In “Enfin, il est en ma puissance”, there are changing time signatures, to accommodate the French language.
Both of these operas display two different types of recitatives. In Italian opera, for example, Monteverdi’s opera, “Orfeo”, the recitative proves that Italian recitative have no concern for the musical principles. The recitative in Italian opera is very much distinct from the Aria.
Whereas in French opera, like in Lully’s opera “Armide”, we are shown a different kind of recitative, we see that musical principles are important in order to facilitate the singer’s accents of the French language. Their recitatives were much less speech like and were accompanied by an orchestra. In a way, contrasting to the Italian operas, the recitative and the aria were almost made difficult to tell a