Jean-Baptiste Lully was the principal architect of the creation of French opera. Under the impetus of Louis XIV, he created an ambitious spectacle that blended poetry, music, dance and theatrical machinery in equal measure. After his death in 1687, Lully remained an essential model throughout the 18th century, acclaimed by composers as diverse as Rameau and Gluck. This collection offers a vocal part faithful to the original sources and a keyboard reduction of the orchestral score. Suitable for both practice and performance, these transcriptions are intentionally simple and playable on both piano and harpsichord, by amateur and professional alike. Each aria is preceded by a summary and a transcription of the corresponding passage from the libretto retaining its original spelling and punctuation, with a parallel modern English translation; the sung text has been entirely modernised.