jan 1, 1676 - Atys

Description:

Begins with French overture. This instrumental opening introduced a prologue celebrating the royalty, which lasted an etire act. Mythological beings were summoned to extol the king, all done with choral pageantry and with suites of dances modeled on the actual ballet de cour or court ballet. An elaborate ritual in which the king himself took part, it symbolized the divinely instituted social hierarchy.

Throughout Lully's theatrical spectacles, dancing provided a lavish symbolic counterpoint to the words, sometimes enlarging directly on the dramatic action, sometimes contrasting with it.

The French had a strong prejudcice against virtuosic singing, largely due to France's theatrical traditions which prize intelligible language.

Peak movement of Atys uses the rhythm of a sarabande, showing that dance is everywhere. The setting of the text is entirely syllabic and responsive to the countours, stresses, and lengths of spoken French, reflecting the other key element of the court opera: high-style theatrical declamation.

However, Lully's singers still employed agrements, tiny conventional embnellishments that worked together with the bass harmony to punctuate the lines and to enhance their meaning.

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