band of Louis XIV., he found the
members very incompetent; they could not play at sight, and their
style was of the worst description. The king derived much pleasure
from listening to Lulli's music, and established a new band on purpose
for the composer, namely, "Les petits Violons," to distinguish it from
the band of twenty-four. He composed much music for the Court ballets
in which the king danced.

[Footnote 2: Lulli having shown a disposition for music, received some
instructions on the rudiments of the art from a priest. The Chevalier
de Guise, when on his travels in Italy, had been requested by
Mademoiselle de Montpensier, niece of Louis XIV., to procure for her
an Italian boy as page, and happening to see Lulli in Florence, he
chose him for that purpose, on account of his wit and vivacity, and
his skill in playing on the guitar. The lady, however, not liking his
appearance, sent him into her kitchen, where he was made an under
scullion, and amused himself by arranging the stew-pans in tones and
semitones, upon which he would play various airs, to the utter dismay
of the cook.]

Lulli contributed greatly to the improvement of French music. He wrote
several operas, and many compositions for the Church, all of which
served to raise the standard of musical taste in France. To him also
belongs the credit of having founded the French national opera.

We will now endeavour to trace the progress of the Violin in England.
It is gratifying to learn that, even in the primitive age of
Violin-playing, we were not without our national composers for the
instrument. Dr. Benjamin Rogers wrote airs in four parts for Violins
so early as 1653 (the year Corelli was born). John Jenkins wrote
twelve sonatas for two Violins and a Bass, printed in London in 1660,
which were the first sonatas written by an Englishman. About this date
Charles II. established his band of twenty-four Violins. During his
residence on the Continent he had frequent opportunities of hearing
the leading instrument, and seems to have been so much impressed with
its beauties that he set up for himself a similar band to that
belonging to the French Court. The leader was Thomas Baltzar, who was
regarded as the best player of his time. Anthony Wood met Baltzar at
Oxford, and says he "saw him run up his fingers to the end of the
finger-board of the Violin, and run them back insensibly, and all in
alacrity and in very good time, which he nor any one in England saw
t