Blurb:

The Duke of Orléons facilitated grand opera’s rise to glory; (160,000 francs were spent on Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in 1836). Paris was a magnet for foreign musicians; Chopin, Rossini, Paganini and Liszt were drawn by its musical culture. At the heart of musical life in Paris, salons were increasingly important; the hostesses ranged from Juliette Récamier (1777-1849) to aristocrats such as Princesse Mathilde Bonaparte (1820-1904), niece of Napoléon I. Adapting The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo wrote the libretto of La Esmeralda for Louise Bertin (1805-1877) in 1836, Romances were popular, and Pauline Duchambge (1878-1858) published her Album musical pour l’année 1841. The Album de Mme Viardot-Garcia appeared in 1843. Louise Farrenc wrote her three Symphonies in 1842, 1845, and 1847.