"The Four Temperaments" Analysis

“The Four Temperaments” is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine, co-founder of the New York City Ballet, in the 1940’s. This piece references to humorism from the medieval era; humorism was a system of medicine which attempted to explain the makeup and the workings of the human body with four different bodily fluids, or “humors.” Philosophers theorized that a sickness and disease are influenced when there is too much or too little of any of the four humors. Thus, they believed that humors directly influenced a person’s temperament and health.

            The four humors include blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Each humor is related to a temperament: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic respectively. These temperaments were considered the four fundamental personality types at the time. The sanguine temperament represents courage, optimism, freedom, and carefree aspects of a person. The choleric temperament associates with aggression, ambition, passion and egocentric aspects. The melancholic temperament depicts analytical, serious, introverted, and cautious aspects. Finally, the phlegmatic temperament embodies patient, tolerant, calming, and peaceful aspects.

            In Balachine’s piece, the titles of the four variations reflect each of the principles. Just as the the concept of humorism is based on the idea that different personality traits are associated to the health and balance of the body, Balanchine combines the balance physicality and emotion in the same way in this ballet.

            The ballet is split up into five different movements: Theme, Melancholic, Sanguinic, Phlegmatic, and Choleric. The theme section is separated into three parts. In Theme 1, the principal dancers include Majorie Spohn and Stephen Caras. In Theme 2, the principal dancers include Renee Estopinal and David Richardson. In Theme 3, the principal dancers are Heather Watts and Kipling Houston. After the themes come the four variations. Bart Cook is the principle dancer in the first variation, Melancholic. Merrill Ashley and Daniel Duell are the principal dancers for the second variation, Sanguinic. Adam Luders is the principal dancer for the third variation, Phlegmatic.  Colleen Neary and the ensemble are the principle dancers for the fourth and final variation, Choleric.

            The “Theme” movement introduces the themes of music and emotion that are to come in the rest of the piece. In the first section, the music is a type created by only stringed instruments. The pas de deux movements are long and slow and consists of many extensions of leg. This and the dark blue lights in the setting set a soothing and calming mood. In a dramatic contrast, the second section music plays abruptly, composed with mostly piano with some strings in the background. The staccato of the piano is represented accordingly with the sharp movements in allegro by the dancers. In combination with the red background light and fast movements, this section sets of a very tense and aggressive mood. In the final section, the music is composed with a balanced combination of both piano and strings. It combines the moods of both the first section and second section by doing so. The section includes both flow-y adagio movements and sharp allegro movements. It represents the balance of the two previous section, just how the idea of humorism is the balance of all four humors/temperaments. The theme section successfully portrays the idea of the whole piece in this sense.

            The first variation, Melancholic, represents all the aspects of it’s title: serious, despondent, analytical, and cautious. In theory, philosophers believed that those that are associated with melancholy are susceptible to depression and moodiness and become engrossed with tragedy. Melancholy is associated with black bile, or the color of black. The energy of the first couple measures in the variation displays the same dreary theme with slow exaggerated movements and dark light settings. The dancer “throws” his body about as if he is in turmoil or distress. Later on, you can feel the cautious tension as the music picks up. This variation is not “happy” in any means; Balanchine definitely set a serious mood by combining big, exaggerated actions and dark tones of composition.

            The second variation, Sanguinic, deviates entirely from the first mood of the previous variation; the dance is far more light hearted, playful and carefree. There was an idea that people whom were more sanguine were more sociable with others. Even though the first variation included other dancers, the principal dancer started alone and then ended alone, adding more to the somber theme.  In opposition, this second variation started with two people dancing with each other or being “playful” with each other and the ended the variations with just the two, as well. The juxtaposition of the variations allows the movements to become easier to understand when watching, so even though they are completely different, they compliment each other. The light, quick steps of the first variation seem more light compared to the first variation.

            The third variation, Phlegmatic, seems as though it would be like the first variation but as the piece goes on there are clear differences in the mood: calm, patient, and thoughtful. In theory, people who are phlegmatic appear to be more ponderous or clumsy. Similar to the idea of the theory, this variation is clumsier than the other two; dancers often drooping over the upper body in smaller, slow movements. The positions and actions are far less sharp than the other too and it’s almost as if the dancer is hesitant of his movements, like he is “thinking.” The principal dancer starts by himself, and then other dancers join in. Unlike the other two pieces, the principal exists with the other dancers.

            In last variation, Choleric, the first individual female principal dancer appears with a strong, dramatic piqué to fourth position, setting off the mood for the rest of the variation: energetic, impulsive, and excitable. The immediate change of music successfully portrays what the piece will be like, fast and furious. Balanchine included the sharpest movements in this piece; it was like it was a long petite allegro, with a ménage and many different turns. By far this the most energy fill variation, even the amount of people adds to that amount of energy. Overall, piece was emotionally filled and expressed through with choreography matching each temperament.