Esmeralda is an 1856 grand opera in four acts with a score by the Italian composer Vincenzo Battista. With a libretto in English by Charles Jefferys, it was based on Battista's Italian version Ermelinda (1851), which in turn was based on Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
Cover of the score of Esmeralda (1856)
Cover of the score for Ermelinda (1851)
Glazed earthenware figure of Lucy Escott in Esmeralda (c1856)
Vincenzo Maria Battista was an Italian composer and conductor. At first his operas were received with enthusiasm by his compatriots. Today none of his works are in the repertoire of any opera companies, despite the fact that in his lifetime they were performed in the most important theatres in Italy.
Vincenzo Battista - caricature by Melchiorre Delfico c1855