In twelve thematic chapters the field of opera with spoken dialogue in France is treated as an evolutionary narrative from the period of Molière to that of classicism. Popular opera is conceived as something both private and public, with the sources and practices of both elements analysed. Thematic chapters cover: the Gherardi company, up to its dissolution; Fair theatre and the invention of opéra-comique; the nature and practice of vaudeville singing on the stage; the formation of a popular repertory; subject-matter and social criticism; Italian music and its advance; creative syntheses in the 1750s; and the definition of a 'musico-dramatic art'.