Aspects of taste in Louis Toussaint Milandre’s Méthode facile pour la viole d’amour (1777)

Abstract

With the study of the treatises of the 18th century we can understand different aspects of the music of that time. Our understanding can extend beyond technical particularities and we can also comprehend aspects about taste. We know that in the second half of the 18th century, the French style consolidated by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) was in decline, especially after the Querelle des Bouffons, which took place between 1752 and 1754. In the Méthode facile pour la viole d’amour (1777), by Louis Milandre, one of the most important eighteenth-century treatises on viola d’amore, we can observe the transformations of French taste, especially when compared to other works with the same purpose. Therefore, the present paper aims to compare Milandre’s work with earlier works for violin, such as Méthode facile pour apprendre à jouer du violon (1712) by Montéclair, L’école d’Orphée (1738) by Corrette and Principes du Violon (1761) by L’abbé le fils, since there are no other viola d’amore treaties. By comparing the works, we will be able to observe the transformations of French taste and which aspects of taste remained and which fell into disuse throughout the 18th century.