Biographical/Historical: La péri (choreography, Jean Coralli; music, Friedrich Burgmüller; scenario, Théophile Gautier and Coralli) was first presented at the Paris Opéra in 1843. Purportedly set in Egypt, it depicted an Orientalist dream world where a peri, a type of fairy with roots in Zoroastrianism, takes over the body of a murdered slave girl in order to achieve union with her mortal lover. A high point of the ballet was the Act I pas de songe, in which the Peri (danced by Carlotta Grisi) leapt from a platform representing the celestial realm into the waiting arms of her lover Achmet (danced by Lucien Petipa). The music cover for Angela is based on a lithograph, held by the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, depicting the lovers' pas de deux with the ensemble of peris in the background. Although it is not an exact copy (for instance, the central figures of the Peri and Achmet have been reversed, and the position of the Peri's arms altered), the overall stage picture and certain details of costume and setting make it recognizable as a scene from La péri.
Statement Of Responsibility: Victor Coi[ndre; incomplete signature on stone], Imp. Guillet.
Acquisition: Gift; Lillian Moore

Physical Description

Lithographs
Extent: 1 print : lithograph, black & white, 34 x 26 cm. or smaller.

Abstract

Illustration from a sheet music cover intended for home performance. Although it depicts a scene from Jean Coralli's ballet La péri, the image has been put to the service of another musical composition without identifying the ballet.

Languages

French

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 768198261
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19432969
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 60b8c970-436a-013c-1e7a-0242ac110004

Rights

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Type Of Resource

Still Image
Text

Date Issued

1843

Cite this item

MLA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Angela: Valse brillante pour le piano par Paul Henrion" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1843 - 1900. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60b8c970-436a-013c-1e7a-0242ac110004

APA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1843 - 1900). Angela: Valse brillante pour le piano par Paul Henrion Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60b8c970-436a-013c-1e7a-0242ac110004

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Angela: Valse brillante pour le piano par Paul Henrion" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60b8c970-436a-013c-1e7a-0242ac110004

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60b8c970-436a-013c-1e7a-0242ac110004 | title= (still image; text) Angela: Valse brillante pour le piano par Paul Henrion (1843 - 1900) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=December 6, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>