In a very adroit political balancing act, Luigi Cherubini managed to ingratiate himself to a long string of French governments during the revolutionary period; initially arriving in Paris under the patronage of Louis XVI's brother, he retained his status during the Terror and after the rise of Napoleon. Much admired by his contemporaries, Cherubini exerted considerable influence on later generations through his text on species counterpoint. His best-known works include the opera Médée and the C-minor and D-minor requiem masses.