13.05.2025

New Translation of an EGO article by Ivana Rentsch

The article "French Music" by Ivana Rentsch has been translated into English by Joe P. Kroll and the translation has been published on European History Online (EGO) under the auspices of the IEG.
As early as the late 16th century, music came to hold an eminent position in French court life, whether for ceremonial purposes, as an accompaniment to ballets and dances or as the sonic representation of growing military power.




French musical practice was in due course comprehensively institutionalised under Louis XIV. The fact that the Académie royale de musique – which was in charge of musical life at court, in the city of Paris and in France at large – was headed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, a composer whose work was henceforth considered to set a national standard, will be addressed in this article, as will the question to what extent it is possible to speak of a European reception of this French model.