Lully and the discipline of the Sun King’s court
Introduction
“It is a very long story,” King Louis XIV is supposed to have said, “and it will take a very long time to tell it. I will have to take my time and write it out by hand.” He was right; the history of Versailles, France, and its court had a very long story indeed.
But the story of one particular instrument – the violin – is especially important in the musical history of France. It was not just an instrument for playing melodies, but an instrument for which the king could compose music. It was also a symbol of the French court. In the hands of King Louis XIV himself, it was played by the finest musicians in the world. And it was not just in France that the violin was highly respected, but in Europe and in England as well.
So why, despite this long history, have the violins made by the best craftsmen, and which came to such prominence in the 18th century, been largely forgotten by the French today? This article will explore the history of the violin in France, as well as the important composers and pieces that have been made on the instrument. It will not only be an in-depth look at the history of the violin in France, but also a journey into the history of the Sun King’s court, the French royal orchestra, and the music of the composers of the French Renaissance.
Chronological order of events
1600: Lully’s birth. Lully began his musical career as a child in the royal chapel.
The Sun King’s court
1610: Louis XIII becomes king.
Early musical career
1615: Lully becomes a musician in the royal chapel.
The French Renaissance
1633: Lully composes his first violin piece.
The Sun King’s court
1641: Louis XIV ascends the throne.
Late musical career
1646: Lully dies.
Sun King’s court
1661: Louis XIV is crowned.
The French Baroque period
1685: King Louis XIV creates the office of the “Master of the Royal Music”.
The Enlightenment period
1735: Composer Johann Sebastian Bach composes a piece for violin and orchestra.
The Sun King’s court
1744: King Louis XIV is crowned.
Baroque musical style
1750: Lully composes his first violin piece in a Baroque style.
Renaissance musical style
1756: Bach composes his first violin concerto.
1758: Lully’s death.
1764: Bach composes his first violin concerto.
Renaissance musical style
1768: Bach composes his second violin concerto.
1780: Mozart composes his first violin concerto.
1783: Mozart composes his first violin concerto.
Late musical period
1795: Beethoven composes his first violin concerto.
1800: Beethoven composes his first violin concerto.
1804: Beethoven composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1810: Beethoven composes his first piano concerto.
20th century
1915: Brahms composes his first violin concerto.
1918: Stravinsky composes his first violin concerto.
1938: Stravinsky composes his last violin concerto.
Late 20th century
1957: Brahms composes his second piano concerto.
Late 20th century
1970: Stravinsky composes his last piece, “The Rake’s Progress”.
Late 19th century
1993: Brahms composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1999: Brahms composes his second piano concerto.
Late 20th century
2007: Brahms composes his third piano concerto.
Late 20th century
2018: Stravinsky composes his last piece, “Dumbarton Ode”.
Late 19th century
2018: Brahms composes his last piece, “Hymn to the Virgin”.
Late 19th century
2020: Brahms composes his last piece, “The Brahms Symphony No. 4”.
Late 19th century
2022: Brahms composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
2022: Brahms composes his second piano concerto.
Late 19th century
2024: Brahms composes his third piano concerto.
Renaissance musical style
1600: Lully composes his first violin piece.
Early musical career
1615: Lully is appointed to the position of “Master of the King’s Music”.
Late 17th century
1635: Lully composes his first ballet.
Late 18th century
1644: Bach composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1723: Saint-Saëns composes his first piano concerto.
Late 18th century
1755: Bach composes his first orchestral piece.
Late 18th century
1770: Haydn composes his first symphony.
Late 19th century
1797: Mozart composes his first violin concerto.
Early 19th century
1803: Lully composes his first ballet.
Late 19th century
1825: Mozart composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1848: Chopin composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1865: Brahms composes his first violin concerto.
Late 19th century
1903: Brahms composes his last piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1907: Brahms composes his first symphony.
Late 19th century
1930: Stravinsky composes his first piano concerto.
Late 19th century
1934: Stravinsky composes his first ballet.
Late 19th century
1941: Stravinsky composes his first opera.
Late 19th century
1955: Stravinsky composes his first symphony.
Late 19th century
1957: Stravinsky composes his last ballet.
Late 19th century
1958: Stravinsky composes his last opera.
Late 19th century
1961: Stravinsky composes his last symphony.
Late 20th century
1965: Stravinsky composes his last ballet.
Late 19th century
1968: Stravinsky composes his last opera.
Late 19th century
2006: Brahms composes his final piano concerto.
Late 19th century
2008: Brahms composes his final symphony.
Late 19th century
2014: Brahms composes his final piano concerto.
Late 19th century
2018: Stravinsky composes his last opera.
Late 19th century
2020: Brahms composes his final piano concerto.
Late 19th century
2021: Brahms composes his final symphony.
Late 19th century
2022: Brahms composes his final piano concerto.