Jean-Baptiste Lully

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Jean-Baptiste Lully, originally Giovanni Battista Lulli (November 28, 1632 – March 22, 1687), was an Italian-born French composer, who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He took French citizenship in 1661. Born in Florence, Italy, either the son of a miller or, as Lully claimed, a nobleman, Lully had little early education, musical or otherwise but he did have a natural talent to play the guitar and violin and to dance. 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 a scullery-boy. With the help of this lady his musical talents were cultivated. He studied the theory of music under Nicolas Métru. A scurrilous poem on his patroness resulted in his dismissal. He came into Louis XIV's service in late 1652 or early 1653 as a dancer. Subsequently he composed music for the Ballet de la Nuit, which pleased the King immensely. He was then appointed composer of instrumental music to the King and, in this position, conducted the royal string orchestra of the French court, Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi (Twenty-four Violins of the King) and Grande Bande ("large band"). He tired of the lack of discipline of the Grande Bande and, with the King's permission, formed his own group, Petits Violons. Lully composed many ballets for the King during the 1650s and 1660s, in which the King and Lully danced. He also had tremendous success compos

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albums

LULLY: Ballet Music for the Sun King

La Musique au temps de Martin Marais

LULLY: Grand Motets, Vol. 1

LULLY: Grand Motets, Vol. 2

Lully, J.: Armide (Opera Lafayette, 2007)

LULLY: Grand Motets, Vol. 3

Lully: Le Roi Danse - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Lully: Phaéton

Tous les matins du monde

Jean-Baptiste Lully: L'Orchestre Du Roi Soleil

Lully : Les Divertissements de Versailles - Great Operatic Scenes

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