Jean-Baptiste Lully, a composer, obtained a privilege from Louis XIV in 1672 to create the Académie Royale de Musique, banning other composers from using more than two airs and two instruments in their performances.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Molière, the playwright, laid the foundations for the comédie-ballet genre, aiming to create a single entity from ballet and comedy.
Historical Context
The comédie-ballet became the court's favorite entertainment in the 1660s and 1670s, attracting the interest of King Louis XIV.
Composition History
Le Malade imaginaire was the first full-scale collaboration between Molière and Charpentier, and also their last, as Molière died after the fourth performance.
Composer Biography
After falling out with Lully, Molière turned to the young Marc-Antoine Charpentier, who had just returned from Rome and had previously only written sacred music.
Compositional Technique
In Le Malade imaginaire, Molière invented a comedic 'dog Latin' that was sufficiently Frenchified or Italianized for audiences to understand.
Interpretation
William Christie and Les Arts Florissants aimed to restore the musical dimension to Molière's plays, which had been largely forgotten in France, unlike Purcell's music in England.
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