The fund of good humor that surrounds the chief figures of this tale—the miller, his wife and the Corregidor (a high Spanish official)—is one of the many reasons why this story is such a favorite. These people play their parts against a shifting background of Spanish life. They are human, lovable—even the rascally Corregidor—and the move in a rhythm that never fails to stir lovers of ballet.

THE THREE-CORNERED HAT was first presented on the stage at London in 1919 by a company under the direction of Serge Diaghileff. The music had been written by a gifted Spanish composer, Manuel de Falla; and the dances were planned by Leonide Massine, a Russian who still dances the role of the miller with the Ballet Russe, a group which had its beginnings with Diaghileff's company. The Three-Cornered Hat, one of their most celebrated offerings, is now recognized as a work which belongs in the front rank of modern ballet.

This edition authorized by The Ballet Russe

From the dust jacket