The opera travelled to France during the middle of the 17th century. The composer Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) created the comedie-ballet, a French style of stage work. He was skilled at the violin, guitar, harpsichord and dance but wrote mainly ballets. He died of blood poisoning after striking a toe with the stick he used for directing performances. Lully continued to influence French opera after his death for over 200 years. Lully's successor as a composer was thought to be Philippe Rameau (1683-1764).
In 1660 King Charles II encouraged his court musicians to copy the French style. Fran?ois Couperin (1668-1733) was probably the most important French composer at the beginning of the 18th century. He was particularly known for French chamber music and harpsichord music.
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