umes ▁all ▁fame ." ▁ ▁The ▁viol in ist ▁Nic col ò ▁P agan ini ▁was ▁a ▁frequent ▁visitor ▁and ▁perform er ▁in ▁Paris . ▁In ▁ 1 8 3 6 , ▁he ▁made ▁an ▁un fortun ate ▁invest ment ▁in ▁a ▁Paris ▁cas ino , ▁and ▁went ▁bank rupt . ▁He ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁sell ▁his ▁collection ▁of ▁viol ins ▁to ▁pay ▁his ▁deb ts . ▁Richard ▁Wagner ▁came ▁to ▁Paris ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 9 , ▁hoping ▁to ▁present ▁his ▁works ▁on ▁the ▁Paris ▁opera ▁stages , ▁with ▁no ▁success . ▁Some ▁interest ▁was ▁finally ▁shown ▁by ▁the ▁director ▁of ▁the ▁Paris ▁Opera ; ▁he ▁rejected ▁Wagner ' s ▁music ▁but ▁wanted ▁to ▁buy ▁the ▁syn opsis ▁of ▁his ▁opera , ▁Le ▁Va iss au ▁fant ôme , ▁to ▁be ▁put ▁to ▁music ▁by ▁a ▁French ▁composer , ▁Louis - Ph ili ppe ▁Diet sch . ▁Wagner ▁sold ▁the ▁work ▁for ▁five ▁hundred ▁fran cs , ▁and ▁returned ▁home ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 2 . ▁ ▁Of ▁the ▁French ▁compos ers ▁during ▁the ▁period ▁H ector ▁Ber li oz ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁prominent . ▁He ▁had ▁come ▁to ▁Paris ▁from ▁Gren o ble ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 1 ▁to ▁study ▁medicine , ▁which ▁he ▁abandoned ▁for ▁music ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 4 , ▁att ending ▁the ▁Conserv atory ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 6 , ▁and ▁won ▁the ▁Prix ▁de ▁Rome ▁for ▁his ▁compos itions ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 0 . ▁He ▁was ▁working ▁on ▁his