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Kastil et Lyon trip

Published February 27, 2011 by vanya2v

Setelah 1 minggu di Dijon, saatnya untuk jalan – jalan lagi.. Kali ini diundang ke kastil milik pribadi di daerah pedesaan Burgundy. Setelah naik Transco (Trans Cote d’Or), berhenti di suatu ‘desa’ kecil lalu dijemput dengan mobil untuk ke lokasi kastilnya. Wah, bener – bener deh perjalanan ke kastil nya melewati super pedesaan Prancis, soalnya di kiri kanan hanya hutan atau ladang terhampar, dengan satu jalan aspal yang sangat mulus dan lurus bisa menggoda pengendara untuk melaju dengan kecepatan maxi. Kalau tidak hati – hati biasanya suka ada rusa atau binatang hutan yang tiba – tiba ngagetin ke tengah jalan, wuih….

Setelah perjalanan yang berliku-liku, mobil berhenti di tengah padang luas. Loh, sudah sampai toh, di depan hanya ada gerbang besar kok. Lalu, dari dalam mobil ditekan tombol dan seketika gerbang terbuka; langsung view-nya kastil yang berdiri ditengah hamparan hijau… waah, terkesima… :D . Kastil ini milik bangsawan Italie yang konon masih keturunan Thomas A. Edison dan masih mempunyai kastil lagi yang utama di Milan, juga punya property housing lagi di Paris dan kota – kota lainnya.

Kastil

Kami akan menginap disini, bukan di dalam kastilnya tapi masih dalam bangunan tersebut. Saat masuk ke dalam kamar, langsung terpesona lagi. Oh no, the room was very cute and beautiful.. Soalnya didesain dengan sentuhan klasik khas Italie dengan detail yang antic dan cirri khas Eropa nya ‘dapet’ banget. Nyo suka banget renda –renda, pemilihan warna kasur dan kursinya. Apalagi di dalam kamarnya tersedia dapur dan kamar mandi yang keseluruhannya gak kalah deh sama hotel butik.

Belum selesai menikmati kamar yang cozy, kita beranjak ke ruang makan untuk makan siang dan dimasakin pula sama tuan rumah. Waduh, jadi gak enak… Makan siangnya pun khas Italie banget: spaghetti kerang. Buat kita mungkin aneh yak an biasanya spaghetti ya pake tuna ataupun daging cincang, tapi ini pake kerang ternyata justru lebih enak loh dan eksklusif gitu. Ternyata kalo ala Italie, pasta itu pembuka ya dan salad plus lauk-nya justru setelah itu. Hhihihi… salah euy aku malah salad duluan baru spaghetti dan lauk-nya. Mantabb dah…

Spaghetti Kerang

Setelah kenyang, kita main – main ke dalam kastil-nya. Baru masuk ke ruang tamu langsung disambut dengan sofa antic yang PW dengan tapistery se-gede menutupi satu sisi dinding (heh, gak kebayang mahal-nya.. katanya sih turun menurun). Ih, ada juga biola dipajang disitu tapi sayangnya udah gk bisa stem atau dimaenin. Di situ ada detail foto sejarahnya bahwa kastil ini aslinya kastil milik keluarga, berdiri dari tahun 1800-an dan baru dibeli lalu direnovasi lagi setelah 1 abad kemudian.

Di lantai 1 juga ada dapur yang luas banget, lengkap dengan oven yang kayak di restoran (wuih.. udah kebayang aja masakan Italie laen nih) dan kayaknya ya di setiap kamar pasti selalu gak pernah ketinggalan coffee maker, wah memang ya mereka gak bisa lepas dari kopi, ck ck.. Aku suka deh dalam kamar itu pasti dapurnya ‘tersembunyi’ di dalam balik ‘lemari’, kalo dibuka pintunya baru ketauan kalo itu dapur, wah, ide yang keren!! Di ruang makan utama juga terpajang lukisan – lukisan  guedhe yang se-gede sisi dinding pula dan sepertinya aku pernah liat beberapa lukisan tersebut di gallery Italie/Prancis. Wah, pasti mahal yaks untuk beli lukisan yang imitate nya juga.

Dapur tersembunyi

Habis memutari lantai 1, beranjak ke lantai 2 yang isi-nya ada kamar utama si bos Italie itu. Ada ruang tamu lagi (yang kali ini ada foto lukisan istrinya, hehe, cantik…), ada ruang kerja utama (hoo… ternyata juga si empu-nya itu pembalap, kereeenn…), ada ruang Cina (isi-nya berbau detail khas Cina maupun suvenir2 dari kolega nya yang Cina, hihi..), dan masih banyak ruang lain. Ada satu ruangan yang aku bingung deh, masa kamar mandi tapi gede banget ampe 2 lantai dan gak berasa seperti kamar mandi gitu. Aku kayaknya mah serem dah gak mau mandi disitu soalnya yang bagian lantai bawah untuk bath-up (dengan lantai-nya kayak lantai sauna/kering) lalu untuk ganti bajunya musti ke atas. Weleh-weleh, ribet yak, udah masuk angin duluan dah….

Aku bingung deh, nih kastil se-besar ini dengan kamar – kamar se-abrek-abrek berdesain cantik dan unik kok jarang ya ditempatin. Konon katanya hanya ditempatin saat libur natal – tahun baru saat banyak family dan kolega berkumpul, selebihnya? Sibuk dengan kerjaan sepertinya.. wah, punya kastil begini gak dinikmati dan ditinggali buat apa ya? Pikiran orang bangsawan kaya emang susah ditebak.. :p

Lalu, yang unik untuk ke lantai 3 harus melewati tangga kastil yang masih dijaga seperti aslinya; berputar, tanpa pegangan tangan dan gak dilapisi karpet/apa-apa, polos saja, yah macam tangga berputar sempit di kastil Phantom of the Opera itu yang kalau naik harus bawa lampu petromax (gelap soalnya). Mana hari sudah mulai gelap, jadi seram pas naik tangganya, untung rame – rame, hehe…

Aih, lantai paling atas ini ternyata beratap rendah, senangnya… (jadi aku merasa tinggi, hoho..). Lalu masuk ke kamar pertama, hihi, aku paling suka kamar yang  ini karena model loteng dan semuanya terlihat imuuutt… Mulai dari kasurnya, sofa bulat, dsb, semuanya terlihat kayak main-mainan. Kalo disuruh milih aku milih kamar itu deh karena berasa lagi ada dalam cerita ‘Si Rambut Ikal dan 3 Beruang’ (eh, pada tau gak ceritanya? Yang si rambut ikal emas itu masuk ke rumah beruang terus kepergok, haha.. panjang deh ceritanya..baca aja: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Three_Bears).

hehe.. sok antik

Di lantai atas ini nampaknya ruang leisure juga yak arena selain ada catur dan maenan lain, juga ada jeng..jeng… home theatre! Kyaaa…kyaaa… dengan berbaris – baris deretan DVD dan sofa panjang yang super duper PeWe. Tiba – tiba lampu dipadamkan dan bioskop dimulai, hahah, malah keterusan nonton Bourne Identity.. saking empuknya si sofa, NyO malah ketiduran pas bagian akhir yang seru – serunya, dudul… jadi gak nyambung dah :p

Setelah puas nonton, akhirnya kembali kita dijamu oleh yang mpunya rumah hidangan yang uenak –uenak lagi. Kali ini ada Chou Farsi, yaitu daging cincang yang dibungkus oleh chou (kembang kol), udang rebus dengan sambal ulek kencur (mantapphh banget), dan kolak (wah, kok keren ya bisa bikin kolak disini!). Waahh… seneng dah NyO makan – makan melulu, abis itu bobo deh (penggendutan badan).

Chou Farsi

Ke-esokan harinya setelah breakfast, langsung paginya berangkat menuju Lyon. Sebelumnya kita berhenti juga di Tournous (dulu ada wisata edukasi pernah kesini kan) untuk melihat tapisteries khas France. Wuihh… bagus dan cantik – cantik sekali buatan asli Prancis ini, tapi ya harganya gak sanggup deh, diatas ratusan EUR semua, lagipula rumah juga belum punya jadi ya ndak beli deh. Lalu, kita berhenti lagi di Macon. Disini cantik juga pemandangannya, ada angsa – angsa dan sungai yang membelah kota.

Macon

Karena sudah melewati waktu makan siang, sebelum sampai Lyon kita makan dulu di rest area. Hihi… Nyo baru nyobain nih menu kali ini Ratatoullie!! Ternyata kayak sayur – sayuran tumis ya, tapi enak kok, yummy.. J . Tak berapa lama dari situ tiba juga kami di Lyon! Lyon itu kota terbesar ke-3 di Prancis ini, pantesan pas sampe disana kok padet banget yah, apalagi Centre Ville nya yang gak butuh waktu lebih lama untuk mengitarinya.

Ratatoullie

Di Lyon ini ada Vieux Lyon yang harus dicapai dengan menanjak jalan kaki tinggi, nah disana ada mini Colloseum peninggalam Romawi, pantheon, lalu ada Sacre Ceour, gereja terkenal ciri Lyon ini yang berwarna putih tepat di atas bukit, dan museum – museum. Yang menarik juga ya jalan menuju Vieux Lyon itu, ada pasar – pasar tradisional berlorong – lorong, antik…

Pasar Lyon

Satu symbol dari Lyon ini adalah si GUIGNOL! Kalo dibaca: Ginyol, hahah, GIgi NYOLong… :p .Gak ding, ini adalah boneka sandiwara khas Lyon, yah macam wayang lah tapi lebih bule. Ada juga museum Guignol yang menampilkan pertunjukannya rutin, tapi malas ah kayak anak kecil aja nonton boneka – bonekaan kayak gituan (cieh.. udah gede soalnya nih :D ).

si Guignol...

Ada Mussee des Beaux Arts juga yang tampak lebih cantik daripada yang di Dijon, hehe… Tapi yang paling Nyo suka ya main square Centre Ville nya, yang ada gedung pemerintah dan air mancur. Yah, si air mancur lah yang Nyo incer di Lyon ini! Soalnya mirip – mirip kayak Fontana yang pas di Rome gitu… Nyo paling suka deh model – model air mancur kayak Fontana Trevi atau kayak begini, dengan warna air yang biru seperti itu, jadi pengen nyebur rasanya…  ah, senangnyo… ^_^

Lyon main square

Lyon fontana?

Jalan – jalan di Lyon berakhir juga karena udah bingung mau kemana lagi selain menyusuri Centre Ville. Back to Dijon lagi lewat jalan tol cepet yah dari Lyon hanya 2 jam, wah… sepanjang perjalanan jadi ketiduran deh, nyampe – nyampe sudah di Dijon. Alhamdulillah… terimakasih banyak sudah diundang berlibur menginap dan diajak jalan – jalan ke Lyon… :)

Back in Dijon!

Published February 23, 2011 by vanya2v

Hey, setelah sekian lama absen akhirnya nge-blog lagi.. setelah selesai presentasi – presentasi project semester 3 kemarin akhir januari, Nyo langsung pulang aja liburan ke Jakarta. Lumayan lah 2 minggu di kampong halaman (walaupun waktu efektif gak sakit demam/flu-nya cuma 4-5 hari karena jetlag cuaca), dapat 2 lagu baru. Lagu 1 à nasyid R&B berjudul “Pintu Hikmah” tapi vocal nya belum selesai mixing, masih terasa mendem. Lagu 2 à karena flu gak sembuh – sembuh gak bisa nyanyi akhirnya garap lagu instrumental aja berjudul “Return Home”, bertema Irish, Nyo maen gitar, violin dan tin whistle (tapi ini masih belum rapih euy).

Twilite Orchestra - CANTABILE

Yang pasti holiday ini menyenangkan karena bisa nonton konser Twilight Orchestra ‘Cantabile’ yang maenin lagu – lagunya Nodame Cantabile dan berkumpul bersama anak – anak ISO. Lusanya, kembali berkumpul dengan anak – anak ISO untuk nonton konser Movimento, recital gitar and piano-nya mereka di Bandung (yaks, dan juga bertemu ade ku yang sibuk ngurusin konsernya, hidup ISO!! Hehehe…). Senangnyo… Liburan yang menyenangkan juga bersama keluarga dan mas, ke Bogor wisata kuliner, ice-skeating, masak – masak di rumah dan dari mall ke mall (nyehehe.. sejujurnya yang aku kangen dari Jakarta ya ke mall2-nya).

Kesampean juga di rumah bikin BAKLAVA!!! ^_^

Tiba juga hari Sabtu…saatnya kembali ke France (disaat hari jumat nya terserang demam yang lagi tinggi dan diare), koper sudah beres dan packed semua. Tiba – tiba aku mikir, kan bakal nyampe di sana Sabtu siang ya, tapi kok baru berangkat dari sini Sabtu malem ya pesawatnya? Jadi bingung deh…hehe… Sabtu jam 00.40, aku cek lagi pesawat ku, bener kok nanti malem kan? Eh, nah loh? Nanti malem? Bukannya TADI malam ya??!! GyaAaaBoOooO…..!!!! @__@  à deg, pucat…

Pantesan… harusnya Sabtu jam 00.40 itu berangkatnya masuk jumat malam. Waakks, kenapa baru nyadarnya sekarang saat Sabtu pagi? Padahal kemarin ada reminder dari Emirates di email dan di SMS, untuk check in juga berkali – kali tapi kok ya GAK ngeh gitu? Langsung aja deh cari – cari pesawat yang berangkat hari ini. Apa aja deh yang dapat, asal murah… hoho, Alhamdulillah dapat Etihad. Masalahnya sekarang ya jatah bagasi yang 30 kg harus turun jadi 23 kg. Alhasil ya di keluar – keluarin segala oleh – oleh dan bumbu-bumbu, huhuhu, jadi gak bawa apapun yang taste Indonesian  T_T

Lalu siangnya, langsung cabut ke Cengkareng buru – buru ngejar jadwal flight yang baru. Yaks, dan perjalanan panjang menuju Dijon dengan kondisi masih setengah pulih pun dimulai: Jakarta – Abu Dhabi – Paris CDG – Paris kota  – Dijon, kira – kira total perjalanan lebih dari 24 jam di jalan plus nunggu – nunggu nya.

Alhamdulillah minggu sore sampai juga di Dijon. Hmm… kayaknya Dijon emang paling pas sih, kotanya gak terlalu besar kayak Paris (malah riweuh dan macet kalo gitu) dan gak terlalu ndeso (yang pasti gak kayak di desa Le Creusot). Sebagai ibu kota Bourgogne, pastinya sepanjang perjalanan melewati Centre Ville dihiasi dengan peninggalan – peninggalan sejarah dan seni dari zaman Dukes of Burgundy dulu. Lalu, sesampai nya di kamar kos ku yang PW. zzZzZz… langsung jetlag teparr…

Dijon square

 

Keesokan harinya, mulailah hari – hari Thesis ku, yang bertempat di Fakultas Medecine et Pharmacie. Soalnya Alhamdulillah NyO dapat topic yang emang aku mau. Dari dulu masuk Vibot emang pengennya ya risetnya di medical di rumah sakit (soalnya kan emang background ku Biomedik dan akan terus ber-biomed. hidup teknologi kesehatan!! Hohoho…), sekarang juga di fak.kedokteran jadinya dan join dengan rumah sakit pusat universitas Dijon. Topik-nya juga gak jauh – jauh dari kehidupan NyO: jantung. Hahaha… spesifiknya sih ngurusin soal serangan jantung. Yah, semoga aja tesis-nya gak bikin serangan jantung bisa selesai sesuai harapan dengan cepat n bermanfaat ya dan semoga jantung (+hati) kita selalu dalam kondisi yang sehat  :D   . Bismillahhirrohmannirrohiim…. :)

(dibuang sayang) Music at the French Court during Baroque Period

Published February 23, 2011 by vanya2v

“…ini tugas local culture pas semester lalu di France, daripada ilang begitu aja, Nyo post disini ya.. siapa tau ada yang mau baca2. Kalo pas semester 1 di Edinbra, saya mengulas soal BagPipe sebagai alat musik tradisional-nya, sekarang saya juga mengupas soal musik di france, spesifiknya di masa Baroque…karena saya suka musik2 khas Baroque, gak mendayu-dayu tapi kaya permainan melodi, rythm dan syncopation  ;) ..”

 

1. Prelude   ~ Baroque Music in Europe

In the periods of European art music, Baroque era approximately extended from 1600 – 1760. Music from Baroque period has many style influences from Italian, French, English and German Baroque [1]. The music has transition characteristics between the Renaissance and Classical era. Most of the music compositions in the Baroque are rich in improvisation of the lead instrument.

Baroque musicians were not concerned with expressing their own feelings and emotions. One of the reason why the Baroque music is to be somewhat cold is because some of the music instruments (two main popular instruments at that time are organ or harpsichord) had not been constructed perfectly, such as no pedal for sustaining and less dynamical (soft and hard) function. To deal with such condition, the Baroque musicians used more elaborate musical ornamentation and complicated melody.

Baroque Ansamble

The lead figure of Baroque music is Johann Sebastian Bach, who was not only the composer but also a teacher for many musicians and administrator. The most well-known typical Baroque song from Bach is ‘Tocatta and Fugue in D minor’. Beside Bach, there are also other Baroque musicians: G.F. Handel with his “Sarabande”, Antonio Vivaldi with his beautiful “Four Seasons”, Jean-Baptiste Lully who had a strong influence in French Baroque (we will discuss later), Claudio Monteverdi, and Henry Purcell.

Baroque composers wrote in wide range of musical genres. For example, the Opera, Ouverture (commonly as the beginning from Baroque suite), Courante (lively French dance), Sarabande (Spanish dance), Gigue (lively Baroque dance music), Gavotte, Bourrée(lively French dance in even meter), and Minuet. Baroque gave special contributions to keyboard practice, such as Tocattas, Partitas, Fugues, and Capricios.

2. French Baroque

The early Baroque music began in Italy with the most leading figure, Claudio Monteverdi at that era. Meanwhile, France contributed more in the middle Baroque music era (1654 – 1707) and late Baroque music (1680 – 1750). Jean-Baptiste Lully, an Italian of noble birth who journeyed to France, is the great court-style composer in middle Baroque. The Lullian French Ouverture influenced most composers of the later Baroque composition. It consists of two contrasting halves repeated twice (AABB) or can be called in binary. The famous French-style Ouverture is also being one of his contributions in Baroque music [2].

Figure 2 French Baroque Music

3. Music in the Reign of Louis XIV

In the French court of King Louis XIV, music is used to portray the king as a brilliant god-like figure of absolute importance to the state. The king used art as a tool for political gain with the help of his ministers and court composers.

Figure 3 Louis XIV

When Louis XIV was four years old, his father passed away, leaving him to reign as King of France. Jules Mazarin, the Italian-born chief minister guided Louis XIV’s interest to the arts of dance and music in the young king’s formative years. Cardinal Mazarin encouraged the prominent role of music in courtly life. Mazarin brought the Italian opera and wanted to see it spread to France. Unfortunately, the French opera has different style with Italian opera; it was primarily influenced by the court ballet and the classical French tragedy [3].

Louis XIV used music performances in the court as entertainment for the local aristocracy and visiting nobles in an effort to “impress Europe and the whole world with the splendor and brilliance of French culture.” [4]. This strategy was very successful to attract the king’s guests as stated in [5]: “Foreign royalty and diplomats who attended these performances took back glowing reports of French culture and the state of the monarchy.”

Figure 4 Le Roi Soleil

Louis XIV was also a skillful performing dancer and gave an important contribution for the ballet. His most well-known was a series of dances in Le Ballet Royal de la Nuit and for his final piece he appeared as Apollo, clad in clothing to make him resemble the god of the sun where in fact, he earned his well-known title, Le Roi Soleil or The Sun King.

3.1   Jean Baptiste Lully and French Baroque Music

 

Mazarin brought Jean Baptiste Lully, (born in Florence, 28 November 1632), an Italian ballet master, to take up service in 1653 at the Court of Louis XIV. In that year, Lully and Louis XIV danced in the same ballet together for the first time in Le Ballet Royal de la Nuit. Lully’s early career in court music was focused on the genre of ballet. During his tenure in French court at the Tuileries, Lully began studying composition and harpsichord [3].

 

Lully quickly became one of Louis XIV’s and in less than ten years, Lully gained total control over all of the royal family’s court music. Lully was also aggressive in business, Lully bought up the leading theater venues, and to strengthen his position he even persuaded the king to limit the number of musicians that could perform with other Parisian theater troupes [6].

Lully was careful to create music that he knew the king would enjoy and approve of. Most of his operas texts praised the monarchy and built up the king’s position as absolute ruler. In this way, he could strengthen his position and power throughout France. His operas and sacred works displayed a richness and majesty which would attract the interest admiration of king’s guests [9]. He was also the founder of the French modern orchestra.

 

During Louis XIV’s reign, dance music shaped what was to be later known as French music. The work of Jean-Baptiste Lully shapes the French styles of opera and ballet. Though Lully was simply a highly paid servant of the court, his strong position elevated him “as absolute a sovereign in music as Louis XIV was in state affairs.”[8]

Figure 6 Jean-Baptiste Lully

Tragically, he died after suffering a fatal injury while conducting his Te Deum in 1687 which was performed for the celebration of the King’s recovery from an illness. However, his music did not die that day; Lully also has greatly influence music in England. Charles-I sent his own musicians to France to learn how to emulate the style that was so typical from one of the greatest French composers ever [3].

 

4. French Court Music after Baroque Period (Brief Overview)

After Lully [9], Jean-Philippe Rameau was the important French opera composer in late Baroque music period. The music in after Baroque, which is called Rococo period (1725 – 1775) was the reaction against the Baroque style. Rococo era was characterized by the desire to systematize all knowledge, and it was also very presents in the music scene.

Figure 7 Performance of Mozart Family in the French Court


Figure 8 Jean-Philippe Rameau

Jean-Philippe Rameau tried to establish a rational foundation for the harmonic practice of this time and his Treatise on Harmony (1722) set the point of departure for modern music theory. Rococo music style is different from Baroque; it would be simple, expressive and natural feeling. Traces of Rococo are present in the early works of Haydn and Mozart [2].

In classical music period, the French court invited famous musicians. In 18 November 1783, Mozart family reached Paris and was invited to the king’s palace at Versailles. Wolfgang A. Mozart and sister Nannerl as the child prodigy performed to the society Parisienne for the nobility of the city [5].

 

 

5. Music in Versailles

The major influence of France in the Baroque age was one of courtly opulence. In 1669 Louis XIV decided to convert an old hunting lodge at Versailles into a palace of unprecedented magnificence and the court moved there in 1683. There was not a European court could match Versailles for the opulence of its luxury interiors, chandeliers, mirrors, or flamboyance court ceremony [7].

In fact, Louis and his country were overburdened by the debts which the costly Versailles imposed on them. Then, during the later years of the 1600s, France suffered famines and disastrous military defeats. Versailles started to lose the splendor and ended as the king died in 1715. In contrast, this was a rebirth of non-Lullyan music in Paris – musical freedom was reborn in Paris, with a boom in sheet-music printing and music lessons [7].

Figure 9 Château de Versailles

After the reign of Louis XIV, the music in Versailles arose during Louis XVI time. Since Marie Antoinette has Austrian heritage, no wonder she adored music. She grew up listening to the works of Viennese masters in a court rich with the arts. At an early age, she learned how to play the harpsichord. Her appreciation for emotionally resonating music grew once she moved to Versailles. She attended operas and threw fabulous parties replete with music and dancing. As shown in this 1774 painting by Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty (Figure 10), she played the harp before the French Court [9].

Figure 10 Queen Chamber in Versailles

(Left: Chamber Current Condition, Right: painting of Marie Antoinette)

5.1 Music as Political Tool in Versailles

Lully developed elegance of the French musical style and the splendor of the French court. Music was used by Louis XIV as a “pliable political tool; rarely in history have the relations between politics and music lain more openly on the surface than during the French absolutism.” [8].The court atmosphere of Louis XIV could make every noble guests emulating for their own glory and used music as a form of propaganda for the political power.

Louis desired that the music would be a reflection of his absolute rule and the throne. He made sure that his own agenda was promoted through the music of the day. Likewise, Lully as a court musician also used his position to promote his own objectives that allowed him to exert his personal musical style in France [6].

Some literatures in France often hide the fact that Louis XIV was a music-loving king. But actually the fact is the salons and galleries of Versailles (as well as the private apartments of the king) were used for music and theatre. The music that came from the French court of this time would not have been possible without the contributions Louis XIV made to support and further French music

6. Coda ~ Contributions of French Baroque Music

6.1 Académie Royale de Musique

Louis XIV obviously played an important part in the early development of ballet, opera, and French Baroque music in general. Académie Royale de Danse, the world’s first ballet school was established by Louis XIV in 1661 in a room of the Louvre. In 1669, Lully’s monopoly was solidified when Louis XIV created the Academie Royale de Musique and appointed Lully to run the Academie. By establishing state-sponsored academies, Louis XIV expected that he would be the main source of inspiration. Music compositions were frequently dedicated to the king and royal permission had to be granted before works could be based on royal subjects. Indeed, Louis XIV bestowed various musical positions on Lully, including ‘Music Master to the Royal Family’. [7]

Figure 11 Academie Royale de Musique in Paris

(Left: Outdoor view. Right:Inside the opera)

The king retired from dancing in 1671, because of his age and in 1672 Lully established a dance academy within the Académie Royale de Musique. In Académie Royale de Musique, Lully worked with librettist, Philippe Quinault and created works with clear links to the political successes of Louis XIV [5].

Nowadays, Académie Royale de Musique still survives as the Paris Opera – the world’s oldest primary opera company. It is used for opera and ballet performances by the “Opéra national de Paris”. Meanwhile, this building was re-named “Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris” in 1978. Then, after the opening of the Opéra Bastille in 1989, it was renamed “Palais Garnier”. Another interesting fact is, in 1896, one of the counterweights for the grand chandelier fell, killing one. This incident and the elements of the opera building were the inspiration for the world famous opera, “The Phantom of the Opera”.

6.2 Bands with French Royal Styles

French royal-court music still influences in modern music trend. In France itself, there are some bands with French ‘opera’ style, such as Roi-Soleil and MozartRock. In Asia, some Japanese bands were inspired by classical baroque French, such as Versailles-Philharmonic Quintet and Malice Mizer. In their performance and stage-act, they show strong French-influenced characteristics. For instances, they always wear the costumes which uniquely design like the costumes used by the people during the France king era in the Versailles.

Figure 12 Japanese Bands in Royal French styles: Versailles (Left) and Malice Mizer (Right)

 

However, their genres are not the classical Baroque music with full – orchestra or played for the royal dance. Their genres are rock, but with the typical Baroque melodies which rich in improvisation and are somehow cold. Most of their song have some French words and sometimes tell the story of the mystical-lovely French court.

References

[1]     http://www.baroquemusic.org/ – accessed in 7 October 2010

[2]     http://www.lycos.com/info/baroque–french-baroque.html – accessed in 7 October 2010

[3]     http://www.louis-xiv.de – accessed in 7 October 2010

[4]     Chrystelle T. Bond, “Louis XIV,” Dance Teacher 27, no. 9 (September 2005): 82.

[5]     Julie A. Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 218.

[6]     http://sinisterfrog.com/writings/louis-xiv- accessed in 14 October 2010

[7]     http://www.suite101.com/content/music-of-the-french-court-under-louis-xiv- accessed in 14 October 2010

[8]     Manfred F. Bukofzer, Music in the Baroque Era, 152.

[9]     Schmidt, Carl B. Jean-Baptiste Lully and the music of the French baroque. Edited by John H Heyer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

[10]  http://chateauversailles.fr/- accessed in 17October 2010