Music of Pantomime Ballets in Spain (1787-1799)

Abstract

The rise of pantomime ballet in Spain took place during the last decade of the 18^th century at the Caños del Peral theatre in Madrid. This theatre and its dance company were directed by the Italian Domenico Rossi, trained at the theatre of San Carlo in Naples and at the court of Vienna under the tutelage of Gasparo Angiolini. In the National Library of Spain there is a valuable musical source entitled Airs de Ballet, which consists in a collection of music from choreographic works dating from the end of the 18th century, undoubtedly of Italian origin. This work contains different musical pieces, including parts of the ballet Des Jeux Amoreux and the ballet La Caccia di Enrico IV.  The choreo-musical analysis of Airs de ballet and other musical scores located in Spain opens up new perspectives for the investigation of pantomime ballet in Spain and its relationship with the choreographic style in Italy.