Opera Scotland

John Christopher Pepusch Suggest updates

Johann Christoph Pepusch

Born Berlin 1667.

Died London, 20 July 1752.

German, naturalized British, composer.

Pepusch is remembered primarily for his contribution to The Beggar's Opera. This is a musical play of 1728 by John Gay, which was enormously successful during several decades of the 18th century. Pepusch arranged a large number of popular melodies from a number of sources, including operas, ballads and traditional folk songs.

His initial training and career were in Germany, but he reached Britain many years before Handel, in 1700, when William III was still on the throne. He was a man of the theatre throughout his career, working in London initially in the orchestra at Drury Lane. He eventually graduated to the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he was music director, composing and arranging music for a range of theatrical entertainments.