The idea for this suite came from left-over thoughts from a projected version of The Beggar's Opera, which failed to come to fruition. When John Gay assembles the music for The Beggar's Opera in 1727, he used popular tunes of the day and Dr. Pepusch provided orchestral accompaniments. More recently, Frederic Austin and Benjamin Britten have been amongst many composers who have adapted these melodies to their own purposes.