French composer (born in Italy) who was the court composer to Louis XIV and founded the national French opera (1632-1687)
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By the time Mazarin died, he had a whole Department of Glory at work headed by Colbert with people like Le Brun in charge of portraiture, the Perrault brothers to write eulogies in prose and verse, Lully to compose celebratory paeans in music.
The work runs most pleasantly on the lines laid down so securely by Lully many years before.
Lully's Phaeton, the first opera ever to be performed at Lyons (in 1688, a year after the composer's death) has returned there 300 years later as the final production for the opening of the new opera house, recently described here by Max Loppert.