- Beaussant, Philippe. Lully, ou le musicien du soleil.Paris: Gallimard, 1992.
893p. No ISBN. ML410 .L95 B38.
Life story, then long accounts of Psyché, Cadmus, Alceste, Thésée, and
Armide. For each there is genesis, program notes, musical examples, and some
technical observations. Backnotes, worklist, bibliography, no index.
See also New Grove French Baroque Masters(#2227).
Operas in General
- Newman, Joyce. Jean-Baptiste de Lully and His “tragédies lyriques.”Ann
Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research, 1979. x, 266p. ISBN 0-8357-1002-5. ML410
.L95 N55.
As the first of the operatic “reformers,” Lully created the distinctive French
opera style, departing from the conventional Italian mode. Newman discusses
the old and new traditions, gives biographical data, and then describes each of
the operas in technical detail—music and libretto—with long musical exam-
ples. Footnotes, fine bibliography of about 400 items, expansive index of
names, titles, and topics. - Howard, Patricia. “The Operas of Jean-Baptiste Lully.” Ph.D. diss., U. of Sur-
rey, 1974. - Schneider, Herbert. Die Rezeption der Opern Lullys im Frankreich des ancien
régime.Mainzer Studien zur Musikwissenschaft, 16. Tutzing: Schneider, 1982.
394p. ISBN 3-79520-335-X. ML410 .L95 S24.
Much detail on the performances, revisions, and critical reception of the
operas to the end of the 18th century. Manuscript and printed sources
described. Valuable commentaries explore the French background for the
operas. Bibliography, glossary. - Wood, Caroline. Music and Drama in the “tragédie en musique,” 1673–1715:
Jean- Baptiste Lully and His Successors.Outstanding Dissertations in Music
from British Universities. New York: Garland, 1996. xii, 391p. ISBN 0-8153-
2450-2. ML1717 .W666.
Originally the author’s Ph.D. dissertation, U. of Hull, 1981. Includes sections
on the first 40 years of French opera; Lully at the Académie; recitative by Lully
and later composers and similar treatment of aria, ensemble, and chorus;
orchestra, libretto, and special effects. Bibliography of about 80 entries, index. - Rosow, Lois. “Making Connections: Thoughts on Lully’s Entr’actes.” Early
Music21–2 (May 1993): 231–239.
The entr’acte was not just filler but essential to the drama: it represented the
activity of the story that was supposed to occur between acts. Events were
recalled, and a bridge—musical and emotional—was forged. Examples from
Rolandand Armide. - Schneider, Herbert. “Strukturen der Szenen und Akte in Lullys Opern.” In
Colloque(#1127), 77–98.
218 Opera