Musical Theatre at the Court of Louis XIV

Book excerpt: Le Mariage de la Grosse Cathos, a short ballet performed at the court of Louis XIV, is of major importance to the study of French Baroque dance. This facsimile reproduction of the entire manuscript is accompanied by a comprehensive study of the work itself and the context in which it was created and performed. Dated 1688, it provides a wealth of new and detailed information on numerous aspects of theatrical dance. It differs from the known choreographic sources in many respects, the two most important being the completeness of all its components--choreography, music, and text--and the use of a previously unknown dance notation system.