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- Title
Resistance to Rossini and Government by Newspapers in Restoration Paris.
- Authors
Weber, William
- Abstract
Histories of the Paris Opéra often recount how popular the super-star composer became in Paris when in 1823 he came to lead the Théâtre-Italien, supposedly crushing all loyalty to the old canon of works by C.-W. Gluck and Antonio Sacchini. But a closer look at press reports discloses that several newspapers whose front pages displayed theater schedules--chiefly the Corsaire and the Courier des théâtres--led an intense campaign against the effort to expand Rossini's influence in Paris and championed the tradition of French opera dating from the arrival of Gluck there in 1774. Oriented toward middle-class people who could not afford many tickets to the Opéra, the papers in effect supported the opposition to the government, using attacks on Rossini as a means by which to advance the cause of political opposition. Best seen as defensive and patriotic, this movement came from a middle-class readership different from the educated elite which read the Journal des débats and included leaders of the liberal faction who focused their taste on Rossini. In 1827 the Corsaire openly opposed the government in the wake of its criticism of Le Siège de Corinthe, thereby establishing strong public opposition to the Rossinian repertory at the Opéra.
- Subjects
ROSSINI, Gioachino, 1792-1868; HISTORY of Paris, France
- Publication
French History & Civilization, 2017, Vol 7, p125
- ISSN
1832-9683
- Publication type
Article