Sylvia, ou La Nymphe de Diane (Sylvia, or Diana's nymph) is a ballet with music by Leo Delibes. First choreographed by Louis Mérante in 1876, it draws inspiration from Tasso's 1573 poem Aminta, which provides the basic plot of Delibes' work. The piano arrangement was written in 1876 and the orchestral suite was finished in 1880. The first productions of Sylvia were not commercially successful: it was the 1952 revival, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, that popularized the ballet. Sylvia is nowadays considered an influential ballet for its times: the score is varied and rich, and it stands out, drawing the focus from the sets, the dancers, and the costumes. Instead of receding into the background, setting only the mood, Delibes' score sets the action. The prelude to the first act and the pizzicati in the third are the significantly more famous sections of this already notable score. The latter, the more famous, is a well-known example of pizzicato style. This section is, according to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "traditionally played in a halting, hesitant style that appears to have been no part of Delibes's conception."
