Born:
November 29, 1632
Birthplace:
Florence, Italy
Died:
March 22, 1687 in Paris, France due to an infected foot caused by accidentally hitting it with a heavy stick he used for conducting.
Also known as:
His real name was Giovanni Battista Lulli but later changed it to Jean-Baptiste Lully when he became a naturalized Frenchman. He was violinist in Louis XIV’s court band and later became the King's court composer.
Type of Compositions:
He wrote
operas, court ballets, comedy-ballets, dances,
motets,
suites and sacred works.
Influence:
Not much is known about Lully's childhood, but it has been mentioned that he had a beautiful voice. St the age of 13, it is believed that Lully was taken to Paris by the Duke de Guise. In the years to come Lully honed his skill as violinist and composer; writing music for court ballets in 1658. Throughout the course of his career, Lully collaborated with two other notable figures; namely the playwright Moliere and the poet/librettist Philippe Quinault.
Notable Works:
Collaboration with Moliere: "Les facheux," "Le Mariage forcé," "La Princesse d’Élide" and "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme."Collaboration with Quinault - "Alceste," "Amadis," "Armide," "Atys," "Isis," "Roland" and "Le Temple de la paix."Interesting Facts:
Lully is said to be very ambitious to the point of being ruthless. In 1672, when Pierre Perrin and Robert Cambert lost their patent to produce operas, Lully saw this as a great opportunity to acquire the patent. He then opened an opera house and soon had control over operatic production in France.
Related Video:
Llsten to "
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" by Jean-Baptiste Lully courtesy of YouTube.
