New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-30
TIE BALLET.
From me 81 James,s Ga..N

From ne 81 James, Gds,tc
The honor of having invented the ballet does not
strictly belong to the French. although N was on
the French stage that II was first presented. Sgnor
BatazaT or BaltazarIni. was sent from Piedmont TO
Paris with his fiddle and his taste Tor dancing, as
present from Marshal Brls,ac 10 Catherine de Mcdl
cis The Princess accepted him with satisfaction.
and he app 'arS to have united IN his person the
Offices of her bAndmas!cr and her Nalctdc-ChaInbe.
Her son Henry III. gave HIM ms quaint nickname
of BeauX JOy"uN in recognition, II Is said al hlS
ingenuity in suggesting ballcts AMI other musical
diversions for the Kings amusement; ana IN 1881,
when the King was marrying his iayOrte, the Duo
de Joyruse to Mdlle. de Naudemont, the Queens
sister. his services were rcqulstioned To provide
suitable entertainment for the occaslon. The ballet
f Ceres auu the Nymphs,' commonly called the
Ballet tomuuc de la Rene was the answer OF
the pIrdmoutcsc 10 the royal command, IN which
BcauX-JoyDuX claims 80 have blended together
music. puotr' aud dancing IN n manner when, II
ever uolC before, must have been IN such remote
aufiuuity that 10 may now well be called new
This may be looked upon a. the origin ot the ballet
heroiqac. well the b1ttt hHiH7qHC, III France;
ard, indeed, as The proper progrmtor OF DaIlrC
PANT whine everywhere. The plot, we are told. was
hv Claude de Jeunc, aud the songs which occurred
Iu 1t 10y NM. Brauiic and salmon, OF the Kings
hand while the entrees dc tdiirt as they are called,
were bY BalttZlr himself.
Even In our ,ig,s. good looks have not always
been essential to dancers success. Mile fitzjalnes
cDuu hardly have owed to Lcr personal attractions
the occult influence that attributed 10 her IN
French politics in the reign of Louis Philippe. Her
chimes, became a proyerb; and Alphonse Kari,
stcing her one evening Ht The OVcra dancing, WIN
pauZc scarf. remarked, " on dlrait une aralgnee
gul dansc ayrc "a toilrh II was reserved for NJ.
/. porte who introduced Iaglun, CcntO CarlOtta
Gr,si and Fanny tilslcr to the London stage, to
bring together troupe which G. mbincd beauty,
dancing, and in more than one instance acting Of
no mean order This latter talent was absolutely
ucccs airy 10 the succ of the b0ict ddcDH or bal
let psntouimc the characteristic Ot winch ~ q
developed and often elaborate plot; whereas the
baiitt advertisement is nothing but strnglng to-
~. her Of consecutive dances. 1t IS question
whether this. the highest branch OF the Choreo-
graphic art ever became thoroughly popular IN TINS
country. Tie genius of 1heuphilc GautIcr the
music of Adolphe ADAM and the grace and
cicNcmcss pI its Interpreters may have made III
"a fashion for a while; but Mr.. Lumley dates the
clnatiOn of the habitHe8 of "FopS Alley"
e. follow elaborate plot told by panto-
mimic action; and unqucStiOnaby Ccfltc, VINO
was nothing but dancer, was always more popular
than either Fanny Eilslcr or Carlotta GrlSi. Inc
lat ter was The first Interpreter of IheOphlle Ga-
tiers "Gisele, or the Wills and the authors ad-
miration for her intense. Looking back win
the regret of "A true artist To her theatrical career
he saws in his Portraits Contemporaries - Elle
await la vOiX ct ellie await les aIes; cetalt oIseau
yaTlGit!' Fanny EliSler had no voice. Dut sue was
a more finished actress; and then the strange tie
Cent? threw a sort OF romance about hereary dane
ing days. Ii was about 1929 that Cent? ran away
from Courts and Congress- from kings and states
men and poets and men of letters, Ia hide himself
with Fanny Ellsler IN a villa IN the outskirts OF
Vienna IL was no vulgar amour de hedtrt. Nhat
attracted her at the very debut OF her lie 10 SIT ana
listen Tor hours at the feet of a man who had eN-
baueted every DISTRACTION and Outlycd every illusion
az life IA not easy 10 explain ter attraction Tor
linn law not so much IN her beauty or her grace, or
.eu An her keen aAd delicate sense OF hum0f, as IN
i,rr nEuu.Hc pleasure IN lowers ana birds ana