Ballet de la Merlaison

The Ballet de la Merlaison is a ballet de cour first performed on 15 March 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, during the reign of Louis XIII. It is the most popular ballet performed during the reign of Louis XIII, which marked an important development of the ballet de cour.
Music.
The music of this "ballet à entrées" is considered to be written with the participation of Louis XIII. While some claim he had written only a few "airs", most experts consider the entire ballet to be written by Louis XIII. One thing we know for sure is that Louis XIII made up the story, the choreography and danced himself in the ballet. The music is very typical for the era of Louis XIII, yet it is very interesting for modern musicologists, since it is crucial for the understanding of development from Late Renaissance to Early and High Baroque music.