The problem of French monarchs hitting their heads on low doorways was solved once and for all toward the end of Louis XVI’s reign.
> On Sep 24, 2015, at 1:55 PM, David Tayler <vidan...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > The game's ahead: how a tennis match led to the development of the > Parisian chanson. > When I was a child visiting Europe, I asked, "Why are the doorways so > small?" And I was told that people were smaller back then; true enough, > some were. But consider the untimely demise of Charles VIII of France. > In his haste to attend a tennis match, he hit his head on a door > lintel, and his large and colorful hat did not protect him This event > indirectly had an enormous effect on the arts, and particularly music, > as he was succeeded by Louis XII, who rebuilt the government, and the > Francis I, the great patron of the arts and host to Leonardo da Vinci. > His wife, Anne of Brittany, went on to support musicians and poets. And > so, a tennis match and a low doorway lead to the creation of the > Parisian chanson. > So the next time you play Tant que vivray, don't forget to duck! > Photo here: > [1]https://www.facebook.com/Voicesofmusic > > -- > > References > > 1. https://www.facebook.com/Voicesofmusic > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
