“Die Braut von Korea” (The Bride of Korea), a ballet composed by Josef Bayer and written by Heinrich Regel, premiered in the K. k. Hof-Operntheater (Imperial Royal Court Theatre) in Vienna, Austria on May 22, 1897. The ballet consists of four acts and nine scenes depicting a fictional love story between the Prince of Korea and his bride Daisha, against the backdrop of the Sino-Japanese War (1894 95). This ballet was performed 38 times in Vienna and 14 times in the Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg State Opera) in 1899, but it disappeared suddenly from the ballet performance schedule in Vienna after 1901.

This study aims to analyze “Die Braut von Korea” based on recently published sheet music as well as articles of newspapers and magazines of the time, and explore why it was abruptly removed from the repertoire of the Imperial Royal Court Theatre in Vienna. First, we review the context in which the piece was produced as well as its popularity and status through the examination of historical records regarding the piece. Then, we discuss its composition and characteristics, and finally, explore the reasons for its sudden disappearance from the ballet repertoire in 1901.