Beaujoyeulx, Balthazar de

orig. Baltazarini di Belgioioso

(born 16th century, Piedmont region—died 1587, Paris, Fr.) Italian-born French composer and choreographer. In 1555 he left Italy for Paris and joined the court of Catherine de M as a violinist. There he organized unofficial court fetes and became valet de chambre to the royal family. In 1581 he staged the lavish Ballet comique de la reine; considered the first ballet, it was emulated by other European courts and was the precursor of developments in ballet for the next century.

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