Khamma

In an Egyptian temple dedicated to the sun god, Amun-Ra, the high priest demands that Khamma dance in order to save their besieged city. She performs three dances, obtains a sign of assent from the statue of the god, and falls down dead, struck by lightning. The city is saved. This is the plot conceived by the Canadian dancer and choreographer, Maud Allan for a ballet-pantomime commissioned from Debussy in 1910. Based on an Egyptian tale, translated by Gaston Maspéro as La Fille du prince de Bakhtan, such a plot was bound to tempt the composer, who had written several works inspired by subjects from the ancient world with a strongly pagan flavour. But from 1911 to 1912 Debussy took his time over the composition of this “Egyptian ballet”. (It was Charles Koechlin who, under his direction, took charge of the orchestration in 1913). The conception of the plot and the orchestral forces, in particular, were a source of conflict with Maud Allan, who never danced Khamma. Despite the disagreements, Debussy had nevertheless shown interest in this “légende dansée”. In a letter to Durand (1 February 1912) he wrote: “When will you come and hear the new version of this curious ballet, with its trumpet calls, which signal a riot or a fire, and which send shivers down your spine?” He envisaged dedicating the score to his publisher’s wife – a sign of his consideration for this colourful, raw, yet refined work, which he had originally agreed to write for financial reasons. But he never heard it performed: Khamma was not premièred until 15 November 1924, when Gabriel Pierné conducted it at the Concerts Colonne, and it was not choreographed until 1947, by Jean-Jacques Etcheverry.