Marmontel relates how he had to instruct Piccinni in French by reading him his opera every day as a task, and translating what Piccinni had to compose.[94] Thus slowly proceeded the work of the dissatisfied maestro, and every day he doubted of its success more and more.[95] Gluck began the rehearsals of his "Armide" in July, 1777, and it was performed on September 23. The opera, on which Gluck had built such confident hopes of success, was very coolly received.[96] Its failure was owing partly to {PARIS, 1778.} (34) the dangerous rivalry of Lully, partly to the fact that the subject was not suited to his genius,[97] and partly also to the premonitory shadow of Piccinni's new work. Justice was not done to "Armide" until later.[98] La Harpe attacked it bitterly, and Gluck, in a violent retort, called for the aid of the Anonymous of Vaugirard, which did not tarry. Then began the rehearsals of Piccinni's opera, and the storm of partisanship was let loose.[99] Piccinni was incapable of restraining it. While his friends espoused his cause with zeal, while Gluck himself sought to restrain the singers and the orchestra,[100] Piccinni looked sorrowfully to heaven and sighed, "Ah! toutte va male, toutte!" Firmly convinced that the opera would be a failure, and resolved to return to Naples on the following day, he went to the first performance (January, 1778), consoling his family with the assurance that a cultivated nation like the French would do a composer no bodily harm, even if they did not admire his operas--and experienced a brilliant triumph.[101] FOOTNOTES CHAPTER XVIII. [Footnote 1: Ed. Fournier, Mozart ä Paris (Revue Franç., 1856, II., t. 7, p. 28).] [Footnote 2: Cf. Histoire du Théätre de l'Opéra en France (Paris, 1753; 2nd Edit., 1757). Castil-Blaze, L'Académie Imp. de Musique de 1645 ä 1855 (Paris, 1855,1., II.).] [Footnote 3: Grimm, Corr. inéd., p. 222; cf. Corr. Litt., I., p. 93. The following is not bad (Corr. Litt., II., p. 205): "M. Hasse, qui avait entendu parler de la légèreté et de la pétulance françaises, ne se lassait point, lorsqu'il fut en ce pays-ci, d'admirer la patience avec laquelle on écoutait ä l'Opéra une musique lourde et monotone." Goldoni amusingly describes the impression made upon him by the French opera (Mém., II., p. 182).] [Footnote 4: Grimm, Corr. Litt., XV., p. 283; cf. IV., p. 165. Grétry gives more particular instances of the faults of the old style ( Mém., I., p. 301).] [Footnote 5: The last performance of one of Lully's operas ("Thésée ") was in 1778.]