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Smith begins by showing how gestures were encoded in the musical language that composers used in ballet and in opera. She moves on to a wide range of topics, including the relationship between the gestures of the singers and the movements of the dancers, and the distinction between dance that represents dancing (entertainment staged within the story of the opera) and dance that represents action. Smith maintains that ballet-pantomime and opera continued to rely on each other well into the nineteenth century, even as they thrived independently. The "divorce" between the two arts occurred little by little, and may be traced through unlikely sources: controversies in the press about the changing nature of ballet-pantomime music, shifting ideas about originality, complaints about the ridiculousness of pantomime, and a little-known rehearsal score for Giselle.
"Now that opera studies have finally recognized the importance of the visual, a book that reveals the web of reciprocities that existed between ballet and opera during a particularly lively period in the history of both will undoubtedly find a wide readership. The information, presented here through judicious examples chosen from both repertoires, is utterly fascinating and brand new." (Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Cornell University)
"An informative and enjoyable read for both scholars and nonspecialists, whether in dance or in opera. Marian Smith's views are refreshingly new and show unknown facets of the Romantic ballet, discussed with admirable accuracy. Works that survived only as exotic or mysterious titles in dance history manuals thus regain their long lost identities and their historical significance. Those who work in the field of dance reconstruction will especially benefit from this book." (Giannandrea Poesio, University of Surrey)
PREFACE
ACKN0WLEDGMENTS
NOTE T0 READER
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction: Music and the Story
CHAPTER TWO: A Family Resemblance
CHAPTER THREE: The Lighter Tone of Ballet-Pantomime
CHAPTER FOUR: Ballet-Pantomime and Silent Language
CHAPTER FIVE: Hybrid Works at the Opera
CHAPTER SIX: Giselle
APPENDIX ONE: Ballet-Pantomimes and Operas Produced at the Paris Opera, 1825-1850 APPENDIX TWO: The Giselle Libretto APPENDIX THREE: Sources for Musical Examples NOTES
INDEX
"Now that opera studies have finally recognized the importance of the visual, a book that reveals the web of reciprocities that existed between ballet and opera during a particularly lively period in the history of both will undoubtedly find a wide readership. The information, presented here through judicious examples chosen from both repertoires, is utterly fascinating and brand new."—Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Cornell University
"An informative and enjoyable read for both scholars and nonspecialists, whether in dance or in opera. Marian Smith's views are refreshingly new and show unknown facets of the Romantic ballet, discussed with admirable accuracy. Works that survived only as exotic or mysterious titles in dance history manuals thus regain their long lost identities and their historical significance. Those who work in the field of dance reconstruction will especially benefit from this book."—Giannandrea Poesio, University of Surrey
Overview