It was written in Brazil, where Milhaud had accompanied Claudel as a secretary when the latter was appointed ambassador to Rio de Janeiro.
This was Claudel's first musical collaboration and he then repeated the experience several times with some major works (including Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher).
The score is written for four voices (wordless) and a small orchestra and a large number of percussion instruments (including a whip and a whistle).
The Premiere took place on 6 June 1921, with a choreography by the Ballets suédois under the orchestral direction of Jean Börlin.
The ballet is composed of eight parts played as a single movement:[1] A typical performance lasts around 20 minutes.