''Persée et Andromède'' () is a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

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 ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

created in 1810 by

Pierre Gardel Pierre-Gabriel Gardel (; 4 February 1758, in Nancy, France – 18 October 1840, in Paris) was a French ballet dancer, ballet master, violinist, and composer., 2007. He was the son of Claude Gardel and the younger brother of Maximilien Gardel, s ...

and performed at the

Opéra de Paris 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 ...

Background

The ballet ''Persée et Andromède'' was presented in three acts with choreography by

(ballet master at the Opéra) and music arranged by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul. It was based on the subject of

Perseus and Andromeda In Greek mythology, Andromeda (; or ) is the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Aethiopia, and his wife, Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia boasts that she (or Andromeda) is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends the sea monster Cetus to rava ...

.Picot, É. (1876). Bibliographie Cornélienne; ou, Description raisonnée de toutes les éditions des oeuvres de Pierre Corneille, des imitations ou traductions qui en ont été faites, et des ouvrages relatifs à Corneille et à ses écrits. ith a portrait. France: Auguste Fontaine, libraire. Certain elements of the myth were altered to amplify interest and effectiveness. Gardel dedicated it to the

Prince of Schwarzenberg The House of Schwarzenberg () is a German (Franconian Circle, Franconian) and Czech (Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian) aristocratic family, formerly one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobili ...

Karl Philipp, an Austrian diplomat, military leader, and ambassador of

Francis II Francis II may refer to: * Francis II, Duke of Brittany (1433–1488) * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the Italian city of Mantua * Francis II of France (1544–1560), king of France * Francis II, Duke of Lorraine ...

, the

Emperor of Austria The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...

. On 8 June 1810, ''Persée et Andromède'' was premiered at the Théâtre de l'Académie Impériale de Musique (

) in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Gardel, P. G. (1810). Persée et andromède: ballet-pantomime en trois actes. France: chez Bacot.

Music

Gardel's ballet composition was set to music arranged by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul. Méhul incorporated a rondeau from a

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

by German composer Steibelt.Le Ménestrel: journal de musique. (1884). (n.p.): Le Menestrel.

Setting

The theatre in act one was a flower-adorned public square prepared for games, bordered by Juno's temple and the king's palace, with a bridge in the background. Act two portrayed the king's gardens, featuring statues such as Jupiter's. The set design in act three depicted a palace courtyard of Cepheus, with a sea arm visible in the distance.

Roles

The principal roles were entrusted to artists such as:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persée et Andromède Ballets by Pierre Gardel 1810s ballets Pantomime Andromeda (mythology) Mythology in ballet