La Bayadère - Reconstruction of Petipa's 1900 revival 7/17

[squeegeegirl1237]

what is the name of the song that starts at 7:30 to the end?

[mrlopez2681]

@squeegeegirl1237 - it is not a song. Songs have singing. And the title is in the description.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Iregular time signatures are not very ccmmon in ballet, but not non existent either. Bayadere's most famous irregular time signature...? Golden Idol's 5/4.

[taurusbs]

The tempo is not regular as 7/4 or 5/4 I tried to count and the beginning is 3/4 plus 4/4 four times and then i lost......:)

[solor1]

Oh and after 4 times are there 5 2/4 bars or or 2 3/4 and 2 2/4 or someething else? First I thogh that this composision is just 2/4 with not regulary quadratic number of bars, but it´s actually very special for Minkus. The melody is not real masterwork, but rythm is for Minkus very intersting. Do you have the score and can you write how are exactly the first two phrases please? Thank you very much!

[mrlopez2681]

When I first heard the pas in question, I tried to make out the tempo. I came to the conclusion that it is in 7/4, but thats because I was counting as a ballet dancer would count (I am certainly no musician). A freind of mine who trasncribed this pas told me that the first part ( 5:40 - 5:42 ) alternates from 3/4 & 2/4......I have often wondered what Minkus's m.o. was for composing a piece with such a tempo - Petipa would likely never have requested such a piece - strange indeed!

[solor1]

Now i am listening it again and think, that I know, what you mean. On the begining is allways first count 3/4 and then 2 counts 2/4. The same in the reprise. Is it like this? Or it is maybe 7/4? Anyway very intersting for Minkus!

[mrlopez2681]

One must keep in mind that Minkus's surviving ouvre is not a complete reflection of his abilities (Pugni suffers from a similar fate). Minkus wrote his ballet music right along side the ballet master at rehearsal. He was often given only a week or so to orchestrate his score, which is why one always finds endless first violins & flutes carrying nearly all of the principal melodies. Often, 2 violinists sharing a score would have to take turns playing so that the other could turn the pages!!

[solor1]

Dear Mrlopez thanks for this great videos. I have one question: where is 3/4 in the dance des esclaves? Can you write me time in the video clip? I think, I became deaf. Normaly I hear the music very well, but here I am really not sure. Is there maybe 6/8 somewhere? I have feeling, that there is just syncopic change, but maybe I am wrong.

[palubob]

You are right about everything here. It was interesting to hear the "new" Minkus music. IMO later revisions to his score have not resulted in any significant improvements.