Violante Doria

[7] It was performed at the French court of Catherine de Médicis and was the first ballet to have a physical printed account (libretto).

The music was also solo dialogue, which is a genre that was originally thought of as more representative of the seventeenth century.

The duet of Doria and Beaulieu was “the only solo dialogue to appear in print as such in France before 1611.”[11] In the Balet comique de la royne, Doria played the part of Tethys, the goddess of the sea opposite her husband, Beaulieu playing Glaucus, the god of the sea.

The two singers also accompanied themselves, with Doria playing the lute and Beaulieu a bass bowed string instrument.

[12] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, “Florid and vocally demanding solo interventions by Glaucus and Tethys alternate with a five-part vocal and instrumental refrain performed by royal chamber musicians representing tritons or sea gods.”[13] Doria was considered to have great skill as a performer due to the music given to her in the Balet comique de la royne.

These kinds of references make it hard to truly understand what women in the musical profession did in early modern France.

[16] In a record of payment to both Doria and her husband, Beaulieu is titled as a royal musician, but she is listed as simply “his wife.”[17] The two were often paid as a couple, as opposed to individually.

[18] “The royal pension list of 1578 specified that Beaulieu and Doria were to receive 200 livres per annum as pension for the king and 1,000 livres from the queen, suggesting that even after Beaulieu gained a post in the royal chamber the couple were still considered members of the queen’s entourage.”[19] It was rare for women to be paid at all for their services in the king’s household; in fact most workers were male.

“She may have died, fallen ill or retired from service at court.”[24] "Ballet Comique De La Reine."