Pierre-Gabriel Gardel (4 February 1758, in

Nancy, France Nancy ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Nanzisch'' is the prefecture of the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which was annexed by France under King Louis XV in 1766 and replaced by a ...

– 18 October 1840, in Paris) was a French ballet dancer, ballet master, violinist, and composer., 2007. He was the younger brother of Maximilien Gardel, seventeen years his senior. In 1795 he married the dancer Marie Miller, whom he showcased in many of his works.

Career

Entering the school of the Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera) in 1772, he began his studies under his brother's watch. He became a soloist in 1780, but had to give up his performing career for health reasons, paired with the rising jealousy of his contemporary

Auguste Vestris Marie-Jean-Augustin Vestris, known as Auguste Vestris (27 March 1760 – 5 December 1842), was a French dancer. He was born in Paris, the illegitimate son of Gaétan Vestris and Marie Allard (1742–1802). His father was a Florentine dancer w ...

, who was a natural technician. Upon his brother Maximillien's death in 1787, Pierre took over as the Opera's ballet master. Assisted by

Louis Milon Louis-Jacques-Jessé Milon (18 April 1766 – 26 November 1849)Life dates are according to Babsky 1998, p. 422, who also says that there is some uncertainty: he may have been born in 1765 or 1769, and may have died in 1845. was a French ballet danc ...

, Gardel went on to head the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris for 40 years, adapting to the turmoil of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

and the reign of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

. His first three ballets: Le Jugement de Pâris (1787), Psyché (1790), Télémaque (1790) drew upon classical myths and were considered compatible with the old regime. As the French Revolution caused a political upheaval, Gardel created patriotic dances which combined political content with neoclassical ideas. He collaborated with

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in taste away f ...

, a painter who shared Gardel's views on showcasing the Revolution's ideas in works of art. In L'Offrande à la Liberté (1792) Gardel reproduced the events of the Revolution as an opera with music composed by François-Joseph Gossec. It included the revolutionary national anthem The Marseillaise, which was sung on stage. Pierre Gardel argued that strong technical dancing was equally important to a ballet's story and theatrics. He was influenced by

Noverre Noverre (May 2, 1998 – 2012) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Noverre was a bay horse bred by Darley Stud and raced by a sister operation, Godolphin Racing. He was sired by Rahy, out of th ...

's reforms, although Gardel didn't see the need to limit technique when including pantomime. He kept mime to a minimum and cast those with natural dramatic ability. His choreography offered dancers what he saw as challenging and dramatic work. Outside of the Opera ballet masters were focusing on pantomime. It was at this time that Gardel enabled changes in the training to reflect his focus on expanding technique to encompass great bodily feats. Gardel allowed and encouraged the creation of divertissements for the dancers. Auguste Vestris was a principal dancer at this time and well known for pushing the boundaries of turning and jumping. The very thing that caused Gardel discomfort as a dancer became valuable once Gardel became the Opéra's ballet master. The uniformity of training that the Opera is known for was first seen under his rule. Criticized for not allowing outside choreographers access to his dancers "he kept them in a type of artistic isolation." (Au 42) Some argue that Gardel's leadership was the reason that so few notable dancers emerged from the Opera during and in the years that followed his reign.Giza, Brian H. "PIERRE GARDEL AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE RISE OF THE ROMANTIC BALLET." A talented choreographer, he enthused the public from his first productions in 1790 right through to those just before his retirement. In 1820 he began lessening his work load, opting to create works for the operas, rather than full ballets. From 1820, the creation of ballets was transferred to

Jean-Pierre Aumer Jean-Louis Aumer (21 April 1774 – 6 July 1833), also referred to as Jean-Pierre Aumer, was a French ballet dancer and choreographer. Early life and career as a dancer Aumer was born in Strasbourg of a manual labourer and non-theatrical parents ...

, although Gardel didn't step down from his position and fully retire until 1827.

Main works

All put on at the Opéra de Paris. * 1784 : ''Dardanus'' * 1786 : ''Les Sauvages'' * 1790 : ''Télémaque dans l'île de Calypso'' * 1790 : ''Psyché'' * 1791 : ''Bacchus et Ariane'' * 1793 : ''Le Jugement de Pâris'' * 1800 : ''La Dansomanie'' * 1802 : ''Le Retour de Zéphire'' * 1803 : ''Daphnis et Pandore'' * 1804 : ''Une demi-heure de caprice'' * 1804 : ''Achille à Scyros'' * 1806 : ''Paul et Virginie'' * 1808 : ''Vénus et Adonis'' * 1808 : ''Alexandre chez Apelles'' * 1809 : ''La Fête de Mars'' * 1810 : ''Vertumne et Pomone'' * 1810 : ''Persée et Andromède'' * 1812 : ''L'Enfant prodigue'' * 1814 : ''Le Retour des lys'' * 1815 : ''L'Heureux Retour'' * 1817 : ''Les Fiancé de Caserte'' * 1818 : ''Proserpine'' * 1818 : ''Zirphile'' * 1818 : ''La Servante justifiée''

References

External links

His ballets and their 18th century productions on CESAR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardel 1758 births 1840 deaths French ballet masters French male ballet dancers French choreographers Ballet choreographers Musicians from Nancy, France 18th-century French ballet dancers Paris Opera Ballet étoiles 19th-century French ballet dancers Paris Opera Ballet artistic directors