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Born in Florence, the son of a miller, Lully had very little education, musical or otherwise, but learnt the guitar and violin. In 1646 he was discovered by the Duke of Guise and taken to France by him, where he entered the services of Mademoiselle de Montpensier (la Grande Mademoiselle) as scullery-boy. With the help of this lady his musical talents were cultivated. A scurrilous poem on his patroness resulted in his dismissal.
He then studied the theory of music under Métra and entered the royal string orchestra of the French court, Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi or the Grande Bande and eventually became its conductor. He tired of the lack of discipline of the Grande Bande , and with the King's permission formed his own Petits Violons . In being subsequently appointed director of music to Louis XIV and director of the Paris operaCharles Garnier's Opera, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. The drama is presented using the typical elements of theater such as scenery, costumes, and acting. However, the words of the opera,. The influence of his music produced a radical revolution in the style of the danceDance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication between humans or animals ( bee dance, mating dances of the court itself. Instead of the slow and stately movements which had prevailed until then, he introduced lively balletBallet is the name given to a specfic dance form and technique. Dance works choreographed using this techique are called ballets and may include; dance, mime, acting and music ( orchestral and sung). Ballets can be performed alone or as part of an opera.s of rapid rhythmRhythm is the variation of the duration of sounds over time. When governed by rule, it is called meter. It is inherent in any time-dependent medium, but it is most associated with music, dance, and most poetry. The study of rhythm, stress, and pitch in sp.
In 1662Events March 18 Short-timed experiment of the first public buses holding 8 passengers begins in Paris May 3/ May 2 Catherine of Braganza marries Charles II of England as part of the dowry, Portugal cedes Bombay and Tangier to England May 9 Samuel Pepys wi he was appointed music master to the royal family. In 1681Events March 4 Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. October 12 A London woman is publicly flogged for the crime of "involving herself in politics. August 31 Titus Oates is told to le he was made a court secretary to the king and ennobled. After Lully was ennobled, he wrote his name Jean Baptiste de Lully and he was addressed as "Monsieur de Lully".
While directing a Te Deum on January 8January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 357 days remaining (358 in leap years). Events 871 Battle of Ashdown Ethelred of Wessex defeats Danish invasion army. 1198 Innocentius III becomes Pope. 1734 Premiere of George Frid, 1687 with a rather long baton he injured his foot so seriously that it turned gangrenous, resulting in his death on the 22nd of March, leaving his last opera, Achille & Polyxène unfinished.
Lully founded French opera ( tragédie en musique or tragédie lyrique ), having found Italian-style opera inappropriate for the French language. Having found a congenial poet and librettist in Quinault, Lully composed many operas and other works, which met with a most enthusiastic reception. Indeed he has good claim to be considered the founder of French opera, forsaking the Italian method of separate recitative and aria for a dramatic consolidation of the two and a quickened action of the story such as was more congenial to the taste of the French public.
He effected important improvements in the composition of the orchestra, into which he introduced several new instruments.
Lully enjoyed the friendship of Molière, and with Molière created a new music form the comédie-ballet which combined theater, comedy, and ballet.
His Miserere, written for the funeral of the minister Sequier, is a work of genius; and very remarkable are also his minor sacred compositions.
He was known to be a homosexual and a libertine. In 1662, he did marry Madeleine Lambert, daughter of Lully's friend and fellow musician Michel Lambert . Although his life is full of metoric heights, his love affairs with men and women also brought him down in scandal several times at the great displeasure of Louis XIV. Despite these scandals, he always managed to get back into the good graces of Louis XIV who found Lully essential for his musical entertainments and who thought of Lully as one of his few true friends.
On his death-bed he wrote Bisogna morire, peccatore.