Ivanhoe (1820) by Sir Walter Scott
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Great classical music inspired by books

17. Ivanhoe (1820) by Sir Walter Scott
Set in 1194, 'Ivanhoe' tells the story of one of the remaining Saxon noble families at a time when the English nobility was overwhelmingly Norman. Sir Arthur Sullivan turned it into a romantic opera which premiered at the Royal English Opera House on 31 January 1891 for a consecutive run of 155 performances, unheard of for a grand opera.