"To all lovers of Mr Herriman's ingenious and delightful cartoons it must have seemed inevitable that sooner or later Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse would be dragged by some composer into music. I have tried to drag them not only into music but on to the stage as well, by means of what I have called, for obvious reasons, a Jazz Pantomime.
To those who have not mastered Mr Herriman's psychology it may be explained that Krazy Kat is the world's greatest optimist-Don Quixote and Parsifal rolled into one. It is therefore possible for him to maintain constantly at white heat a passionate affair with Ignatz Mouse, in which the gender of each remains ever a delightful mystery. Ignatz, on the other hand, condenses in his sexless self all the cardinal vices. If Krazy blows beautiful bubbles, Ignatz shatters them; if he builds castles in Spain, Ignatz is there with a brick. In short, he is meaner than anything, and his complex is cats.
After a few introductory bars the curtain is raised and Krazy is discovered asleep under a tree. Officer Pup passes, swinging his club. All is well. Then comes Bill Poster, a canine relative of Officer Pup, with his bucket and brush, and pastes upon the wall an announcement of the grand ball which will shortly be given for all the animals. The job finished, Bill departs.
Krazy wakes up; he rubs his eyes and reads the exciting poster. He is moved to try his steps; he finds his feet heavy and numerous. Of a sudden he spies on a clothes line which the moving scenery has brought into view, a ballet skirt. Undoubtedly it is his costume for the ball. He approaches the clothes line, first with restraint, then with eagerness. He snatches the skirt from the line, claps it on, and comes bounding forward in high abandon.
He is interrupted by the appearance of Old Joe Stork, drilling by with his bundle on his back. He passes on, but he has carelessly dropped his pack. Krazy sniffs at it, filled with curiosity. He picks it up and carries it triumphantly to his tree in the corner. He opens the bundle, and finds that it contains not what you thought it would, but a vanity case, mirror, rouge, powder-puff, lip-stick and all, complete, including a beautiful pair of white cotton gloves.
He abandons himself to the absorbing task of make-up for the ball. Meanwhile the moving scenery has brought into view the house of Ignatz Mouse. The door opens, and Ignatz' head appears. Opportunity has knocked. The Mouse steals forward and is about to seize an inviting brick when Officer Pup (thank heaven!) arrives in the very nick of time and drives him from the scene. The unsuspecting Kat, in the meantime, has completed his make-up. He now arises, draws on his white cotton gloves, and then by way of further preparatory exercise, he indulges in a bit of a Spanish dance.
At its conclusion Krazy is suddenly confronted by the Mysterious Stranger. The sophisticated audience will observe that it is none other than Ignatz disguised as a catnip merchant. Very formidable indeed! The Stranger steps briskly forward and holds out to the ever-receptive Kat a bouquet-an enormous bouquet of catnip. Krazy plunges his nose into the insidious vegetable, inhales deeply to the very bottom of his lungs, and then goes off at once into what Mr Herriman calls a Class A fit. It is a fit progressive, a fit de luxe, the Katnip Blues, in which the wily Ignatz joins as additional incitement. When the frenzy has achieved its climax, the Mouse throws off his disguise, seizes his brick, dashes it full in the face of the Kat, and escapes. Krazy staggers back, stunned and exhausted, but yet undaunted. There is the moment of ecstatic recognition-Ignatz Dahlinkas he totters and reels back to his little tree. He sinks down wearily under its protecting boughs. The moon comes out. Krazy sleeps. Krazy dreams. Indominatable Kat! "
To those who have not mastered Mr Herriman's psychology it may be explained that Krazy Kat is the world's greatest optimist-Don Quixote and Parsifal rolled into one. It is therefore possible for him to maintain constantly at white heat a passionate affair with Ignatz Mouse, in which the gender of each remains ever a delightful mystery. Ignatz, on the other hand, condenses in his sexless self all the cardinal vices. If Krazy blows beautiful bubbles, Ignatz shatters them; if he builds castles in Spain, Ignatz is there with a brick. In short, he is meaner than anything, and his complex is cats.
After a few introductory bars the curtain is raised and Krazy is discovered asleep under a tree. Officer Pup passes, swinging his club. All is well. Then comes Bill Poster, a canine relative of Officer Pup, with his bucket and brush, and pastes upon the wall an announcement of the grand ball which will shortly be given for all the animals. The job finished, Bill departs.
Krazy wakes up; he rubs his eyes and reads the exciting poster. He is moved to try his steps; he finds his feet heavy and numerous. Of a sudden he spies on a clothes line which the moving scenery has brought into view, a ballet skirt. Undoubtedly it is his costume for the ball. He approaches the clothes line, first with restraint, then with eagerness. He snatches the skirt from the line, claps it on, and comes bounding forward in high abandon.
He is interrupted by the appearance of Old Joe Stork, drilling by with his bundle on his back. He passes on, but he has carelessly dropped his pack. Krazy sniffs at it, filled with curiosity. He picks it up and carries it triumphantly to his tree in the corner. He opens the bundle, and finds that it contains not what you thought it would, but a vanity case, mirror, rouge, powder-puff, lip-stick and all, complete, including a beautiful pair of white cotton gloves.
He abandons himself to the absorbing task of make-up for the ball. Meanwhile the moving scenery has brought into view the house of Ignatz Mouse. The door opens, and Ignatz' head appears. Opportunity has knocked. The Mouse steals forward and is about to seize an inviting brick when Officer Pup (thank heaven!) arrives in the very nick of time and drives him from the scene. The unsuspecting Kat, in the meantime, has completed his make-up. He now arises, draws on his white cotton gloves, and then by way of further preparatory exercise, he indulges in a bit of a Spanish dance.
At its conclusion Krazy is suddenly confronted by the Mysterious Stranger. The sophisticated audience will observe that it is none other than Ignatz disguised as a catnip merchant. Very formidable indeed! The Stranger steps briskly forward and holds out to the ever-receptive Kat a bouquet-an enormous bouquet of catnip. Krazy plunges his nose into the insidious vegetable, inhales deeply to the very bottom of his lungs, and then goes off at once into what Mr Herriman calls a Class A fit. It is a fit progressive, a fit de luxe, the Katnip Blues, in which the wily Ignatz joins as additional incitement. When the frenzy has achieved its climax, the Mouse throws off his disguise, seizes his brick, dashes it full in the face of the Kat, and escapes. Krazy staggers back, stunned and exhausted, but yet undaunted. There is the moment of ecstatic recognition-Ignatz Dahlinkas he totters and reels back to his little tree. He sinks down wearily under its protecting boughs. The moon comes out. Krazy sleeps. Krazy dreams. Indominatable Kat! "
John Alden Carpenter
Programme note attached to his ballet of Krazy Kat, performed
Friday, January 20, 1922, at the Town Hall, in New York.
"A tous les amoureux des bandes dessinées délicieuses et ingénieuses de Herriman, il devait paraître inévitable que, tôt ou tard, un compositeur songe à mettre en musique Krazy Kat et Ignatz MOuse. Je n´ai pas seulement essayé de les mettre en musique, mais de les mettre en scène en utilisant une forme que j´ai appelée, pour des raisons évidentes, une pantomime jazz.
A tous ceux qui ne connaissent pas de très près la pscyhologie de Herriman, il faut expliquer que Krazy Kat est le plus grand optimiste que l´on puisse imaginer -à la fois Don QUichotte et Parsifal. Il a une relation passionnelle et durable avec Ignatz Mouse, relation dans laquelle le sexe des partenaires reste indéterminé. Ignatz, par ailleurs, être asexué, collectionne tous les vices. Lorsque Krazy fabrique des bulles de savon, Ignatz les fait éclater; s´il bâtit des châteaux en Espagne, Ignatz est là, avec une brique. Bref, il est mauvais comme une teigne, et son problème, ce sont les chats.
A tous ceux qui ne connaissent pas de très près la pscyhologie de Herriman, il faut expliquer que Krazy Kat est le plus grand optimiste que l´on puisse imaginer -à la fois Don QUichotte et Parsifal. Il a une relation passionnelle et durable avec Ignatz Mouse, relation dans laquelle le sexe des partenaires reste indéterminé. Ignatz, par ailleurs, être asexué, collectionne tous les vices. Lorsque Krazy fabrique des bulles de savon, Ignatz les fait éclater; s´il bâtit des châteaux en Espagne, Ignatz est là, avec une brique. Bref, il est mauvais comme une teigne, et son problème, ce sont les chats.
Après quelques mesures d´introduction, le rideau se lève et l´on découvre Krazy endormi sous un arbre. Officer Pupp passe, balançant sa matraque. Tout est normal. Bill Poster, un chien apparenté à Officer Pupp, apparaît, avec son seau etson ballai, et colle sur le mur une affiche annonçant un grand bal auquel tous les animaux sont conviés. Sa tâche accomplie, Bill se retire. Krazy se réveille, se fortte les yeu et lit l´annonce avec excitation. Il se met debout, les pieds lours et engourdis. Soudain il avise, sur un fil à sécher le linge apparu à la faveur d´un mouvement du décor, un tutu. À n´en pas douter, voilà son costume pour le bal. Il approche de la corde à linge, d´abord avec précaution, puis avec précipitation arrache le tutu, l´enfile, et se jette en avant dans un grand mouvement d´abandon. Le vieux Joe Stork entre en scène, il porte un baluchon sur le dos. Après l´avoir laissé tomber distraitement, il s´éloigne. Krazy renifle le baluchon, plein de curiosité, le ramasse et le porte triomphalement sous son arbre, dans un coin de la scène. Il l´ouvre et découvre qu´il contient, non pas ce que vous auriez pu croire, mais un nécessaire de maquillage, un miroir, du fond de teint, de la poudre de riz, du rouge à lèvres, tout ce qu´il faut pour être belle, y compris une magnifique paire de gants de coton blanc. IL commence à se maquiller pour le bal. Pendant ce temps, le décor change: la maison de Ignatz surgit. La porte s´ouvre, la tête de Ignatz apparaît. L´occasion a frappé à la porte. La souris se faufile au dehors et va ramasser une brique qui l´attend. À cet instant précis, Officer Pupp arrive (grâce au ciel!) et l´entraîne hors scène. Prendant ce temps le chat, qui ne se doute de rien, a parachevé son maquillage. Il se lève, enfile ses gants de coton blanc et, en guise d´échauffement, exécute quelques pas d´une danse espagnole.
Au moment où il s´arrête de danser, Krazy se trouve subitement confronté à l´Etranger mystérieux. Le public éduqué comprend qu´il s´agit de Ignatz déguisé en marchand d´herbe à chat. Incroyable, n´est-ce pas? L´Étranger s´avance brusquement et tend au chat (très réceptif) un énorme bouquet d´herbe à chat. Krazy plonge le nez dans le végétal insidieux, inhale profondément à pleins poumons et se trouve brusquement emporté dans ce que Herriman appelerait une extase de première classe. C´est une ivresse progressive, une ivresse de luxe, le Katnip Blues, auquel Ignatz se joint et dont il accentue les effets. Lorsque le délire atteint son apogée, la souris se débarrasse de son déguisement, saisit sa brique, la jette en pleine tête du chat et s´enfuit. Krazy titube, paralysé et vidé de son énergie, mais pas démonté. Il a un instant de reconnaissance extatique -Ignatz Dahlink- puis il perd l´équilibre, roule jusuq´à son petit arbre et s´affale d´un air las sous ses branches protrectrices; Krazy dort, Krazy rêve. Invincible Kat!"
To listen/ Pour écouter
The Krazy Kat Ballet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uGXe0qnK2g
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