e of more than one hundred and sixty thousand francs in
preparation, "Les Huguenots" was given to the public, February 26, 1836.
Though this great work excited transports of enthusiasm in Paris, it was
interdicted in many of the cities of Southern Europe on account of the
subject being a disagreeable one to ardent and bigoted Catholics. In
London it has always been the most popular of Meyerbeer's three great
operas, owing perhaps partly to the singing of Mario and Grisi, and more
lately of Titiens and Giuglini.

When Spontini resigned his place as chapel-master at the Court of
Berlin, in 1832, Meyerbeer succeeded him. He wrote much music of an
accidental character in his new position, but a slumber seems to have
fallen on his greater creative faculties. The German atmosphere was not
favorable to the fruitfulness of Meyerbeer's genius. He seems to have
needed the volatile and sparkling life of Paris to excite him into full
activity. Or perhaps he was not willing to produce one of his operas,
with their large dependence on elaborat e splendor of production,
away from the Paris Grand Opera. During Meyerbeer's stay in Berlin he
introduced Jenny Lind to the Berlin public, as he afterward did indeed
to Paris, her _debut_ there being made in the opening performance of
"Das Feldlager in Schlesien," afterward remodeled into "L'Etoile du
Nord."

Meyerbeer returned to Paris in 1849, to present the third of his great
operas, "Le Prophete." It was given with Roger, Viardot-Garcia, and
Castellan in the principal characters. Mme. Viardot-Garcia achieved one
of her greatest dramatic triumphs in the difficult part of _Fides_.
In London the opera also met with splendid success, having, as Chorley
tells us, a great advantage over the Paris presentation in "the
remarkable personal beauty of Signor Mario, whose appearance in his
coronation robes reminded one of some bishop-saint in a picture by Van
Eyck or Durer, and who could bring to bear a play of feature without
grimace into the scene of false fascination, entirely beyond the reach
of the clever French artist Roger, who originated the character."

"L'Etoile du Nord" was given to the public February 16, 1854. Up to this
time the opera of "Robert" had been sung three hundred and thirty-three
times, "Les Huguenots" two hundred and twenty-two, and "Le Prophete" a
hundred and twelve. The "Pardon de Ploermel," also known as "Dinorah,"
was offered to the world of Paris April 4, 1859. Both th