Program Notes Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687) Jean-Baptiste Lully was born in Italy but became the most significant French musician of his age. He arrived at the Court of Louis XIV in 1653 as a violinist in its orchestra. Two decades later, Lully had full control of that orchestra and with it, the best-resourced musical establishment in Europe. That ‘control’ was quite literal. Lully was renowned for his sense of orchestral discipline, which laid the groundwork for the art of conducting but also sealed Lully’s fate: he died after smashing his foot with his own conducting staff and succumbing to infection. Lully’s fine ensemble of 24 Violins (actually stringed instruments of five different registers) underpinned the long line of glorifying operas with obligatory dances that contributed to the aesthetic of court at Versailles. Ouverture from Atys Atys was Lully’s fourth opera, the tale of a love triangle in ancient Phrygia first seen in 1676 that became a favorite of Louis. It opens with a fine example of the particular form of overture Lully pioneered, and which became a model all over Europe under the label ‘French Overture’. According to the established pattern, the opening section is stately, expressive and characterized by grand ‘dotted rhythms’. This followed by a lively second section in which various portions of the orchestra tear off with a tune at staggered intervals, forming a fugue. Suite from Les plaisirs de l’île enchantée A distinctive feature of court life at Versailles was the multimedia celebratory party or fête—mostly presented in honor of Louis. The first of these, 20
PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHORALE
