Giselle in Paris and Lyon

Abstract This chapter discusses the first production of Giselle, beginning with its genesis story, taken from accounts by Théophile Gautier. Next, the score by Adolphe Adam is described in detail, with a discussion of recurring melodies and borrowings from Puget, Weber, and from Adam’s score for Faust. Giselle’s use of typical ballet conventions of the period is enumerated; they include humor, violence, the presence of children, spectacle, and special effects. A short description of source material leads to a detailed account of the mime and action of Giselle as it is described in the Titus répétiteur. The chapter ends with a discussion of choreographic echoes of Act One appearing in Act Two; for instance, the light-hearted first encounter of the lovers in Act One is echoed in their first encounter in Act Two after Giselle has emerged from her grave as a Wili.