The Opera Polka, as danced by Mlle. Carlotta Grisi & M. Perrot the music by Signor Pugni. Also, the original Polka by Jullien, as danced at the Nobility's Balls & performed at every theatre in London, Paris, Vienna, &c... Pr. 3/-
Folio. Lithograph by and after J. Brandard printed by M & N Hanhart, hand-coloured with red and heightened with silver within Jullien's characteristic decorative gilt border. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [1] (blank), 2-5, [i] (blank) pp. engraved music.
Disbound; slightly worn and browned; outer margin trimmed, just touching decorative border; lower margin significantly trimmed, with resulting loss of imprint; small pieces of mounting tape to upper corners of verso of final leaf.
Sitwell: The Romantic Ballet in Lithographs of the Time, no. 108, plate 73.
"The distinguishing feature of Grisi's style as a dancer was a natural spontaneity that the public found irresistible... Her dancing always seemed effortless, but this concealed a very strong technique. Contemporary reviews make it clear that her pointe work was quite exceptionally developed for her time, and she was equal to such hazardous feats as the famous leap in La Péri. Her place in the history of ballet is also characterized by her lifelong friendship with the poet, scenarist, and critic Théophile Gautier, who conceived two of her best-known roles and who wrote several poems that owe their inspiration to her. Above all, she was the muse of the greatest choreographer of the Romantic ballet, Jules Perrot." Ivor Guest in The International Encyclopedia of Dance, Vol. 3, p. 316.
Jullien was a French composer, conductor, and music publisher. "Considered something of a child prodigy by his violinist-bandmaster father Antonio, Jullien served in the army before entering the Paris Conservatoire in 1833 or 1831. He left in 1836, preferring dance music over counterpoint. For the next three years, Jullien’s lively entertainments of dance music at the Jardin Turc brought rapid popularity, rivalling Musard’s, and three duels brought notoriety. He left Paris for England in 1838... In the democratization of music and the establishment of the early promenade concert, Jullien’s role was significant... Davison... was a supporter and personal friend: ‘M. Jullien’, he wrote in the Musical World, ‘was undoubtedly the first who directed the attention of the multitude to the classical composers … [he] broke down the barriers and let in the “crowd”.’ " Keith Horner in Grove Music Online.
Pugni is said to have contributed music to over 300 ballets. "The reasons for [his] success can be found in the music's brio, its imaginative fancy and expressive quality, and in its subservience to the functional requirements of the choreography..." Andrea Lanza in Grove Music Online.
John Brandard (1812-1863), an English lithographic artist, was a master of the illustrated sheet music cover, designing hundreds of title pages, primarily for ballets and operas.
One of the best-known prints of the famed Grisi/Perrot partnership.
Item #29854
Price: $110.00 other currencies