In chapters 2 and 3 we traced Mozart's gradual transition from a romantic composer to a classical figure—a restoration of his “original” state that accompanied his introduction into the Operatic Museum. This transition had a number of consequences for the way that audiences and critics understood the composer. Not only did stripping Mozart of his romantic veneer make his works challenging to Parisian audience members more accustomed to Wagner's or Massenet's theatrical language, it also raised a number of issues that Mozart's quasi-divinity had kept at bay. To put it another way, once the illusion of universality that had been attached to Don Juan was dispelled, audiences and critics were forced to situate the work in its geographical and chronological location, revealing the odd eighteenth-century Germanic composer lurking behind the mythology. In this chapter, I pick up some threads of French cultural identity running through Mozart's fin-de-siècle reception. As critics struggled to redefine Mozart and his historical position, they reflected the cultural preoccupations of their own time: in this case, larger issues of national identity, gender identity, and aesthetic priorities. We can begin this investigation with a look at perceptions of Mozart's Austro-German nationality, which proved a major stumbling block for those seeking to reconcile Mozart's position atop the musical canon with the idea of France's artistic superiority.