"Love in a Village" was first performed on 8 December 1762 at the Covent Garden Theatre (London). It was to become one of the most popular British musical stage works of the century, and by 1791 it had also gained international acclaim. The question of why this pastiche comic opera was able to develop this special attraction can be described in terms of fashion and tradition. By bringing stylistically sophisticated compositions by various well-known composers such as George Frideric Handel, Thomas Augustine Arne und Francesco Geminiani into the traditional "Ballad Opera", the theatre makers succeeded in renewing traditional ways of producing and performing playhouse entertainment.

The music of "Love in a Village" stems from four sources: Vocal music from the amusement gardens, Italian opera arias from the 1750s and 1760s, theatrical or occasional music and folk melodies. Love in a Village" thus further developed the methods first used by "Ballad Opera" to create a comic opera from a sentimental plot and pre-existent vocal compositions.

The fourth volume in our OPERA series consists of a linen-bound volume and an Edirom file stored on a USB card in credit-card format. The number of simultaneous users of the edition's digital component is unlimited.