Jazz Calendar is a ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

 created in 1968 with choreography by Frederick Ashton

Frederick Ashton

Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...

, to the score of Richard Rodney Bennett

Richard Rodney Bennett

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an English composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works...

 and based on the children’s poem Monday's Child

Monday's Child

‘Monday's Child’ is one of many fortune-telling songs, popular as nursery rhymes for children. It is supposed to tell a child's character or future based on the day they were born and help young children remember the days of the week. As with all nursery rhymes, there are many versions...

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History

The production was arranged at short notice to replace a new production of Aida

Aida

Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...

, and at the suggestion of Nigel Gosling, Ashton asked Derek Jarman to create the designs. Richard Rodney Bennett’s score had been commissioned by the BBC and was composed between 1962 and 1964.

The ballet was first performed on 9 January 1968 by the company of The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

, Covent Garden, with Merle Park, Anthony Dowell

Anthony Dowell

Sir Anthony James Dowell, CBE is a retired English ballet dancer and former Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet. He studied at the Hampshire School and The Royal Ballet Schools, before joining the Royal Ballet in 1961...

, Robert Mead, Alexander Grant

Alexander Grant (dancer)

Alexander Grant was a ballet dancer noted as a founder member of the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet and as a dancer with The Royal Ballet.- Overview :...

, Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Russian dancer, considered one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women.In 1961 he...

, Antoinette Sibley

Antoinette Sibley

Dame Antoinette Sibley, DBE is an English prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. During her time there she was the Royal Ballet's most popular star...

, Michael Coleman, Wayne Sleep

Wayne Sleep

Wayne Philip Colin Sleep OBE is a British dancer, director, choreographer and panelist. He was a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet and has appeared as a Guest Artist with several other ballet companies.-Early life:...

 in the leading roles; designs were by Derek Jarman

Derek Jarman

Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...

. The work was performed over 50 times up to 1979 by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, but is not part of the current repertoire.

The rehearsals for the ballet's premiere were filmed at the Royal Opera House involving many of the original principals. The full score was recorded in 1971 by the London Jazz Ensemble conducted by John Lanchbery

John Lanchbery

John Arthur Lanchbery OBE was an English, later Australian, composer and conductor, famous for his ballet arrangements.-Life:...

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Story

The scenario follows the sequence of the children's poem. After Monday (a "hymn to narcissim"), Tuesday is a pas de trois in a style of Ashton's Monotones. Wednesday’s woe is in the form of a "distortion of the Rose Adagio" from The Sleeping Beauty, Thursday depicts various forms of transport, Friday is a blues pas de deux. Saturday is a send-up of a male ballet class, while the finale mimicked the 'stage revolve' close of Sunday Night at the London Palladium

Sunday Night at the London Palladium

Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...

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Music

The music encompasses a variety of traditional jazz forms and devices, from twelve-bar blues in Friday's Child to a fast jazz waltz in Thursday's Child. The scoring is flute, alto- tenor- and baritone saxophone, horn, two trumpets, bassoon, trombone, drums, piano, bass.

The work is dedicated to the singer Jean Hart.