''Scènes de ballet'' is a suite of dance movements composed in 1944 by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

. It was commissioned by Broadway producer

Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman, lyricist and columnist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainm ...

for inclusion in the revue ''The Seven Lively Arts'' that opened at the Ziegfeld Theater on December 7, 1944. ''The Seven Lively Arts'' brought together a number of notable performers:

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989) was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedy performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut in 1914 and soon gain ...

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Z ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, and "Doc" Rockwell as well as showgirls – "the prettiest around at the moment," according to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' review. The solo dancers for the ''Scènes de ballet'' were

Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a Choreography (dance), choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her ...

and

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) (1904–1983), English ballet dancer and choreographer * Anton Dolin (film critic) Anton Vladimirovich Dolin (; ) is a Russian film critic, journalist, radio host, blogger and podcaster. ...

(who was also the choreographer). Although Rose had requested a 15-minute work, "the music was cut to a fraction of its original length when ''The Seven Lively Arts'' ... opened in New York."

Music

''Scènes de ballet'' is a score of between 16 and 18 minutes duration, written in 1944. It was commissioned by

for a Broadway

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

. The music occasioned one of the best-known Stravinsky anecdotes. Rose telegraphed Stravinsky: "YOUR MUSIC GREAT SUCCESS STOP COULD BE SENSATIONAL SUCCESS IF YOU WOULD AUTHORISE ROBERT RUSSELL BENNETT RETOUCH ORCHESTRATION STOP BENNETT ORCHESTRATES EVEN THE WORKS OF COLE PORTER." To which Stravinsky telegraphed back: "SATISFIED WITH GREAT SUCCESS." The score is in nine sections. The timings are those of the composer's 1963 recording. *Introduction 0:52 *Danses (Corps de ballet & Ballerina) 4:34 *Pantomime 2:08 *Pas de deux 2:49 *Pantomime 0:31 *Variations (Danseur & Ballerina) 2:24 *Pantomime 0:27 *Danses (Corps de ballet) 1:03 *Apothéose 2:12

Reception

On 8 December 1944, Lewis Nichols wrote a generally favorable review of the show, although he observed: "Markova and Dolin also have a couple of numbers, one to Stravinsky music, which probably is not the best they ever have done." Stravinsky himself later observed: "''Scènes de ballet'' is a period piece, a portrait of Broadway in the last years of the War. It is featherweight and sugared—my sweet tooth was not yet carious, then—but I will not deprecate it, not even the second Pantomime, and all of it is at least well made."Stravinsky and Craft. ''Dialogues.'' p. 83.

Subsequent productions

*1947–48: Frederick Ashton: Sadler's Wells Ballet. *1972: John Taras: New York City Ballet. *1999: Christopher Wheeldon: School of American Ballet.

Notes

References

*Nichols, Lewis. ''"The Play: 'Seven Lively Arts'."'' ''New York Times,'' 8 December 1944, archived a

*Stravinsky, Igor and Robert Craft. ''Dialogues and a Diary.'' (Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1963).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scenes de ballet (Stravinsky) Ballets by Igor Stravinsky, Scenes de ballet 1944 ballets