In August, 1774, a French version of _Orfeo_, extensively revised, was heard and acclaimed. This confirmed the victory--the anti-Gluckists were vanquished for the time. But a permanent connection with the Paris opera did not at once result for Gluck, and the next year he returned to Vienna, taking with him two old opera texts by Quinault--Lully’s librettist--_Roland_ and _Armide_, which the _Académie_ had commissioned him to set. He set to music only the latter of the two poems, for, when he learned that Piccini likewise had been asked to set the _Roland_, and had been invited to Paris by Marie Antoinette, he destroyed his sketches. An older light operetta, _Cythère assiegée_, which he recast and foolishly dispatched to Paris, thoroughly displeased the Parisians. The opposition was quick to seize its advantage. It looked about for a leader and found him in Piccini, now at the head of the great Neapolitan school. He was induced to come to Paris by tempting promises, but was so ill-served by circumstances that, in spite of the manœuvres and the intrigues of his partisans, his _Roland_ was not given until 1778. On April 23, 1776, Gluck directed the first performance of his new French version of _Alceste_. It was hissed. In despair Gluck rushed from the opera house and exclaimed to Rousseau: ‘_Alceste_ has fallen!’ ‘Yes,’ was the answer, ‘but it has fallen from the skies!’ In 1777 came _Armide_. In this opera Gluck thought he had written sensuous music.[16] It no longer makes this impression--the passion of ‘Tristan,’ the oriental voluptuousness of the _Scheherazade_ of Rimsky-Korsakov, and the eroticism of modern dramatic scores have somewhat cooled the warmth of the love music of _Armide_. On the other hand, the passion of hatred is delineated in this opera powerfully and vigorously enough for modern appreciation. _Armide_ is beautiful throughout by reason of its sincerity.