Fifty Ballet Masterworks: From the 16th Century to the 20th Century [Paperback]

Lincoln Kirstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1984

Profusely illustrated vision of ballet as movement, art, theatrical spectacle, and history. Penetrating discussions of 50 seminal works, from the 16th to the 20th century. 474 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; New edition edition (August 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486246310
• ISBN-13: 978-0486246314
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Ballet

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Dance History Text, November 3, 2007

By 

Zubeline "zubeline" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fifty Ballet Masterworks: From the 16th Century to the 20th Century (Paperback)

Lincoln Kirstein's genius as a writer of dance history is his ability to concisely and accurately relate dance to politics, industry, and economics--among other things. This book is organized chronologically by dance masterpieces, beginning with the sixteenth century and ending in the twentieth century. It's a great quick reference book to the great ballets. For each ballet, Kirstein describes the plot, creation of the ballet, and artistic collaborations that made the ballet possible. More importantly, he puts each ballet into historical context by discussing the art movements and politics of the time that affected the performers, choreographers, composers, costume designers, set designers, librettists, and other creative contributors to the ballets.

There is also a section of photographs, lithographs, etchings, and drawings at the end, in addition to the art that appears with each ballet. You won't find a lot of biographical information in the book, nor is it filled with anecdotes about the artists. The bibliography will point you in the right direction if you want to learn more. This is a straightforward, factual book that never ceases to educate and fascinate.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of information and documentation, April 13, 2009

By 

Lucia Marino - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fifty Ballet Masterworks: From the 16th Century to the 20th Century (Paperback)

This book is very useful for those interested in the history of ballet. A big plus is the importance given to image and iconography, showing paintings, sketches and costumes for many ballets and dances.

Another plus are the different chapters centred on the history of ballet music, of choreography and costumes, and also a chapter about dance and mime.

It covers 50 ballets giving not only information on them but also on their historical context.

At the end there is a very big list of bibliography for those who want to pursue further studies on the subjetc.

I would strongly recommend it.