e of in the opera.

[Footnote: This was the current belief at the time, which
Meyerbeer, however, declares to be false in a letter
addressed to Veron, the director of the Opera:--"L'orgue a
ete paye par vous, fourni par vous, comme toutes les choses
que reclamait la mise en scene de Robert, et je dois declarer
que loin de vous tenir au strict neccessaire, vous avez
depasse de bcaucoup les obligations ordinaires d'un directeur
envers les auteurs et le public."]

The creative musicians having received sufficient attention, let us now
turn for a moment to the executive ones. Of the pianists we shall hear
enough in the next chapter, and therefore will pass them by for the
present. Chopin thought that there were in no town more pianists than
in Paris, nor anywhere more asses and virtuosos. Of the many excellent
virtuosos on stringed and wind-instruments only a few of the most
distinguished shall be mentioned. Baillot, the veteran violinist;
Franchomme, the young violoncellist; Brod, the oboe-player; and Tulou,
the flutist. Beriot and Lafont, although not constant residents like
these, may yet be numbered among the Parisian artists. The French
capital could boast of at least three first-rate orchestras--that of
the Conservatoire, that of the Academic Royale, and that of the
Opera-Italien. Chopin, who probably had on December 14 not yet heard the
first of these, takes no notice of it, but calls the orchestra of the
theatre Feydeau (Opera-Comique) excellent. Cherubini seems to have
thought differently, for on being asked why he did not allow his operas
to be performed at that institution, he answered:--"Je ne fais pas
donner des operas sans choeur, sans orchestre, sans chanteurs, et
sans decorations." The Opera-Comique had indeed been suffering from
bankruptcy; still, whatever its shortcomings were, it was not altogether
without good singers, in proof of which assertion may be named the tenor
Chollet, Madame Casimir, and Mdlle. Prevost. But it was at the Italian
Opera that a constellation of vocal talent was to be found such as
has perhaps at no time been equalled: Malibran-Garcia, Pasta,
Schroder-Devrient, Rubini, Lablache, and Santini. Nor had the Academic,
with Nourrit, Levasseur, Derivis, Madame Damoreau-Cinti, and Madame
Dorus, to shrink from a comparison. Imagine the treat it must have been
to be present at the concert which took place at the Italian Opera on
December 25, 1831, and the performers