Is Giselle a Typical Romantic Ballet
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- Category: Arts
- Date Submitted: 03/21/2011 09:15 PM
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The purpose of this essay will be to comment on whether or not Giselle (1841) is a typical Romantic ballet. This will include a detailed breakdown of this work which will then make it clearer and give an insight into why it’s a typical romantic ballet as well.
The ballet Giselle is a famous 2 part ballet choreographed by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli. It also contained a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam. Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier got their inspiration to create this from a poem by Heinrich Heine.
This ballet is set in Germany, Rhineland of the middle ages during the grape harvest. This was considered to be a picturesque romantic place so it appealed to the romantic minds of Paris. The set alone tells us that Giselle is a typical romantic ballet as it features some of the elements of romanticism. Act 1 presents the cottage of Giselle and her mother Berthe who are seen on the side, and on the other side is the cottage of Duke Albrecht of Silesia, a nobleman who has disguised himself as a peasant named Loys. Wilfrid who is his squire advises Albrecht not to flirt with Giselle as he is already taken and about to get married. Albrecht dismisses his advice and this then leads to Giselle falling deeply in love with him. A man named Hilarion who is a gamekeeper in the ballet is also in love with Giselle and warns the girl against trusting Albrecht as he is a stranger but Giselle refuses to listen. Albrecht and Giselle dance a love duet, with Giselle picking the petals from a daisy to divine her lover's sincerity.
This first meeting is where we are introduced to the first leitmotif which is a love motif it happens just as Albrecht meets Giselle the orchestration here has a very deep tone and then changes to a very light tone and this happens throughout the whole time Giselle and Albrecht are speaking to each other. These tones show a conversation and represent Albrecht and...
The ballet Giselle is a famous 2 part ballet choreographed by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli. It also contained a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam. Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier got their inspiration to create this from a poem by Heinrich Heine.
This ballet is set in Germany, Rhineland of the middle ages during the grape harvest. This was considered to be a picturesque romantic place so it appealed to the romantic minds of Paris. The set alone tells us that Giselle is a typical romantic ballet as it features some of the elements of romanticism. Act 1 presents the cottage of Giselle and her mother Berthe who are seen on the side, and on the other side is the cottage of Duke Albrecht of Silesia, a nobleman who has disguised himself as a peasant named Loys. Wilfrid who is his squire advises Albrecht not to flirt with Giselle as he is already taken and about to get married. Albrecht dismisses his advice and this then leads to Giselle falling deeply in love with him. A man named Hilarion who is a gamekeeper in the ballet is also in love with Giselle and warns the girl against trusting Albrecht as he is a stranger but Giselle refuses to listen. Albrecht and Giselle dance a love duet, with Giselle picking the petals from a daisy to divine her lover's sincerity.
This first meeting is where we are introduced to the first leitmotif which is a love motif it happens just as Albrecht meets Giselle the orchestration here has a very deep tone and then changes to a very light tone and this happens throughout the whole time Giselle and Albrecht are speaking to each other. These tones show a conversation and represent Albrecht and...