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The
Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan
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| Léo (or to give him his full name - Clément Philibert Léo) Delibes (frequently misspelt Délibes) was born in St Germain-du-Val, near Le Mans, in 1836. A French organist and composer, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire, before becoming accompanist at the Théâtre Lyrique. He composed a number of operettas, and was appointed Second Chorusmaster at the Opéra. He wrote the ballets1 Coppélia in 1870 and Sylvia in 1876. Valse Lente from the ballet Coppélia, is probably one of the most famous of the waltzes. Its fame is felt far beyond the ballet, on concert platforms of all categories, both classical and popular. And the ballet is one of the most enduring in the international repertoire. Coppélia, or La Fille aux yeux d'émail, is a ballet in three acts. Its libretto is by Nuitter and Saint-Léon. The initial choreography was by Saint-Léon when it was produced at the Opera Paris on 25 May 1870. It broke new ground in dancing styles, and was a worldwide hit from the word go. The story is based ETA Hoffmann's Der Sandmann. The ballet follows the romance between Swanilda and Franz, and combines it with the story of the doll-maker Coppelius. His greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz falls in love with the beautiful Coppélia, thinking that she is alive. Eventually he discovers his mistake, and that she is merely a doll. Returning to Swanilda, all is forgiven, and the final divertissement finds everyone reconciled. The ballet is further enhanced with a touch of East European folklore (csárdás), and this has added to its worldwide popularity. The ballet conjures up all sorts of images, and the music certainly sets the 'pointes' spinning! If you feel like a little twirl, don't be shy! Being an organist, as well as writing for the theatre, would have made Leo Delibes well known to Arthur Sullivan. It is difficult to imagine Arthur not visiting him on at least one of his Paris trips. Hope you enjoy our arrangement of Léo's three minutes of pure magic . . .
Footnote 1. Ballet is the French word for the original Italian balletto (the diminutive of ballo) meaning dance. It all started in the Italian courts in the 16th Century, and has made great advances in a gymnastic and presentational sense since then. The major home of modern ballet is France, but it has become a world-wide art form, and inspired many composers to write for it. See Koegler in the MusicSmiles bibliography for further details. Return to story.
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