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The primary focus of this thesis is a selection of lesser-known Ballets Russes works, which, despite being largely neglected in academic studies, constitute important chapters in the history of the company. The bright light of publicity that shone on Stravinsky - in particular on Le Sacre du Printemps - has cast shadows over other Ballets Russes works, creating an over-simplified historical perspective. This is not to deny that Le Sacre was a watershed moment for the company, and in seeking to enrich our understanding of its place within broader musical trends, the thesis is divided into three sections, representing works composed before, around the same time as, and after, Stravinsky’s notorious masterpiece. Following a brief introduction, and a descriptive chapter outlining Diaghilev’s artistic heritage, as well as Paris before the arrival of his company, the first section deals with the Ballets Russes’s early modus operandi; focusing on Nikolai Tcherepnin’s Le Pavillon d’Armide and Reynaldo Hahn’s Le Dieu bleu. The next explores the Ballets Russes in the wake of Le Sacre du Printemps, using Erik Satie’s Parade as an example of a ballet indebted to Stravinsky’s innovations. However, influence was not entirely a one-way phenomenon, and part of this section also discusses connections between the early Ballets Russes works and Le Sacre. Finally, the season of French ballets performed in 1924 allows me to reflect on the stylistic changes that occurred in the later years of the company, using Darius Milhaud’s Le Train bleu, Georges Auric’s Les Fâcheux, and Francis Poulenc’s Les Biches as examples of the company’s shift to an enterprise that placed greater emphasis on the visual. This research argues that even the lesser-known works, despite their apparent lack of musical innovation, contributed to the more path-breaking scores that have come to command scholarly interest. Moreover, the seasons I have highlighted reflect the changing ideologies of Diaghilev and his company, as it evolved from a Russian troupe inspired by the Mir Iskusstva, to a European artistic collective presenting the ideas of Cocteau and Les Six to Paris. Areas of future research extend from this thesis, as many other lesser-known ballets not encompassed here would clearly benefit from detailed scrutiny. Applying the principles of musical examination here outlined, together with an open-minded approach to new historical perspectives, should further help to redress the balance of scholarly attention that has skewed the overall understanding of the Ballets Russes.

During its twenty-year lifespan, the Ballets Russes (1909 to 1929) was celebrated for bringing together illustrious artistic and cultural figures to collaborate on exotic productions based on Russian, Spanish, English and French themes. Notable by its absence from the Ballets Russes’ exotic interests is the culture and music of America, and this despite that during the 1920s Americans culture was a source of fascination and unease in the European cultural imagination. The Ballets Russes’ impresario, Serge Diaghilev, is recognized as holding the culture of the New World in disdain, yet nonetheless commissioned a “typically American” ballet score from Chicago composer John Alden Carpenter in 1923, which resulted in a score featuring a skyscraper-inspired machine aesthetic, and the inclusion of jazz and spirituals. Carpenter’s ballet was dropped by the Ballets Russes before production and was ultimately premiered as Skyscrapers: A Ballet of Modern American Life by the Metropolitan Opera Company on 19 February 1926. This thesis seeks to better understand Diaghilev’s perceived disdain for American culture, the reasons that caused him to avoid the inclusion of an American ballet in the Ballets Russes’ repertory, and his motives for commissioning a score from Carpenter. Drawing on archival documents from the Library of Congress, I construct a historical narrative of the commission and offer insight into the complex politics of patronage in the Ballets Russes. Furthermore, I position Skyscrapers as a product of cultural transfer, thus illustrating the manner in which Carpenter conceived of his ballet as an American work for an international audience. Finally, I examine the Metropolitan production of Skyscrapers and how it perpetuated racial stereotypes and participated in the debates about the mechanization of American life during the 1920s.

Le monde des arts est en pleine effervescence au début du XXe siècle, après le scandale déclenché par l’exposition des œuvres des Fauves au Salon d’Automne de 1905. Loin de cette agitation, les décors de scène sont réalisés par des décorateurs professionnels qui restent attachés aux procédés traditionnels. En 1909, l’arrivée des Ballets russes au Châtelet marque une rupture dans la conception du rôle du peintre dans le ballet. En 1919, alors que la compagnie jouit d’une grande renommée, Serge Diaghilev commande à André Derain les décors et les costumes de La Boutique Fantasque. Au sortir de la guerre où il a servi, Derain saisit cette fabuleuse occasion de remonter sur la scène artistique. Grâce au succès du ballet, c’est une longue série de collaborations fructueuses avec le monde du spectacle qui débute pour le peintre. Entre 1919 et 1953, Derain conçoit les décors et les costumes de deux pièces de théâtre, deux opéras, treize ballets et élabore de nombreux projets qui n’ont jamais été créés. Il rédige également plusieurs arguments, participe à la mise en musique de certaines de ces œuvres, réalisations auxquelles s’ajoutent les idées qu’il apporte à la mise en scène et à la chorégraphie. Cette étude met en lumière l’importance de l’œuvre scénique d’André Derain et ses particularités. Son travail révèle une richesse jusqu’alors méconnue et inexploitée. Notre étude permet ainsi de donner un nouvel éclairage sur le peintre et son œuvre. Artiste accompli et aux multiples facettes, Derain ne s’est pas contenté du rôle de décorateur, sa passion pour la musique et le théâtre l’ont, bien plus encore, amené à se poser en véritable créateur de ballets. / In the early twentieth century the art world was bubbling with excitement following the scandal caused by the exhibition of work by members of the Fauves movement at the 1905 Salon d’Automne. Away from this fuss, stage sets were being created by set designers who remained attached to traditional methods. In 1909 the arrival of the Ballets Russes at Châtelet marked a breaking away from the understanding of the scenic artist’s role. In 1919, when the company was immensely famous, Serge Diaghilev commissioned Andre Derain to create sets and costumes for La Boutique Fantasque. Having served in the War, Derain grasped this fabulous opportunity to return to the world of art. The success of the ballet heralded a series of fruitful collaborations between him and the world of show business. Between 1919 and 1953, Derain created sets and costumes for two plays, two operas and thirteen ballets, as well as working on several uncompleted projects. He also wrote several librettos and was involved in the musical setting of some of these works, achievements that added to the ideas that he brought to the staging and choreography. This research highlights the importance of Derain’s stage work and its special features. This reveals the hitherto unrecognized and untapped wealth of his work. Our study thus sheds a new light on the painter and his creations. A skilled and multi-faceted artist and not content with his role as designer, Derain’s passion for music and theatre begs a true creator of ballets.

This thesis investigates possible connections between the music of Erik Satie (1866-1925) and the later surrealist movement, turning to Parade (1917) in a case study that seeks to understand surrealism in music through the idea of self-exploration, a well-established interpretive approach in studies of surrealism in the visual arts. This thesis seeks to redefine surrealism in music not as a set of concrete musical characteristics, but as a collection of techniques meant to evoke subconscious turbulence by blurring the boundary between the "outside" and "inside," between conscious and subconscious, leading to a new discovery of higher or deeper truth. Satie's music aligns with the psychoanalytic elements of the discourse on surrealism. Psychoanalysis, pioneered by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and his followers in the 1890s in Vienna, permeated France around the time of the creation of the work. It inspired early surrealist techniques like automatism, illusory formal structures, collage, and stylistic allusion. This thesis demonstrates that such techniques can be discerned throughout Parade, not only in Satie's music, but also in its scenario, staging, costumes, and choreography. As such, Parade was a foundational work for the surrealist movement, with Satie's music contributing with the other media equally to the emotional and psychological impact of the ballet.