The report from the Prix de Rome judges noted advances, but a later report signed by Ambroise Thomas criticised Bizet for sending an opéra bouffe as his first envoi and suggested he divert his attention away from this toward sacred music (although Bizet failed to submit a religious envoi of any sort from Rome).

[4] Opera South (UK) presented what they believed was Bizet's pure composition at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, England, in October 2016.

[7] The music is a brilliant, youthful work, free of the influence of Bizet's teacher Charles Gounod; it is a vital and sparkling imitation of Don Pasquale.

[8] The ensembles are particularly successful in using all the stock devices of opera buffa: voices in thirds, staccato chord accompanying and repetition of words.

Ernesto's "Non v'e signor" is an exact parallel of Malatesta's "Bella siccome un angelo" – in both, the baritone describes his sister's charms to the old man, in D-flat.