Description
Rhythm for Space. Spanish Composers and Ballet in the 20th Century
Book Summary
This volume serves as the catalog for the exhibition of the same name held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid in 1998. The work offers an exhaustive overview of the contribution of Spanish composers to ballet during the 20th century. Through a rich documentary repertoire that includes musical scores, costume designs, sketches, photographs, and programs, the book highlights the fruitful collaboration between musicians, choreographers, visual artists, and writers. It is an essential tool for understanding the confluence of disciplines that shaped contemporary Spanish stage dance.
What is it about?
The book explores the creation of ballet works conceived from their origin by Spanish composers for staging throughout the 20th century. Far from being limited to the musical score, the catalog documents the entire creative process, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration. It examines the contributions of choreographers, costume designers, and sketch artists, as well as the production context of each work. The graphic and documentary material—posters, correspondence, press clippings, and photographs of rehearsals and premieres—reconstructs the visual and material history of these ballets, revealing the network of influences and synergies between music, dance, visual arts, and literature in Spain.
Main themes
- History of ballet in Spain during the 20th century.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration between composers, choreographers, costume designers, and visual artists.
- Documentation and analysis of scenic creative processes (scores, costume designs, sketches).
- Documentary heritage of Spanish dance (photographs, programs, posters).
- Relationship between contemporary classical music and the performing arts.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at researchers and students of musicology, art history, dance, and the performing arts. It is also of great interest to ballet professionals, choreographers, set designers, and costume designers, as well as to fans of contemporary classical music and 20th-century Spanish cultural history.
What this book provides
- Access to exceptional visual and textual documentation on 20th-century Spanish ballet production.
- Detailed understanding of the collaborative process between different artistic disciplines in stage creation.
- Historical and artistic contextualization of key works and artists in contemporary Spanish dance.
- Valuable archival material for academic research and professional consultation.
Technical specifications
- Author: National Institute of Performing Arts and Music
- Publisher: National Institute of Performing Arts and Music
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: DANCE, 20TH-CENTURY AND CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC
- Collection: TBD COLLECTION
- Binding: Other
- Publication date: January 1998
- Number of pages: 156
- Weight: 458 g
Editorial assessment
This is a reference catalog for specialists, noted for its documentary rigor and interdisciplinary approach. The abundant reproduction of archival materials makes it a primary source of great value for the study of Spanish ballet. Its main interest lies in making visible the network of artistic collaborations that defined the dance scene of the 20th century, offering a unique perspective on the intersection between music, visual arts, and dance.