The Masters of French Baroque: Lully and Rameau

This program will be held in Hungarian.

The Baroque era is a rich source of the richest melodies, poignant and lively song, and magnificent and grandiose forms. The 16th-17th century masters of the French royal court: Lully, Rameau and Couperin each contributed a unique sound to the music of the era. All three of them strove to write French music... Which of them succeeded?

The line begins with Jean-Baptiste Lully who went from poverty-stricken Italian tavern music to become the creator of French opera and the favourite of the Sun King. He is a creator of ballets, minuets and French overtures. Both a scandalous rogue and a natural talent. He is followed by Louie XV’s court composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, who did everything to ensure he did not resemble Lully, and wrote new chapters in French musical taste. He also wrote the first music theory work dealing with harmony. Francois Couperin is another important figure, but he was at court at the same time as Lully, who obscured him from the sun – figuratively speaking. This era was a thrilling 150 years in the history of French music!

The Lecture Cycle Senior audience can look forward to an extraordinarily colourful Wednesday afternoon with a repertoire that includes some superb stories, shared musical activities and a quiz. The speaker Dóra Tápai is a choirmaster, junior high school singing and music teacher, and a House of Music educator.