""Beauty, music, spirit: the Countess Merlin wears three crowns on her forehead of which only one would suffice to eternally adorn the head of a woman."" ""Beauté, musique, esprit, Mme la Comtesse Merlin porte sur son front trois couronnes dont une seule suffirait à consacrer pour toujours une tête de femme."" ("Les belles Femmes de Paris et de la province", "The pretty Women of Paris and the countryside", 1829). De Coussemaker visited the salon of the pretty creole as well as those of the countesses Méroni and Sparre. The young Fleming met the whole of Paris there: Malibran, Musset, Liszt, Balzac, etc. His "Romances" and his "Quadrilles" amazed the Parisian aristocracy during their evenings. His style offered a peculiar synthesis: if "La Captive", particularly close to Bellini, is one of his most inspired pieces, others like "Les Rossignols" borrow much of their vocality from Rossini while "Amour et Patrie" resembles Méhul most, with a recitative close to Berlioz.