Jean-Baptiste Lully (1646-87) was an Italian-born French composer of the Baroque period. His skills made Louis XIV, the Sun King, notice him, and soon he entered his court, where he became superintendent of the king’s chamber’s music, known for his ballets de cour, his operatic and religious works. He became an incredibly influential and affluent composer in his time, founding the French Academy of Music and introducing the “tragédie lyrique” genre in opera. His work essentially defined the style of French music for the next century, characterised by its power, liveliness in its fast movements and its deep emotional character in its slower movements. Besides these, he was himself a skilled violinist and dancer.