Her first opera, "Hero et Leandre," was successfully produced in 1874, and the psalm, "In Exitu," appeared at about the same time. In the next year she became a pupil of Franck, whom she considers her real master, and after that great works came thick and fast. An Andante Pastorale from an unpublished symphony met with a favourable reception. Then came the symphony "Lutece," which was second only to works of Dubois and Godard in a Paris competition. This was followed by the symphonic poem, "Pologne." Meanwhile she made another effort to win a prize with her lyric drama "Les Argonautes." Out of twenty-four votes, she received nine, her partisans being the best-known musicians on the jury. Next came the symphonic poem, "Irlande," the "Vision de Sainte Therese," for voice and orchestra, the symphonic ode, "Pro Patria Ludus," inspired by a painting of Puvis de Chavannes, and the great "Ode Triomphale," given at the Exposition in honour of the centenary of 1789. The success of the Triumphal Ode was so marked that the composer's fame reached foreign lands, and the city of Florence ordered from her the cantata, "Hymne a la Paix," in celebration of the Dante festival. Her impressions of Italy are recorded in her next suite, "Au Pays Bleu," which charmed all hearers by its expressive interest. Her other choral works include the "Hymne a Apollo," and the allegorical cantata, "La Vision de la Reine." Her latest symphonic poem, "Andromede," produced a marked effect. Her last opera, "La Montagne Noire," was not especially successful, though given with Alvarez, Breval, and other great artists in the cast. The operas, "Astarte" and "Lancelot du Lac," are in manuscript. Mlle. Holmes has composed a number of songs, all endowed with an unusual share of beauty. She writes her own words in almost all cases, as she is able while doing this to hear in a vague way the music which she afterward sets to them. Hers is a virile genius. "These women seem preoccupied, first of all," says one critic, "to make people forget that they are women.... Whatever Mlle. Holmes may do, or whatever she may wish, she belongs to the French school by the vigour of her harmony, her clearness, and the logic of her conception and exposition." Imbert, who has written a biographical sketch of her, says: "The talent of Augusta Holmes is absolutely virile, and nowhere in her works do you find the little affectations which too often disfigure the works of women. With her, nobility of thought and sentiment take first place. She worships the beautiful, and her Muse has sung only subjects that are worthy of being sung. She is masterly in her ease, and all the resources of orchestration are known to her."