The musical world of Marie-Antionette : opera and ballet in 18th century Paris and Versailles /

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Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-251) and index.A Country Ripe for Change -- Christoph Willibald Gluck and the Quest for Drama -- "Simplicity, Truth, and Naturalness" -- The Baroness and the Broken Old Songbird -- Niccolò Piccinni -- Iphigénie en Champagne -- A Star Is Born: Madame Saint-Huberty -- Mozart -- Antonio Salieri -- Tragédie Lyrique -- The Entrepreneur -- Ballet and the Art of Gesture -- Marie-Madeleine Guimard -- Concerts -- Opéra Comique -- Marguerite Montansier -- André-Modeste Grétry -- Jean-Nicolas Bouilly -- The Opéra in the 1780s -- Antonio Sacchini -- Figaro and Tarare -- The Show Goes On -- Religion and Revolution -- Tragic Epilogue."For decades, 18th century Paris had been declining into a baroque backwater. Spectacles at the opera, once considered fit for a king, had become "hell for the ears," wrote playwright Carlos Goldoni. Then, in 1774, with the crowning of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Paris became one of the world's most vibrant musical centers. Austrian composer Christophe-Willibald Gluck, protege of the queen, introduced a new kind of tragic opera--dramatic, human and closer to nature. The expressive pantomime known as ballet d'action, forerunner of the modern ballet, replaced stately court dancing. Along the boulevards, people whistled lighter tunes from the Italian opera, where the queen's favorite composer, Andre Modeste Gretry, ruled supreme. This book recounts Gluck's remaking of the grand operatic tragedy--long symbolic of absolute monarchy--and the vehement quarrels between those who embraced reform and those who preferred familiar baroque tunes or the sweeter melodies of Italy. The turmoil was an important element in the ferment that led to the French Revolution and the beheading of the queen"--