Jean-Baptiste Lully
Lully helped shape French opera and dominated music at Louis XIV’s court, where a relationship with a young page later provoked a scandal.
Jean-Baptiste Lully was born in Florence in 1632. Originally named Giovanni Battista Lulli, he was the son of a miller. He came to France while still young to help Mademoiselle de Montpensier practise her Italian, developing his talents as a musician and dancer in her household.
In 1653 he appeared alongside Louis XIV in the “Ballet royal de la Nuit”. Royal patronage made him a powerful figure in French music. With Molière he created comedy-ballets, including “Le Bourgeois gentilhomme” (1670). He later directed the Royal Academy of Music and helped establish the French operatic tradition known as “tragédie en musique”, exercising extensive control over operatic performance.
Lully married Madeleine Lambert and had six children. His relationships with men were also known at court. In 1685 his relationship with a young page named Brunet caused a scandal and contributed to his loss of royal favour.
In January 1687, while beating time for a “Te Deum” celebrating the king’s recovery from illness, Lully injured his foot with his conducting staff. The wound became gangrenous. He refused amputation and died in Paris in March 1687.