The War of the Buffoons: French vs. Italian

The Querelle des Bouffons (1752-1754) erupted when an Italian troupe performed Pergolesi's "La serva padrona" in Paris. This "war" divided French intellectual life:

Italian supporters (including Rousseau and the Encyclopedists): - Advocated natural melody over French complexity - Preferred Italian vocal virtuosity - Criticized French language as unmusical

French defenders (including Rameau): - Championed French dramatic coherence - Valued orchestral sophistication - Defended French prosody and declamation

This controversy reflected deeper Enlightenment debates about nature versus artifice, feeling versus reason.