 He spent much of the period 1745–1754 in London after a concert tour of the Netherlands collapsed, and moved in the same circles as Dr Johnson and Dr Burney.He returned to the French capital in 1754, although his music was found by some to be too Italianate (as a result of his travels).However he scored several triumphs at the fair theatres, starting with "Blaise le savetier" in 1759.