Jean Racine’s libretto consists of a succession of recitatives and choruses in praise of Louis XIV:

"O Heaven! O holy destiny!
You, who take care of the days of his flourishing,
Retrench from our age
To add to his years."

This gallant poem alternates between tales and choruses. All the allegorical themes typical of the Baroque era are used in a concentrated fashion: fiery gods, charming shepherds, courageous heroes, peaceful glades, warlike storms ... Racine’s only contribution to a musical libretto, it is in fact at the crossroads of the literary and musical genres in gestation at the end of the 17th century. The whole exudes a particular charm, as the poet’s writing is especially delicate. As for the music, the vocal range is not extreme, the choruses fairly homophonic, and the orchestra, apart from its French-style 5-part instrumentation, presents no particular difficulties. Approximately half an hour in length, the work, like most of Lully’s, enjoyed a certain success. Created for a sumptuous feast at the Orangerie de Sceaux, a secret of the young Louis XIV and his courtiers, it was performed many times, before Baroque music fell out of favour at the end of the 18th century. A perfect example of the French style created by Lully, the work concludes with a particularly successful 4-part chorus (divided dessus, hautes-contre, tailles and basses) with orchestral accompaniment: "Qu'il règne ce héros".