Good M.Bournonville!

  Gratitude and consideration together with a heart full of solicitude I hasten (though late) to bring you my sincerest wishes for your true joy and happiness - Sweetened by good health may no sorrows darken your skies this coming year. It is hard to interpret what one feels, but these simple words I utter will gain strength when they are brought to the higher spheres. My greatest desires are, that this year and all the coming years, I may remain encompassed in your ever benevolent remembrance.
  Your missive which M. Beletti brought, I received on 22nd Dec: it gladdened me so much and I am so grateful for it.

That the death of your beloved King has caused so much grief, does not surprise me. He was such a tender and good Father. Many are those who will now realize his worth; because at the thought of his death, many will awaken to all those great memories which he has left us to ponder. Already on 8th Dec: the courier arrived with the sad message and I became heavy in my heart, how would it be otherwise possible, I liked him so much, I felt such a reverence for him, many a time I have seen him and those happy days, the happiest and most blissful  time I have had, my stay with you which gave me the added joy of getting to know him, now make me share the sorrow of everybody  who loved the Great Man. I wonder, and so do many others, what great events will now take place in Denmark - I closely follow all news from Copenhagen, the moment is important and auspicious for the making of many changes and the same could be said of this place, a lot ia expected of the Parliament which will soon convene; may there emerge men at the helm who will understand to do the very utmost for the country and the people and then eagerly get into action. Next Saturday there will be a Parliament sermon.
       Soon your rest will come to an end, maybe the theater has already opened again, before this missive arrives. The theater personnel has had peace and rest during all the holidays. I wonder iif there are any changes, if a happier or worse time will come to the Danish theater by this change of government. Christian VIII is a great lover of the fine arts, thus the big grant to the theater will not be cut, though that is what they think here.

   M. Bournonville, from your missive I understand that you have plans to abandon your post as teacher - I do admit that this might free you from much unpleasantness and much fatigue, and contribute considerably to your peace of mind, but how would this be possible; at the same moment that happens your pupils will be deserted; with the fire missing, how would the machinery work? There must be a man, with power, energy and eagerness to be the driving force. Where will be the spur if you are going to withdraw your hand. That is something you must think about.
I would never doubt that you do not have your reasons as you have almost made this decision, and as I do not know your motives, I am not going to judge you.

    Maybe you feel ingratitude from your pupils, maybe you realize that all your endeavour and toil for their well being goes without recognition, what an unhappy lot for a teacher, and thus none of your work bears fruit. May no one of your pupils realize your worth too late!
    From your missive I also understand that your journey here has come to nothing, the Direction has not told me the least thing about it, they have not even told me that you have written to them, or so the conductor told me after a long while, thus I got this information from you.
Afterwards some of the sujets have slipped me that Backman is supposed to have refused you to come as he had promised a French troupe to play together with the Swedish. You are the best judge yourself whether this is true. However, I must tell you that the public has absolutely no say in what the direction does and says, and nobody has in the least way lost enthusiasm or forgotten you, as you seem to think in your missive, the other way round, everybody seems to be very interested in seeing you again. Everywhere, in the noble houses, where I give classes I have been asked, not once but several times, if one will get the pleasure of seeing you and upon my answer there has been great consternation and general complaints about the stupid direction which never seems to realize the advantages which are offered them and who never do anything to please the Audience.

    In the theater it is like this - everything in dramatic way has not succeeded, they are always playing to empty houses whenever spoken drama is given, there has never been as scant an audience as there is now, it looks like the public were determined never to partake of any dramatical spectacle, one has even started with a few cat calls, a bagatelle, an insignificant piece "The Nocturnal Adventure", translated from the French, was booed; and "A Bouquet of Roses" was also booed - these were the only pieces M. Backman brought home from his foreign travel, the only ones he found notable enough for the Swedish stage.

"Don Juan of Austria" will be performed soon and will probably be the best dramatic piece our theater will be offering this year - let us see if it will be a success, as it is one of the better products of Casimir Delavigne. M. Sefvelin has appeared on the stage again, though he has several times said good-bye in earnest to the public. In his last farewell speech he said amongst other things "...and here in this room my voice will forever be silenced..." this year he will probably get another farewell benefit and then he will appear again next year - they are not so particular these days, it is a matter of character. In the opera it is better, "Robert of Normandie" is being performed incessantly to ever packed houses.

I have now been dancing almost every other day since before Christmas in "La Vestale", "Zampa", "La Muette" and "Robert", this and my teaching has made it quite impossible to write to you before, though I would have liked to do so. I have many classes, altogether 16 hours a week, but every time I am dancing it is a loss for me, the time passes and I can not repair the damage the next day. I have however come to the conclusion that it is so madly boring to give classes, it tires both body and soul, many times I feel really sick of everything, it is a misfortune when an artist is forced to do such things, one gets no time at all to look after oneself.

   Now "Robert" will rest until February when a pupil, Mlle Fundin, will double for Mme. Gelhaar, about whom one can now say that she has sung her last, because of the flippant treatment by the Direction, to let her, she, such a poor wretch, sing every day, she is now so sickly that she can hardly stand up. M. Berg says that if she can keep up singing for one more year it would be asking for too much. It is believed that "The Jewess" by Halevy will be given next Spring, God knows how the opera will fare on the male side, now when Sällström is dead, now we have nobody else, Gunther, and Roback in case he gets well.

   18th December Sällström died of tuberculosis. He quite wasted away - horrible! He has set a gruesome example, through the most dreadful way of living he got an early death, when he could still have been in his fullest vigeur he departed for another world, I consider him more criminal than one, who in a moment of desperation throws himself headlong into eternity. He never fulfilled any of his obligations towards God, his fellow human being and above all not towards himself. He lost the lot! May God forgive him - many have done it before him and many more will be doing it  - a horrible thought. Roback is now allowed up, soon he will leave the hospital, he conveys his greetings and says that he will soon answer your letter.
The Direction has contracted him thus; that he for the sum of 400 banco for the remainder of season will perform 10 times, he should be delighted about this, next March he is supposed to perform. I was quite sure that he had become totally flattened during his stay in the hospital with his problems; but unfortunately he remains as crotchety as ever and goes on in the same stupid manner. He will never have any success in the theatrical profession. Tomorrow M. Belette will give his recital, it is supposed to be excellent, and he will surely get a full house. Mlle. von Schoultz, Mlle. Lind will sing. M. Gehrman will assist, too.

    M. Belette will be leaving in a few days for Copenhagen. He has obtained  the post of Siboni, we have an excellent cellist here, whom you surely know, Herr Kellerman, he has given many recitals and had great success. The audience is eagerly awaiting M. Bochsa and Mme. Bishop who should be coming here from Gothenburg, to be able to hear these wonders which all the papers are acclaiming, but the hope of the publique has been failed, they are going back to Copenhagen - they are supposed to have made furore in Gothenburg. From one thing to another,  I also want to mention that from when I arrived, yes, from the beginning of the season, no ballet has yet been performed. Selinder is now rehearsing "La Dansomanie", next Thursday it will be premiered, thus on the 1st. In the first act I will dance a little pas as bridegroom and in the second act a pas oriental.

Selinder has requested His Majesty to be allowed a benefit, as a reason for taking this step, he is supposed to having referred  to his financial burden - he must keep his mother and brothers and sisters - and his salary has never been sufficient, in other words, he wants to strengthen his bad economy. With those works he has mounted, has he ever had a full house for the direction in order to merit a benefit, he is hardly ever on duty - however, the devil will see to that his wish comes true. A while ago, he danced "La Cachucha" in his masquerade divertissement - that man is totally shameless and foolhardy - the day before he was going to dance I got to know about it. He danced, but to his own and also to the direction's great alarm it happened that, towards the end of the pas, there was not only applause but also cat-calls  and sharp whistling. Some one on the 5th tier hollered da capo, he entered the stage again in the middle of this din and proceeded to dance again
How he danced is not even worth speaking about, I can just say that the general aspect was re volting, it nauseated me, he looked fine in drag; but was awfully fat and clumsy - there was a remarkable similarity between him and a certain gross and obese hag in a certain street in Copen hagen. Selinder has learnt the Cachucha from Granberg who has taught him how it goes. It had actually been decided that she was going to dance it in a new divertissement which Selinder was supposed to be composing; but, one day, it has been said, Selinder danced it for the direction and several others, they found it so charming and finally even the audience got to see it.

   On Christmas Day Granberg got engaged to a nice man in the orchestra, by the name of Fribel, she has known him for several years. I recently had news of Silferberg, he has settled in very nicely in Finland, there were only some initial difficulties for him, before he had acquired some private pupils, the salary was not enough for him and the family to cover expenses - he was lucky to get there.
    Everybody at Petterssons send their regards, they are going to write with the same mail. Mlle. Margreth is sad now; her fiancé, the district judge Holmquist has just returned to Skåne.
   I will now end my missive, only hoping that you can read it to the end without getting tired. Please convey my heartfelt regards to all in the family, Mme. Bournonville, Mme. Håkansson, Mme. Sorel, your dear parents, brothers and sisters and the girls; my wishes for their wellbeing will follow them.
         Goodbye, M. Bournonville. Live well! Remember me, always with amicability.
         I remain, forever your devoted and grateful.

                                    Johansson.

P.S. I have many kind regards from a family Dahlström to Mme.Håkanson. M. Sternberg, whom M. Håkanson knew, was a very good friend when he was alive. I am now staying with these ladies and I value them greatly. Many regards also to my friends, and Andreas and M. Fredstrup.
Today I got to know from Mlle. Daguin that Bochsa and Mme. Bishop are coming. She has had a letter from Lt. Col. Clancey.Well, that will be a pleasure.

Almlöfs and Mlle. Lind send greetings. A few days ago the latter sang at Court, on this occasion she received a piece of jewellery from the Queen, and was also elevated to the rank of Court Singer with salary.

Stockholm 19th July 1841.
A Backman     S Schyberg
                       Wåhlberg

Approved
P:C: Johansson
                                          P.M.
Premier Danseur Johansson has brought forward his wish that the Directorate might increment his honorarium from 53 Thaler to 66 Thaler for the remaining 4 representations when Mlle. Taglioni will appear.
As Johansson has shown an unusual amount of zeal and to a high degree won te acclaim of the public, and as he has also provided himself with several costumes which would have been the duty of the Theater to furnishsh, I find for my own part his request is fair, wherefore I will grant my approval.

Stockholm: 21st Sept. 1841.
A  Backman
Instead of an increment of the daily fee Johansson will receive a promise that at similar Representations, in which he appears, receive an increment of fees corresponding to the benefit proposed above.
Illegible signature.

St. Petersburg, 25th August, 1874.
 

 Dear, beloved Friend,

  When I returned with my family from Finland last Thursday I was met by a pleasant surprise: Your letter from Paris. With great joy I note that you are blessed with  auspicious circumstances: good health and being in the bosom of your nearest and dearest, you have completed your last artistic journey and you have increased your wealth of wisdom and knowledge. Fortunate would be the one who could say the same.
It is also a pleasure for me to know that you have spoken to our old friend Perrot, with whom I have struggled during all those years in the temple of Terpsichore. Countless happy memories attach me to him.
    Dear friend, your wish to receive some tunes from our abundant mine of music, I will comply with as far as is possible. If you will be pleased with them I do not know; the season has started, we do not have much time to search and choose, the copyists are already working flat out. I do not know how  we will get time to copy what is necessary, then get it to you so you will get time to execute your ideas, and all that before the beginning of October.

   You probably nourish the hope that your new temple will not open its doors too soon. However, I will hurry them along as much as I can.
    From Petersburg there are no news which you already do not know. You already know that splendid functions succeed each other. Apart from "The Entry of the Bride", which was as spectacular as everything is here, we have been blessed with the most fantastic weather, the wedding festivities, illuminations, balls, parade spectacles in Zarskoje-Selo and in the great theater have put the people of Petersburg into joyous motion and for a few days allowed them to forget their daily toil. Now calm reigns again and Petersburg has regained its normal looks. The members of the Imperial family have all left us, being on their travels to all parts. We have started the season with "Koniok" and today Sunday "Camargo" is being performed. Do you remember the beautiful girl who appeared in "Zar Kandawel" as The Queen, she pleased you so much: Simskaja 2? She married one of my friends last Sunday and left the stage. For us it is a loss; she was the most beautiful maiden in our temple, still quite young - she graduated from my class a year ago. I had this bad luck last year too, when the lovely blonde nymph Virgina, the darling of the public, left us to get married to Count Baranoff. Consider, what an enormous amount of spent labor it was for me.

It is most odd that all of my first pupils have got married. About seven years ago the first dancer of the Moskowska Theater: Lebedjewa, was transferred to us with the consent of His Imperial Majesty. I gave her private tuition during the course of 2 years and I even spent a whole Summer  with my family on her estate near Moscow, where she continued her studies with an energy I have never before witnessed in any woman.  When she reached the pinnacle of her talent, had become the favorite of the audience and was ready to go to Vienna for a few months, whence even I was to have accompanied her, in order to give her classes and also to stage dances from our ballets, then she gets married and leaves the stage. Even so, Virgina who was negotiating with Hulsen in Berlin  and just had her contract to sign, gets the notion to exchange our slippery stage for the domestic life. Wazem-Grinioff is the only married woman who has stayed with us. She could well have deserted us, if I had only been allowed the keep just one of the others.

My dear friend, I ask you for forgiveness if I have been talking about things which really could not interest you. No!
That way of thinking is not correct; I said something stupid: each delectable rose which adorns our temple, and which is cut, must be a painful loss for both of us.

                        A hearty handshake and Live well.
Thousands of greetings to your dear Wife and Children,
from me and my family. You are hailed by all of us.
                        Your sincere Friend
                        Ch. Johansson. Back

Translation from the Swedish:

The Ballet master Christian Johansson in S:t Petersburg
In the church register of S:ta Katarina Swedish Parish the following information has been found: Due to wars and political turmoil, people disappearing without trace etc. more information can not be found.

Per Christian (or Pehr Kristian) Johansson was born in Stockholm 1.06.1817 and his wife Emma Loef, 7,10,1829. In the registers it states that Johansson  was "ballet master" or "dancer" but in the death register it says that he was "actor of the Imperial Theaters". There were six children of the marriage, all born in S:ta  Katarina parish:

Emma         b.19.07. 1854                         d. 24.01. 1918 single
Fanny         b.31.12.1857                          d. (in Stockholm 1946)
Anna          b.28.06. 1860                         d. 22.02.1917 single
Alexandra   b. 20.06.1869
There were also two sons of the marriage; both died in infancy.
Alfred Theodor, b. 7/12 1856, died 13/2 1857.
Oscar, b.9/2 1862, died of a seizure 27/3 1862.

Alexandra Johansson married 30.07.1882  the pharmacist Edward Bresinsky.  No children have been registred. Further information not available.

Fanny Johansson married 31.08 1884 Nils Magnus Nordenstroem, (Military taylor) born 2.08.1838.  Children of the marriage:

Eugenia b. 7.12. 1884                            d.20.09.1903.
Valeria b.19.09. 1887                           (d. 20.2.1980.)
 

Nils Magnus Nordenstroem died 30.07.1903. Fanny Johansson moved to Sweden  30.07.1921. "to Stockholm 1926 according to a note in the registers". Their daughter Valeria was married 10.10. 1907  Viktor Dashkewitsch, divorced 19.03.1918, remarried 11.09.1918 Johan Hosef Elmer Alexius Luxemburg. He was a member of the Catholic Church.

In the Death Registers is recorded that Emma Loef, Swedish citizen, died  6.10.1903 of pneumonia. She was buried at Smolensk Cemetary. Pehr Christian Johansson, Swedish citizen, died at 7 o clock in the morning 12.12. 1903 of stroke. He also was buried at Smolensk Cemetary at 14.12.1903.

How could a poor boy, son of an unmarried mother, get the opportunity to study in a ballet school? Was his father a wealthy man of nobility who helped him in secret?

How could the young P.C.J, coming from dire poverty,  in his writing, show such a splendid treatment  of  language, spelling and grammar? Also in French?

What did he do and where was he before the age of twelve when he joined the ballet school?

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