Identifier: orchestraitsinst00sing (find matches)
Title: The orchestra and its instruments
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Singleton, Esther, d. 1930
Subjects: Orchestra Musical instruments
Publisher: New York : The Symphony society of New York
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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otwenty-one. This Orchestra played at the Court balls,at the morning toilet (or lever) of the King, at thedinner (or grand couvert) and on various other occasions.Some persons thought it played even better thanthe Twenty-Four. LuIIy composed a great numberof dances for it — sarabandes, gigues, chaconnes,etc., which delighted the King and his Court. Some-times the two Orchestras played together underLuIIys guiding hand. Jean-Baptiste LuIIy now became the most importantmusician in Europe. After a time he felt that the vio-lin, which he played so well, was beneath his dignity,so he gave it up and devoted himself to the harpsi-chord. He staged and danced in ballets for the Court;wrote operas to the poetic libretti of Quinault and pro-duced them with superb scenery; and he composed allthe musical interludes for all of Molieres plays! He also played in several of Molieres comedies.He took the part of the physician in Pourceaugnacand he played the comical Muphti in he BourgeoisGentilhomme.
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ONE OF THE TWENTY-FOUR VIOLINS OF THE KING, l688 THE ORCHESTRA 161 y LuIIy ruled like a king. LuIIy was the King of Music, not only in France,but in all of Europe in those grand days when Francestood at the head of all nations in wealth and powerunder her Sun-King. One day in 1687, while conducting a Te Deum inhonor of the Kings recovery from an illness, LuIIy,the better to demonstrate his zeal, the contem-porary account relates, he himself beat the time withthe cane he used for this purpose, and he struck himselfin the heat of action a blow upon the end of his foot.This caused a small blister.* The quack doctorwho was summoned was incompetent and LuIIy diedfrom blood-poisoning. He left four houses in Parisand a large fortune. His portraits, which represent him in the bigflowing curls of the day — much like the Kings ownwig — and with large heavy features, are said bycontemporaries to flatter him. LuIIy was an undoubted genius and he was alwaysclever. We sometimes wonder if he did

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