The lure and legacy of music at Versailles : Louis XIV and the Aix school

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Bibliographic Information

The lure and legacy of music at Versailles : Louis XIV and the Aix school

John Hajdu Heyer

Cambridge University Press, 2014

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 260-271) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Louis XIV and his court at Versailles had a profound influence on music in France and throughout Europe. In 1660 Louis visited Aix-en-Provence, a trip that resulted in political and cultural transformations throughout the region. Soon thereafter Aix became an important center of sacred music composition, eventually rivaling Paris for the quality of the composers it produced. John Hajdu Heyer documents the young king's visit and examines how he and his court deployed sacred music to enhance the royal image and secure the loyalty of the populace. Exploring the circle of composers at Aix, Heyer provides the most up-to-date and complete biographies in English of nine key figures, including Guillaume Poitevin, Andre Campra, Jean Gilles, Francois Estienne, and Antoine Blanchard. The book goes on to reveal how the history of political power in the region was reflected through church music, and how musicians were affected by contemporary events.

Table of Contents

  • Foreword Lionel Sawkins
  • Prologue
  • General introduction
  • Part I. Rendezvous in Provence: 1. The winter of 1660: Louis XIV and the royal court visit Provence
  • 2. A choirboy and his king: the early life of Guillaume Poitevin
  • Part II. The Aix School: A Legacy of Maitres: 3. Guillaume Poitevin: maitre of Saint-Sauveur
  • 4. Andre Campra: an extraordinary career
  • 5. Jean Gilles: an independent spirit
  • 6. The 'petits maitres'
  • 7. Antoine Blanchard: the eighteenth-century master
  • Part III. The Lure and Legacy: 8. The lure of music at Versailles and the Ile-de-France
  • 9. Patronage and the Provencal networks
  • 10. The legacy of the Aix School
  • Conclusion
  • Epilogue
  • Appendix I
  • Appendix II.

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