Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi were founded in 1626 under
Louis XIII. As part of the
Musique de la Chambre they played in the musical accompaniment to festivities and official events at the
Versailles court. Within five years, by 1631, the British royal court of
Charles I had copied the structure (“treble violins,” “contratenor violins,” “tenor violins,” “low-tenor violins” and “bass violins,” to use the terms applied in London at the time), but with a total of fourteen instruments (3, 2, 3, 2, and 4). In the 1670s,
Charles II, who lived at Versailles during the British Interregnum, exactly matched the forces of
Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi, as he had experienced them as
Louis XIV’s guest, showing the influence by place and time of the French formation. Meanwhile at Versailles, the
Vingt-quatre Violons were combined when needed with the
wind instruments of the
Grande Écurie, the royal stables, which were used for hunting, war, and celebratory open-air occasions. This combination became in fact the world’s first true orchestra, as that term is understood in Western art music. It would be used later in the pit of the
Opéra Royal at Versailles under
Lully’s direction. Each member of the
Vingt-quatre Violons had to have an impeccable reputation and had to be Roman Catholic. Their privileges included tax exemption and the right to carry a rapier. Among the members were Lully,
Jean-Féry Rebel, his son
François Rebel, and
Jacques Aubert. In 1656, under
Louis XIV, the membership was augmented by a group of 16, later 21, string players called
La Petite Bande. The
Vingt-quatre Violons were then dubbed
La Grande Bande. In 1761 the
Vingt-quatre Violons was disbanded for financial reasons and merged with the
Chapelle Royale, then responsible for religious festivities. ==Instrumentation==