Empire at the Opera. Theatre, Power and Music in Second Empire Paris, Paperback/Mark Everist

During the Second Empire, from 1854 until 1870, the state had power over the Opera in ways that were without precedent. The Opera effectively became a branch of government. The result was a stagnation of the Opera's repertory, and beneficiaries were the composers of larger-scale works for competing theatre organisations. Illustrations: Worked examples or Exercises