 To the exasperation of his friends, Rousseau turned down the great honor, bringing him notoriety as "the man who had refused a king's pension".He also turned down several other advantageous offers, sometimes with a brusqueness bordering on truculence that gave offense and caused him problems.The same year, the visit of a troupe of Italian musicians to Paris, and their performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's "La serva padrona", prompted the Querelle des Bouffons, which pitted protagonists of French music against supporters of the Italian style.