Research Catalog

Title

The celebrated polka dance [graphic] / composed by J. Offenbach.

Publication

Philadelphia : A. Fiot ; New York : W. Dubois, [184-?]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Grisi, Carlotta, 1819-1899.
• Perrot, Jules, 1810-1892.
• Brandard, John, 1812-1863.

Description

1 print : etching, b&w; 34 x 26 cm., plate mark 27 x 20 cm.

Summary

Sheet music cover illustration depicting two dancing couples in Polish folk costume.

Subjects

• Polka (Dance)
• Sheet music covers

Genre/Form

Sheet music covers.

Note

• Caption title.

Biography (note)

• The couple at left has been identified with Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi, ballet dancers who performed a theatricalized version of the polka in a divertissement of the same title, first presented at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin in Paris in March 1844. The image of the two dancers is based on a lithographed sheet music cover illustration signed by the British artist John Brandard, whose works portray many of the major dancers of the Romantic era.
• The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.

Call Number

*MGZFD Pol 20

OCLC

818325659

Title

The celebrated polka dance [graphic] / composed by J. Offenbach.

Imprint

Philadelphia : A. Fiot ; New York : W. Dubois, [184-?]

Biography

The couple at left has been identified with Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi, ballet dancers who performed a theatricalized version of the polka in a divertissement of the same title, first presented at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin in Paris in March 1844. The image of the two dancers is based on a lithographed sheet music cover illustration signed by the British artist John Brandard, whose works portray many of the major dancers of the Romantic era.

The polka enjoyed enormous popularity both as a dance and a musical form. Although opinions about its origins differ, it is believed to have roots in Poland or Bohemia. It was brought to Prague in 1837 and made its way to Vienna, St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. Capitalizing on its growing popularity as a ballroom dance, Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to the ballet stage in 1844. In the mid 1800s, it rivalled the waltz as a dance craze. It has survived into the twenty-first century, and until 2009 was included as a category in the Grammy Awards.

Local Note

Cataloging funds provided by Friends of Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

For a copy of this print that includes the music score, see: *MGZFB Gri C Pol 12.

For the image signed by John Brandard, see: *MGZFB Gri C Pol 4.

This item may be offsite for digitization. For additional information please contact dance@nypl.org.

Connect to:

NYPL Digital Collections

Added Author

Grisi, Carlotta, 1819-1899. Associated name

Perrot, Jules, 1810-1892. Associated name

Brandard, John, 1812-1863. Associated name

Research Call Number

*MGZFD Pol 20