Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864). In his youth a renowned pianist and failed opera composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer gave up concertizing during a tour of Italy and renewed his commitment to opera. His operas – startlingly innovative works which foreshadowed the music-drama of Wagner – found great acclaim in Italy and France; attracted by the resources of the Paris Opéra, Meyerbeer moved to that city and turned out a long succession of hit operas (including Les Huguenots and L’Africaine).