On the History of P. Chevalier de Brissol’s Ballet ‘The Village Heroine’ (1800)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the creation and compositional features of P. Chevalier de Brissol’s ballet to the music of G. A. Pari “The Village Heroine”. Information was collected and clarified on the performances of the play, its authors and performers. Discrepancies were revealed in the studies (the date and place of the premiere, the number of acts, the names of choreographers and composers do not match). The creative continuity of the choreographers in working with the plot is noted and documentary information on the resumption of the ballet performed by A. Poireau, I. Walberh and A. Glushkovsky is provided. The libretto compositions were found and studied. In the article, the history of the plot related to the opera of P. Monsigny “Deserter”, the ballet of the same name by J. Doberval and other works are considered. For the first time, little-known handwritten musical sources of the ballet and its musical material are discussed. Textual features were studied, including handwritten litters containing the names of the creators, the dates of the ballet, as well as a rare autograph of the composer and bandmaster I. F. Kerzelli. The place of the composition in the work of Pari is determined and the conclusion is made that the musical score was compiled from the well-known works of different authors. In search of the authors of musical fragments, a complete verification of the score of the opera by P. Monsigny “Deserter” and the musical source “Village Heroine” was conducted. In the course of checking the score, a quote from the opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” by C. W. Gluck was discovered. The advantages of instrumentation and musical drama of ballet, built on thorough development and a system of thematic reprise, are revealed. It is established that Pari wrote music for its sequel — the ballet in three acts “The Consequence of the Village Heroine” (1806?), choreographed by Poireau and Valberkh.