The Gentle Shepherd

About the book

"The Gentle Shepherd: A Pastoral Comedy" by Allan Ramsay is a pastoral comedy first published in 1725. Set in the Scottish Lowlands countryside, the play depicts rustic life and manners through descriptive scenes inspired by the Penicuik area near Edinburgh. Possibly Scotland's first opera, it features a libretto by Ramsay with musical settings potentially influenced by Italian composer Lorenzo Bocchi, who introduced classical Italian musical style to Scotland in the 1720s.