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IndependentStudyinMusicHistory,Spring2006

MeterFluctuationin
LullysRecitative

By:RmiCastonguay

HunterCollege,CityUniversityofNew
YorkMay24,2006

Inthelastfewdecades,theoperasofJeanBaptisteLullyhavebeentheobjectofrenewedinterest.
Inturn,thisrevivaltriggeredathoroughinvestigationofwhatliesatthecoreofLullyswork:recitative.
Indeed,theFrenchmastersrecitativetechniquehasbeenthesubjectofinterestingdebatesamong
specialistoftheFrenchBaroque.MuchoftheissuesrevolvearoundLullysuseoffluctuatingmeter.This
articleaimsatpresentingdifferentaspectsinfluencingtheuseofmetersinLullysoperas.

Tothisday,FrenchBaroquemusicologistsstillusethedivisionsofrecitativeestablishedby
Rousseauandhiscontemporariesinthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.Sincethesedivisionsarecrucialto
anunderstandingofFrenchrecitative,andalsohaveaneffectonmeterusage,theywillbeintroducedatthe
beginning.Thesecondpartwillprovideacloserlookattheimportanceoftextinrecitativeandhowittoo,
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influencestheuseofmeters.Subsequently,alookatmusicalexamplesandFrenchtheoriesofmeterinthe
17thcenturywillhelptodrawapictureofhowdifferentmetersrelatetoeachotherandhowcertain
passagesofrecitativecanbeconceived.Morespecifically,aparticularfocuswillbegrantedtothe
alternationofmetersignsC, ,and2.Iwillarguethatthesesignshavetobeconsidereddifferently
dependingonwheretheyoccurinthemusicalflow(e.g.withinrcitatifsimple,atthefrontierofrcitatif
simpleandmesur).

Frenchrecitativehastraditionallybeendividedinthreelargecategories:rcitatifsimple,rcitatif
accompagn,andrcitatifmesur.[1]ThismodelwasfirstdevelopedbyEstve(1753)andalmost
simultaneouslybyRousseau(1768)whosworkservedmuchlateronasabasistoPaulMarieMassons
studiesinthe1930s.[2]AsexplainedbyCharlesDill,evidenceofacriticallanguagefordiscussing
recitativeinFrancedoesnotappearuntilthemideighteenthcentury.Therefore,Rousseausviewswere
builtonecenturyafterthecreationofrecitativebyLullyandbasedonperformancesorscoreslargely
differentfromtheiroriginalversion.Neverteless,thisdivisionisstillwidelyemployedinmusicliterature.
Hereisanoverviewofthesedivisions:[3]

1. Rcitatifsimpleisaccompaniedbyacontinuoandcontainsfrequentmeterchanges.
Example1:ExampleofrcitatifsimpleorordinaireJ.B.Lully,Thse,Prologue:"Contreunhros

2. Rcitatifaccompagnisdividedintwocategories:rcitatifaccompagnsolennelandrcitatif
accompagnpathtique.Whilethefirsttype(solennel)onlyemployedtheorchestratopunctuatethe
actionwithsimplechordprogressions,thelatter(pathtique)exhibitedagitatedrhythmic
accompanimentandwasusedinintensedramaticmoments,scenesofconfusionlikemadness,magic
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scenesandothermoments.Rcitatifaccompagnalsomadeuseoffrequentmeterchangesasthe
examplebelowshows.

Example2:Exampleofrcitatifaccompagnsolennel:J.B.Lully,Roland,ActeIV,scne2:
Quelleparledemoisousunnom

3. Rcitatifmesurisusedinpassageswithregularandisoftenreservedforthemostlyricalor
expressivemomentwheretextualrepetitionsarefound.

Example3:Exampleofrcitatifmesur:J.B.Lully,Atys:ActeI,Scne3,Lardeurdesconquests
nouvelles

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Thedefinitionofrcitatifmesurremainsproblematictothisday.Inthe18thcentury,asthose
categorieswerebeingdefined,thereseemstohavebeenalreadyashareofconfusion.AsRousseau
explains,thesetwowords,recitativeandmesur,dontseemtobelongtogetherorrathercontradicteach
other.Rousseaualsotalksofthisstyleasarecitativeaccompanyingtheaccompaniment:
Ces deux mots sont contradictoires: tout rcitatif o l'on sent quelque autre
mesure que celle des vers n'est plus du rcitatif. Mais souvent un rcitatif
ordinaire se change tout d'un coup en chant, et prend de la mesure et de la
mlodiecequisemarqueencrivantsurlespartiesatempoouabattuta.Ce
contraste,cechangementbienmnagproduitdeseffetssurprenants.[128]
Dans le cours d'un rcitatif dbit, une rflexion tendre et plaintive prend
l'accentmusicaletsedveloppel'instantparlesplusdoucesinflexionsdu
chantpuis,coupedelammemanireparquelqueautrerflexionviveet
imptueuse, elle s'interrompt brusquement pour reprendre l'instant tout le
dbitdelaparoleOnmesureencorelercitatif,lorsquel'accompagnement
dont on le charge, tant chantant et mesur luimme, oblige le rcitant d'y
conformersondbit.C'estmoinsalorsunrcitatifmesurque,commejel'ai
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ditplushaut,unrcitatifaccompagnantl'accompagnement.[4]

Asmentionedearlier,thecategoriesofrecitativearesomewhatarbitraryandanachronisticasthey
wereestablishedalongtimeafterthedeathofLully.Inthatregard,RousseausinfluentialDictionnairede
lamusique(1768)waspublishedeightyyearsafterthedeathofLully.Didthecomposerthinkinsuch
categorizedwaysordidheconceiverecitativeasanorganicphenomenonwhereeachpassageisbyits
natureauniqueexperience?[5]Inotherwords,iseverymomentofrecitativealittleuniverse?When
analyzingpassages,whatisimportanttorealizeisthatthedifferentiationbetween,thedifferenttypesof
recitative,especiallybetweenrecitativesimpleandmesur,isoftendifficulttoestablish.Frenchrecitative,
asTelemanoncedescribedit,flowscontinuously,bubblingforthlikechampagne.[6]Nevertheless,this
differentiationmustbemadesinceitinfluencesdirectlytheuseofmeters.
Beyondtheorganizationexposedabovecomesanelementthatiscrucialtotheunderstandingof
Frenchrecitative:theimportanceofthetext.Frenchrecitativeisruledbythetextinveryintricateways.It
iscommonlyacknowledgedthatLullymodeledrecitative,atleastpartly,onthehighlystylized
declamationofspokentheatreofhisdays.BaptistealsoinheritedtheFrenchtraditionsofmetricfreedom
(asinthe16thcenturymusiquemesure),stressingthelyricaccentsofthetextbymarkingboththerhyme
andthecaesura.TheFrenchversisindeeddividableintwohemistiches:inaversoftwelvefeetthe
divisionisoftwohemistichesofsixfeetwhileinaversoftenfeetthehemistichesareusuallyoffourand
sixfeet.InLullysmusic,thelastsyllableofeachhemistichisusuallyaccented.
InherseminalarticleaboutFrenchBaroquerecitative,LoisRosowexplainsthatalookatLullys
recitative:
reveals the essence of the relationship between line structure in the libretto and
metricalnotationinthescore:thoughthereareexceptions,inmostcasestherhyme
ofthelinefallsonadownbeatoronthesecondstressofabar(e.g.:thirdbeatina
Cbar).Furthermore,thecaesurainalonglineislikelytoreceiveametricalaccent
inthemusicaswell[7]

Inamorerecentarticle,Rosowclarifiesthatwhiletherhymealmostalwayscorrespondstoastrong
beat in the music, the caesura and other mobile secondary accents are emphasized through different
meanspitchoragogic,harmonicormetricaccents.[8]
AnotherimportantaspectofLullysrecitativeliesintheasymmetryofQuinaultspoetry.Indeed,
hislibrettiaboundinalexandrinesthatvaryinactualnumberofspokensyllablebecauseofthemandatory
pronunciationofthemutedeattheendoffeminineverses.Hence,manyversescanactuallybemeasured
tothirteenfeetratherthantwelve.[9]Similarly,linesofsixandeightfeetoftenadduptosevenornine
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syllables.Hence,asRosowargues,thisasymmetrycombinedwithneedofbarlineplacementdictatedby
caesuraeandtherhymes,hasforeffecttheuseoffluctuatingmeters.[10]Rosowexplainsfurthermorethat
whilesettingQuinaultspoetrytomusic,Lullyfollowedthetraditionof17thcenturyairdecour:
inwhichfrequentalternationbetweenbarsofdupleandtriplemetre,evenin
themiddleofphrases,reflectsavirtualabsenceofmetricalregularityinthe
poetry.Sincethebarlinesaredeterminedbytheirregularaccentuationofthe
verse,itisnotsurprisingthatpassagesofrecitativedesignedtoapproximate
speech rhythms are notated with frequent changes of meter. The metrical
fluctuationsarenot,asissometimessaid,purelynotationalthebarsnotated
intriplemetrecontainmusicintriplemetrebutthesubtleinterplayoffixed
andsecondaryaccentsinthepoetrymeansthatthelistenerusuallycannottell
wherethebarlinescome.[11]

Aquestioncanobviouslyoccurtothereader:whynotavoidfluctuatingmetersbymanipulating
durationswithoutbreakingtherulesexplainedabove?InastudyofLullysAlceste,ClaudePalisca
attemptstogiveanswerstothatquestion.Bycomparinganumberofalexandrinesandoctonariestext
setting,Paliscademonstratesthatthenumberofsyllablesinapoeticlinedoesnotdeterminetheduration
ofthemusicalline.[12]Inhissampling,PaliscashowedthatLullywastakinganywherefromfourand
halftoeightbeatsofquarternotestosetalexandrinesandoctonariesofvariablelength.Inhisopinion,itis
clearthat:Thisrangeofmusicallinelengthsdemonstratethatthealternationofdifferentversetypesdid
notforceLullyintomixedmeters,becausethereisagreatvarietywithinagivensyllabiccount.[13]
Logically,Paliscaconcludesthatthecomposercouldhaveeasilysetallthetexttoregularmeter.[14]
Whataccounts,then,forthefluctuationofmeters?InPaliscasopinion,therateofdeclamation
depends,atleastmuchofthetimeonthemeaningandmoodofaline.[15]Toconveythesemoodsor
meaning,Lullysrecitative,asPaliscaobserves,usesratesofdeclamationvaryingfromonelinetothe
other:attimes,arateofonesixteenth
notepersyllableisusedwhileatothertimes,amodeofoneeighthnotepersyllablewillusuallyprevail.
Thisspeakstotheassociationofspeedandnotevaluesrelatedtometersigns,whichwillbediscussedlater.
PaliscasobservationsobviouslyconflictwithRosowsapproach.Ibelievethat,ratherthansimply
conformingmetertoobeythepoetrysaccents,Lullyalsoconsciouslychosethemeterstowhichhesethis
recitative.Inusingmeterchanges,LullynotonlyapproximatedtextdeclamationintheFrenchtraditionbut
alsosignifiedsubtlechangesofmoodsignaledinthetext.
Example4belowillustratesthisidea.Inthefirstfewmeasures,startingwherethemeterchangesto
C,IdastalksdirectlytohisfriendAtys.Inaconversationalmode,Idasinviteshimtoadmithislovefor

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SangarideAtysdontpretend,Iknowyoursecret.Dontfear,Iamdiscreet.Tosetthistext,Lullyused
sixteenthnotes.Afterthisbriefpassage,achangeofmeterto2correspondstoanalterationofthemood
andtone.IdastellsastorytoAtysInasolitaryanddarkwood,theindifferentAtysthoughthewasalone.
Underathickbush,Iwasdreamingintheshade.IheardhimspeakofLove.Thechangeinmodeof
speechisimpliedinthetextasIdastellsthestoryasifAtyswasnotpresentreferringtohisfriendas
Atysorhiminsteadofjustsayingyou.Tothispoetrychargedwithsomberanddreamydescriptions,
Lullyappropriatelyavoidedtheuseofsixteenthnotesandchosetosetthetextusinglongnotevalues.The
wordsombre"forexampleissettovaluesaddinguptosixquarternotes.

Example4:J.B.Lully,Atys,ActI,scne2:,Atysnefeignezplus,Jesayvtresecret.

Thisexampleillustratesapossiblechangeofrateindeclamationcorrespondingtothechangeof
moodormeaning.ItalsoshowsagoodexampleofsomethingthatLullydoesfrequently:achangeofmeter

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from4/4to2/2(orCto

).Thistypeofchangeoftenoccursatcadencesbutinthiscase,itclearlydenotes

achangeofcharacter.

Onecanlegitimatelyaskhowthesemetersrelatetoeachother.Arenotevaluesequivalentfromone
metertypetothenext?Interestingly,Rousseausaysthat:
Onnemesurepointlercitatifenchantantcettemesure,quicaractriselesairs,
gteraitladclamationrcitative:c'estl'accent,soitgrammatical,soitoratoire,qui
doitseuldirigerlalenteuroularapiditdessons,demmequeleurlvationou
leur abaissement. Le compositeur, en notant le rcitatif sur quelque mesure
dtermine, n'a en vue que de fixer la correspondance de la bassecontinue et du
chant,etd'indiquerpeuprscommentondoitmarquerlaquantitdessyllabes,
cadencer et scander les vers. Les Italiens ne se servent jamais pour leur rcitatif
que de la mesure quatre temps, mais les Franais entremlent le leur de toutes
sortesdemesures.[16]

Rousseausstatementpointstoaconceptofqualitativemeteremphasizingtheimportanceoftext
overmusicinsimplerecitative.Thisviewiscorroboratedbyanumberofotherauthorsofthe18thcentury.
[17]Inthatvein,manyauthorsofthe18thcenturyalsoinsistonthedifferencebetweensong(chant)and
recitative.Intermsofactualpractice,Rousseauscommentsremainvaguedespitetheirinterest.In
addition,alookatFrenchtheorytreatisesofthelate17thcenturycannotgiveusdefinitiveanswerstothese
issues.However,theycanhelpbetterunderstandsomeoftheelementsofpracticeofthosedays.Bythelate
17thcentury,theoldproportionalsystemhadpracticallydisappearedandnewpracticesofmetricalnotation
wereslowlystartingtocoagulate.Whatalltheoristsofthetimeagreeduponwasthatspecificmeter
signaturesshouldbeassociatedtospecifictempi:Orlesignequonmetaucommencementdunepice,
marquelafoiscombienildoityavoirdenotesdanschaquemesure,combiendetempselledoitse
battre,etquelmouvement,cestdirequellevitesseouquellegravitilfautdonnerlapice."[18]
Simultaneously,manyFrenchtheoristsalsoagreeduponthediscouraginggapbetweentheoryandpractice:
Maiscestparticulirementdanscequiregardelemouvementdespices,quelesmusiciansprennentdes
libertscontreleursprincipes.[19]Table1below,summarizestheviewsofafewFrenchtheoristsofthat
era.[20]Thetableorganizesduplemetersfromtheslowesttothefastestandtriplemeterinthesame
fashion.
Table1:TheviewsonRhythmoffourFrenchMusicTheoristsofthelate17thCent.

E.Louli
C.Masson
J.P.FreillonPoncein M.Saint

(1696)

(1699)

(1700)

Lambert(1702)

4beats.Nospecified

4slowbeatswhenused

signemajeur,4slow

signemajeur,4

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speedbuttheauthor
impliesitthatitis
slow.

inrecitative.(thisis
deducedfromsomeof
theauthorscomments.)

beats(grave)

slowbeats(graves).

2slowbeatsor4fast
ones

2slowbeats,alittle
fasterthan2

2beats.Thebeats
arethesamespeed
asthatofC.Hence,
thenotesareone
timesfaster.

Generallyfast(faster
than )

2slowbeats

4fastbeatsbutthe
practiceofthetime
wastobeattwoslow
beats

2slowbeats(thisis
deducedofwhatis
saidabout )

3/2

Slowerthan3/4

Thebottomdigitwill
determinehowfastis
thebeat(e.g.:3/1is
slowerthan3/4)

2beats,onetime
fasterthan .

fortgravement

Slowerthan3/4

N/A

3slowbeats

3/4isslightlyfasterthan
3/2.

3slowbeats
(graves,asC)
1timefasterthan
3/2butatthesame
timeequaltoC.

Table1indicatesthattheoristsagreedattheveryleastonthemetersignC,alsoreferredtoas
signemajeur.Allfourtheoristsdefineitasfourslowbeats(graves).Measuresin3,almostsystematically
usedfor3/4,provemoreelusivebutmosttheoristsseemtodefinethatmarkingasthreeslowbeats.Other
markingsas2or provemoredifficulttodefine.Table1generallyindicatesthatCwasconsideredslower
than andthat wasslowerthan2.However,theviewsofFreillonPoncein,aswellasthoseofMuffat
(1695),atheoristnotrepresentedinthistable,differ.Indeed,thesetwotheoristspresentmetersign2as
slowerthan .
InherarticleaboutmetricalnotationinLullysrecitative,LoisRosowsaysthatNothingbetter
exemplifiesthestateoffluxofthemetricalsysteminLullyserathantheutterlackofagreementamong
Frenchtheoristsregardingtherelationshipbetween and2/2.[21]Rosow,nevertheless,considersthe
approachofFrenchtheoristEtienneLoulithatshesummarizesasfollows:[22]

Inbrief,themodelindicatesthatinrecitativepassages,aquarternoteinCisthesamevalueasa
quarternotein3,orahalfnotein ,2,or3/2.ThismodelseemstobebasedonLouliswords:Whenthe
composerchangesmetertofitthewords,sothatcertainlongsyllableswillfallonstrongbeats,thebeatof
onemetershouldbeequalindurationtothebeatofanothermeter.[23]Inmostcases,Rosowsays,
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Loulisrulewillapply.However,takingacasebycaseapproach,shedemonstratesthatthisrulecannot
beapplieduniformly.SheprovidesafewexamplesofexceptionstoLoulisrulegroundedlargelyontext
basedexplanations.TheexamplebelowisonethatRosowpresentsasapossibleexceptiontoLoulisrule
(Ihavetakenthecontinuooutforpracticalpurposes.)Shearguesthatthemetersign2wasconceivedby
Lullytobeslightlyfasterthan .RosowproposesthatAtthetextIloseallhope,Ishallneverbeableto
seeher,2giveswayto ,perhapsindicatingaslightallargando,inwhich,thetempodecreasesabitbut
notbyhalf.[24]
Example5:J.B.Lully,Prosperpine,Act2,scene4:Ellenenpeutsortir

Example4,givenearlier,doesnotseemtoqualifyasanexceptionsimilartothatexemplifiedby
Rosowabove.Atthesametime,itcontradictstheviewsof17thcenturysFrenchtheorists.Indeed,asseen
earlier,whenconsideringthetextthe2/2barsofexample4canhardlybeconstruedasbeingsungata
muchfasterspeedthanthepreceding4/4bars.Perhapsexample4correspondstopassageswheremetrical
changesseemdesignedprimarilytoindicatesomesortofdisjunction,perhapsasurprise,perhapsa
parentheticalremark.[25]ThisagreeswithDeniseLaunaysviewthatsuggestsacloseexaminationofthe
textwhenchangesofmeterscorrespondtoaruptureindiscourse.[26]
Finally,itshouldbesaidthatbrieflyfollowingtheexcerptofexample4,apassageofrecitativemesurcan
befound.The2/2sectionofexample4caninfactbeconsideredasannouncingthisfollowingsection.
Therefore,closeattentionshouldbepaidtothosefluctuationsofmeterthatoccuratthefrontierof
recitativesimpleandmesur.

Suchapassage,similartoexample4,canbefoundinThse.Inexample6below,themeter
markingCisfollowedby .Theoretically,the passageshouldbesungtwiceasfastaswhatprecedes
butconsideringthetext,itseemsunlikelytobethecase.WhilethepassageinCtalksaboutenemy,rage,
andhits,the passagesetsthetextValuetomyeyeshassweetcharms.Whilethepassagein is
clearlyrcitatifmesurthemeterremainsstableforawhileandthereistextrepetitiononthenextpage
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thepassageinCisclearlyrcitatifsimple.[27]Theearlierexample4andexample6belowraisean
interestingquestion.Dometerchangesresidingatthefrontierofrecitativesimpleandmesurcarrya
differentmeaningthanthoselocatedwithinrecitativesimple?Iwouldliketoargueforsuchadistinction.
However,theproofresidesinanextensiveexaminationofLullyswork,whichisbeyondthescopeofthis
article.
Example6:J.B.Lully,Thse,ActI,Scene5:"LordreduRoymengage"

InregardstothedifferencebetweenC, ,and2,oneaspectisthenlefttoobserv.Weshould
identifypassageswheresuchmeterfluctuationsarefoundinrecitativestrictlyoftheordinarykind.The
excerptbelow,fromLullysThse,showsaninterestingalternationofCand inrcitatifsimple.[28]

Example7:J.B.Lully,Thse,Prologue:"Hlas!Hlas!LesAmoursnysontpas"

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Example7leadsonetobelievethateveninstrictordinaryrecitative,Cand hadtempoimplicationsthat
didnotinvolvethe2:1mentionedbyLouli.Bystrictlyrespectingthatratio,theeighth,quarter,andhalfnotesof
the barsbecomerespectivelyequivalenttothesixteenth,eighth,andquarternotesoftheCbars.Inotherwords,
atthemeterchange,thelistenerwouldnothearanychangesofspeed.Therefore,LullymusthaveconceivedC
and inaratiodifferentthan2:1.Inlateroperas,itshouldbesaid,Lullyfavoredthesign2(2/2)over .
Examplessuchasexample8showthatthecomposermustalsohaveconceivedof2asnotactingina2:1rationin
relationtoC.
Example8:J.B.Lully,Isis,ActI,Scene5:"Maisildoitsexpliquerautrement"

RosowattributesthoseshiftsofmeterfromCto orCto2asmatchingsuddenexclamationsor
interjections.[29]Iarguethatsuchpassagesaresofrequentthatitseemsunlikelythatthisexplanation
alonecouldmatcheverycase.Loulistheoryofa2:1ratio,aswejustsaw,isunlikelytoexplainall
passages.AsGeorgeHoulealsoexplains:
A2:1ratiobetweenCand doesnotnecessarilyindicateachangeofspeed
orofrhythmicquality,sincenotesofdoublesizeareusuallyfoundwhenthe
tactus is twice as fast. A perceptible change in the speed of the music does
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occur if the tactus is somewhat faster. In order to be precise, this change

wouldneedtoberepresentedbyaratiomoremathematicallycomplexthan
2:1,theproportionspecifiedbymanywritersforthediminution .[30]

ThisstudyofrecitativeprovidesonlyhintsatthesignificationofmetersinLullyswork.Ihopeto
haveprovidednewavenuesforfurtherexploration.Asystematicandcomprehensivelookatthemusic
however,canonlygiveusbetteranswers.Ialsoarguethatadetailedlookatthetext,throughthelensesof
literarytheorysuchasrhythmopoeiaandother17thCenturytheoriesoftextdeclamationwouldprovide
invaluableinsightsintoLullyscompositionprocess.Theseprojectsremain,however,beyondthescopeof
thisarticle.Iwouldliketoproposenevertheless,thatratherthanstartingfromthemusicandtryingto
explaintheuseoffluctuatingmeters,oneshouldstartfromthetextasthecomposerdid,andtheoretically
deducehowcertainpassagesweresettomusic.ItseemsindeedlikelythatLullywouldhavewrittenbarsin
afterdecidingofrhythmsmatchingthewords.Finally,letmewarnthereaderaboutanyattemptat
systematizationinadomainwhereeachmomentofmusicshouldbetreatedasalittleuniverse.

[1]CharlesDill,EighteenthCenturyModelsofFrenchRecitative.JournaloftheRoyalMusical
Association120(1995):32350seep.233.
[2]PaulMarieMasson,LopradeRameau(NewYork:DaCapoPress,1972.)
[3]ThisoverviewislargelyindebtedtoCharlesDillsarticlementionedaboveandto:Monson,
DaleE.,JackWestrupt,andJulianBudden:'Recitative:Upto1800:History,GroveMusicOnline,
AccessedMarch15,2006,<http://www.grovemusic.com>
[4]JeanJacquesRousseau,DictionnairedeMusique:Tomesecond,NR.InOeuvrescompltesde
J.J.Rousseau,misesdansunnouvelordre,avecdesnoteshistoriquesetdesclaircissements,ed.V.D.
MussetPathay(Paris:P.Dupont,1824),13:1155seep.1278,AccessedMarch15,2006
<http://www.music.indiana.edu/tfm/18th/ROUDIC3_TEXT.html>.
[5]PatriciaHoward,LullyandtheIronicConvention.CambridgeOperaJournal1(1989):139
53seep.143.
[6]QuotedinLoisRosow,FrenchBaroqueRecitativeasanExpressionofTragicDeclamation.
EarlyMusic11/4(Oct.1983):46879,seep.468.
[7]Idib.,p.469.
[8]LoisRosow,Lully.GroveMusicOnline,Accessed16April2006,
<http://www.grovemusic.com>.
[9]Nevertheless,westillrefertotheseversesasalexandrines.
[10]ItshouldbesaidalsothatthesyllabicstyleofFrenchrecitativehasaroleinthatequation.
[11]Rosow:Lully.GroveMusicOnline,AccessedApril1,2006
<http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=opera.004014.1.2.1>
[12]ClaudeVPalisca,StudiesintheHistoryofItalianMusicandMusicTheory(Oxford:
ClarendonPress,1994),p.502.
[13]Ibid.
[14]ItshouldalsobesaidthatItalianoperacomposers,dealingwithasymmetricalverses,namely
settenarioandendecasyllabo,didnotresorttotheuseoffluctuatingmeters.
[15]Palisca,StudiesintheHistoryofItalianMusicandMusicTheory,p.502.
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25.3.2015

Frenchrecitativehastraditionallybeendividedinthreelargecategories:rcitatifsimple,rcitatifaccompagn,andrcitat

[16]JeanJacquesRousseau,DictionnairedeMusique:Tomesecond,NR.InOeuvrescompltesde
J.J.Rousseau,misesdansunnouvelordre,avecdesnoteshistoriquesetdesclaircissements,ed.V.D.
MussetPathay(Paris:P.Dupont,1824),13:1155seep.122,AccessedMarch15,2006
<http://www.music.indiana.edu/tfm/18th/ROUDIC3_TEXT.html>.
[17]Foranextensivelookatthissubject:Borel,E.Linterprtationdelancienrcitatiffranais.
Revuedemusicologie12/37(1931):1321.

[18]MicheldeSaintLambert,.Lesprincipesduclavecin:contenantuneexplicationexactedetout
cequiconcernelatablature&leclavier(Paris:Ballard,1702),p.15.
[19]Ibid.p.24.
[20]TableIisbynomeansexhaustivebutitisrathermeanttogiveanoverviewofafewtheorists
views.
[21]LoisRosow,TheMetricalNotationofLullysRecitative.InJeanBaptisteLully.Congress
Reportfromthe1987meetinginHeidelbergandSaintGermainenLaye,ed.JrmedeLaGorceand
HerbertSchneider.NeueHeidelbergerStudienzurMusikwissenschaftno.18.(Laaber,Germany:Laaber
Verlag,1990),405422.seep.405.
[22]LouliappliedhisruletoairsbutRosow,followingPeterWolfssuggestionsappliesitto
recitative.Shemakesaconvincingcaseofitspertinenceinthatcontext.
[23]EtienneLouli,Supplmentdesprincipesouelementsdemusique.[circa1696],FPn,f.fr.
n.a.6355,fol.138v,quotedinLaunay,Denise.Lesrapportsdetempoentremesuresbinariesetmesures
ternairesdanslamusiquefranaise(16001650).FontesArtisMusicae12/23(MayDec.1965):16694
seep.185.
[24]Rosow,TheMetricalNotationofLullysRecitative.p.409.
[25]Ibid.,p.410.
[26]DeniseLaunay,"Lesrapportsdetempoentremesuresbinairesetmesuresternairesdansla
musiquefranaise(16001650)."FontesArtisMusicae12(1965).
[27]Theearlierexample4alsoannouncedarecitativemesurthathappenedafewmeasures
later.
[28]Withtime,Lullyutilizedlessandless favoringinstead2/2.Thiscoincideswithpublication
[29]Rosow,TheMetricalNotationofLullysRecitative.p.410.
[30]GeorgeHoule,MeterinMusic,16001800:Performance,Perception,andNotation
(Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1987),p.14.

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