Opera dream

The first half of the 19th century in France had seen a fleeting but intense craze for the guitar; the 1880s and 1890s saw a surprising enthusiasm for the mandolin. Born from the concerts of Spanish and Italian music held at the 1878 Universal Exhibition, this new interest prompted French publishers to publish several transcriptions of operas for mandolin (accompanied by piano or ensemble).

Operettas were the first to be affected by this trend, but transcribers also tackled more "serious" composers such as Berlioz, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, and Bizet.