Life And Letters Of John Gay (1685-1732), Author of "The Beggar's Opera"Melville, Lewis
General
Life And Letters Of John Gay (1685-1732), Author of "The Beggar's Opera"
Melville, Lewis
Authors, English -- 18th century -- Biography; Gay, John, 1685-1732
Air VI. VIRGINS ARE LIKE THE FAIR FLOWER--
Was written by Sir Chas. Hanbury Williams.
Air XXIV. GAMESTERS AND LAWYERS--
Was written by Mr. Fortescue, Master of the Rolls.
Air XXX. WHEN YOU CENSURE THE AGE--
Was written by Dean Swift.
Airs I and XLIV. THROUGH ALL THE EMPLOYMENTS OF LIFE--and THE MODES OF
THE COURT--
Were written by Lord Chesterfield.
All the songs, except I, VI, XXIV, XXX, and XLIV were written by Gay.
SOURCES OF THE TUNES.
I. AN OLD WOMAN CLOTHED IN GRAY.
Old English air first published in 1665.
II. THE BONNY GRAY-EY'D MORN.
Composed by Jeremiah Clarke in 1695.
III. COLD AND RAW.
Old Irish _air_, 1600. "The Irish Ho Hoane" _cir_. 1610.
IV. WHY IS YOUR FAITHFUL SLAVE DISDAIN'D?
Composed by Bononcini. Published in Playford's _Banquet_. 1688
V. OF ALL THE SIMPLE THINGS WE DO.
Old Irish _air_, 1660. Introduced by Doggett into his _Country
Wake_, 1696; also known as "The Mouse Trap," 1719.
VI. WHAT SHALL I DO TO SHOW HOW MUCH I LOVE HER?
Composed by Henry Purcell. _Bonduca_ in 1695.
VII. OH! LONDON IS A FINE TOWN,
Old English. Published by Playford in 1665.
VIII. GRIM KING OF THE GHOSTS.
Old Irish. Adapted by Henry Purcell to "Hail to the Myrtle Shades,"
in _Theodosius_, 1680. Also adapted to "Rosalind's Complaint," by
Mr. Baker, in 1727.
IX. O JENNY! O JENNY!
Old Irish air, 1600. Adapted to "May Fair," 1703.
X. THOMAS, I CANNOT.
Sung in Weaver's _Perseus and Andromede_, 1717. Published in
Playford's _Dancing Master_, in 1719.
XI. A SOLDIER AND A SAILOR.
Composed by John Eccles for Congreve's _Love for Love_, 1696.
XII. NOW PONDER WELL.
Old English. "The Children in the Wood." Seventeenth Century.
XIII. LE PRINTEMPS RAPPELLE.
Old French chanson.
XIV. PRETTY PARROT, SAY.
Old English. Published by Playford in 1719.
XV. PRAY, FAIR ONE, BE KIND.
Old English air, 1715.
XVI. OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY.
Old Irish. Atkinson's MS. in 1694. By Farquhar in his _Recruiting
Officer_, in 1706. Published by Durfey in 1709.
XVII. GIN THOU WERT MINE AWN THING.
Old Scotch. Published by Ramsay in 1726, in his "Musick for the
Songs in the Tea Table Miscellany."
XVIII. O THE BROOM!
Old Irish. Quoted by Bishop Wadding in 1680.
XIX. FILL EVERY GLASS.
A _French_ Drinking Song. "Que chacun remplisse son verre"; adapted
by Durfey in 1710.
XX. MARCH IN "RINALDO."
Composed by Handel. Produced in 1711.
XXI. WOULD YOU HAVE A YOUNG VIRGIN?
Old Irish. Published as "Poor Robin's Maggot" in 1652. Adapted by
Durfey to a song in _Modern Prophets_ in 1709.
XXII. COTILLON.
A _French_ Dance tune. Printed in a Frankfort book of the year
1664, and by Playford as "Tony's Rant," in 1726.
XXIII. ALL IN A MISTY MORNING.
Old English. "The Friar and the Nun" (Friar Foxtail). Printed by
Playford in 1651. Durfey's _Pills_, 1719.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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