Chapter I: Preface

Some may possibly wonder to find here no record of Ballet in Italy, or at the Opera Houses of Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna, Buda-Pest, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Warsaw, or Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg), not to speak of the United States and South America. This, however, would be to miss somewhat the author’s purpose, which is not to trace the growth of Ballet in every capital where it has been seen. To do so effectively were hardly possible in a single volume. A whole book might well be devoted to the history of the art in Italy alone, herein only touched upon as it came to have vital influence on France and England in the nineteenth century. We have already had numerous volumes dealing with Russian Ballet; and since the ground has been extensively enough surveyed in that direction there could be no particular advantage in devoting more space to the subject than is already given to it in this work, the purpose of which only is to present--as far as possible from contemporary sources--some leading phases of the history of the modern Art of Ballet as seen more particularly in France and England.

A brief series of biographical essays “Cameos of the Dance,” by the same writer, was published in _The Whitehall Review_ in 1909; various articles on the subject also being contributed to _The Evening News_, _Lady’s Pictorial_, _Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News_, _Pall Mall Gazette_ and other London journals during 1910 and 1911; and a series of “Sketches of the Dance and Ballet,” coming from the same hand, appeared in _The Dancing Times_, 1912, 1913 and 1914. They were based on portions of the manuscript of the present work which, begun some years ago by way of pastime, and written during the scant leisure of a crowded business life, was completed at the publisher’s request, and was--save for a few brief insertions in the proofs--ready, and announced for publication before the Great War began in August 1914.

The preparation of this book has involved the marshalling of a vast array of facts and dates, the delving into and comparison of some three hundred or more ancient and modern volumes on dancing and on theatrical and operatic history, the study of scores of old newspaper-files and long-forgotten theatrical “repositories” and souvenirs. Error is always possible in spite of care, and if it should have happened here the writer will be grateful for correction. In covering so wide a field a full bibliography becomes impossible from limits of space; but to those interested the following list of leading authorities--supplemented by those referred to in the text--may be of service. “La Danse Grecque Antique,” by M. Emmanuel; “Roman Life and Manners under the Early Empire,” by L. Friedländer; “Dramatic Traditions of the Dark Ages,” by Joseph S. Tunison (University of Chicago Press); “Orchésographie,” by Thoinot Arbeau (1588); “Des Ballets Anciens et Modernes,” by Père Menestrier (1682); “La Danse Antique et Moderne,” by De Cahuzac (1754); “The Code of Terpsichore,” by Carlo Blasis (1823); “Dictionnaire de la Danse,” by G. Desrat (1895); “Dancing in all Ages,” by Edward Scott (1899); “Histoire de la Danse,” by F. de Menil (1905); and “The Dance: Its Place in Art and Life,” by T. and M. W. Kinney (1914).

CONTENTS

_BOOK I. THE FIRST ERA_

CHAPTER PAGE

OVERTURE: ON THE ART OF BALLET 15

I. A DISTINCTION, AND SOME DIFFERENCES 21

II. EGYPT 25

III. GREECE 32

IV. MIME AND PANTOMIME: ROME, HIPPODROME--OBSCURITY 41

V. CHURCH THUNDER AND CHURCH COMPLAISANCE 47

VI. A BANQUET-BALL OF 1489: AND THE BALLET COMIQUE
DE LA REINE, 1581 53

VII. THOINOT ARBEAU’s “ORCHÉSOGRAPHIE,” 1588 61

VIII. SCENIC EFFECT: THE ENGLISH MASQUE AS BALLET,
1585-1609 71

IX. BALLET ON THE MOVE 83

X. COURT BALLETS ABROAD: 1609-1650 88

XI. THE TURNING POINT: “LE ROI SOLEIL AND HIS
ACADEMY OF DANCING,” 1651-1675 99

_BOOK II. THE SECOND ERA_

XII. SOME EARLY STARS AND BALLETS 109

XIII. “PANTOMIME” AT SCEAUX, AND MLLE. PRÉVÔT 113

XIV. ITALIAN COMEDY, AND THE “THEATRES OF THE FAIR” 119

XV. WATTEAU’S DEBT TO THE STAGE 130

XVI. “THE SPECTATOR” AND MR. WEAVER 142

XVII. A FRENCH DANCER IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LONDON 149

XVIII. LA BELLE CAMARGO, 1710-1770 156

XIX. “THE HOUSE OF VESTRIS” 163

XX. JEAN GEORGES NOVERRE 171

XXI. GUIMARD THE GRAND 179

XXII. DESPRÉAUX, POET, “MAÎTRE,” AND “HUSBAND OF
GUIMARD” 195

XXIII. A CENTURY’S CLOSE 201

_BOOK III. THE MODERN ERA_

XXIV. THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY 207

XXV. CARLO BLASIS, A LEADER OF THE MODERN SCHOOL 213

XXVI. THE “PAS DE QUATRE”: I. MARIE TAGLIONI.
(“SYLPHIDE”) 223

XXVII. THE “PAS DE QUATRE” II. CARLOTTA GRISI.
(“GISELLE”) 235

XXVIII. THE “PAS DE QUATRE”: III. FANNY CERITO.
(“ONDINE”) 240

XXIX. THE “PAS DE QUATRE”: IV. LUCILE GRAHN.
(“EOLINE”) 244

XXX. THE DECLINE AND REVIVAL 249

XXXI. THE ALHAMBRA 1854 TO 1903 252

XXXII. THE ALHAMBRA 1904 TO 1913 269

XXXIII. THE EMPIRE THEATRE 1884 TO 1906 276

XXXIV. THE EMPIRE THEATRE 1907 TO 1914 294

XXXV. FINALE, THE RUSSIANS AND--THE FUTURE 309

INDEX 327

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ADOLF BOLM IN “CARNIVAL” _Frontispiece_
_From a photograph_

AN EGYPTIAN MALE DANCER _Facing page_ 30
_From a Theban fresco_

EGYPTIAN DANCING GIRLS ” 30
_From a mural painting in the British Museum_

A GREEK FUNERAL DANCE ” 30
_From a coloured plaque in the Louvre_

STAGE EFFECT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY ” 56
_A scene from, the “Ballet Comique de la Royne,”
by Baltasar de Beaujoyeux, 1581_

STAGE EFFECT IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ” 88
_From a coloured engraving of a scene from
“Circe,” 1694_

THE DUCHESSE DU MAINE ” 114

THE DEPARTURE OF THE ITALIAN COMEDIANS, 1697 ” 128
_From an engraving by L. Jacob of Watteau’s picture_

PIERROT AND ARLEQUIN, IN THE EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ” 128
_From Riccoboni’s “Histoire du Théâtre Italien”_

L’AMOUR AU THÉÂTRE ITALIEN ” 132
_From the Julienne engravings from Watteau, British
Museum_

L’AMOUR AU THÉÂTRE FRANÇAIS ” 132
_From the Julienne engravings from Watteau, British
Museum_

LE CONCERT ” 136
_From the painting by Watteau, Wallace Collection_

LA LEÇON DE MUSIQUE ” 136
_From the painting by Watteau, Wallace Collection_

LES PLAISIRS DU BAL ” 138
_From the Julienne engravings from Watteau, British
Museum_

MLLE. DESMARES EN HABIT DE PÈLERINE ” 140
_From the Julienne engravings from Watteau, British
Museum_

L’EMBARQUEMENT POUR L’ILE DE CYTHÈRE ” 140
_From a photograph by E. Alinari of Watteau’s
painting in the Louvre_

MARIE SALLÉ ” 150
_From an engraving by Petit, after a picture by
Fenouil_

M. BALLON AND MLLE. PRÉVÔT ” 160
_From an old print_

CAMARGO ” 160
_From the painting by Lancret in the Wallace
Collection_

GAETAN VESTRIS ” 166
_From an old print_

JEAN GEORGES NOVERRE ” 174
_From an old engraving_

MADELEINE GUIMARD ” 192
_From the painting by Fragonard_

FANNY ELSSLER ” 210
_From an old engraving_

CARLOTTA GRISI ” 210
_From a coloured lithograph_

CARLO BLASIS ” 218
_From a lithograph_

MARIE TAGLIONI ” 228
_From a lithograph dated 1833_

THE PAS DE QUATRE OF 1845 ” 228

FANNY CERITO AND ST. LEON ” 242

LUCILLE GRAHN AND PERROT ” 242

MLLE. PALLADINO IN “NINA” AT THE ALHAMBRA ” 266
_From a photograph_

MLLE. BRITTA ” 266
_From a photograph_

MME. GUERRERO ” 274
_From a photograph_

MLLE. LEONORA ” 274
_From a photograph_

MLLE. ADELINE GÉNÉE ” 292
_From a photograph_

MME. LYDIA KYASHT ” 304
_From a photograph_

MISS PHYLLIS BEDELLS ” 304
_From a photograph_

MISS ISADORA DUNCAN ” 314
_From a photograph_

MME. KARSAVINA AND M. ADOLF BOLM IN “L’OISEAU DE FEU” ” 322
_From a photograph_