Marie-Antoinette's Music

Marie-Antoinette may be ridiculed for lack of intelligence, but she was extremely talented and played the harp beautifully. She also played the spinet and the clavichord. She was a patron of many famous musicians, such as Gluck and invited him to present operas at Versailles. Taught by Philippe Hinner, she actually played well enough to accompany Salieri. She also wrote songs. One of these is probably C'est Mon Ami.

You can see a picture of her harp and some of her other possessions here:
Marie-Antoinette Antiques

The French Queen also loved the ballet. She danced with her sisters in Il Parnasso Confuso by Gluck when she was a young girl and brought a painting of her performance to Versailles. She arranged performances of the ballet, including Hungarian and Flemish country dances for the reception of her brother, Maximilian.

You can read much more about the fascinating French queen and listen to C'est Mon Ami at this wonderful website: Marie-Antoinette's Home Page