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Lully

Name: Jean-Baptiste Lully

Nickname/Alias: Giovanni Battista Lulli

Achievements: The "tragedie lyrique" style of French opera

Born: November 28, 1632; Florence, Italy

Died: March 22, 1687; Paris, France (Aged 54)

Field & Discipline: Music; Composer

Language: Italian; French

Father: Lorenzo di Maldo Lulli

Mother: Caterina del Sera

Siblings: Unknown

Spouse: Madeleine Lambert

Children: Six, of whom: Louis; Jean-Baptiste; Jean-Louis (all musicians  and court composers)

Education: Unknown

Major Work:

"Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme"

Life & Times:

Lully was born into a family of millers. He is believed to have learned to play guitar and violin at an early age.  At 13, he was taken to Paris by Roger de Lorraine, the Chevalier de Guise, to help his niece, Mlle. de Montpensier, a cousin of Louis XIV, study Italian.  Lully remained in her household for seven years, during which time he became an accomplished violinist and guitarist, studied composition, the harpsichord, and the organ, heard the best in contemporary French and Italian music, and became an exceptional dancer.

In 1652, young [music director to] Louis XIV*, who was aware of Lully's talents in dance and mime, and who was an accomplished dancer in his own right, obtained Lully's release and brought him into the Court. Lully immediately joined the famous court band of 24 violins, and in March, 1653 was appointed by the King to compose instrumental music for court ballets.

The multi-talented Lully (musician, composer, dancer) swiftly became one of the King's favorites, and his fame grew.   In 1655, he became the leader of the newly formed band of 21 violin players, an offshoot of the "24 violins" group. 

In 1661, he became a naturalized Frenchman and, in a meteoric rise, was named musical composer to the king and music master to the royal family.  He consolidated his position by collaborating with the most important French dramatists.  He provided [worked with] Corneille* with ballet entrees for the revival in 1664 of his tragedy "Oedipe,” and he collaborated with [worked with] Moliere* on a series of "comedies-ballets,” including "Le Mariage force,” "La Princesse d'Elide,” and "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" (1670), in which Lully danced the role of Mufti.

In his ballets, Lully introduced new dances, like the minuet, and (to the King's delight) livelier dances, like the bourree, the gavotte, and the gigue.  (Much later, in 1681, in his "Le Triomphe de l'Amour,” he introduced professional female dancers into the ballet.)  By 1670, Lully had composed about 20 ballets and incidental music to some 10 "comedies-ballets" written by Moliere. 

In 1672, Lully persuaded Pierre Perrin and Robert Cambert, who held the patents of operatic production at the new Academie Royale de Musique (later called "the Paris Opera"), to cede them to him, and by 1674 he had made it impossible to stage an opera in France without his permission.  From 1672, he worked on many operatic and ballet works with poet and librettist Philippe Quinault. 

By combining Italian and French styles, the pair created a new and essentially French type of opera: the "tragedie lyrique,” which was enthusiastically received.  Between 1673 and 1686, Lully composed 13 works in this style (11 of them with Quinault,) ranging from the classical  "Atys" (1676) and "Isis" (1677), to the heroic "Roland" (1685), and the pastoral "Le Temple de la paix" (1685).

Although Louis XIV disapproved of Lully's overt homosexual activities and his highhandedness, which riled other composers and musicians and also Moliere, he continued to support him and in 1681 appointed him one of his "Secretaries to the King,” a high honor usually reserved for the French aristocracy.  

After the King married Mme. de Maintenon in 1683, life at court took on a new sobriety, and it was perhaps in response to this that Lully composed much of his religious music, including the famous "Miserere" and his 17 motets.

While conducting a performance of his "Te Deum" in 1687, Lully struck his foot with a long staff he used for beating time on the floor.  An abscess developed and because he refused to have the toe amputated, gangrene spread rapidly.  He died after much suffering.

Extra Connections: His work related to that of [work related to] Gay* , and [work related to] Beauchamp*. 

Influenced [influenced] Gluck*, [influenced] Purcell* and [influenced] Telemann*

Superseded by [superseded by] Rameau*

Assessment: Made French opera a popular art form

Oneliner: J-B Lully, early French opera composer

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