He wrote several successful stage works, of which his ballad opera " The Devil to Pay " was the most successful.
22.
Henry Fielding, Colley Cibber, Arne, Dibdin, Arnold, Shield, Jackson of Exeter, Hook and many others produced ballad operas that enjoyed great popularity.
23.
Reviews in " The Times " drew a distinction between the ballad opera style of Part 1, with its light-hearted dialogue and songs,
24.
His career progressed, principally at Drury Lane, in musical theatre ( mainly ballad opera ) and pantomime, in lesser roles in Shakespearean theatre.
25.
Foreign operas were popular among the upper-class throughout the 19th century, while other styles of musical theater included operettas, ballad operas and the opera bouffe.
26.
Apart from " The Beggar's Opera ", " The Devil to Pay " was by far the most popular ballad opera of the 18th century.
27.
In addition to his contribution to pantomimes, Charke composed one ballad opera, " The Festival ", which premiered in 1734 and starred Susannah Maria Cibber.
28.
In theatrical music, the 18th century ballad opera, which included satirical songs set to popular melodies of the time, involved some of the broadest musical parodies.
29.
It is generally accepted that the first ballad opera, and the one that was to prove the most successful, was " The Beggar's Opera " of 1728.
30.
These " Singspiele " were comedies mixing spoken dialogue and singing, influenced by the similar genres of the ballad opera in England and the op�ra comique in France.
