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Thesée; tragedie, mise en musique

Description: Thesée, which premiered at the court theater at St. Germain-en-laye on January 11, 1675, was Jean-Baptiste Lully's third tragédie lyrique created in collaboration with librettist Philippe Quinault. As in most of his libretti for Lully, Quinault combines a plot based on a classical source (an episode from Ovid's Metamorphoses) with references to contemporary events. The Prologue alludes to Louis XIV's personal leadership in the military engagements in the Alsace (along the French/German border).… more
Date: 1688
Creator: Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687 & Quinault, Philippe, 1635-1688

Le triomphe de l'amour : ballet royal

Description: Le Triomphe de l'Amour, a ballet de cour created by composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and librettists Isaac de Benserade and Philippe Quinault, was danced for the first time at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on January 21, 1681. Several setbacks, including the illness of the dauphin and the reluctance of court ladies to attend the ballet, postponed its premiere for nearly three months. Benserade, one of the creators of the ballet de cour, was drawn out of retirement to create verses in celebration of the dau… more
Date: 1681
Creator: Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687; Benserade, Isaac de, 1613-1691 & Quinault, Philippe, 1635-1688

Zéphire et Flore; opéra en musique

Description: Zephire et Flore, the only opera attributed to Louis and Jean-Louis Lully, sons of Jean-Baptiste Lully, sets a libretto by Michel Du Boullay based on episodes from Greek mythology. It was performed for the first time 22 March 1688 at the Palais Royale in Paris. There is no record of a court performance, and it was revived only once, in June of 1715, with revisions by Destouches. We know of no modern performances, nor recordings of the opera in whole or in part.
Date: 1688
Creator: Lully, Louis de, 1664-1734 & Duboullay, Michel

The Theater of music

Description: A note at the bottom of the final page reads, "In the Title Page of this Book, instead of Theorbo-Bass, read Thorow-Bass." Although this seems to suggest that chordal accompaniment should be used, bass lines are unfigured and meant for either a plucked or bowed string instrument per the suggestions on the title page. Three-part ritornelli are interspersed throughout this volume. All vocal lines (the top one of each system) use the treble clef. Only the text of the first stanza is underlaid; any… more
Date: 1685
Creator: Playford, Henry, 1657-1710

[Collection of Eleven Operas: Le triomphe de l'amour; Coronis: pastorale heroïque; Isis: tragedie en musique; Amadis: tragedie en musique; Phaeton: tragedie en musique; Proserpine: tragedie en musique; Zephire et Flore: opera; Thetis et Pelée: tragedie en musique; Enée et Lavinie: tragedie en musique; Astrée: tragedie; Roland: tragedie en musique]

Description: This book contains a collection of librettos for ballets, tragedies and opera staged for Louis XIV from ca. 1680-1691. The works reflect the collaboration of Jean-Baptiste Lully and dance masters and librettists in the court of Louis XIV. The following French dramatic works are included in the collection: Le triomphe de l'amour; Coronis; Isis; Amadis; Phaeton; Proserpine; Zephire et Flore; Thetis et Pelée; Enée et Lavinie; Astrée; and Roland.
Date: 1681
Creator: Quinault, Philippe, 1635-1688; Benserade, Isaac de, 1613-1691; Beauchamp, Pierre, 1631-1705; Benserade, Isaac de, 1613-1691 & Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687

Traité de la viole

Description: A 1687 treatise on playing the viol. The inside of the front cover contains a book plate identifying the item as having belonged to the violin maker. Arthur F. Hill, F.S.A.
Date: 1687
Creator: Rousseau, Jean, 1644-approximately 1700
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