Couperin – L’Apothéose de Lully

^{Francois Couperin (1668-1733)}

 ^{L’Apothéose de Lully (1725)}

^{Francois Couperin was one of the greatest composers of the French Baroque and the most notable member of an esteemed musical family. His L’Apothéose de Lully was published in 1725 and features many of the hallmarks of Couperin’s mature style, most notably blending elements of the seemingly opposed Italian and French compositional schools of the day. The work’s plot follows the ascent of the soul of Louis XIV’s favorite composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully, to join the gods on Mount Parnassus; in his travels, he is escorted by the god Apollo and, once arrived on the mountain, is greeted by none other than the great Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli.}

^{The selections from L’Apothéose that will be played by the WCMS comprise the Trio Sonata with which the piece ends: all four movements are collected under the heading “The Peace of Parnassus,” and represent the happy confluence of the muses of Italian and French musical styles, as represented by Lully and Corelli.}

^{© Jonathan Blumhofer}

^{Reproduction Rights: This program note may be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with a credit to the author.}