Music and Power at the Court of Louis XIII
Sounding the Liturgy in Early Modern France
Published on 21. December 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
340 pages
978-1-108-82243-5 (ISBN)
Description
What role did sacred music play in mediating Louis XIII's grip on power in the early seventeenth century? How can a study of music as 'sounding liturgy' contribute to the wider discourse on absolutism and 'the arts' in early modern France? Taking the scholarship of the so-called 'ceremonialists' as a point of departure, Peter Bennett engages with Weber's seminal formulation of power to consider the contexts in which liturgy, music and ceremonial legitimated the power of a king almost continuously engaged in religious conflict. Numerous musical settings show that David, the psalmist, musician, king and agent of the Holy Spirit, provided the most enduring model of kingship; but in the final decade of his life, as Louis dedicated the Kingdom to the Virgin Mary, the model of 'Christ the King' became even more potent - a model reflected in a flowering of musical publication and famous paintings by Vouet and Champaigne.
Reviews / Votes
'How did music project the king's sovereignty in early modern France? Bennett's brilliant new study is the first sustained investigation of sacred music and royal liturgies at the time, one with important ramifications for our understanding of the reign of Louis XIV and the indebtedness of late seventeenth-century court ceremonial to earlier forms. Bennett is an expert liturgist who brings this unjustly neglected period and its music into earshot for scholars from across the disciplines. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this elegantly illustrated volume makes a major contribution to studies of the ancien regime.' Kate van Orden, Harvard UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-82243-5 (9781108822435)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2021
Cambridge University Press
€108.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
05/2021
Cambridge University Press
€79.49
Available for download
Person
Peter Bennett is Associate Professor of Musicology at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. He previously spent fifteen years working as a harpsichordist, organist, and director, performing and recording to critical acclaim in the UK and Europe.
Content
Introduction: music, liturgy and power; 1. David's harp, Apollo's lyre: psalms, music and kingship in the sixteenth century; 2. Accession: the coronation, the holy spirit, and the phoenix; 3. The sword of David and the battle against heresy; 4. The penitent king; 5. Pillars of justice and piety: The Entree, the Te Deum, and the Exaudiat te Dominus; 6. Plainchant and the politics of rhythm: the royal abbey of Montmartre and the royal congregation of the oratory of Jesus Christ; 7. Succession. The vow of 1638 and Christ the king; Epilogue and conclusion; Bibliography; Index.