Adam, Grisar and Thomas in the older group and Gounod, Reyer, Delibes and Bizet in the later. With these latter the drift toward romanticism became evident.
A special word should be added about the influence of this French type upon opera elsewhere. The fact that Paris maintained itself as on the whole the leading operatic centre of Europe made whatever was done there notable. Although the true opéra comique could not well be transported bodily to other social conditions, except in selected instances, yet the styles it favored were diligently studied by composers, and its vivacity, sparkle and verve became objects of fruitful emulation everywhere. As a counterpoise to Italian sentimentality and exaggerated passion, and to German excess of seriousness or learning, it certainly had value.
Of the composers already named (sec. 177), Auber alone continued to produce long after 1830 (till 1869), being represented by works like Fra Diavolo (1830), Le bal masqué (1833), Le domino noir (1837), Les diamants de la couronne (1841), Haydée (1847) and Manon Lescaut (1856)—some 30 in all. His suavity and elegance of style were widely acknowledged, and his freshness of invention continued almost unabated. Into the field of opéra comique the restless Meyerbeer essayed to enter with his L'étoile du Nord (1854) and Dinorah (1859). His influence served to help forward the transformation of the type into something more pretentious and less individually French.
Fromental Halévy (d. 1862) was of Jewish descent, born at Paris in 1799. In 1809-19 he studied at the Conservatoire, especially with Berton and Cherubini, finally winning the Prix de Rome. Before returning to Paris in 1822 he had written 3 operas, considerable church music and a few piano works. From 1827 he was teacher of harmony at the Conservatoire, from 1833 of counterpoint and from 1840 of composition, being closely associated with Cherubini in his last years and collaborating on his theoretical treatise (1835). From 1827, also, he was accompanist at the Théâtre Italien and in 1830-56 chef de chant at the Opéra. In 1836 he succeeded Reicha as member of the Academy, being from 1854 its secretary. His first efforts to gain recognition were disappointing, but success began to come with Clari and Le dilettante d'Avignon (both 1829) and the ballet Manon Lescaut (1830). But his fame was made in 1835 by the almost simultaneous production of the grand opera La juive and the opéra comique L'éclair, each a masterpiece in its field. During the next 23 years he wrote almost an opera per year, sometimes in the lighter vein, as Les mousquetaires (1846), La dame de pique (1850) and Le Nadab (1853), often, too, in grand opera form, as La reine de Chypre (1841), Charles VI (1843) and La tempesta (Italian, based on Shakespeare, 1850, London). He had genuine poetic susceptibility, with positive musical and dramatic gifts, and was learned in the technique of composition, but sought to be too versatile, produced too much, often with poor librettos, distorted his
