Divertissement dans le Style Louis XV by Germaine Tailleferre

In 1935, Germaine Tailleferre wrote the theater music for a play by Jean Sarment about Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV of France, Madame Quinze. In addition to the orchestra of the Comédie Française, where the work was produced, the musical forces included the Société de la Musique Ancienne, which was composed of members of the Casadesus Family playing viols and harpsichord.

Tailleferre further revised the work for another production in 1950, re-orchestrating some of the movements for smaller forces and adding further military sequences. Her score, which had been given as a gift to the French architect and stage designer André Boll, was bequeathed to the Paris Opera Library after Boll's death. The performance materials for the 1950 production are currently located at the Library of the Comédie Française.

Musik Fabrik has published this work, with several performance editions also available. These editions are:

Divertissement dans le Style Louis XV for orchestra with early instruments (011(bscl)0/2200/tymp/perc/cel/strings plus 4 violes and harpsichord), complete score with performance notes (parts on rental)


Divertissement pour violes for 4 viols, score and parts

Sonneries dans le Style Louis XV for 3 Trumpets and field drum (with an alternative version of 1 piece for 4 trumpets, and one work with 2 trumpets/Tympani/snare drum/bass drum), score and parts

Suite dans le Style Louis XV for harpsichord or piano (five movements)

Trois Petites Danses dans le Style Louis XV for 2 oboes and 2 bassoons, with arrangements of two marches by Lully

Trois Petites Danses dans le Style Louis XV The same music orchestrated for oboe, violin, viola, violoncello and harpsichord

More information about the work is available at this page at the Musik Fabrik site.