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On February 29, 1828, Daniel Auber's "La muette de Portici" was performed at the Salle Le Peletier of the Paris Opera.
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The addition of ballet near the onset of the second act became a crucial part of a successful opera during mid-19th century France. The ballet was not strictly for aesthetic reaons, but was required more so to satisfy those wealthy opera-goers. It was not unusual for the audience to be more interested in the ballet dancers during the second act, than the actual singers.
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Giacomo Meyerbeer's immensely successful opera, "Les Hugenots" may arguably be the most well-known of the French grand operas during the Golden Age.
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Jules Massenet's large scale opera, "Le roi de Lahore" (Paris, 1877), has been called the last grand opera to have widespread success.
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By the end of the 19th century, much of what made French Grand Opera was soon proving too expensive. New fashions such as "verismo" were being explored, and fewer new operas were being composed in the grand opera format.
