Stockholm 10th January 1837.
M. Bournonville, My good Teacher,
In the beginning of the year when people in general more from old habits
then from the goodness of their hearts wish happy new year, I also want
to, though somewhat late, to fulfill my obligation; but please believe
me that my wishes for your wellbeing are sincere, that it comes from the
bottom of my grateful heart and will always remain the same, at all
times, every day of the year. If all the good things I wish you would be
granted you, how insignificant would it not be in comparison with the satisfaction
you must feel within yourself, to have made an unknown, one of your fellow
beings happy. Every good deed brings its reward and may you be as rewarded
as you deserve, that is my greatest wish.
My duty would have been to inform you about the outcome
of my debut; but as I knew that you would have been informed by M. Wallqvist,
and as I immediately after my debut learnt that I would shortly appear
in another pas I prefer to wait until I have danced that as well - 25th
and 27th November I danced my Pas de trois, as you know in "The Marriage
of Figaro". The public saw me with pleasure, every ecol was applauded,
and I was quite pleased with myself; because it went very well. In "Oedipus"
I danced (27 December) my beautiful pas de deux, which Bour: had the goodness
to teach me. I would not have been able to dance in "Oedipus" if M. Kinnmansson,
who had this opera for his benefit, had not requested me to dance, and
upon the advise of M. Wallqvist I chose this well choreographed pas. The
pas was enormously successful, and that evening I really triumphed
I also saw the happiness glow in all the eyes of the premiere sujets; the
Prince has been ill, and thus had not been able to see me dance before,
came expres for my sake and went home immediately as the pas was over.
Every ecol was applauded more than in my first debut. Le maitre de Ballet
was also going to dance in this opera and chose le pas de la Vestal which
he has never danced before. He asked me if I knew it, whereupon I answered
that I had probably danced it 50 times in the school for you, but as he
did not ask me to show him how it was choreographed by you, I thought that
it would not be worth the trouble to offer him my services. Thus he fixed
up this pas in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I never got to see this
pas being performed; because he was taken ill in the nick of time so he
was unable to dance. Otherwise he had arranged it thus, that he should
commence, thereafter Silfverberg and I would come last - one wondered why
the first dancer was going to start the divertissement; but the Direction
had no objection." Oedipus" has since not been performed, because several
singers have been taken ill, but I have danced twice between plays which
hitherto never has been done here. Thus I am the reason for the introduction
of this new custom; because I have told the direction that this is how
they do it in Copenhagen. The first time I danced my pas de deux and on
the other occasion my pas de trois. The Direction has showered me with
compliments, I don't know if the President has written to you. It seems
to me that all those compliments I have been told, rightly were due to
you, who for nothing gave me tuition and gave the Swedish Stage a Danseur.
Several prominent persons have taken an interest in me and presented me
with gifts. And, without this aid I had not, by Good! been able to exist;
because, by the end of the year I received the rest of my salary (25 banco),
on which I would have been forced to live until Easter. From the ungrateful
Direction I can expect nothing, until my engagement is over, and it will
be forced to give me an appointment so that I can live decently. Strangely
enough the Direction was willing to give me a costume, an absolute equivalent
of the one I wore in Copenhagen. I have heard that "La Sylphide" and "La
Somnambula" have been performed in your theater, and had much success.
It is a great loss for me that I was not able to see these beautiful ballets
before my departure. In Stockholm it is not possible to see something like
that. Since I arrived home only one single ballet has been given, (La famille
des innocens), it was given last Sunday and it went divinely. Selinder
has only danced 5 or 6 times after my arrival, and I have not yet had the
honour to dance the same evening as he.
I have tried several times to find out about Herr Olson
but still in vain, I have looked up the wholesaler Leufvenmarck, he did
not know of Herr Olsons whereabouts though I have tracked down a herr Munthe
who is supposed to know where he is. I will do my utmost to find him and
I hope it will be before long. Farewell good M. Bournonville, every time
I remember you and your fine city, I am thinking: Oh, if only I were there!
but, what one most fervently wishes seldom comes true; though I will remain
joyfully in the hope of yet once more meeting you and those people who
gave me so much kindness, and to verbally declare you my devotion, with
which I have the honour of remaining your eternally grateful eleve.
P.C. Johansson.
Back
Dear beloved teacher,
The 8th inst. I had the great joy to receive your letter of 15th March. How fortunate I felt when I saw that you remember me, and that you remain the same as you were during my stay in Copenhagen. The concern you showed me and the joy you feel for my success honours your heart and I recognize your noble character. For a long time it has been my greatest wish to get a letter from you, but I dared not flatter myself with such a hope.
However, now my wish is fulfilled, and I want to thank you with all my heart for all you have done for me. And, believe me, M. Bour: for ever I will be grateful and always try to be worthy of the friendship with which you so honour me.- With sadness I realize that you have been ill, but thank God! you are now well. Fortunately summer is coming and you will be able to rest from all the toil and trouble you have had last winter. - The good fatherly advice you, M. Bournonville, have given me is such that I shall always follow it faithfully.
Regarding my comportment with my colleagues I am without reproach, they show me much courtesy and a pleasant demeanour, and I repay them with the same coin, I know that I have not failed any one of them. I do not think I have a single enemy in the entire corps de ballet, if not in secret, and if it is so, it would not be odd: because of the progress I have made during your tuition, a lot of jealousy amongst certain people has occurred. M. Bourn: who better than anybody knows my serious mien would find that I, in the company of my colleagues, where often a mauvais ton is prevalent, and where I cannot furnish ni le coeur, ni lèsprit, never can find any pleasure. Yes, my good teacher, it is my determination never to faufiler myself with them, because I know that as long as I can retain my heart pure and immaculate, I can also count on your friendship as well as the regard of all righteous people. Mlle. Daguin takes a lot of interest in me these days. Perhaps she and the directors together want to decide my coming appointment and that she already knows on which scale it is going to be, otherwise she has told you a lie. I thought Mlle Daguin to be a more straightforward and truthful person.
I thank you very much, M. Bour: for your kindness in instructing me how to go about it in case I should be forced to seek employment in Copenhagen. In any case I had not meant to take this step, but I am forced to do so because of the wicked treatment I have received in Stockholm Nevertheless, I have a deep love for Copenhagen, though I would prefer to remain in my native country, because I feel that given time I shall be successful. But how happy I would be, a bit later when my means will permit me, to make another journey to Copenhagen and to be able to enjoy our wonderful classes one more time. Everything works well. The public watches me with pleasure, and many distinguished people are interested in me. I even think that H.R.H. The Crown Prince in a couple of years time, maybe even earlier, will give me some token of his esteem---
Under the guidance of M. Selinder the ballet goes very well. This year "Les Innocens" has already been given twice as I have told you before, as well as "La Dansomanie". M. Selinder has also mounted a "Mythological divertissement", it was only performed twice. The first time it was performed I danced a pas de trois with M. Silfverberg and a pupil, in the adagio and the beginning of the allegro we danced with garlands wound around arches. The pas was not applauded at all.
The day before the pas was to be given a second time, Selinder was ordered to let me dance in a better pas; then M. Selin: suggested that I should learn a very long and boring pas, but with only one day to go I would not get time to work on it so I flatly refused and suggested in stead that I should dance my beautiful pas de deux, which I had learnt from you, M. Sel. did not like that at all, but our new Directeur lieutenant-colonel Backman liked my suggestion and approved of my request. I danced and was much applauded, for every ecol I was applauded and for every manifestation I thought of you. It was the first time I had the honour of dancing a pas de deux in the same evening as M. Selinder. In "La Dansomanie" Sel. wanted me to dance an old gavotte en basque; but as I found this ridiculous and I already had been promised by lieut. Backman to insert my own pas, that gavotte came to nothing. I worked out a new pas, the score was given to me by count Oxenstjerna, (chamberlain to the princess), it was an aria from an opera by Donizetti, a very beautiful polonaise, one of my friends arranged it for dancing, and it was very effective. I wore a new costume of black velvet with white satin and gold, and a very smart toque with one single erect plume. This costume has caused a sensation. One seigneur at the court has made me a present of the costume, he has designed it himself. It cost at least 100 thaler banco.
"La Dansomanie" has been performed 4 times, in the first act I danced
a pas paysan as jeune marie, towards the end of the ballet my Polonaise,
which was generally liked. I have sufficient amour propre to believe that
my composition was not so mauvaise, at least better than what M. Sel. could
have arranged for me, and in consequence, I am planning to ask for the
right to arrange my own pas when my new contract is signed. What do you
think about that, M. Bournonville, do you think I am too pretentious?
M. Selin: does not know about the dance, still less about my schooling
and my aims; consequently, he can not do choreography for me.
Farewell, esteemed M. Bournonville, let me always live happily in the
belief that I will remain encompassed by your friendship, and that
you will always remember with the same benevolence the one who will forever
be your devoted and grateful.
P.C. Johansson
P.S. Please convey my heartfelt regards to you entire family,
which will always be dear to me.
M. Wallquist sends his regards, he thanks you for yours.
COMMENTS.
PC Johansson had two careers, as a dancer and as a teacher. He was an extraordinarily fine dancer, whose performances were characterized by good taste and technical skill, at the same time he was a reliable partner.
As a dancer he was foremost on two stages: Royal Theatre in Stockholm
and The Imperial Theatre in Petersburg. In an article in Illustrated Journal
1866 which deals with his Russian success it is truthfully stated that
Johansson was a son of the shanties. However, Johansson was accepted as
a pupil at the Royal Theatre 1829, from 1 July 1837 - 1 July 1840
he was premiere dancer.
It was significant for Johanssons development that he got the opportunity
to study the art of ballet in Copenhagen, where August Bournonville become
his teacher and mentor. Under his guidance Johansson acquired the French
style which was the style of the Danish ballet. He visited and practised
in Copenhagen on at least four occasions between 1836 to 1839 - he also
performed on the Danish stage. His talent so delighted Crown Prince Oscar
of Sweden that his studies in Denmark were financed from the Royal
purse.
The letters from the young Johansson, written between 1837 and 1840 give a vivid description of the theater in Stockholm, where Johansson in 1838 mounted Bournonvilles "Soldier and peasant" under the name of "The Homecoming". The following year Bournonville himself with some of the best artists of the Danish ballet visited Stockholm for a series of guest appearances. From the letters it is obvious that Johansson busied himself with some practical arrangements , finding accommodation for the Bournonville family etc. The influence of the courts in Stockholm as well as in Copenhagen in the affairs of the theaters is clearly stated in the letters. Johansson received early recognition for his skill as a dancer, but he himself realized that he had few opportunities to develop in Stockholm because the ballet had to function jointly with both opera and drama. In Copenhagen Johansson had learnt several roles in the Bournonville repertoire and in consequence found the choreography offered by Anders Selinder rather poor.
Johansson left the Swedish stage in 1840 and went to St.
Petersburg.
There he had luck and soon appeared in a pas de trois with Olga Shlefogt
and Natalia Apollonskaya while he was trained by the ballet master Antoine
Titus. By the end of the thirties and into the forties during five seasons
Marie Taglioni made yearly guest appearances in Petersburg.
On one occasion she noticed the young Swedish dancer and made it a
condition that he should accompany her on her Swedish tour autumn 1841.
When Johansson danced in La Gitana together with Elena Andreyanova on 31st
Oct (old calendar)1841 on returning to S:t Petersburg, it was for
good.
During the next two decades he appeared in all major parts for male
dancers in the current repertoire. Taglioni was not the only one of the
famous ballerinas of the epoch whom he partnered. Fanny Elssler, Fanny
Cerrito and Carlotta Grisi were all partnered by Johansson.
Johansson remained single until 1853 , when he married in the Swedish
Catherine parish in S:t Petersburg.
His bride was Emma Löf, born 1829 in Stockholm and daughter of
the iron porter (in those days a rather menial work) Henrik Löf and
his wife Charlotta Sjöblom.
In 1860 Johansson embarked on his second career - he started teaching,
at first on a small scale, privately.
His teaching methods were in great demand and finally he was engaged
in 1869 to be in charge of the Imperial ballet school classe de perfectionnement.
Sporadically he still appeared on stage until the beginning of the 1880ties.
In the middle of the century the Russian ballet was led by the Frenchman
Jules Perrot. He worked in Petersburg from 1848 to 1859, then he retired
to his native country. The Maryinsky theatre, was inaugurated in 1860.
From 1862 Marius Petipa was ballet master. French and Italian styles merged
during these years to form the individual Russian style. Johansson and
Petipa contributed greatly to this merger.
Sergej Diaghilevs first European tour made Russian ballet known and appreciated all over Europe and later in America. The style which Johansson had developed was spread by his disciples all over the world.
August Bournonville was the son of Antoine B. and his Swedish born wife
Louise Sundberg.
August was born in Copenhagen 1805 and became a pupil at the Royal
Theater there in 1815. He also studied in Paris 1824-29. On his return
he became ballet master in Copenhagen. When Bournonville visited Petersburg
he again met with the soprano Henriette Nissen-Saloman, who was born in
Gothenburg. She had once been the rival of Jenny Lind but later moved to
Petersburg where she worked exclusively as a singing teacher. Johansson
visited her relatives when he passed by Gothenburg in 1839.
The high level of the Russian ballet came as no surprise to Bournonville
when he at last in 1874 decided to visit the Russian capital. He was fond
of travelling. One can gather from Bóurnonvilles memoirs that the
Russians were well aware of the importance of their guest and Bournonville
was very well received. The deep personal benevolence which he had
shown the young Johansson - and the letters bear witness to this - was
now reciprocated in all possible manner.
Here follows a letter to Antoine Bournonville, the father of August.