Coppelia, Delibes' first complete ballet score, was given its premiere in Paris at the Theatre Imperial de l'Opera on May 25, 1870 - less than two months before the onset of the Franco-Prussian War which not only disrupted performances of the ballet (especially after the siege of Paris) but led indirectly to the untimely deaths of choreographer Arthur Saint-Leon (September) and 17-year old prima ballerina Giuseppina Bozzacchi (November). The ballet was soon revived and went on to become the most performed ballet at the Paris Opera, entering the international ballet repertoire with performances in St. Petersburg, London and elsewhere before 1900.

The suite offered here is the original one approved by the composer, consisting of four 'movements' made up of two dance numbers each, differs from the suite issued in 1883 by the Berlin publisher Fuerstner. This newly engraved edition by Clark McAlister, prepared from the original Heugel edition, was first published by the now-defunct firm E.F. Kalmus in 2005. Serenissima Music is proud to make this excellent edition available in a convenient study score format along with the full conductor's score and orchestra parts.