Saint-Saëns set to work in 1868. He wrote an aria for Delilah, a duet for Samson and Delilah, and the Prelude. He tried them out at home. Friends were not very interested. The composer put the work aside for a time. He met Liszt in Weimar, Germany about 1870. Liszt encouraged him to take up the project again. He promised Saint-Saëns he would stage the opera.