L'Écosse et la naissance de l'opéra romantique français D'Ossian (Lesueur, 1804) à La Dame blanche (Boieldieu, 1825)

Scotland invaded the French art world; the opera was no exception. Méhul and Lesueur wrote works under the influence of Ossian; decor and costumes were made to reflect this poetics, albeit in a conventional manner. The harp becomes an almost obligatory instrument. But, rather quickly, composers will turn to Walter Scott and the world of his novels. Boieldieu’s La Dame blanche marks the apogee of the French comic opera before the triumph of the historical opera.