This 1728 John Gay "opera" put satiric lyrics to the tunes of popular songs
Gay's generic invention: Opera + Ballads 1st Musical 
Comedy; Satire ... Music and song draws upon English and Irish ballads; Staging 
offers... [DOC] [TLE] John Gay - Broadview Press [PAR] satire, The What d'ye Call It (1715) and the rather less successful Three ... On 29 
January 1728, Gay's The Beggar's Opera premiered at John Rich's theater at 
Lincoln's Inn ...