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Bell Ringer – 11/1 m.socrative.com – Room 38178 OR Bell Ringer Card. QUESTIONS: 1. “Speak singing” is called _________________. 2. Who is the father of opera?. THE INTERNET IS DOWN AT THE MOMENT – everyone needs to do it on a Bell Ringer card and put it in the box. Louis XIV.
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Bell Ringer – 11/1m.socrative.com – Room 38178 OR Bell Ringer Card QUESTIONS: • 1. “Speak singing” is called _________________. • 2. Who is the father of opera? THE INTERNET IS DOWN AT THE MOMENT – everyone needs to do it on a Bell Ringer card and put it in the box
Louis XIV We talked about him BRIEFLY yesterday with the development of the opera – he’s an important guy!
Louis XIV • 1638-1715 • “Louis the Great” & “The Sun King” • Ruled as King of France from 1643 until his death • Reigned for 72 years and 110 days – the longest of a monarch of a major country in European History • Died of gangrene 4 days before his 77th birthday • Succeeded by this 5-year-old great grandson XV
Louis XIV • Dancer • Performed 80 roles in 40 major ballets • Professional ballet dancer • Often portrayed roles that were royal or godlike • Combined business with art in a mutually beneficial way
Dance • By the late 16th century, baroque art was consolidated in the court of Louis XIV • He was a great patron of painting, sculpture, theater, and architecture and brought ballet into full participation • Louis the XIV was an avid dancer himself – he studied for 20 years with the dancing master Pierre Beauchamps
Dance – Pierre Beauchamps • Pierre Beauchamps invented the 5 basic ballet positions Second First Third Fourth Fifth
Dance • Louis XIV is nicknamed “The Sun King” • At the age of 14th, he danced as Apollo the Sun-God in Le Ballet de la Nuit • Louis XIV employed a team of professional artists to produce ballet and opera at court – Moliere (playwright) was a part of these collaborative efforts
Dance • The plots for French ballet came from classical mythology • The style of dancing was fairly simple and controlled • Gestures were symmetrical • Costumes included elaborate wigs • Any movement that threatened to knock one’s wig off would have been impractical and awkward.
Dance • Ballet became formally institutionalized when LouisXIV founded the Academie Royale de Danse in 1661 • Royal Academy of Dance • He hired 13 dancing masters to teach there • 10 years later, the Royal Academy of Dance merged with the Royal Academy of Music (newly established) • Both schools used Louis XIV’s personal theater – a “picture frame stage” • Choreography was designed for an audience on one side
Dance • The establishment of the Royal Academy of Dance led to prescribed rules for positions and movement • Women took the stage as professional ballerinas for the first time • As the baroque era came to a close in the early 1700s, the foundations of ballet were in place
Louis XIV as The Sun King • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYHPNgSUIoE
Drama • Between 1550 and 1720, France developed a theatrical tradition called “French neoclassicism” • In 1548, the Protestants and Catholics outlawed religious drama • Secular drama became popular
Drama – French Neoclassicism • Plays had to conform to 2 specific rules • The action of the play had to occur in a single location • No change in setting • The action could not encompass more than 24 hours • The play must take place over the course of one day (the play itself is probably only 1- 2 hours long.)
Drama – French Neoclassicism • Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) created French masterpieces by breaking the rules • In 1635, he wrote the masterpiece Le Cid • Tragic comedy about love and war • France condemned the play though – other countries loved it!
Drama – French Neoclassicism • Moliere (1622-1673) wrote French comedies • Performed in “tennis-court theaters” • Size and shape of indoor tennis courts made them perfect for theater • A performance in front of Louis XIV launched his career as a playwright • Wrote Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and the Bourgeois Gentleman (ber-sh-wa) • Fast paced action, crisp language, and gentle but effective mockery of humans • Challenged background designers
Drama – Moliere • The Bourgeois Gentleman • 5 Act Comedy Ballet • Includes dialogue, music and dance, but no singing • Choreography done by Pierre Beauchamp • Pokes fun at the pretentious middle-class and the vain aristocracy • A middle class man wants to climb the ladder and become an aristocrat – takes up fencing, dancing, music, and philosophy • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE3n_ZfCqBk&list=PLB672ED271DF0EB51