natural style in the desire to emulate Meyerbeer, was often obscure and generally unequal. For all these reasons he failed of a decided hold upon the public. He is also known by music for Prometheus Unbound (1849), 2 cantatas, songs, male part-songs, a text-book in elementary singing, and two collections of reminiscences and eulogies (1861-3). Two unfinished operas were completed by his son-in-law Bizet.
Adolphe Adam (d. 1856), slightly younger than Halévy and less well educated, sprang into popularity with him in 1829. A favorite pupil of Boieldieu, he followed him in producing over 50 comparatively light, but tuneful works, often intensely humorous, but much more 'taking' than original. Among them were Le chalet (1834), Le postillon de Longjumeau (1836) which at once became famous throughout Europe, Le brasseur de Preston (1838), Le roi d'Yvetot (1842), Cagliostro (1844), etc., besides many brilliant ballets, like Giselle (1841). His few efforts in grand opera were wholly unsuccessful. In 1847, having quarreled with the Opéra-Comique, he started an independent operatic enterprise, which in the Revolution of 1848 failed disastrously. Five years of hard work were needed to recover himself. From 1849 he was his father's successor at the Conservatoire. He continued to compose and also became known as a genial newspaper critic. Some of his articles and reminiscences were published posthumously (1857-9).
Albert Grisar (d. 1869), though Belgian by birth, was identified with Paris from 1830, where he first studied and in 1836-40 produced 8 pleasing comedies. From 1840 he spent several years in careful study with Mercadante at Naples. From 1848, again in Paris, he wrote about 25 more works, of which only half were actually performed, besides some scenas and over 50 songs. Among the later operas were Gilles ravisseur (1848), Les porcherons (1850), Le chien du jardinier (1855), and 4 after 1860. His talent was poetic and graceful, but slender and unoriginal.
Ambroise Thomas (d. 1896) stands on a higher level than the foregoing. Born at Metz in 1811, he had four brilliant years at the Conservatoire under Zimmerman, Kalkbrenner, Dourlen and the veteran Le Sueur, taking the Prix de Rome in 1832. He immediately began writing chamber, church and piano music to good purpose. After visiting the the chief Italian cities and Vienna, he began at Paris the series of nearly 25 operas and ballets by which gradually his fame was secured. In 1851 he became an Academician, and in 1871 took Auber's place as head of the Conservatoire. His last 25 years were largely occupied by fruitful administrative and educational effort. His work as a composer exhibited interesting stages of growth, which at once illustrated and directed the progress of French opera. His first 10 works, from La double échelle (1837) to Mina (1843) and the ballet Betty (1846), were opéras comiques, written with graceful and careful finish, but not essentially different from the best of Auber or Hérold. The second series of 8 included Le Caïd (1849), Le songe d'une nuit d'été (1850), Raymond (1851), Psyché (1857), etc., which, though not strikingly successful with the public, marked the transition to romantic poetry through which the old opéra comique was to acquire new vitality. Finally came larger and finer works, including the famous Mignon (1866) and the grand operas Hamlet (1868) and Françoise de Rimini (1882), which belong to the modern period. His style is characterized by
