Conscription in the Orchestra Militarization and Masculinity at the Paris Opéra, 1789–1814

This article examines the effect the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars had on both the programming and personnel at the Paris Opéra. Over two decades of continuous warfare, the Opéra administration catered its artistic output toward the military, and many of its young artists were conscripted into the army. Ultimately, it argues that the Opéra lost its prestige position within French culture, in part due to the pervasive influence of martial masculinity.