La Musique au temps de Louis XIV

Description

French music of the Grand Siècle draws its roots from the polyphonic tradition of the Renaissance. During the reign of Louis XIV, the longest in French history (72 years), French music establishes itself as an important alternative to the Italian style, which seems to quickly conquer the rest of Europe. Court music sets its models in the capital, and provincial cities, with their means, try to keep up. With the institutions of the court, the Chapelle, the Ecurie, the Chambre du Roi, the XXIV violons, and the Académie royale, France forges models that will extend from the age of Louis XIV to the Age of Enlightenment. The suite, the overture, the tragédie en musique, the grand motet, and the motets for solo voice emerge as strong identities of French music.