‘Eine Liebliche/Von Vielen Violen Bestehende Music’. Ballet Instrumentation at German Protestant Courts, 1650–1700: A Study of Libretti in Wolfenbüttel and Stuttgart Libraries

Abstract

German court ballet of the early modern period is mentioned only rarely in musicological discourse. The present study examines the question of instrumentation in this genre (which incorporated poetry, song and dance), taking as its primary evidence 83 printed libretti from 1650–1700 held by the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbiittel, the Wiirttembergische Landesbibliothek and the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart. With their occasional references to specific instruments, these constitute an important source of information on the development of the orchestra, supplying evidence of the continuation of European-wide traditions of instrumental associations with certain theatrical topoi (also confirmed in contemporary German dance manuals), and offering clues regarding the means through which French compositional and performance styles were disseminated throughout the German-speaking lands. The libretti also provide information on the use of costumed musicians, on the widespread employment of a distinctive type of music referred to as ‘lieblich’ (sweet) and of collaboration between dancing masters employed at diverse courts.