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Scan 374
A biographical dictionary of musicians, 1905
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1He contrived to obtain instruction on the harpsichord, and in composition, from Méttru, Roberdet, and Gigault, organists of St.-Nicolas-des-Champs; he also gained admission to the King's private orchestra, "la grande bande," rose fast in royal favor, and in 1652 was made head of this violin-corps of 24 violins; he soon organized a second corps, "les petits violons," of 16 instr.s, which, under his leadership, became the finest orch. in France; L. himself had hardly a rival as a violinist. App. court composer in 1653, writing masques and ballets in which Louis XIV. himself took part, Lully also, as "M. Baptiste," danced and acted in the court ballets and festival-plays, and made himself indispensable to the King, who preferred his music to all other. In 1672 he obtained letters patent for the establishment of an "Académie royale de musique" (now the Grand Opéra), and a rival theatre was closed by the police by the King's express command [cf. art. CAMPRA]. From this time dates L.'s real fame—that of creating French opera: writing to French texts a music which not only respected the genius of the language, but eschewed the purely musical redundancies (flowery ornamentation, undue extension and needless repetition of words and syllables, and the like, which delay the dramatic action) then in vogue in Italian opera. L. is, therefore, a reformer of tendencies similar to those of Gluck and Wagner, allowance being made for the period, and for the means at his disposal.—He now devoted himself heart and soul to his theatre, of which he became the director, stage-manager, conductor, composer, and even (when required) the machinist. A strong point in his favor was the genius of his librettist, Quinault, who followed the intentions of his imperious employer with rare understanding. His operas held the stage for nearly a century, until Gluck's grander creations overshadowed them. He developed the form of the overture; wrote recitatives of an easy and dramatically effective style, and arias distinguished for their fluent grace and beauty; his choruses were more dramatic, and he introduced the brasses into the orchestra; finally, his scenic arrangements eclipsed those of his predecessors. He was a man of vehement energy, haughty, arrogant, and irascible. In a fit of excitement while conducting, he struck his foot with the cane used as a baton; an abscess resulted, which caused his death.—The works produced by L. after 1672, mostly at the "Academie royale," are as follows: Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus, a pastoral (1672; a pasticcio from his earlier ballets and masques); Cadmus et Hermione, lyric tragedy (1673); Alceste, ou le triomphe d'Alcide (1674); Thésée (1675); Le Carnaval, opera-ballet (1675); Atys, lyric tragedy (1676); Isis, "tragédie-opéra" (1677); Psyché, lyric tragedy (1678); Bellérophon, opera (1679); Proserpine, lyric tragedy (1680); Le triomphe de l'Amour, opera-ballet (1681); Persée, lyric tragedy (1682); Phaëton, lyric tragedy (1683); Amadis de Gaule, lyric tragedy (1684); Roland, lyric tragedy (1685); l'Idylle de la Paix, ou l'églogue de Versailles, divertissement (1685); Le temple de la Paix, opera-ballet (1685); Armide et Renaud, lyric tragedy (1686); Acis et Galatée, heroic pastoral (1686); parts of Act I of Achille et Polyxène, lyric tragedy (1687; written with Colasse). All the above have been publ.; nearly all by Breitkopf & Härtel in "Chefs d'œuvres classiques de l'opéra français"; Armide et Renaud in Eitner's "Monatshefte für Musikgeschichte," vol. xiv (full score, also pf.-score).—Besides these, L. wrote the music to many ballets, masques, etc.; also symphonies, trios, airs f. vln.; a Te Deum, a Miserere, a 4-part mass a cappella, many motets, etc.
3Lully, Louis de, son of preceding, b. Paris, Aug. 4, 1664; d. after 1713; brought out 3 operas, a ballet, a cantata, etc.
5Lumbye, Hans Christian, b. Copenhagen, May 2, 1810; d. there Mar. 20, 1874. Called the "Northern Strauss," on account of his popular dance-music. In 1865 he organized an orch., with which he played in Copenhagen, and made tours.—His son and successor, Georg, wrote an opera, The Witch's Flute.
7Lu'pi. See LUPUS.
9Lupori'ni, Gaetano, dramatic composer; a native of Lucca, Italy; a pupil of Primo Quilici, and a protégé of Ricordi. After graduating from the Pacini Mus. Inst., he comp. a 4-part mass w. orch., and a suite f. orch.; has also prod. the opera Marcella; a 3-act lyric comedy, I dispetti amorosi (Turin, 1894; succ.); and the 3-act opera seria La Collana di Pasqua (Naples, 1896; very succ.).
11Lupot, Nicolas, the most important member of a French family of violin-makers; b. Stuttgart, 1758; d. Paris, 1824. His excellent copies of Stradivari violins earned him the sobriquet of the "French Stradivari."
13Lu'pus, a composer's name (Christian name) frequently occurring in 16th-century collections. Its most important bearers are: (1) L. Helinck, mentioned in Forster's "Selectissimae motetae" (1540), Ott's "115 gute newe Liedlein" (1544), and others, with full name; (2) L. Lupi, whose name is given in Gardano's motets "Del fiore" and "Del frutto."—The ownership of the family-name Lupi ("Wolf") is far more doubtful; for, besides L. Lupi, there were 16th-century composers named Didier, Johannes [Jean], and Manfred Lupi, of whom nothing is known except their works—(only detached motets, for the greater part). Johannes Lupi alone is represented by a book of "Musicae cantiones quae vulgo motetti nuncupantur" a 4-8 (1542; publ. by Attaignant), and a book of "Mutetae" a 4-5 (publ. by Gardano).—Also see LOBO. [RIEMANN.]
15Lusci'nius [Latinized from Nachtgall or Nachtigall (nightingale)], Ottomar, b. Strassburg, 1487; d. there about 1536. Theologian
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