The two state-subsidised opera houses, the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, each presented traditional repertoires that tended to stifle and frustrate new homegrown talent; only eight of the 54 Prix de Rome laureates between 1830 and 1860 had had works staged at the Opéra.
As dúas óperas subvencionadas polo estado, a Opéra e a Opéra-Comique, cada unha presentaba repertorios tradicionais que tendían a reprimir e frustrar os novos talentos locais; tan só oito dos 54 laureados do Prix de Rome entre 1830 e 1860 tiveran obras representadas na Opéra.