“Lady Henriette” was a ballet premiered in 1844, with its composition divided among Flotow (Act 1), Burgmüller (Act 2), and Dourdouvez (Act 3). The “Two Divertissements for Piano” are both based on Burgmüller’s compositional contributions.

Burgmüller composed “Pas de deux des villageois” as an additional piece for Act 1 of Adolphe Adam’s ballet “Giselle” for its premiere in 1841. In 1843, he independently composed the entire ballet “La Péri” (whose story is entirely different from Dukas’s work of the same name). Both works were well-received, leading him to be recognized as a composer of ballet music at the time.

Incidentally, Flotow, who composed Act 1 of “Lady Henriette,” released his greatest success, the opera “Martha,” based on the same original source, three years later in 1847. The “Peasants’ Chorus” from “Martha” was originally adapted from music Flotow wrote for the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2 of “Lady Henriette.”