Ballet comique de la reine
The Ballet comique de la reine (French comic ballet of the queen ) was a spectacle of several hours by the Italian choreographer Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx . The first performance took place on October 15, 1581 in the Salle du Petit Bourbon in Paris . Today the work is considered the first major court ballet and a milestone in ballet history .
The piece was commissioned by the French Queen Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont , who wanted a mixture of dance, singing and declamation. The work was intended as a wedding present for Anne de Joyeuse and Marguerite de Lorraine, a half-sister of Queen Louise. Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx choreographed a five-hour story about the sorceress Kirke , a character from Greek mythology. Kirke throws the world into chaos with her malice, but in the end everything turns back to order. The sorceress symbolizes the civil war, and the happy outcome expresses the people's desire for the end of the decades-long Huguenot wars . The music was composed by le Sieur de Beaulieu , the lyrics by Nicolas Filleul de La Chesnaye , the set and the costumes by Jacques Patin . Performers were both Queen Louise herself and members of her court. The role of Tethys was sung by the Italian soprano Violante Doria .
In 1582 the royal printing house published the work under the title Balet comique de la Royne, faict aux nopces de Monsieur le Duc de Joyeuse & madamoyselle de Vaudemont sa sœur. Par Baltasar de Beaujoyeulx, valet de chambre du Roy, & de la Royne sa mere (German: "Comical ballet of the Queen, written for the wedding of the Duke of Joyeuse with Miss de Vaudemont's sister. By Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, valet of the King and the Queen Mother ").
Illustrations
Illustrations from the print edition “Ballet comique de la reine” from 1582
Title page
"Three Sirens"
Production design
"Satyrs"
"The four virtues"
