There was a time when ballet music was merely compiled by the pianist using shortened versions of music from some of the greatest ballet acts. Later on, sheet music took over. Composers began creating music specifically for ballet and pianists started bring this music to life.

Unlike other composers, those who create music for ballet classes, as well as those who play the actual music during classes, need to be intimately familiar with every minute detail of the ballet class. In addition, these pianists need to be in tune with each exercise and be able to create ballet dance music right there and then, which is in perfect harmony with what the ballet teacher is trying to teach the students. Indeed, ballet class pianists are not just pianists. They also know ballet and its choreography.

Apparently, that’s how crucial ballet music is. It’s not just a matter of simply popping in a CD into a player and letting music reverberate in the dance studio. When it comes to ballet music, there has to be the right mix of composing and playing techniques in order to create music that effectively achieves its purpose. The fact is there is a science behind ballet music used in every class. It was standardized in the 1980s and came to be known as the Motosonus Method.

Motosonus was invented in order to give pianists and composers a chance to create top quality ballet dance music. The Motosonus Method provided ballet class pianists with a set of laws they need to follow in order to create music that’s a perfect fit for the teaching setting of a ballet dance studio. Through this method, the placement of the beat, beat width, tempo changes, rubato phrasing, and chord changes all have to jive with the melodic and harmonic content of the music to complement each exercise that the dance teacher encourages the students to follow. It’s obvious that this method manipulated the beat or pulse of the music, so the rhythm would have a more astounding effect on the dancers who are trying to learn their ballet routines.

It’s clear to see that ballet music created using the Motosonus Method was, in effect, customized to fit each ballet exercise through the location of the downbeat and the manner in which the downbeat was played. For you to understand better how it worked, you should try to visualize this: when the pianist pushes the beat forward or rushes the beat and widening it by rolling the notes, the is trying to emphasize the need for expansiveness. In turn, the ballet dancers are moved to use the bigger muscles of their body. This leads to large sweeping motions from the dancers. However, when bass notes are played, it gives the impression of driving forward. Hence, dancers are moved to apply precision and briskness.

Having manipulated the ballet dance music with determination, the pianist is able to weave a musical tapestry that not only complements the movements of the dancers but also boosts their energy. Therefore, the dancers are able to work on their routines properly. This brings the dancers closer to their goal of becoming effective dancers. We wouldn’t know whether renowned composers who created ballet music prior to the 1980s already used the same method, albeit unnamed back then. What is clear is this system was created in order to maximize the full potential of ballet music. Ballet teachers used the music in class to enhance and develop the force it had on the students. As students listened to every beat and pulse of the music, they are able to lose themselves in it until all that’s left is the sound and the movement of their feet and bodies.