”L’amour constant”: A Court Ballet with German connections in Stockholm 1646
(Peter Bohlin)

The thirteen court ballets with printed texts from the regency and reign of Queen Christina of Sweden (1632-54) all have French texts. Five of the texts were also printed in German (and another five in Swedish). This presentation centers around one of the court ballets with a German connection: L’amour constant (1646). For this court ballet there is no German text, but  it was performed during the wedding festivities, in Stockholm, of Markgraf Friedrich of Hessen and Eleonora of Pfalz.
The other twelve Swedish court ballets are loosely connected “ballets à entrées”. “L’amour constant” is an interesting exception, having a plot. In fifteen scenes, plus a “grand ballet” and an epilogue, is told (a very short version of) the story of Ulysses and his return to Ithaca and his loyal Penelope.
The presentation concentrates on the text, and the dramaturgy of the ballet. Roles include Amor, Mars, Bellona, Aiolos, La renomée, three muses, Penelope, her suitors, Envy, faithful servants of Ulysses, Victory and La Constance (that’s Penelope).

Peter Bohlin, B.A. (Stockholm, Sweden): 

Author of various articles about dance since 1978. From 1998 studies in Historical Dance at the Unversity College of Dance, Stockolm. 1999-2002 librarian at the Dance Museum in Stockholm.