Jacques de Vismes

Anne-Pierre-Jacques de Vismes, or Devismes, (1745, Paris – 1819, Caudebec-en-Caux) was a French writer and administrator.

Closely associated with the powerful interests of the Ferme Générale (Tax Farm), he managed to get himself appointed head of the Académie Royale de Musique in 1778 with the support of his sister, Adélaïde de Vismes, lady-in-waiting of Queen Marie Antoinette and the wife of the influential former fermier-general, Jean-Benjamin de La Borde. His attempts to reform this aging institution that was the Paris Opera faced continued opposition from the artistic staff. In 1780, financial difficulties finally brought him down and the opera was put under direct and permanent guardianship of royal power through the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi.

Biography

Anne-Pierre-Jacques de Vismes du Valgay was the son of Martin de Vismes, secrétaire du roi, and Louise Legendre. He had two brothers: Joseph de Vismes, a soldier, and Alphonse de Vismes, a playwright, as well as one sister, Adélaïde de Vismes, who was a lady-in-waiting of Marie-Antoinette and married Jean-Benjamin de La Borde, first valet de chambre of Louis XV.

Vismes was Deputy Director of the tax farms when, in September 1777, he applied for the governance of the Royal Academy of Music. His proposal, which was accepted, was that he would give a bond of 500,000 livres tournois, the city of Paris would pay him an annual allowance of 80,000 livres tournois and that his privilege would last for twelve years.

He took over on 1 April 1778 and displayed great activity. In less than a year, he revived the main works of Lully, Rameau and Gluck, brought the first troupe of jesters ever heard in Paris, began to accustom the public to musical intermèdes by Paisiello and Anfossi and gave two operas by Piccinni, Roland and Atys.

The presentation of these two plays initiated a second phase of the guerre des bouffons, a storm of opposition to Vismes' attempts to reform the abuses that weakened the staging of opera.