When music kills

Throughout history there have been so many deaths that have occurred from gruesome causes, that if they had occurred today, would have kept their positions in tranding for weeks. However, probably very few would have thought that music, or rather its performance, could kill someone.

To understand the circumstances of this event, we have to go back almost 400 years, to the Baroque era in France, which was placing music and dance at the highest pinnacle of the arts.

In February 1653, the young composer Giovanni Battista Lulli caught the attention of the King of France, Louis XIV, known in history as the ‘Sun King’. A lover of dance, Louis was fascinated by Lulli’s contribution to the 13-hour-long “Royal Ballet of the Night”, in which the King himself played Apollo, the Sun King.

Just a month after this event, Lulli was appointed Royal Composer for instrumental music, at which point the young Florence-born Italian’s career began to blossom. Thanks to this position, we know him today as Jean-Baptiste Lully, who became a French citizen in 1661.

Lully is considered an extremely important representative of the French Baroque from a musical point of view, but also one of the most famous composers of all times for the innovative elements he brings to music. He is known for the sobriety that he puts into the alert parts, but which is combined with an emotional and deep character in the slow movements, creating a perfect balance for the listener. He also revolutionized the court dance by replacing the slow movements that predominated in these works with lively and fast dances, built on the structure of well-known dances such as Gavota and Menuet.

Impressed by Lulli’s contribution to music?

Prepare to be shocked in a very negative sense by his sudden and painful end after 34 years at the French Royal Court.

The year is 1687, also at the French court of course, where King Louis Louis undergoes an operation after treatment for a persistent abscess fails. Luckily, the operation is a success and he starts to feel better and better, which is why Lully wants to give him a get-well present.

So he begins to compose an innovative work, worthy of the joy of a King’s recovery, exuding strength and sobriety. Written to the text of the Gregorian hymn ‘Te deum’, Lully’s work will feature a large number of instrumentalists, a double choir and will leave a definitive mark on the history of music, both musically and in terms of the unfortunate event that leads to the early loss of one of its most important composers.

In a cheerful atmosphere due to the fact that the King was back in power, the whole population of Paris gathers to hear Lully’s last composition, the entire event being a success and a delight for the King.

The concert seems to end well, but Lully is carried to his room because he has injured his right ankle. Overtaken by the adrenaline of the moment, but also by the joy of success, Lully does not realize the seriousness of the situation and refuses to let the doctors amputate his leg to avoid a general infection of the body. Unfortunately, the doctors’ expectations came true, so the gangrene on his leg spread rapidly and the composer’s general condition worsened. He finally died on March 22, 1687, at the age of 54.

And yet, how did he get that gangrene?

First of all, we have to take a look at the art of Baroque conducting, which was quite different from today. Specifically, it wasn’t a harmless baton that was used to extend the conductor’s arm so that all the players could follow, but a real wooden “weapon” that was used to beat the rhythm into the floor.

Thus, under the pressure of the graceful event and the audience in front of whom he was conducting his own piece, Lully unintentionally strikes his foot with the beam he was using to keep the beat, only realizing the gravity of the blows at the end of the performance.

Thus ends the story of the composer Jean Baptiste Lully and perhaps the only case in which music has killed a person. As embarrassing as this ending seems, the story of the composer who had no other purpose in life than to bring joy through music is captivating. It came at the cost of his life – literally.

Photo source here.

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Akordaj is a platform created in the framework of the Spotlight on Music project, through the Erasmus+ program, funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed, however, are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the ANPCDEFP. Neither the European Union nor the ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them.