(After the description given by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, in Le Balet Comique de la Reine, 1581.)*
The sole performance of Le Balet Comique de la Reine was staged in the Louvre's Great Salle or in the Salle de Bourbon of the Petit Palais. The scenic pieces remained in place for the entirety of the production.
SEATING
Two galleries, one above the other, ran along three sides of the hall. These had gilded armrests and balustrades. The galleries could be reached by series of steps situated around the lower part of the hall. The galleries accommodated the less distinguished members of the court.
A semi-circular space at the eastern end of the hall was used for the construction of a raised dais (three degrees of height and spanning the whole width of the room) on which the King, Queen Mother, princes and princesses sat. (The King is center of all activity, and at times, enlisted to be a principal actor in the production. The visual effects of the perspective set scenes were calculated from the position of the royal dais. That is, the King's seat was the optimal point of distance from which to view the spectacle.)
Forty wooden steps, running the width of the hall, were constructed directly behind the royal dais. These reached as far as the level of the first gallery and were occupied by the ladies of the court. Two seats, intended for the Ambassadors, were placed directly in front and to the sides of the dais. (The viewers in the gallery sections most likely stood up during the performance and looked directly down at the action taking place on the dancing floor. In this way, the audience could observe the royal family watching the spectacle and interacting with the performers at certain key moments during the event.)
SET SCENERY
Pan's Wood
To the right of where his King's Majesty was, and halfway down the length of the hall, stood Pan's wood. This small grove of trees, eighteen feet long and twelve feet wide, was built in perspective such that it was higher in the back than in the front, and set on a 1 1/2 foot raised platform. Oak trees with gilded trunks, leaves and acorns were situated around the periphery of the platform at two foot intervals. The trees were hung with gilded oil lamps resembling small boats. Small niches, to seat the Dryads after their dance, were built at regular intervals between the oaks (MacClintock,p.37).
Pan's Grotto
The grotto was constructed directly behind the grove and against the wall. The cave housed a regal organ and was brilliantly decorated so that it shone and reflected outside. It was also painted naturalistically to portray flowers and animals. Pan, god of shepherds, was seated directly in front the cave on a mound of earth. He too was adorned with gold and held a spiny club in his left hand and his gilded Pan-pipes in his right hand (see MacClintock,p.38).
The entire scene was veiled by a curtain "made so cleverly that instead of adding to the obscurity it served...as a light, to show more naturally all that the woodland contained."(p.38)
The Golden Vault
A wooded vault, eighteen feet long and nine wide was built directly across from the grove, on the King's left. It was covered with clouds and the inside with gold so that the numerous hidden lights made it shine and appear to be part of the blue sky. The "golden vault" housed ten concerts of music, all different. It was called thus, because of its splendor and on account of the beautiful music which emanated from within. "This music, because of the repercussive voices, was thought by some of those present to be the same voice converted into repercussive air, once called Echo. Others more learned in Platonic philosophy thought it was the true harmony of heaven, by which all living things are conserved and maintained."(p.38)
Circe's Garden
Circe's enchanted garden was located at the opposite end of the hall, directly across from the royal dais. It too was built in perspective, the front spanning a width of three fathoms, while the rear portion was twelve feet . The garden was built on a raked platform, raised a foot from the floor in front and three feet in the rear. The garden was enclosed in a balustrade adorned with gold and burnished silver and made more beautiful by a large vaulted trellis, from which hang large grapes. Two green allées divided the garden into four sections, each having a border of a different color. The garden was filled with exotic fruit trees and assorted flowers. The fruit was imitated in gold, silver, silk and feathers. Two sturdy towers flanked the rear of the garden and revealed the wall of a castle with its crenelations and defenses. A vault, made in imitation of a conch shell , was displayed in front of the castle gate("which projected a foot and a half"). The shell was pierced with round holes and set with colored glass. Oil lamps were set behind the colored panes and "cast a hundred thousand colors upon the garden through the transparent glass." Behind the castle wall, one could perceive a perspective view of a distant city.
Circe's garden was flanked by two vaulted trellises, fifteen feet wide and twenty-four feet high. These were used to camouflage the entrances of the dancers, musicians and vehicles used during the course of the production. (p.39)
MOVABLE SCENERY
Movable floats, reminiscent of medieval pageant carts, were used at several points during the performance to introduce new characters and musicians . Each mobile car entered the hall, progressed forward, and stopped in front of the King's dais before proceeding to its designated resting place. The floats used in Le Balet Comique de la Reine are as follows:
-The first float to enter carried three Sirens and a Triton(pp.33-34).
- An immense tiered fountain carrying distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the court. These included: Queen Louise, the Princess of Lorraine, the Duchesses of Mercueil, Guyenne, Nevers, Aumalle and Joyeuse; the Maréchales of Raiz and l'Archant, and the Miladies de Pons, de Bourdeille and de Cypierre. These ladies were seated in golden seats and dressed as Naiads. Alongside them sat the Sieur de Beaulieu (this is Lambert de Beaulieu, the composer of Le Balet Comique ), representing Glaucus, and Mme. de Beaulieu, as Tethys. The remaining occupants of the fountain were the King's chamber singers and musicians, dressed as Tritons (pp.47-48).
- A serpent-drawn chariot, four feet high in the front, eight feet high in the middle and eighteen in the rear, carried Mlle. de Chaumont who played the part of Minerva.(p.73)
- A large cloud, adorned with stars and lit from behind, was suspended over the area between the vault and woodland. It was used to transport the gods Mercury and Jupiter in their descent to earth (Ibid,pp.38,80).
(Click here to return to main text, Le Balet Comique de la Reine : An Analysis, Part I)