Hitherto the western historiography of music and opera has devoted very little attention to Romania. This book seeks to address this gap, examining how music theatre was instrumentalised as a vehicle for the overall modernization and Europeanization of the country. It deals with the complex interaction of the aristocrats, who imported the opera, the local public, the foreign power holders in the time of the Russian Protectorate and opera companies and musicians who came to Romania. In contrast to much of Romanian historiography, which stresses the suppression under the Russian Protectorate, this study focuses on the agenda of the various rulers in the Romanian Principalities, the conflicts among the elites and the rising popularity of music theatre. The book thus combines the study of the political, social, cultural and above all musical history of Romania.