Vernoy, Jules-Henri de Saint- Georges and Theophile Gautier drew inspiration for the narrative from a prose section about the Wilis in Heinrich Heine's De l'Allemagne and a poem called "Fantomes" in Victor Hugo's Les Orientales. Adolphe Adam, a prominent opera and ballet composer, wrote the music. The work had its premiere on 24 May 1877 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris.