Music in the court of Louis the XIV

Like other rulers of nations, Loius XIV wanted a more united kip-[oooooooooooooooto rule over, that had as little threat of insurrection as possible. King Louis often used music and dance to his advantage. We see this from the fact that he required the members of his court to be skilled in both music and dancing. By keeping the nobility engaged in aesthetical endeavors such as dance and music, he also knew that this would keep at least his upper class from forming rebellious or non-loyal parties that detracted from his overall power as king.
Jean Baptiste Lully was in charge of all aspects of music while alive during the reign of Louis XIV. All of the composers within France were responsible for the strong heritage which they carried down from the many musical forefathers, carrying the tradition onward of Leonin and Perotin was no small feat. The composer’s works had to be inspected for content in regards to the French state. Lully himself was afforded more freedom in his own compositions due to his closeness to the king.
During the reign of Louis the 14th, the violin consort became most eminent. The king had in his personal orchestra exactly 24 violins. This in itself is proof as to the importance of music in French and this king’s sphere of influence. Upon the death of Lully, who died after accidentally stabbing his foot with his conductors stick which turned gangrenous. It was Michel Laland who succeeded Lully, and who also served the king being accountable for the music of the court.
The problem was to make French operas. To give French pride in their language. To use the recitative like the Italians, and make it their own. The recitatif. What the French did was to change meters occasionally to emphasize the text so that important syllables of important words came on te down beats correctly, thus the music changed meter accordingly 4/4 to ¾. Since Louis XIV himself was also a part of plays, dramas, skits etc, we can see how important he viewed music as pertaining to his kingdom and nobility.