Jean-Baptiste Lully (Lully Jean Baptiste)

(1632-1687)
Born November 28, 1632 in Florence (Italy). At age 12, was taken to France where he entered the service of his cousin the King of France Duke of Guise. Lully childhood possessed playing guitar and violin and began playing at the duke's orchestra, and in 1652 joined the famous court orchestra 'Twenty-four violins King'. Soon he became famous as a soloist, violinist, dancer and author of music for ballets for the court festivities. Quick win the King, Lully was promoted to 'court composer of dance music' and led the orchestra 'Sixteen violins King' (Petits Violons); in 1662 received the title of royal Kapellmeister (matre de la musique). In 1661 he became a French citizen, and after 11 years he was given a monopoly on operas in Paris, the Royal Academy of Music (founded in 1668, later - Paris 'Opera'). By that time, Lully was the author of nearly two dozen ballets and music for ten comedy with dancing (comdie-ballets), created in collaboration with Moliere.
For creativity Lully characterized by accessibility and clarity, combined with a masterful use of laws scenes. His band was famous for the elegance of the game: Lully avoided fashionable at the time exaggerated ornaments, and preferred the simplicity of expression and technical perfection. By royal privileges he received an exceptional artistic and material rights in the opera genre and created 14 large tragic operas, all - the libretto unchanging Officer Lully, poet F. Movies. Beginning with his first lyrical tragedy, . Cadmus and Hermione (Cadmus et Hermione, . 1673), . until the last works of this genre, . Armida and Renault (Armide et Renaud, . 1686), . Lully demonstrated the ability to clearly express the feelings of his characters, . Identify the music plot the meaning of their words and actions and to pursue the artistic integrity of works,
. The composer created a genre TN. French overture (possibly leading to the origin of Venetian Opera): slow introduction, the Information-polyphonic fast and slow part of the conclusion. In addition to stage works of Lully composed church and instrumental music. Lully died in Paris on 22 March 1687.