A dazzling artistic climate reigned in Paris in the first half of the 19th century. Musically, the city was the capital of the world, attracting composers and singers of many nationalities to the great stages of the Opera and the Theatre-Italien. Among the composers who chose Paris as a second home were Rossini, Meyerbeer, Bellini, Donizetti, Liszt, and Chopin. This book explores every facet of Parisian musical life in those glorious days, from tragedie lyrique to opera seria, from the high drama of grand opera to the uproarious parodies of vaudeville. In the process we meet such luminaries as Rossini and Berlioz, the castrato Crescentini, and the diva Maria Malibran.