Music may be written especially for a ballet. But original music is expensive, and only a few large ballet companies can occasionally afford it. A choreographer usually selects music that has already been written, such as a symphony or a concerto. The music may even have given the choreographer the idea for the ballet.

Most ballets are composed to music that is no longer protected by copyright. Therefore, no payment is required to use it.

Existing music. When choreographers select music that has already been written, they think first about what appeals to them. There is no rule for selecting the music. Most people would agree that the lovely, melodic music of Franz Schubert is danceable. They might also agree that the harsh, jagged sounds and rhythms of Arnold Schoenberg's music are not danceable. But choreographer Antony Tudor composed one of his greatest ballets, Pillar of Fire (1942), to the music of a work by Schoenberg.

After selecting the music, choreographers listen to it until they feel they understand its mood and structure. Then they begin work on the choreography of the ballet with the dancers and a pianist or a recording of the music.

Many people believe that the most musical choreographers are those who make the ballet movements follow the music's rhythms exactly. But any beginner can do that--and such a ballet would be dull. Skilled choreographers want their ballets to express more than the music expresses. Instead of following the beats of the rhythm, they arrange dance steps that go with the longer phrases of music. To create special effects or dramatic effects, choreographers may make the steps go against the music.

Original music. In writing music for a ballet, composers work in different ways, depending on the choreographer. Some composers work from a detailed outline in which the choreographer describes the kind of music wanted for each section of the ballet. The outline may also give the number of bars of music for each section. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky composed the music for The Nutcracker (1892) in this way. The choreographer Marius Petipa wrote to Tchaikovsky: "The Christmas tree grows and becomes huge--48 bars of fantastic music. ... The nutcracker is transformed into a prince--one or two chords."

Some choreographers prefer to describe only the mood of the ballet, leaving the composer free to create. The choreographer may call later for such changes as increasing the tempo of a slow section or shortening a long section. Most choreographers must hear the music before they can begin to work.

Some composers will not write for ballet. They fear that the choreographer may ask for changes that would ruin their music. But some of the greatest music of modern times has been written especially for ballet. Outstanding examples of such music include Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird (1910), Petrouchka (1911), The Rite of Spring (1913), Orpheus (1948), and Agon (1957). Other composers who have written great ballet music include Aaron Copland, Leo Delibes, Sergei Prokofiev, and Maurice Ravel.

A ballet's scenery and costumes must be in harmony with each other, and both must blend with the choreography and the music. Above all, neither the set (scenery) nor the costumes should interfere with the movements of the dancers.

Most choreographers meet the set and costume designer after selecting the music for a ballet. If possible, one person should design both the set and the costumes. This seems to be the case in most European productions. Some of the world's greatest painters have also designed ballet scenery and costumes. They include Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Rouault, and David Hockney.

Scenery. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, a curtain called a backdrop hung at the rear of most ballet stages. A scene--for example, a castle, a forest, a lake, or a village--was painted on the curtain. Designers also built realistic reproductions of actual scenes on the stage. But such scenery took up too much room and limited the dancers' freedom of movement.

Today, backdrops and realistic scenery are used chiefly for traditional ballets. Set designers for most new ballets prefer to suggest a ballet's mood or scene with simple objects. They might use a piece of sculpture or folds of colourful cloth. In this way, they create a ballet's atmosphere without crowding the stage.

More and more set designers are using modern lighting techniques to establish the mood or scene of a ballet. To create different effects, they may vary the colour or brightness of the stage lighting, either gradually or in sudden bursts. Another lighting technique is to show slides or films on the back of the stage, or even on the dancers themselves. Robert Joffrey's ballet Astarte (1967) is an outstanding example of this technique. In Astarte, the audience sees the dancers in filmed close-ups, as well as dancing on the stage.

Costumes. In the early days of ballet, dancers wore heavy, fancy costumes. Ballet skirts came down to the floor. Dancers were less skilled than they are now, and so they were not bothered by bulky costumes. As dancers became more skilled, they wanted costumes that would not hide their steps or interfere with their movements.

During the early 1700's, fashions in ballet costumes began to change. The great dancer Marie Camargo shortened her ballet skirt to above her ankles, and removed the heels from her dancing slippers. Ballet technique grew increasingly spectacular, and the skirts became shorter and shorter. Marie Taglioni, a dancer of the 1800's, had a major influence on ballet fashions. For a discussion of this influence, see the Romantic Ballet section of this article. Today, the standard ballet skirt, the tutu, ends well above the knees.

The best ballet costumes are light and simple. They show all the lines of the body and never interfere with the dancer's movements. Even in historical ballets, freedom of movement is more important than costumes that look exactly like the clothing of the time.

Ballet performers who dance on their toes wear special shoes. The tips of these shoes are made with layers of cloth and glue. The layers strengthen the tips, giving the dancer support.