Written by Anna Vorhes

Born
November 24, 1876 in Cadiz, Spain

Died
November 14, 1946 in Alta Gracia, Argentina

Instrumentation
three flutes (two doubling piccolo), two oboes (one doubling English horn), two clarinets, two bassoons, four French horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and bass drum, cymbals, snare dru, tam-tam, triangle, glockenspiel, xylophone, castanets, harp, piano and celeste, strings

Duration
34 minutes

Composed
began in 1917 as a pantomime, converted to ballet in 1919

World Premiere
July 22, 1919 at the Alhambra Theatre in London

Something interesting to listen for
Manuel de Falla is known for his understanding of Spanish fold music, especially from Andalucia.  He used his understanding to create this charming ballet.  In the first act of the ballet, the Miller's Wife dances a seductive and teasing fandango.  This dance in triple meter can be instrumental or vocal, though in this case it is instrumental.  Castanets and tambourines emphasize the Spanish rhythm.  The dance is storytelling in most circumstances, and here the story is of a woman who knows how to be true to her beloved husband in the face of another man being interested in her.  The Miller himself does a farruca, a dark, masculine dance that features aggressive footwork when danced.  There are dramatic shifts in tempo.  The village people dance seguidillas, which are triple meter dances in major keys that often start on the offbeat (so the accent of 1 2 3 is not the fist note of the piece).  They also close the ballet with a spirited jota, another quick triple meter dance.  If you aren't tapping your toes at some point in this ballet it will be surprising.

Program Notes

Manuel de Falla is considered one of the greatest of the Spanish composers of the late Romantic and early Twentieth Century eras.  His ability to incorporate the beautiful melodic style and the energizing rhythms of his beloved Andalusia made his music successful from the beginning.  He won a competition that awarded him the means to travel through Europe studying music in several major centers.  (There is some question whether he was ever awarded the promised funds, but he did travel as a prizewinner).  When his trip ended in 1907, he settled in Paris, finally going back to Spain in 1914 as World War I broke out.  While he was in Paris, he made strong connections with other musicians including Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky.  Through Stravinsky he also met the impresario of the Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghalev.

Pedro Antonio de Alarcon wrote a book in 1874 titled The Magistrate and the Miller's Wife, which became the source of de Falla's work.  First the composer wrote a pantomime in 1917.  It premiered on April 6 of that year in the Teatro Eslava in Madrid.  Diaghalev was in the audience that night as the Ballets Russes were touring in Spain to avoid the war in the rest of Europe.  Diaghlev immediately approached de Falla to secure rights to create a ballet based on the story and de Falla's music.  The composer agreed, and work began.  Pablo Picasso designed the sets and the costumes.  Léonide Massine choreographed the work.  On July 22, 1919, two years after the pantomime, the ballet opened to critical acclaim at the Alhambra Theatre in London.  It has been a favorite among ballet companies, with the role of the Miller performed by such greats as Rudolph Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov while the Miller's Wife has been danced by Alicia Alonso and Margo Fonteyn.

The ballet opens with the Miller and his Wife working in the beautiful sunshine.  The Miller decides to teach a blackbird to announce the time.  Since the clock just struck two, he attempts to get the bird to call out twice.  The bird first calls three times, then four times as the Wife watches her husband continue to teach.  She offers the blackbird a grape, at which point the bird calls out twice.  The Miller and his Wife laugh at the silliness of the bird and of the circumstance.  As they enjoy a short break from their labor, the local Magistrate comes processing by them, wearing his three-cornered hat which is the visible sign of his office.  As the Miller and his Wife go back to work, the Magistrate returns.  The Miller tells his wife that she should dance while he, the Miller, hides so they can play a joke on the Magistrate.

The Wife does her spirited and graceful fandango as the Magistrate does his best to flirt with her and catch her for a cuddle and kiss.  She offers him some grapes, and he becomes more insistent.  She runs quickly away, and the Miller jumps out of a bush and beats the Magistrate as he berates him for chasing a married woman.

The second act begins with a village party.  The Magistrate's assistants arrive to arrest the Miller and haul him to jail.  His wife goes to bed.  The Magistrate attempts to sneak up to the Wife but manages to fall in the river, fancy hat and all.  The Miller's Wife hears the commotion and runs away.  The Magistrate dejectedly hangs his clothes on the bushes and crawls into the Miller's bed.  The Miller has broken out of jail with help from his friends.  He comes home and believes the Magistrate has been sleeping with his wife.  He dances a farruca in his rage.  The Miller takes the Magistrate's clothes and sets off to seduce the Magistrate's wife.  The Magistrate awakens and, finding his clothes gone, dresses in Miller's clothes.  One of the guards comes seeking the Miller and attempts to arrest the Magistrate.  The Miller's Wife thinks they're trying to arrest her husband again and starts fighting with the guard.  The Miller sees his wife in the fracas and joins the fight.  Finally, the Magistrate is able to explain what is happening and everyone else calms down.  The final scene includes the villagers tossing the Magistrate into the air in a blanket, bruising his dignity even more.