ABSTRACT
The first draft of Chout reveals Prokofiev's great skill for trenchant musical characterization in the manner of Musorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyadov, but it also demonstrates the composer's failure to understand the special needs of ballet and practical theater. Aside from signaling Diaghilev's conception of ballet music, various versions of Chout document Prokofiev's development as a ballet composer, a story as yet unrecorded despite the accessibility of the 1915 holograph to scholars since 1972. With its reconciliation of music and dance, the 1920 version of Chout represents the source of Prokofiev's mature ballet style. Without a choreographer's guidance, Prokofiev loaded the original Chout with highly specific stage instructions and corresponding music, thus highlighting pantomime at the expense of dance. In a letter dated 21 September 1922, Prokofiev gave his instructions to the German music publishing firm Breitkopf and Hartel for extracting a 12 movement suite from his ballet score.
