Petipa: Paquita and Don Quixote

[Guest pink tights]

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this as I befuddled! The 3rd Variation from Paquita and the Cupid Variation from Don Quixote: Are they the one and the same? Paquita first premiered in 1846; Don Quixote in 1869...So why is the variation, if they are the same, known more as Cupid rather than 3rd variation from Paquita?? The variation shows up at ballet competitions as Cupid, but I've always considered it from Paquita....

[Hans]

They are indeed the same except for the port de bras, and it is originally from Don Quixote. That variation was added to Paquita later on. Some of the other variations one often sees in Paquita are also not original to the ballet, such as the one in 3/4 that starts with jeté, developpé to ecarté, tombé, jeté fermé, piqué attitude devant, &c, which is from The Little Humpbacked Horse.

[Mel Johnson]

Bear in mind that the "Grand Pas from Paquita" never existed historically in that form at all. It was cobbled together from all different ballets in 1881 by Petipa as a sort of "Your Hit Parade" of favorite variations. Practically anything can turn up in it.

[Philip]

Borrowing music and choreography from one ballet to another was quite common in 19th century ballet. (Minkus, and Drigo were known for this.) Few of these ballets still exist. In only a few that do, they bare little resemblance (or expansion thereof) to how they were danced or original choreography that was used then. This continues to this day. For example, most choreographers use music from Prokofiev's first symphony as an addition to "Romeo and Juliet". An example of its expansion is Sergeyev's addition of the Pasant Pas de Deux to the first act of Giselle with new music by Frédéric Burgmüller inserted inside of Adam's re-orchestrated score. (There is some academic speculation regarding this, due some documentation regarding the to the funding of it by a wealthy patron whose mistress was to dance the role.)

 

-P

[Gina Ness]

Hi Philip...Which music in R and J is an addition from Prokofiev's first symphony? It's my favorite full-length ballet score, so I'm curious...

[Mel Johnson]

Actually, it's not an interpolation. Prokofiev took the gavotte from his "Classical Symphony" and recycled it as #18 The Departure of the Guests in Romeo and Juliet.

[Gina Ness]

Thanks, Mel!