Jean-Baptise Lully

1567 - 1643 AD

Although Jean-Baptiste Lully was originally from Italy, from 1661 until 1687 he dominated the French musical scene due to his appointment as Superintendent of the King's Chamber Music under Louis XIV.

Lully is well known for his concerti grossi, written for "Les Vingt-Quatre Violons du Roi," King Louis' very large (for the baroque period) royal orchestra. In addition, his operas combined the baroque homophonic musical style with ballet to great success. He often partnered with the famous French playwright Molière for the libretti of his operas.

King Louis XIV also enjoyed Lully's ballets, stories told without words through dancing and music.

During a rehearsal in 1687, Lully became unsatisfied with the orchestra's tempo and began to pound out the beat with his cane. While doing this, he accidentally stabbed himself in the foot, developed gangrene, and died. This is why proper attention to tempo during rehearsal is important.