Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular opéras comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent, which co
Poster for Carmen, probably the most famous opéra comique
André Grétry, the most famous composer of opéra comique before the French Revolution
Title page of the first edition of the full score of Médée by Cherubini, 1797
Théâtre de la foire is the collective name given to the theatre put on at the annual fairs at Saint-Germain and Saint-Laurent in Paris.
A fire which destroyed the Foire Saint-Germain on the night of 16/17 March 1762
The Foire Saint-Germain after its reconstruction in 1763. A parade, a short comic entertainment to entice passersby to buy tickets, is being performed on the balcony of Nicolet's theatre.
Foire Saint-Germain in 1763, miniature by Blarenberghe
Foire Saint-Ovide around 1770 by Jacques-Gabriel Huquier, (musée de la Révolution française).