(or LULLY). GIOVANNI BATTISTA, a musician of celebrity, was born at Florence in 1633. According to the letters of naturalization granted to him in France by Louis XIV., in December 1661, Lulli was the son of a Florentine gentleman, and not of a peasant, as has been so often asserted. In these letters, and in other public documents, his name is spelled Lully, and also in his own signature; but it seems probable that the final letter of his Italian surname became changed in France. He was about twelve years old, and had learned to play on the guitar, when the Chevalier de Guise, then travelling in Italy, happened to see him, and being struck by the lively intelligence of the boy, offered to take him to France, promising to provide for him. Lulli's father being poor, gladly accepted the offer. Mademoiselle de Montpensier, a niece of Louis XIV., had expressed to the chevalier a wish to obtain a pretty Italian boy as a page. Lulli, however, was not pretty, but very dark and coarse-featured; so that when the chevalier presented him to her, the poor boy found no favour in her eyes, but was immediately placed in her kitchen as an under-scullion. He employed his leisure hours in learning the violin, and his extraordinary musical capacity having been remarked, he was made one of mademoiselle's musicians, and soon distinguished himself by his violin playing, as well as by the airs that he composed. But happening to compose an air for some very coarse satirical verses written against his patroness, she was so highly offended that she dismissed him from her music band. Soon afterwards he contrived to obtain admission into the violin band of the king, who, having heard him play in 1652, was so much pleased as to appoint him inspector-general of the royal violin band, and also to institute for him a new band of violins called the little band, to distinguish it from the great band of twenty-four violins. Lully wrote a great many pieces for his violin band, and was at that time considered the best violinist in France. Before the French opera was established, the king gave annually grand spectacles called ballets, made up of dances, recitations, &c. Lully now commenced the study of musical composition, and wrote the airs for those ballets in which the king danced. Forming an intimacy with Molière, Lully composed music for several of that great dramatist's pieces; and from that time continued to compose and direct all the music of Molière's theatre. For several years he acted and danced in the court ballets; and at the request of Molière performed with great applause some parts in the latter's comedies. Lully became so great a favourite at court that Louis would listen to no other music but his. In the space of twenty years, Lully, besides receiving numerous presents, obtained nine valuable privileges; and, in 1672, a patent for establishing at Paris a royal academy of music, known afterwards as "The Opera." This was the beginning of Lully's splendid career of fame and fortune. He turned all his powers to the direction and improvement of this new establishment, and composed for it the music of nineteen operas, which remained in vogue for many years. After his death the new opera fell into debt and ruin. Lully led a gay and voluptuous life among the grandees of his time at the French court. It appears that his death was caused by an injury to one of his feet. Having composed a Te Deum on the recovery of Louis from sickness, Lully conducted its performance on 8th January 1687, and, while beating the time, accidentally struck his foot with the point of his cane. An abscess ensued, which a bad habit of body rendered fatal. He died at Paris on the 22d March 1687. Some of his biographers represent his conduct and character as in all respects odious. Basely servile to his superiors, brutally insolent to his inferiors, meanly jealous of all other musicians of merit, and unscrupulous in compassing their ruin; a false friend and a tyrannical master; selfish and avaricious in all his dealings; such is the portrait given to us of a spoiled parvenu Italian at the court of Louis XIV. But in judging of Lully's career, circumstances of place and time ought to be considered. The blind favouritism of Louis, and the bad example of his courtiers, offered no good school of moral training to the poor Italian boy. Lully married in 1662 Mademoiselle Lambert, who bore him three sons and three daughters. He had a large income from various sources; and after his death the inventory of his effects proved his wealth. His silver plate was valued at 16,707 livres; his jewels, &c., 13,000 livres; his ready money, 250,000 livres; his moveables at the opera, 11,000 livres; and the house itself, 80,000 livres. Besides these, the rents of several houses, 4600 livres a year; and on 3d April 1687, his widow sold his place of royal secretary for 71,000 livres: a wonderful contrast to the condition of Lully when he was under-scullion in the kitchen of Mademoiselle de Montpensier! Although there was nothing peculiarly original in the style and form of Lully's music, he possessed a feeling for dramatic expression which caused his operas to survive so long in France after his death. The last performance of one of his operas was in 1778; and in the same year three of Gluck's operas, with some of Piccini's and Paisiello's, were performed. These new and original works, in a style so different from Lully's, produced a great effect on the Parisians; and thenceforward Lully's operas were no more heard. Nineteen of Lully's operas were published in score; and his portrait is prefixed to his opera of Acis et Galatea.