Cesare Pugni (; ; 31 May 1802, in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. He studied composition with Bonifazio Asioli and violin with

Alessandro Rolla Alessandro Rolla (; 23 April 175714 September 1841) was an Italian viola and violin virtuoso, composer, conductor and teacher. His son, Antonio Rolla, was also a violin virtuoso and composer. His fame now rests mainly as "teacher of the great ...

. In his early career he composed operas,

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

, and various other forms of orchestral music. Pugni is most noted for the ballets he composed for

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

in London (1843–1850), and for the

Imperial Theatres Imperial Theatres of Russian Empire () was a theatrical organization financed by the Imperial exchequer and managed by a single directorate headed with a director; was pertain to the Ministry of the Imperial Court from 1742. The system operated i ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia (1850–1870). The majority of his ballet music was composed for the works of the

ballet master A ballet master (also balletmaster, ballet mistress, ''premier maître de ballet'' or ''premier maître de ballet en chef'') is an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company. In mo ...

Jules Perrot, who mounted nearly every one of his ballets to scores by Pugni. In 1850 Perrot departed London for Russia, having accepted the position of ''Premier maître de ballet'' of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres at the behest of

Carlotta Grisi Carlotta Grisi (born Caronne Adele Josephine Marie Grisi; 28 June 1819 – 20 May 1899) was an Italian ballet dancer. Born in Vižinada, Visinada, Istria (present-day Vižinada, Croatia). Although her parents were not involved in the theatre, she ...

, who was engaged as ''Prima ballerina''. Cesare Pugni followed Perrot and Grisi to Russia, and remained in the imperial capital even after Grisi's departure in 1853 and Perrot's departure in 1858. Pugni went on to compose for Perrot's successors Arthur Saint-Léon and

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

, serving as the Imperial Theatre's official composer of ballet music until his death in 1870. Cesare Pugni was renowned for the speed with which wrote, often composing the music for a multi-act ''Grand ballet'' in just a few days. Pugni was perhaps the most prolific composers of ballet music, having composed over 100 known original scores for the ballet and adapting or supplementing many other works. He composed myriad incidental dances such as

divertissement ''Divertissement'' (from the French 'diversion' or 'amusement') is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings. During the 17th an ...

s and

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

, many of which were added to countless other works. Of Pugni's original scores for the ballet, he is best known today for ''Ondine, ou La Naïade'', (also known as ''La Naïade et le pêcheur'') (1843); '' La Esmeralda'' (1844); '' Catarina, ou La Fille du Bandit'' (1846); ''

The Pharaoh's Daughter ''The Pharaoh's Daughter'' (; ), is a ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Cesare Pugni. The libretto was a collaboration between Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Petipa from Théophile Gautier's ''Le Roman de la momie''. It ...

'' (1862); and '' The Little Humpbacked Horse'' (1864). Of his incidental dances, etc., he is most noted for the ''Pas de Six'' from ''La Vivandière'' (also known as ''Markitenka'') (1844); the ''

Pas de Quatre ''Grand Pas de Quatre'' is a ''ballet divertissement'' choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin Lumley, Director at Her Majesty's Theatre, to music composed by Cesare Pugni. On the night it premiered in London (12 J ...

'' (1845); ''La Carnival de Venise pas de deux'' (1859); the '' Diane and Actéon Pas de Deux'' (1868); and his additional music for the ballet ''

Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

'' (1863 and 1868). In his private life, Cesare Pugni was considered a kind and ebullient man, with a passion for gambling and wine. From his two marriages, Pugni was the father of some 15 children, many of whom had large families of their own. Today there are hundreds of Russians descended from the Italian composer. Among his grandchildren was the artist Ivan Puni, and the dancer and pedagogue

Alexander Shiryaev Alexander Viktorovich Shiryaev (; — 25 April 1941) was a Russian ballet dancer, ballet master and choreographer, founder of character dance in Russian ballet who served at the Mariinsky Theatre. Shiryaev was also a pioneering animation direct ...

, who also created the earliest known

stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...

films and was the first to film ballet dancers

Ballets

La Scala, Milan

*''Il Castello di Kenilworth''. Choreography by Gaetano Gioja. 26 April 1825. *''Elerz e Zulmida''. Choreography by Louis Henri. 6 May 1826. *''L'Assedio di Calais''. Choreography by L. Henri. 15 February 1827. *''Pelia e Mileto''. Choreography by Salvatore Taglioni. 28 May 1827. *''Don Eutichio della Castagna, ossia La Casa disabitata''. Choreography by S. Taglioni. 16 August 1827. *''Agamennone''. Choreography by Giovanni Galzerani. 1 September 1828. *''Adelaide di Francia''. Choreography by L. Henri. 26 December 1829. *''Macbeth''. Choreography by L. Henri. 20 February 1830. *''William Tell''. Choreography by L. Henri. 20 February 1833. *''Monsieur de Chalumeaux''. Choreography by G. Galzerani. 14 January 1834.

Her Majesty's Theatre, London

*''L'Aurore''. Choreography by Jules Perrot. 11 March 1843. *''Les Houris''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 27 April 1843. *''

Ondine, ou la Naïade ''Ondine, ou La naïade'' is a ballet in three acts and six scenes with choreography by Jules Perrot, music by Cesare Pugni, and a libretto inspired by the novel ''Undine (novella), Undine'' by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Pugni dedicated his s ...

''. Choreography by J. Perrot and

Fanny Cerrito Francesca "Fanny" Cerrito (11 May 1817 – 6 May 1909) was an Italian ballet dancer and choreographer. She was a ballerina noted for the brilliance, strength, and vivacity of her dancing. She was also one of few women in the 19th century to be r ...

(for the ''Pas de six''). 22 June 1843. *''Hamlet''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 1843 – never premiered. *''Le Délire d'un peintre''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 3 August 1843. *'' La Esmeralda''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 9 March 1844. *''Myrtelde, ou La Nymphe et le papillon''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 1844 – never premiered. *''La Polka'' (incidental dance). Choreography by J. Perrot. 11 April 1844. *''

La Vivandière LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

''. Choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon. 23 May 1844. *''Zélia, or La Nymphe de Diane''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 25 June 1844. *''La Paysanne Grande Dame''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 25 July 1844. *''Jeanne d'Arc''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 1844 – never premiered. *''Éoline, ou La Dryade''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 8 March 1845. *''Kaya, ou L'amour voyageur''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 17 April 1845. *''La Bacchante''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 1 May 1845. *''Rosida, ou Les Mines de Syracuse''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon and F. Cerrito. 29 May 1845. *''

'' (divertissement). Choreography by J. Perrot. 12 July 1845. *''Diane''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 24 July 1845. *'' Catarina, or La Fille du Bandit''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 3 March 1846. *''Lalla Rookh''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 11 June 1846. The music for the second and third tableaux contained passages based on

Félicien David Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer. Biography Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...

's 1844 symphonic ode ''

Le désert ''Le désert'' is an "ode-symphonie" in three parts by the French composer Félicien David with words by fellow Saint-Simonien Auguste Colin, written after the composer's stay in Egypt and the Holy Land.Macdonald H. Félicien David. In : ''The N ...

''. *''Le Jugement de Paris''. Choreography by Perrot. 23 July 1846. *''Coralia, ou Le Chevalier inconstant''. Choreography by

Paul Taglioni A ballet master (also balletmaster, ballet mistress, ''premier maître de ballet'' or ''premier maître de ballet en chef'') is an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company. In mo ...

. 16 February 1847. *''Méphistophéla''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 1847 – never premiered. *''Théa, ou Le Fée aux fleurs''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 18 March 1847. *''Orinthia, ou Le Camp des Amazones''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 15 April 1847. *''Les Eléments''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 26 June 1847. Music composed jointly with Giovanni Bajetti. *''Fiorita et la Reine des elfrides''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 19 February 1848. *''Les Quatre saisons''. Choreography by J. Perrot. 13 June 1848. *''Electra, ou La Pléiade perdue''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 17 April 1849. *''La Prima Ballerina, ou L'embuscade''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 14 June 1849. *''Les Plaisirs de l'hiver, ou Les Patineurs''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 5 July 1848. *''Les Métamorphoses'' (also known as ''Satanella''). Choreography by P. Taglioni. 12 March 1850. *''Les Graces''. Choreography by P. Taglioni. 2 May 1850. *''Les Délices du sérail''. Choreography by Louis-François Gosselin. 15 July 1850.

The Paris Opéra

*'' La Fille de marbre'' (Paris production of Perrot's ''Alma''). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Michael Costa, adapted by Pugni. 20 October 1847. *''

'' (revival). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon, with Pugni adapting his original score. 20 October 1848. *''Le Violon du diable'' (new version of Saint-Léon's ''Tartini il Violinista'', originally staged for the

Teatro La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix (mythology), Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especial ...

in Venice on 29 February 1848 with music Giovanni Felis with Saint-Léon composing the violin solos). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon, with Pugni adapting Felis and Saint-Léon's score. 19 January 1849. *''Stella, ou Les Contrebandiers''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. 22 February 1850. *'' Le Marché des Innocents'' (Paris production of ''Le Marché des parisien''). Choreography by Marius Petipa and Lucien Petipa. 29 May 1861. *''Diavolina'' (Paris production of ''Graziela, ou Les Dépits amoureux''). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. 6 July 1863. Pugni utilized a suite of traditional Neapolitan airs called ''Passatempi Musicali'' for this score, as well as the ''Chasse aux Hirondelles'' by composer Maximilien Graziani.

Works for other theatres

*''Le Fucine di Norvegia'' (5 acts). Choreography by Giacomo Piglia. Teatro Ducale,

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. 26 December 1826. *''La Dernière heure d'un condamné''. Choreography by L. Henry. Théâtre Nautique, Paris. Circa 1834–1835. *''La Ricompensa dell'amore spontaneo''. Choreography by G. Galzerani. Theatre unknown, Paris. C. 1830–1835. *''Liacone''. Choreography by L. Henry.

Teatro di San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. 4 September 1836. *''Don Zeffiro''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Théâtre Italien, Paris. 26 April 1865. *''Gli Elementi''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Théâtre Italien, Paris. 19 February 1866.

Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg

*''La Guerre des femmes, ou Les Amazons du neuvième siecle''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''Gazelda, ou Les Tziganes''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''Marcobomba'' (also known as ''El Marcobomba''). Choreography by J. Perrot, M. Petipa and J. Petipa. . *''Armida''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''La Débutante''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . Pugni arranged this score from airs taken from his 1850 adaptation of Adolphe Adam's score for Perrot's ''La Filleule des fées'' (staged in St. Petersburg as ''L'Elève des fées'' in 1850), and his 1852 adaptation of Edouard Deldevez and

Jean-Baptiste Tolbecque Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was Ki ...

's score for Mazilier's ''Vert-Vert''. *''La Petite marchande de bouquets''. Choreography by J. Perrot and M. Petipa. . *''L'Ile des muets''. Choreography by J. Perrot. Music by Pugni and Théodore Labarre. . *'' Un Mariage sous la Régence''. Choreography by M. Petipa. . *''Le Marché des parisien'' (also known as ''Le Marché des innocents''). Choreography by M. Petipa. . *'' Le Dahlia bleu''. Choreography by M. Petipa. . *''Graziela, ou Les Dépits amoureux'' (also known as ''Graziella, ou la Querelle amoureuse''). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. . Pugni utilized a suite of traditional Neapolitan airs called ''Passatempi Musicali'' for this score, as well as the ''Chasse aux Hirondelles'', all originally written by the composer Maximilien Graziani. *''Les Nymphes et le satyre''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. . *''

''. Choreography by M. Petipa. . *'' La Belle du Liban, ou L'Esprit des montagnes''. Choreography by M. Petipa. . *'' The Little Humpbacked Horse'' (also known as ''La Tsar-Demoiselle''). Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. . *''

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

''. Choreography by M. Petipa. . *'' Le Roi Candaule'' (also known as ''Tsar Kandavl'' in Russian). Choreography by M. Petipa. . *'' Les Deux étoiles'' (also known as ''Les étoiles'' or ''Les Deux petites étoiles''). Choreography by M. Petipa. .

Other venues in Russia

*''

L'Étoile de Grenade ''L’Étoile de Grenade'' is a ballet ''divertissement'' choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Cesare Pugni. This was the first collaboration between Marius Petipa and the composer Cesare Pugni. Petipa did not receive credit for the producti ...

''. Choreography by M. Petipa.

Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna The Mikhailovsky Palace () is a Grand duke#Russian grand dukes, grand ducal palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Arts Square and is an example of Empire style neoclassicism. The palace currently houses the main building of the Rus ...

. . *''

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; , "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word " terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance Terpsichore is usually d ...

''. Choreography by M. Petipa. Imperial Theatre of

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian House of Romanov, imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the Pushkin, Saint Peter ...

. . *'' Titania''. Choreography by M. Petipa. Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. . *'' L'Amour bienfaiteur''. Choreography by M. Petipa. Theatre of the Imperial Ballet School. . *'' L'Esclave''. Choreography by M. Petipa. Imperial Theatre of the Hermitage. .

Expanded editions of his own work for the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg

*''Le rêve du peintre'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Le Délire d'un peintre''). Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''La Esmeralda''. Choreography by J. Perrot,

and F. Elssler. . *''La Naïade et le pêcheur'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Ondine, ou La naïade''). Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''Le Jugement de Paris''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . *''Markitenka'' (St. Petersburg production of ''La Vivandière''). Choreography by J. Perrot after A. Saint-Léon. . *''Éoline, ou la Dryade''. Choreography by J. Perrot. . *'' La Danseuse en voyage'' (St. Petersburg production of ''La Prima Ballerina, ou L'embuscade''). Choreography by Marius Petipa. .

Adaptations of scores by other composers for the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg

*'' Léda, ou la Laitière Suisse''. Choreography by J. Perrot, M. Petipa and Jean Petipa after

Filippo Taglioni Filippo Taglioni (aka Philippe Taglioni; 5 November 1777 – 11 February 1871) was an Italian dancer and choreographer and personal teacher to his own daughter, Romantic ballerina Marie Taglioni. (He had another child who also danced ballet ...

. Music by

Adalbert Gyrowetz Vojtěch Matyáš Jírovec (Adalbert Gyrowetz) (20 February 1763 – 19 March 1850) was a Bohemian composer. He mainly wrote instrumental works, with a great production of string quartets and symphonies; his operas and singspiele numbered mo ...

and Michele Carafa. . *''L'Élève des fées'' (revival of ''La Filleule des fées''). Choreography by J. Perrot. Music by

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...

and Clémence, Comte de Saint-Julien. . *'' La Femme capricieuse'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Le Diable à Quatre''). Choreography by J. Perrot after J. Mazilier. Music by Adolphe Adam. . *''La Belle flamande'' (St. Petersburg production of ''La Jolie Fille du Gand''). Choreography by J. Mazilier after Albert Decombe. Music by Adolphe Adam. . *''Vert-Vert''. Choreography by Joseph Mazilier. Music by Edouard Deldevez and

. . *''Faust''. Choreography by J. Perrot. Music by Giacomo Panizza. . *''La Fille de marbre'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Alma''). Choreography by J. Perrot. Music by M. Costa, adapted by Pugni. . *''

''. Choreography by J. Perrot and M. Petipa after J. Mazilier. Music by Adolphe Adam. . *''Robert et Bertrand, ou Les Deux voleurs''. Choreography by Felix Kschessinsky after

François Hoguet François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...

. Music by Herman Schmidt. . *''Jovita, ou Les Boucaniers mexicains''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon after J. Mazilier. Music by Théodore Labarre. . *''Saltarello, ou La Dansomanie''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Arthur Saint-Léon. . *''

La Somnambule, ou L'Arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur ''La somnambule'' is a ballet-pantomime composed by Ferdinand Hérold and premiered on 19 September 1827 at the Académie Royale de Musique. The scenario was by Eugène Scribe, and it was choreographed by Jean-Pierre Aumer. This ballet was prod ...

''. Choreography by M. Petipa after

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 ...

. Music by

Ferdinand Hérold Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold (28 January 1791 – 19 January 1833), better known as Ferdinand Hérold (), was a French composer. He was celebrated in his lifetime for his operas, of which he composed more than twenty, but he also wrote ballet mus ...

. . *'' Pâquerette''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by

François Benoist François Benoist (; 10 September 1794 – 6 May 1878) was a French organist, pedagogue, and composer. Life and career Benoist was born in Nantes on 10 September 1794. He took his first music lessons under Georges Scheuermann. Benoist studied m ...

. . *''La Perle de Séville''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Santos Pinto. . *''Météora, ou Les Étoiles de Grandville''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Santos Pinto. . *''Théolinda l'orpheline'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Le Lutin de la vallée'') Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Eugène Gautier. . *'' Satanella'' (St. Petersburg production of ''Le Diable amoureux''). Choreography by M. Petipa after Joseph Mazilier. Music by Napoléon Henri Reber and

. . *''La Basilic''. Choreography by A. Saint-Léon. Music by Massimiliano Graziani. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pugni, Cesare 1802 births 1870 deaths 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians Italian Romantic composers Italian ballet composers Italian male classical composers Composers from Genoa Academic staff of Saint Petersburg Conservatory Russian ballet Musicians from the Kingdom of Sardinia