Lully Studies

Description:
The historical importance of composer Jean-Baptiste Lully has long been recognised. Regarded as the founder of French opera, as the embodiment of Baroque musical style and a key figure in the development of court ballet, his work enjoys popularity and scholarly interest. This volume presents the best research on Lully's life, his work and his influence. Eleven essays by American and European scholars address a wide range of topics including Lully's genealogy, the Tragedie Lyrique, Lully's Palais Royal theatre, the collaboration with Moliere, the transmission of Lully's work away from the Ile-de-France, and an unexplored link with Marcel Proust. Illustrated with musical examples and photographs, the volume also contains surprising archival discoveries about the composer's early life in Tuscany and new information about his manuscript sources. It will interest all those involved in the music of Lully and his time, whether musicologists, historians, performers or listeners.

Review:
'In John Hajdu Heyer's admirably edited volume we have abundant detail, much of which is very revealing ... the student and interested listener will glean much from John S. Powell's lively study of Lully and Moliere's involvement with the pastoral divertisment ... these Lully studies add much to our understanding of him and his world.' Jan Smaczny, BBC Music Magazine '... a stimulating contribution to the study of French music of the period.' Early Music Today

Table of Contents:
Introduction James R. Anthony; 1. Lully's Tuscan family Jerome de la Gorce; 2. Lully plays deaf: rereading the evidence on his privilege Patricia Ranum; 3. The phrase structures of Lully's dance music Rebecca Harris-Warrick; 4. Quinault's libretto for Isis: new directions for the Tragedie Lyrique Buford Norman; 5. The articulation of Lully's dramatic dialogue Lois Rosow; 6. The Amsterdam editions of Jean-Baptiste Lully's music: a bibliographical scrutiny with commentary Carl B. Schmidt; 7. 'Pourquoi toujours des bergers?' Moliere, Lully, and the pastoral divertissement John S. Powell; 8. The presentation of Lully's Alceste at the Academie de Musique of Strasbourg Catherine Cessac; 9. Walking through Lully's opera theatre in the Palais Royal Barbara Coeyman; 10. Gluck and Lully Herbert Schneider; 11. Jules Ecorcheville's genealogical study of the Lully family and its influence on Marcel Proust Manuel Couvreur.