<Tr> <Th> Composer (s) </Th> <Td> Kurt Weill </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Lyricist (s) </Th> <Td> Bertolt Brecht </Td> </Tr> <P> "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" (later known as "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife") is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera . It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm . The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists, including a US and UK number one hit for Bobby Darin in 1959 . </P> <P> A Moritat is a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels . In The Threepenny Opera, the Moritat singer with his street organ introduces and closes the drama with the tale of the deadly Mackie Messer, or Mack the Knife, a character based on the dashing highwayman Macheath in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (who was in turn based on the historical thief Jack Sheppard). The Brecht - Weill version of the character was far more cruel and sinister, and has been transformed into a modern anti-hero . </P>

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