🎻Music of the Baroque Unit 7 – French Baroque: Dance, Lully, and Rameau

Historical Context

• French Baroque period spans from the early 17th century to the mid-18th century
• Coincides with the reigns of Louis XIII, Louis XIV, and Louis XV
• Characterized by the absolute monarchy and the centralization of power at the royal court of Versailles
• Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, played a significant role in shaping the arts and culture of the period
• French Baroque music and dance were heavily influenced by the grandeur and opulence of the royal court
• Baroque aesthetics emphasized symmetry, balance, and elaborate ornamentation (architecture, visual arts, music, and dance)
• Rise of the French opera and ballet as important artistic genres

Key Figures and Composers

• Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) was an Italian-born French composer who dominated the French Baroque musical scene
• Lully served as the court composer for Louis XIV and held a monopoly on music production in France
• Lully collaborated with the librettist Philippe Quinault to create the French opera genre known as tragédie en musique
• Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) was a French composer, music theorist, and organist who succeeded Lully as the leading figure in French Baroque music
• Rameau's theoretical works, such as "Treatise on Harmony," significantly influenced the development of Western music theory
• Other notable French Baroque composers include Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, and Marin Marais

French Baroque Style

• Characterized by elegance, refinement, and a strong emphasis on dance rhythms
• French overture, a two-part form consisting of a slow, majestic section followed by a fast, fugal section, became a hallmark of French Baroque music
• Ornamentation played a crucial role in French Baroque music, with performers expected to improvise embellishments
• French Baroque music often featured a clear, declamatory vocal style that prioritized the intelligibility of the text
• Instrumental music, particularly for the harpsichord and the viola da gamba, flourished during this period
• Use of the French Baroque orchestra, which included strings, woodwinds, and continuo instruments (harpsichord, lute, and theorbo)
• Emphasis on dance forms and rhythms, reflecting the importance of dance in French court culture

Dance Forms and Choreography

• Dance was an integral part of French Baroque culture and played a significant role in opera and ballet
• Dances were often incorporated into operas and ballets as divertissements, or entertaining interludes
• French Baroque dance forms include the minuet, gavotte, bourrée, sarabande, and gigue
  • Minuet: a graceful, moderate-tempo dance in 3/4 time
  • Gavotte: a lively, moderate-tempo dance in 4/4 time, often with a half-measure upbeat
  • Bourrée: a fast, lively dance in 2/2 time, characterized by a quarter-note upbeat
• Choreography was highly codified and based on a vocabulary of specific steps and gestures
• Dancers were expected to exhibit grace, elegance, and precision in their movements
• Notable French Baroque choreographers include Pierre Beauchamp and Raoul-Auger Feuillet

Lully's Contributions

• Lully established the French opera genre known as tragédie en musique, which combined elements of Italian opera with French theatrical traditions
• Lully's operas featured a prologue followed by five acts, with each act containing recitatives, arias, choruses, and dance interludes
• He composed over 20 operas, including "Cadmus et Hermione" (1673), "Alceste" (1674), and "Armide" (1686)
• Lully also composed ballets and instrumental music, such as the "Marches pour les Mousquetaires du Roi" and the "Te Deum"
• He established the French overture form, which became a standard opening for French Baroque operas and suites
• Lully's music was characterized by its clarity, simplicity, and strong rhythmic drive
• He played a crucial role in establishing the French Baroque style and influencing subsequent generations of composers

Rameau's Innovations

• Rameau built upon Lully's foundation and further developed the French Baroque style
• He composed over 30 operas, including "Hippolyte et Aricie" (1733), "Castor et Pollux" (1737), and "Les Indes galantes" (1735)
• Rameau's operas featured more complex harmonies and innovative orchestration compared to Lully's works
• He expanded the role of the orchestra in his operas, using instrumental music to depict characters, emotions, and natural phenomena
• Rameau's theoretical works, particularly the "Treatise on Harmony" (1722), laid the foundation for modern music theory
  • Introduced the concept of the fundamental bass and the notion of chord inversions
  • Developed a system of functional harmony based on the tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords
• Rameau's keyboard music, such as the "Pièces de clavecin," showcased his virtuosity and innovative compositional techniques

Performance Practices

• French Baroque music placed a strong emphasis on rhetorical expression and the clear declamation of text
• Singers were expected to use a declamatory style, prioritizing the intelligibility of the lyrics over vocal virtuosity
• Ornamentation was an essential aspect of French Baroque performance practice
  • Performers were expected to improvise embellishments, such as trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas
  • Ornamentation was used to highlight important words or phrases and to add expressive depth to the music
• French Baroque orchestras were smaller than their Italian counterparts, with a focus on blending and balance
• Continuo instruments, such as the harpsichord, lute, and theorbo, provided the harmonic foundation and rhythmic support
• Dance rhythms and gestures were integral to French Baroque music, and performers were expected to convey the character and style of each dance form

Legacy and Influence

• The French Baroque style had a lasting impact on the development of Western classical music
• Lully and Rameau's operas set the standard for French opera and influenced composers such as Gluck and Mozart
• Rameau's theoretical works laid the foundation for modern music theory and influenced composers like Bach and Beethoven
• The French overture form became a standard opening for Baroque suites and was adopted by composers throughout Europe
• French Baroque dance forms, such as the minuet and gavotte, remained popular in the Classical and Romantic eras
• The emphasis on rhetorical expression and clear declamation in French Baroque music influenced the development of the Classical style
• The French Baroque aesthetic, with its focus on elegance, refinement, and elaborate ornamentation, had a lasting impact on European art and culture