Yes - I often forget to copy the list in when replying to messages! Easily
done.
Thanks for the various references. The British Library has Mercure Galante
which is where I got it from but the other things will be an invaluable.
Corbetta must have known all the players who took part in Galanterie. He
probably knew Bartolotti who was also in Paris and took part in various
things. It was a small world. All the royal families and nobility were
related to one another. One big clan.
Best
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jean-Marie Poirier" <[email protected]>
To: "Peter Danner" <[email protected]>; "Monica Hall" <[email protected]>
Cc: "'Lute List'" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 9:24 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [LUTE] De Visee
Good morning to all,
I exchanged a mail with Monica without realising that I had sent it to her
only and not to her plus the list... My mistake ;-( but not very
important anyway. I sometimes get confused in the choices to reply to
messages...
Anyway, Monica quoted an part of the article in Le Mercure Galant relating
Corbetta's death in april 1681, and you can also read the original item
directly from the Bibliothèque Nationale digital library "Gallica" at the
following address :
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62252133/f133.image
Most of the Mercure Galant collection is available online and for
downloading, which, as you know, is a mine of information about what we
are all interested in !
The obituary of Corbetta refers to the participation of Corbetta to "les
plus pompeux spectacles" at the request of Louis XIV. It is true that he
appeared in his Italian colleague's (Lulli's) production le Ballet de la
Galanterie du Temps in 1656. Corbetta had been invited to France by
Mazarin and appeared in several "entrées" with guitars, including one in
which he played along with the young Louis XIV himself. He also
accompanied the famous Italian singer Anna Bergerotti and the French Anne
de La Barre. The Petits Violons, a creation of Lulli when he took over
from his Italian predecessor Lazarini, made their first appearance in this
Ballet too. The text of the Ballet is available online in a later copy
(1705) by Philidor and the manuscript version is dated 1660, but it
prserves the names of those who took part in it, including "Corbetti"
(sic) : http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1036755 (the Ballet in
qustion begins on page 57 of the ms).
Regarding the reason why de Visée was much more in demand than Louis
Jourdan is unknown. Maybe Jourdan was not such a good guitar player after
all and the king preferred the much more talented de Visée... Conjecture
again as ever ;-)
Incidentally, this 1656 Ballet also employed the theorbo players de La
Barre, Vincent, Ytier (= Ithier), Grénerin, Le Moine and Hurel... What a
dream team it must have been ;-)
Best,
Jean-Marie
--------------
After the remarks made about Satoh's liner notes, I hate to cite any
others, but in Philippe Beaussant's rather poignant notes to Hopkison
Smith's Pieces de Theorbe (Astree 7733), claim is made that Corbetta
became known to Louis when Lully had the two play together in le Ballet de
la Galanterie du temps. I believe this was1656. Corbetta must have been
proud of this performance, since it is mentioned in both prefaces to his
book of 1671.
I reason (conjecture again!) that guitar instructions from Corbetta to the
King would have been earlier rather than later. Jourdan was succeeded by
his son, Louis Anne, in 1695. So, why was it de Visee, not Jourdan, who
was specifically called on to play the guitar to Louis while the latter
was recovering from his almost-fatal illness of 1686? The guitar-loving
king must have admired his playing. (Incidentally, it was while performing
the Te Deum written to celebrate Louis' recovery from this illness that
Lully suffered the wound that caused his death.)
Peter
On Mar 2, 2014, at 1:22 PM, Monica Hall <[email protected]> wrote:
Many many thanks for all this fascinating information. Jourdan must
have been quite an important person in Louis' household. I have only one
comment - Corbetta died in 1681 so he can't have succeeded Jourdon in 1695
and in any case he spent most of his last 20 years in England although he
visited France again on a number of occasions. Perhaps he gave Louis a
few
master classes when he was in Paris.
Best
Monica
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