The article represents the first publication, a source review and a comprehensive analysis of diary entries about ballet belonging to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia (1827–1892). His diaries, covering the period from 1837 to 1889, contain numerous statements about theatrical productions, Russian and European dancers and choreographers. The perspective of the paper is determined by the material chosen for study. The article includes the following sections: 1) The origins of the Grand Duke’s fascination with musical and choreographic art; 2) Taglioni’s ballets in the Grand Duke’s children’s diaries; 3) the Grand Duke dances “L’Écumeur de Mer” (with the chronograph “Adolphe Adam in St. Petersburg”, 1839/1840); 4) foreign impressions of the 1840s–1850s; 5) at the ballet with Alexander II of Russia (1860–1870s); 6) an unknown poem by Pyotr Vyazemsky in the Grand Duke’s diary (1874); 7) Marius Petipa and “Tsar Berendei” by Vasily Zhukovsky; 8) to the reconstruction of “Catarina, or La Fille du Bandit”: “Pas éspagnol” by Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia (1870). In the conclusion preliminary results are summarized and further prospects for study of personal documents of the august ballet lovers of the 19th and early 20th centuries are outlined. The Appendix contains lists of ballets and ballet artists mentioned in the Grand Duke’s diaries, as well as a thematic selection of his notes on “Le Roi Candaule”, “Trilby”, “Camargo” and other works by Marius Petipa. The commentary is based on diaries, memoirs and letters of persons from the Grand Duke’s inner circle (including his father, Emperor Nicholas I and his mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), Russian and foreign press, rare archival, musical and manuscript materials. The information contained in the article will be useful not only for art historians, but also for literary and cultural historians.
The author wishes to express his thanks to Dr. Maria Shcherbakova (Mariinsky Theatre, Music Library and Archives), Dr. Alexey Savelyev (M. Gorky Scientific Library at St.Petersburg State University, Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts), Dr. Alla Semenyuk (Russian State Library, Department of Music Publications and Audio Recordings), Dr. Elena Mikhailova (National Library of Russia, Department of Manuscripts), Sofia Pepelzhi (National Library of Russia, Department of Music Publications), Petr Pospelov, Dr. Larisa Lunyakova.
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