Term Paper on "Relationship and Collaboration Between Louis the Fourteenth and Jean Baptiste Lully"

Term Paper 5 pages (1571 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

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Relationship and collaboration between Louis the Fourteenth and Jean-Baptiste Lully

Louis the Fourteenth, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and Moliere are all recognized for having played important roles in shaping Frances's cultural identity in general and in influencing people's thinking in the seventeenth century through promoting art as an important tool in improving the social order. From the very first years consequent to the moment when he was crowned, Louis expressed particular interest in dance and in arts as a whole, supporting virtually anyone whom he considered talented. Lully was brought from Italy to assist him in presenting the French with the advantages coming along with having access to art and immediately please the king through displaying his aptitudes. Similarly, Moliere impressed both the king and Lully as a result of presenting them with his abilities as playwright and an actor. These three individuals made it possible for France to experience great creative progress during the seventeenth century, considering that their contribution to the world of art can even be observed in the contemporary society.

Although it is difficult to determine whether people appreciated Louis because of his managerial abilities or whether they did so because he was very talented at inter-personal relationships and at generally influencing the masses in liking him, it is certain that he captivated the public's attention through the series of reforms that he initiated during his rule. It was almost as if he created a new France by installing art as one of the primary concepts that people needed to understand. Talented artists living contemporary to Louis were encouraged to follow their dreams as the king did not hesitate to express his appreciation in regard to anyone he considered worthy of performing in front of the French aristocracy. Moliere and Lully were taken under the king's protection immediately after they demonstrated their talent by playing in front of him.

Louis grew up learning that art was one of the most important things in people's lives and that it was essential for them to take opportunity of it whenever it was possible for them to do so. In spite of the fact that the Renaissance era provided society with significant resources when concerning the evolution of art in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Louis acknowledged that France's artistic culture to be solely the product of "classical mythology and fable" (Campbell, 46). As he enjoyed ballet dancing, Louis came across one of his future best friends while dancing in the Ballet de la nuit, the very piece that was responsible for providing the king with the nickname the "Sun King." The king was impressed with Lully's dancing skills and proceeded to contract him to work as a composer for the royal court. Lully rapidly climbed the ladder of society and came to be in charge of making music for the entire royal court in approximately a decade consequent to his first meeting with Louis. Their collaboration made it possible for the whole world to become acquainted with French music and set the basis for dancing and music that later came to be recognized as having French influences.

Through developing a connection with Moliere as a result of their common interests, Lully influenced Louis in expressing interest in the playwright's talent. The Lully-Louis-Moliere trio was brought together by each individual's need to produce art and by the fact that they all considered that the others had talent. It is almost as if Louis realized the magnitude of the things that they could do together and got actively engaged in making everything in his power in order to have society understand what he was feeling and why it was important for people to enjoy art.

Gerard Corbiau's motion picture Le Roi danse presents viewers with the personal identities of Louis, Lully, and Moliere. The film manages to have people comprehend that these people were ordinary people with ordinary problems, but that they talent brought them together and enabled them to create some of the world's most appreciated artworks. Each of these individuals are shown as they succeed in getting the public's attention and approval through employing attitudes that were generally considered to be uncharacteristic for the period. Instead of putting across an authoritarian position in regard to his subjects, Louis did not hesitate to treat Moliere and Lully (in particular) as his equals and influenced the public in liking him in spite of the fact that he was not exactly the best leader that it could get. Lully blindly trusted his king and went through great efforts in order to act in accordance with his demands, but focused on maintaining a relationship that also benefited him as a person, considering that Louis supported Lully in expressing himself freely.

Moliere and Lully collaborated on a series of projects, with Le Bourgeois gentilhomme providing the public with more information concerning the relationship between the two artists and their king. The fact that they each belonged to a different environment, they found that they had a lot in common and focused on making the most out of their talent and resources. The three individuals "shared an excellent sense of humour, and the theatrical comedies linking them exhibit elaborate music with varied dances, comic rhythms and unfamiliar sounds" (Parkin & Phillips, 38). Moliere teamed up with Lully with the purpose of combining two of the domains that they were passionate about and in order to present the king and the rest of France with their ideas. Lully used music and dance while Moliere used comedy, with their collaboration being responsible for practically boosting France's reputation as a place fit for artists. With the king himself supporting them in their efforts, nothing could stop the two from creating virtually everything that they could possibly think of (Parkin & Phillips, 38). Laurent Tirard's film Moliere also recounts the relationship between Louis and the artists that played for him and emphasizes the fact that the king was especially concerned about having his protegees provided with all the resources that they needed in order to be able to create art exactly as he wanted them to.

In spite of the fact that the king was generally appreciative in regard to their works, other people in France felt less enjoyment as a result of becoming acquainted with the works of Moliere and Lully. Moliere's play Tartuffe was particularly criticized for the fact that it was believe to stand as a reference to how many religious individuals in France were frauds and as they were mainly interested in influencing the masses in expression appreciation regarding them. The play was banned shortly after it was first presented to the public as a result and Moliere started be less favored among people living contemporary to him. In spite of the fact that many influent individuals in France started to express disapproval regarding Moliere and his attitude in regard to religious people, Louis supported the playwright and actually supported "Tartuffe from its inception, encouraging and applauding the play when first performed, in its earliest three-act version, before him and the court at Versailles in 1664" (Calder, 178). While he had no option other than listening to the majority when considering the play's general attitude, he did not change his opinion concerning the piece and in regard to Moliere.

Moliere, Louis, and Lully all contributed to bringing great financial detriments to France, as it was very expensive to create and display artwork and as the king invested large amounts of resources in his attempt to please his two subjects. Louis appeared to hold no interest in the expenses related to the works of Moliere and Lully, as he was confident that his personal image and France's artistic character in general would benefit greatly as a result of these investments. It is very probable that Moliere and… READ MORE

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