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The Ballet de la Merlaison is a ballet de cour first performed in 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, during the reign of Louis XIII. It is the most popular ballet performed during the reign of Louis XIII, which marked an important development of the Ballet de cour.
Contents
Music
The music of the ballet is considered to be written with the participation of Louis XIII. While some claim he had written only a few airs (Catherine Cressac in L'Orchestre de Louis XIII), most experts consider the entire ballet to be written by Louis XIII (A. Lloyd Moote in Louis XIII, the Just). One thing we know for sure is that Louis XIII made up the story, the choreography and danced himself in the ballet. The music is very typical for the era of Louis XIII, yet it is very interesting for modern musicologists, since it is crucial for the understanding of development from Late Renaissance to Early and High Baroque music.
Trivia
However, there are some historical errors: The Ballet de la Merlaison was first performed in 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, whereas this ball takes place at the Hôtel de Ville de Paris, before 1627 (since the Siege of La Rochelle started that year and is described from chapter 24 [The Siege of La Rochelle ] onwards, 12 chapters after the ball had taken place). Also, the Ballet de cour is described as a simple ball (with the men dancing with the ladies), not as a court spectacle which not only included dance, but acting and singing as well.