Many people know the expression "Marleson ballet", but do they know what it expresses. Is it really a work of choreographic direction?
The phrase is borrowed from filmed back in Soviet time based on the novel A. Dumas to the film "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers". Everyone remembers the comical episode during the city ball in Paris.
At the very top of the stairs of the town hall, the master of ceremonies appears and, in the most solemn tone, as it should be, announces “Second part of the Marlezon ballet!” The whole elation of the moment is broken by D'Artagnan, who jumped out, or rather fell out onto the steps and managed to knock the manager off his feet.
Novel French writer dedicated to the events of the reign King Louis XIII (the Just), in the depiction of which the author sinned against the truth. In the work, and especially in the Soviet film, the king looks like a simple puppet in the hands of Cardinal Richelieu.
In fact, Louis was neither weak-willed nor spineless, but Duke of Richelieu appointed First Minister of France. The young monarch composed songs, drew well, excelled in dancing, had excellent musical abilities, which allowed him to write the famous ballet, named after the concept of "merlaison" he himself invented.
Literal translation from French this word gives Russian "thrushes" or "thrushes", i.e. little black songbirds. Being a passionate hunter, the king was also engaged in hunting for them, because thrushes were valued for their very tasty meat.
Louis had the opportunity to repeatedly try it and appreciate it. That's why he decided to call the ballet he composed "Le ballet de la Merlaison"- Marlezon Ballet. If you translate every word, it turns out a little wrong - "Ballet about the hunt for thrushes."
The young king prepared his work for public performance for the first time in 1635, together with his inner circle. The venue for the show was Chantilly Castle, and the time was chosen appropriately - Shrovetide carnival in March.
The ballet was presented to the public for the second time at the Catholic Abbey of Royomont. The French quickly figured out the true plot: the author veiled under his love for hunting thrushes a confession of tender feelings for the woman who conquered him Louise de Lafayette.
Contemporaries did not find anything surprising in this - ballet at that time was considered expressing their thoughts on topical issues. The monarch did not violate the generally accepted norms in any way. He managed, with the help of a traditional choreographic production, to express his love for a young girl, without deviating from the norms of decency.
He himself played in his composition only minor roles. But the author of the novel emphasized: “Their Majesties will dance the Marlezon Ballet, the king’s favorite ballet.” The ballet really had great importance for Louis XIII.
The most interesting, perhaps, lies in the fact that the second part of the Pages, famous in time for its name, lasts only 38 seconds out of 16 acts of the ballet.
Dumas does not have such a fragment in the novel at all. Therefore, the author of the stable expression can be considered a screenwriter of the Soviet film adaptation Mark Rozovsky.
In Russia it is the meaning of surprise, change course of events, but in an ironic way. After all main character with his overly spectacular appearance in the frame, he violates the solemnity and ceremoniality of the official ball in honor of the king and queen. Therefore, the violation of the planned course of action is accompanied by the expression "the second part of the Marleson ballet."
How to speak correctly- "Marleson" or "Merleson"? The modification of the word occurred due to the different pronunciation of consonants before the vowel "e" in a word borrowed from a foreign language. In the film, the correct pronunciation is “Merleson”, but “Marleson” is heard due to the reduction of vowel sounds. In life, both versions of pronunciation were established.
For the Russian-speaking population, the phrase for a long time entered the category of catchphrases, became not the name of a little-known ballet in Russia, but common expression indicating a sharp change in events, sometimes funny, sometimes unforeseen.
There are also opinions expressed in the assertion that the concept of "Marleson ballet" means something boring and tedious, like any ballet from the point of view of the layman. This is a substitution of the concept, in fact, a musical work of the 17th century is distinguished by amazing beauty and harmony.
You can verify this by looking at new production ballet French company "Shine of Muses". Studio studies and restores musical works baroque times. During the reconstruction of the work, special attention was paid to the restoration of music and plastics. So it turned out almost like in the original, although after four centuries.
The new performance has been recorded on DVD and released under original name"Marleson Ballet".
And the Russians can be proud of an aphorism that has primordially Russian origin and the same usage.
catchphrase"Marlezon Ballet" became a stable turn of speech after the release of the old Soviet tape "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers".
The phrase has two meanings, both with a touch of irony. Consider what this statement means, why they invest in it different meaning, and how it happened that the letter changed in the name of the ballet.
From the history
Initially, the pronunciation of the ballet is Merlezonsky, through the letter "e". Name happens from the French word, which means "hunting for thrushes." The Merleson ballet is a work of art, a product of the work of Louis XIII, composed by him in the distant seventeenth century.
In that early era, court ballets were traditionally held in palaces in honor of great holidays, starting from the reign of Henry the Third. The French monarchs loved luxurious balls and knew a lot about entertainment. These were bright and expressive hours-long performances.
They combined instrumental skill and vocal art, dance numbers, rich vestments and spectacular scenery, poetic and theatrical creativity. Performances performed professional artists , courtiers, as well as the king himself, the queen, and other persons of royal blood took part in them.
The plot of the ballet "about the hunt for thrushes" was based on the monarch's favorite pastime. The ballet consisted of 16 acts and was staged in March 1635. Louis personally performed two parties in a ballet performance.
From childhood, the monarch was passionately fond of dancing and playing music, and received an impeccable education in the field of music. He is completely thought through all the elements of the ballet, from the musical part and choreography to spectacular decoration.
In Alexandre Dumas
AT famous essay Alexandre Dumas The Three Musketeers The Merlezon ballet is presented as the king's favorite pastime. True, according to the description in the novel, it does not look more like a musical theatrical performance, but rather resembles a ball where court ladies and gentlemen dance.
In the plot of the novel, during the celebration, key scene stories with missing pendants. According to the plan of Cardinal Richelieu, the queen would not be able to put on the stolen pendants, and would compromise herself. But the brave d'Artagnan, with the help of his friends, delivers pendants from England and saves the Queen's honor.
If we examine the facts of history and compare the ball with other events described in the book, then the dates of the Merleson ballet in the novel by Dumas and in historical sources do not match.
But since this work is artistic, and does not claim to be historically accurate, such discrepancies are quite acceptable.
Many films have been made based on the historical adventure novel by Dumas. One of them was created at the Odessa Film Studio in 1978 by the popular director Georgy Yungvald-Khilkevich. In a three-part musical picture"D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" is present comedy episode, which is not present in the original novel.
The initial half of the ballet passes solemnly, slowly and sedately. But right after the master of ceremonies of the ball solemnly pronounces: “The second part of the Marlezon ballet!”, he is knocked down by the protagonist of the film, who runs to the queen in order to bring the pendants in time.
The film with the participation of Mikhail Boyarsky about the brave musketeers was extraordinarily popular and love in our country. Catchy movie quotes were often used in ordinary life movie fans.
After the scene with the manager of the ball, the expression "The second part of the Marlezon ballet" also became winged. It means an unexpected turn in a calm habitual process, but in a simple way - confusion and chaos. Often the expression is pronounced with sarcasm, describing the sudden chaos and turmoil.
The very phrase "Marlezon Ballet" began to be used to characterize a boring tedious event, or, in common people, a drag. And later, the use of the expression and in figuratively, to describe an unpredictable tragicomic action.
Why did the letter "A" replace the letter "E"?
In the TV movie, the word "Merlison" is pronounced by the actor in French style, with solid sound"m". After the solid consonant "m", the unstressed vowel "e" changes its sound to "e". And by ear, the combination of a hard “m” and an unstressed “e”, or “me”, in combination with a French accent is perceived as “ma”.
Thus, the word came into use in Russian as "Marlezon". This form has become familiar both in pronunciation and in writing.
So the expression "Marleson Ballet" acquired two meanings. It can mean like something sad and painful, and an unexpected outcome of events, and has a somewhat sarcastic and caustic connotation.
Do you know the expression "Marleson ballet"? What it is? Is it about real work or the phrase has nothing to do with the choreographic production? Let's try to figure it out.
Flower?!
Of course, if you breed Saintpaulias, then for you, perhaps, the Marlezon Ballet is a violet, or rather a seedling of the Uzambara violet, bred by the Russian breeder Konstantin Morev. A rosy-nude lush wonder with double cherry-white piping. However, for the rest of the population (not flower growers), this phrase means something completely different.
Ballet about thrush hunting
The French word "merlaison" is not a geographical name, but a neologism coined in the 17th century by King Louis XIII the Just. This is the same monarch, whom later (contrary to historical truth) portrayed a weak-willed and spineless ruler, he was gifted musically, composed songs, drew and danced beautifully, and even became the author of the work, which, in fact, we are talking about. The king called the play "Le ballet de la Merlaison" - "Marleson Ballet". What does it mean in literal translation from French?
Literally - "Ballet about hunting for thrushes" or "Ballet of thrushing". Yes, yes, it turns out that such small black birds have been hunted with pleasure since antiquity. They say that the meat of these birds is unusually tasty. Louis XIII was also a great connoisseur of it. Together with his friends, the king staged the first production of the play, which was shown at the Shrove Tuesday carnival in the magnificent Château de Chantilly near Paris. The premiere took place in 1635, on March 15. Two days later, the performance was shown again - in the Catholic abbey of Royomont.
The Europeans saw their subtext in the play. Two lines were skillfully intertwined in the plot: a direct “declaration of love” to the hunt for (which Louis adored) and a hidden message new sweetheart King - Louise de Lafayette. In 16 acts of the performance, erotic overtones were visible. Moreover, contemporaries saw in it a political background, because in those days ballet was one of the forms of conversation about current events.
By the way, even today on posters you can find the name "Marlezon Ballet". What does it mean? The fact is that four centuries after the creation of a multifaceted performance, the production was resumed. In 2011, the French company "Shine of Muses", which is engaged in the study and restoration of works of art, reconstructed the play. Enthusiasts tried to reproduce authentic music and choreography as accurately as possible. So today you can buy a DVD called "Marlezon Ballet". What kind of play this is, you can find out, as they say, "from the original source."
Marlezon ballet in Russian
However, for any Russian-speaking person, its name has long become a household name. “Yes, this is some kind of second act of the Marleson ballet!” - we exclaim, sometimes not realizing what the etymology of this expression is. Meanwhile catchphrase entrenched in our language thanks to the cult Soviet film"D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers". There was no such scene in the book, so the aphorism is purely domestic origin and living. So, there is a ball in the Parisian town hall. "The second part of the Marlezon ballet!" - proclaims the master of ceremonies and immediately falls, knocked down by a young Gascon who burst onto the stairs, who arrived with pendants for the queen.
Thus, this expression began to mean a sharp turn of events: sometimes leading to comical consequences, sometimes simply unexpected. Something that interrupts the measured flow of life, its usual course and turns a solemn, decorous action into a mess, confusion, chaos. Unfortunately, sometimes there is a substitution of concepts, and the very expression "Marleson ballet" becomes synonymous with boredom and tediousness, although in reality it is incredibly beautiful.
Thanks to the extraordinary popularity of the film "D" Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" by Jungvald-Khilkevich, every inhabitant of the country knew the phrase about the Marleson ballet. And although Alexander Dumas was quite free in his immortal work both with the dates and with the interpretation of what, in fact, the Marlezon ballet is, in the film, the phrases associated with it take on a completely different sound.
An expression that has become catchy
AT colloquial speech residents of the CIS countries, focused on the cult film, this phrase is closely related to the tense moment of the final delivery of pendants to Queen Anne. And if the first section of the Marleson ballet is quite decorous, but saturated with nervous expectation, then the second part of this action is connected with a grotesque situation when the hurrying D "Artagnan literally overturns the" entertainer ". The phrase "the second part of the Marleson ballet" means an unexpected, and sometimes undesirable development further events. The film about the three musketeers is not the first in Soviet cinema where this expression sounds. In 1935, an animated feature film " New Gulliver", in which the visionary pioneer Petya Konstantinov observes and discusses the Marlezon ballet in Lilliput, including its second part. However catch phrase became after the painting by Yungvald-Khilkevich. The phrase is ironic, but at the same time courteous, hinting at the fact that at the court of Louis XIII there simply could not be a ball - languid ladies and gentlemen dance precisely the Marlezon ballet.
True value of expression
What does this expression really mean? Alexandre Dumas describes this performance as the king's favorite ballet. But after all, reliable data is not required from the author of an entertaining novel. Is this ballet? Ballet. Did the king, namely Louis XIII, love him? Really loved. Everything is great. For the sake of interest, you can dig and find out if it really was, this Marlezon ballet? Was. And this is really a purely court action. But not dancing in pure form, but a theatrical performance with poems and songs, instrumental music and reading poetry.
Guarded by all the muses
Ballet was introduced by Henry III (r. 1574-1589), the last monarch of the Valois dynasty. But it reached its heyday under Louis XIII (r. 1610-1643) the Just.
The country was ruled by Richelieu, and the king was a true artist, a gifted musician and poet. He played the lute at the age of three, then mastered the harpsichord and masterfully mastered the hunting horn. In addition, he played the Basque drum, violin and guitar. Possessing an excellent bass, he performed psalms. He studied dancing since childhood and made his debut at the age of seven in the court ballet of Mr. de Vendôme, and a few days later - in the Ballet of Mr. Dauphin in the castle of Saint-Germain. He danced all the dances - court dances, including those with castanets, and village weddings. Later he became interested in staging ballets, there were a lot of them. And in 1635 he staged the Marlezon ballet.
What is this ballet about?
Two performances are known - on March 15 at the Chateau de Chantilly and on March 17 at Royomont Abbey. The performance was entirely made by the king. He wrote the script, poems, music, created sketches for costumes and scenery. He also did choreography. Previously, numerous ballets, which he was engaged in staging until his death, were staged according to classical works. But then the Marlezon Ballet appears. What does it mean? The literal translation of the word "marleson" means "thrushing". The ballet is based on a plot dedicated to the favorite court pastime - hunting for thrushes. And there are 16 parts in it. The king played two roles in the play - in the 3rd act, which was called "The Lorraine", he played a bait merchant, and in the 13th - a peasant.
Animated work
After Louis XIII, courtly verses written by him, scores of many-voiced psalms remained. It should be noted that the king passed on his love for ballet to his son, the Sun King, Louis XIV, who issued a decree on the creation of the Paris Academy of Dance. early music this period has been little studied. From time to time, interest arises in it, but mainly among specialists. The creations of this monarch and his contemporary musicians are unknown to the general public. And in 1967, a disc was released, on one side of which music for eleven acts of the Marlezon ballet was recorded. It is performed by the Paris Ensemble of Ancient Instruments and the Instrumental Ensemble, led respectively by Roger Cotte and Jacques Chaillet. The duration of the recording is 12 minutes 39 seconds. In this processing, the number of acts was reduced from 16 to 11. The names of the parts themselves indicate that the action was multifaceted, covering all strata of the population - “Pages”, “Peasants”, “Nobles”, “King”. The fourth, fifth and sixth acts are called "Hunters", "Tom Butcher", "Crossbowmen" respectively, that is, they talk about crafts. The tenth act is called "Spring". And the eleventh part of the Marlezon ballet is called “Big Ballet”.
The Marlezon ballet is something tedious, long-lasting, dreary, unpleasant, promising boredom, a surprise.Marlezon is really a ballet, that is theatrical performance with dances to music, lasting sixteen acts. It was staged twice in France: on March 15, 1635 at the Château de Chantilly and on March 17 at the Abbey of Royomont (according to Wikipedia). The author of the script, music, production, choreography was the French king Louis XIII. The basis of the plot was the scene of hunting for thrushes (“Le ballet de la Merlaison” - “The ballet about hunting for thrushes”), of which the king was also a fan. Ludovic himself, his inner circle, professional dancers took part in the ballet.
A. Dumas mentioned the ballet in The Three Musketeers
Louis XIII
Born in 1601. He ascended the throne in 1610. He died in 1643. Ruled in the face of numerous threats to France from internal enemies (Huguenots, representatives of the highest aristocracy who did not want a strong central government) and external - England, Spain. Having given carte blanche in the leadership of the country to his first minister, Cardinal Richelieu, he interfered little in the affairs of the state. But he indulged in the pleasures of the mind: he was a good musician, composer, loved dancing. Married to Anne of Austria, he had two sons, Princes Louis (the future King Louis XIV) and Philip (Orleans).
