Cigale (ballet) on:
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''Cigale'' is a
''Cigale'' is a 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 and ...
-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 ...
in two acts by Jules Massenet to a scenario by Henri Cain
Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry.
People with this given name
; French noblemen
:'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.''
* Henri I de Mont ...
. It was composed in Égreville
Égreville () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Égreville are called ''Égrevillois''.
See also
*Communes of the Seine-et-Marne department
The fo ...
during the summer of 1902, first published by Heugel in 1903 and first performed at the Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienn ...
in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
on 4 February 1904.
The story is inspired by Jean de la Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Eur ...
's fable ''La cigale et la fourmi'' (a version of The Ant and the Grasshopper
The Ant and the Grasshopper, alternatively titled The Grasshopper and the Ant (or Ants), is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 373 in the Perry Index. The fable describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is ...
), and portrays "Cigale" (Cicada) as a charitable young woman who takes pity on "La Pauvrette" (The Poor Girl) and gives away her meager purse, bonnet and red umbrella. She is then ridiculed and taken advantage of by "Madame Fourmi" (Madam Ant), ticketed by "Le Garçon de Banque" (The Banker), and ravished by "Le Petit Ami" (The Boyfriend). Cigale, whose kindness and carefree nature leads her to lose what little she has, is refused shelter by Madame Fourmi and left to die in the snow at the close of the ballet. She ascends to heaven with the angels while La Pauvrette and Le Petit Ami run off together with her bonnet and red umbrella.
''Cigale'' is rarely performed and is not part of the standard ballet repertory. The music, recorded by conductor Richard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge ( ) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australian conductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performanc ...
and first available commercially in 1980, has been re-released on compact disc and digital media several times, most recently in 2020.
Characters
*Cigale (Cicada) *La Pauvrette (The Poor Girl) *Le Petit Ami (The Boyfriend) *Madame Fourmi (Madam Ant) *Le Garçon de Banque (The Banker)References
External links
* {{The Ant and the Grasshopper Ballets by Jules Massenet Ballets by Henri Cain Works based on fables 1904 ballet premieres