Baba the Turk

E510472

Baba the Turk is a bearded lady and flamboyant character in Igor Stravinsky’s opera *The Rake’s Progress*, known for her comic yet unsettling marriage to the protagonist Tom Rakewell.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf bearded lady
fictional character
mezzo-soprano role
opera character
appearsIn The Rake’s Progress NERFINISHED
associatedArtForm 20th-century opera
associatedWith London NERFINISHED
basedOn 18th-century fairground bearded ladies archetype
composerAssociatedWith Igor Stravinsky NERFINISHED
createdBy Chester Kallman NERFINISHED
Igor Stravinsky NERFINISHED
W. H. Auden NERFINISHED
dramaticCategory buffa character
firstAppearance The Rake’s Progress, Act II NERFINISHED
genre comic opera character
hasCharacteristic bearded
comic
flamboyant
grotesque
larger-than-life
temperamental
hasNameInWork Baba the Turk NERFINISHED
hasRelationshipWith Anne Trulove NERFINISHED
Nick Shadow NERFINISHED
hasTheme illusion versus reality
marriage of convenience
spectacle and celebrity culture
isFictional true
languageOfWork English
librettistAssociatedWith Chester Kallman NERFINISHED
W. H. Auden NERFINISHED
librettoLanguage English
narrativeFunction comic relief
moral counterpoint to Tom Rakewell
symbol of Tom Rakewell’s folly
notableScene scene where she falls under a spell of silence
scene where she overwhelms Tom with her possessions
occupation celebrity
freak-show performer
partOf The Rake’s Progress cast of characters
roleInPlot wife of Tom Rakewell
settingContext 18th-century London society
spouseOf Tom Rakewell NERFINISHED
voiceType mezzo-soprano
workPremiereYear 1951

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Rake's Progress mainCharacter Baba the Turk