File:Unknown_man,_formerly_known_as_John_Gay.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1685-06-30
- Died
- 1732-12-04
- Works
- 290
Top works
- [Fugitive pieces]
- The poetical works of John Gay
- The beggar's opera
- Fables in two parts
- The much admired air, Cease your funning
via Open Library + Wikidata
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Origin
- United States
- Active from
- 1685
- Active to
- 1732
Discography
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 822
- Total plays
- 17,225
John Gay (30 June 1685 - 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera (1728), set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names. Gay was born in Barnstaple, England and was educated at the town's grammar school. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a silk mercer in London, but being weary, according to Samuel Johnson <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/John+Gay">Rea
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1685-06-30 ) 30 June 1685, Barnstaple , Devon , England
- Died
- 4 December 1732 (1732-12-04) (aged 47), London , England
- Known for
- Poetry , drama , ballad opera
- Notable work
- The Beggar's Opera
- Patrons
- William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath ; The third Earl of Burlington; Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry ; Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- John
- Family name
- Gay
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- Place of birth
- Barnstaple
- Place of death
- London
- Occupation
- librettist
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Notable work
- The Beggar's Opera
- Field of work
- poetry
- Image
- Unknown man, formerly known as John Gay.jpg
Show 10 more facts
- place of burial
- Westminster Abbey
- date of birth
- 1685-00-00
- date of death
- 1732-00-00
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- has works in the collection
- National Gallery of Art
- writing language
- English language
- Commons category
- John Gay (poet)
- name in native language
- John Gay
- P12749
- Monte Vidon Corrado
via Wikidata · CC0
Works in European collections
22 objects attributed to John Gay, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names.
Early life
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “John Gay” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.