In 1852 Gevaert settled in Paris. This music metropolis was ‘le baptistère obligé des talents Européens’ and the competition among the composers there was really violent. Gevaert received there strong support from his compatriot Gustave Vaëz, who was very influential as a librettist in the environment of the Paris’ opera.
Vaëz thought that it would be very difficult for a Belgian laureate of the Prix de Rome to manifest himself in a town full of laurelled composers. Therefore he recommended Gevaert to present himself in the press as a shepherd boy who learnt his music while he was tending the sheep.