Dear Alfred:
I discovered a new and most delightful way to enjoy the theater while traveling through France. The difference in opera styles was so striking that I would rather like to see more French operas while I am touring. The popularity of such English works as The Duenna and Beggar’s Opera seem to me to be of a different genre than those produced in France. Those operas which we, like our fellow countrymen, have taken afternoons to see are of the ballad opera variety. As I have discussed with you before, this type of opera is somewhat dull to sophisticated music lovers. They seem to be less thrilling than the types of opera found in my foreign travels. English operas cater their songs to the audience at the Royal Opera House [Covent Garden] in which changing the words to already popular songs is the norm. The French however, write new music to suit the taste of the King. I am told that the French owe their unique style of opera to a man named Jean-Baptiste Lully (an Italian who changed his name from Giovanni Battista Lulli when given the title of Court Composer to the Sun King(1) ). What I found most fascinating about the Lully opera Alceste we witnessed, was the use of dance to provide relief for the singers. The dance piece was lovely, especially due to the intricate scenery and costumes worn by all the players.  Overall the experience was much more comfortable than those we have dealt with at home. Here, the audience members do not criticize the players while they work, nor do the players(2) look fearfully out at the crowd to see who there might write up a review of their performance. While at home, the actors must look through every magazine and newspaper for the sum of their reviews, here the players need not worry about bad reviews because the culture does not place as much emphasis on them as ours does.  This is something that I have been hoping to speak up about back home. After seeing The Duenna with you and having to patiently wait for the commoners in the pit to settle down when the main character’s voice gave out I was determined to never view an opera at that theater again(4).  As my travels show me, there is a more civilized way of viewing operas. This tragedie lyrique genre (characterized by Lully’s operas) has also proven to be more stylistically pleasing due to the use of scenery, costume, fresh music, and dance. I highly recommend the Lully operas in France when you visit. 

Jean-Baptiste Lully