The subject of the Italian opera of _Margherita d'Angiù_ had been taken from a French drama, _Marguérite d'Anjou_, played in 1810 at the _Gaité_ theatre, and the author of which was Guilbert de Pièxèrcourt. The two very naturally made each other's acquaintance, Pièxèrcourt's authorization being necessary for the representation on a French stage of a foreign opera whose subject belonged to him. An intimacy sprung up between them, and Meyerbeer profited by it to ask Pièxèrcourt for a poem to set to music for the _Opéra Comique_. The latter willingly consented, confided to him _Robert le Diable_, by Scribe, and the composer immediately set to work. The rôles of _Robert le Diable_ were to be distributed as follows: Ponchard (Robert), Huet (Bertram), Mme. Boulanger (Alice) and Mme. Rigaud (Isabella). Obliged in the meantime to make a trip to Berlin, Meyerbeer took the poem with him, in order to continue the work during his absence. But while he was in Germany a little revolution took place at the _Opéra Comique_ which resulted in Guilbert de Pièxèrcourt being dispossessed of his office of director. What happened then? All the particulars are not known, but _Robert_ was withdrawn from the _Opéra Comique_, Scribe enlarged and transformed his poem, Meyerbeer rewrote his score, and the work was carried to the _Opéra_. It is easy to understand that all this occasioned a long delay. But this was not all. The revolution of 1830 occurred, which brought everything to a standstill, and which, after the change of dynasty at the head of the country, brought about a change in the management of the _Opéra_, where Lubbert was replaced by the famous Dr. Véron. The latter hesitated a good deal about mounting so important a work by a composer as yet little known in France, although he had achieved great success elsewhere. He finally decided in its favor, however, the rôles were distributed to Nourrir, Levasseur, Mmes. Dorus-Gras and Cinti-Damoreau, and _Robert le Diable_ was finally performed Nov. 22, 1831. However, Meyerbeer was still to grow, and _les Huguenots_, performed at the _Opéra_, Feb. 21, 1836, was to be the crowning point of his glory. It should be said that he was admirably served by his collaborator Scribe. The latter, after having given him the fantastic poem of _Robert_, wrote for him the the passionate, pathetic and dramatic poem of the _Huguenots_, which revived at the same time a splendid page of history, in which he introduced, in the happiest manner, a picturesque element which permitted the artist to vary his palette and give to each episode a color of its own. The most diverse and powerful situations abound in this superb poem, and it is just to declare that Meyerbeer has interpreted them with an incomparable genius.