After finishing his law studies in 1827, d'Ortigue went to Paris to serve his internship. However, he soon became involved in the musical and literary life of the city, and in 1827 the journal Mémorial Catholique published his first piece of music criticism. He took up an appointment in Apt as a juge auditeur in 1828, but after a few months made the decision to abandon a legal career for a literary one. He returned to Paris in 1829, continued writing for Mémorial Catholique, and produced his first pamphlet, De la Guerre des dilettanti. The pamphlet which was critical of Rossini's influence on France's operatic and artistic life in general caused a considerable stir. Long an admirer of the Catholic priest and philosopher Felicité de Lamennais, d'Ortigue sent him a copy of De la Guerre des dilettanti. Lamennais invited him to work and study at La Chênaie, his house in Brittany. During his six months at La Chênaie d'Ortigue immersed himself in Lamennais's extensive library, became acquainted with the German philosophers, and researched the music of the ancient Greeks and Romans. He would later help Lamennais write the sections on music in his Esquisse d'une philosophie.Lacroix, Sylvia L'Écuyer (April 1982). "Joseph d'Ortigue et la linguistique de la musique". Études littéraires, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 11–31. Retrieved 22 March 2017 .Gibbs, Christopher H. and Gooley, Dana (eds.) (2010). Franz Liszt and His World, pp. 303–309; 332. Princeton University Press.
