''Cydalise et le chèvre-pied'' ("Cydalise and the goat-foot" or "Cydalise and the satyr") is a two-act

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

originally choreographed by Léo Staats to a score by

Gabriel Pierné Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. Biography Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...

. The libretto was written by Gaston Arman de Caillavet and Robert de Flers, based on

Remy de Gourmont Remy de Gourmont (4 April 1858 – 27 September 1915) was a French symbolist poet, novelist, and influential critic. He was widely read in his era, and an important influence on Blaise Cendrars and Georges Bataille. The spelling ''Rémy'' de Go ...

's ''Lettre d'un satyre''. Though it was composed between 1914 and 14 February 1915, its

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

premiere was delayed due to the conditions of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

until 15 January 1923. The use of the French term "chèvre-pied" (goat foot) to refer to the

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

is distinct to this composition. The ballet remains one of the Pierné's most popular compositions. The music is of the

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

era, though it contains elements of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

, and Neo-Baroque music. Three years after the premiere Pierné extracted two suites from the work, the first of which includes sections from the first two tableaux while the second comprises the entire third tableau. One of the most recognizable pieces in the ballet, "L'École des Ægipans," also known as "The Entry of the Little Fauns" or "The March of the Fauns," is occasionally excerpted and performed separately.

The music

Structure

Act I

Tableau I *Introduction *Danse des Dryades *Apparition de la Source *L'École des Ægipans *La Leçon de flûte de Pan *L'École des Nymphes *La Leçon de danse *Scène *Styrax

Act II

Tableau II *Entrée des Danseurs *Entrée de Styrax *Entrée de Cydalise *Ballet ''La Sultane des Indes'' **Entrée **Pantomime **Pas des Apothicaires **Danse des Esclaves **Variations de Cydalise **Final du Ballet *Danse de Styrax Tableau III *Entrée de Cydalise *Entrée des Suivantes *Pas des billets doux *Entrée de Styrax et danse *Final

Style and influences

''Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied'' makes use of modes and lush harmonies characteristic of impressionist music. The opening moonrise scene, highlighted by a wordless chorus, uses techniques similar to that of

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

's '' Daphnis et Chloé'' (1912). ''Cydalise'', however, differs in its adherence to shorter musical numbers and closed form composition. The ballet also references styles customary to the Classical and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

musical eras, employing a magnified woodwind section emphasizing flutes and piccolos, and even a contemporaneously uncommon use of the

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

in Act II.

Discography

*1976: ''Orchestra suites no. 1 and 2'' (+ '' Ramuntcho''), performed by the

, Jean-Baptiste Mari (dir.) -

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...

. *2001: ''Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied'', performed by the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, David Shallon (dir.) - Timpani Records.

In popular culture

''Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied'' was among '' Toccata and Fugue in D minor'', ''

Nutcracker Suite ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. The plot is a ...

'', ''

Night on Bald Mountain ''Night on Bald Mountain'' (), also known as ''Night on the Bare Mountain'', is a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian s:St. John's Eve (Gogol, unsourced), literary works and legend, Mussorgsky composed ...

'', ''

Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...

'', '' Dance of the Hours'', '' Clair de Lune'', ''

The Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring'' () is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky ...

'', and ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...

'' as the original planned line-up for

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's '' Fantasia'' (1940). However, both it and ''Clair de Lune'' were removed from the program late in the writing process and ''Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied'' was ultimately replaced with sections from

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's '' Pastoral Symphony''.Gabler, p. 308

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cydalise et le Chevre-pied Compositions by Gabriel Pierné 1915 compositions 1923 ballets Ballets premiered at the Paris Opera Ballet Compositions for symphony orchestra