stand-ins for the corrupt ministers of Robert Walpole's government. The genius was in its form: ditching Italian opera for popular English ballads and street tunes, it created the 'ballad opera' and became a phenomenal hit. Its sequel, 'Polly', was banned for being too pointed. Gay died in 1732, but his creation lived on, its cynical romance between Macheath and Polly Peachum evolving over centuries into Brecht's 'Threepenny Opera'. He was buried in Westminster Abbey under an epitaph he penned himself, a final, elegant piece of self-fashioning.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1685
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1685Born
1690Started school
1698Became a teenager
1701Could drive
1703Could vote
1706Turned 21
1715Turned 30
1725Turned 40
1732Died at 47
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'The Beggar's Opera' (1728), a landmark ballad opera that was a massive commercial success and a sharp political satire.
- Pioneered the ballad opera genre by setting his libretto to popular tunes instead of original compositions.
- Was a central member of the Scriblerus Club, a celebrated literary society including Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.
Did You Know?
The phenomenal success of 'The Beggar's Opera' was said to have made 'Gay rich and Rich gay,' a pun on its producer, John Rich.
His sequel, 'Polly', was banned from performance by the Lord Chamberlain, making it a bestselling published play instead.
He wrote the libretto for Handel's early opera 'Acis and Galatea'.
“Life is a jest; and all things show it. I thought so once; but now I know it.”
