As the world gathers in Paris for the Summer Olympics, it is an opportune moment to reflect on the rich cultural history of this iconic city. Paris has long been a centre of sporting and artistic excellence, a legacy encapsulated in the historic link between jeu de paume and opera. A precursor to modern tennis, jeu de paume has played a significant role in European culture, influencing sport and the arts. This article explores the rich history of jeu de paume and how it intersects with the great opera tradition.
Jeu de Paume: The Origin of Tennis
Jeu de paume, or the “game of the palm,” originated in France during the Middle Ages. Unlike modern tennis, the players used their bare hands to hit the ball, then gloves, and it was not until the 16th century that the first string rackets were introduced and the game evolved into what we know today as tennis. Played indoors on specially designed courts, jeu de paume was immensely popular with the French aristocracy (from King Francis I, and notably to the latter Henri IV) and had spread throughout Europe. As its popularity in France declined during the reign of Louis XIV, it started rapidly to rise overseas in England, where this game is now known as the “real tennis”. The word “tennis” is actually a mispronunciation (and misspelling) of the French word “tenez” (meaning: take! or receive!) that you say to the opponent player after hitting the ball.
Shared Spaces: From Jeu de Paume Halls to Opera Houses
The courts of jeu de paume were not only sports venues; they were social and cultural hubs. Think about today’s stadiums becoming a stage for Beyoncé’s concerts. With their high ceilings and large floor space, Jeu de Paume courts could fit a large number of people. As the 17th century Paris had around 200 courts and only a few theatres, these spaces were often turned into improvised theatre halls. It was also the stage for political gatherings, as was the case in Versailles in June 1789 for the famous “Serment du Jeu de Paume” (“The Tennis Court Oath”). This was one of the key events that led to the French Revolution. As for the opera, this music genre, imported from Italy, was shown for the first time in France precisely in one of these sporting halls.
Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille : First Opera House
In 1669, King Louis XIV gave the poet Pierre Perrin the royal privilege to lead the new Royal Academy of Music. This privilege was the exclusive right to play opera in France. Together with composer Robert Cambert, they established the first opera house in the hall called “Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille”, near the Seine River. In 1671, the first French opera was premiered, Pomone by the duo Perrin (libretto) and Cambert (music). Next year, the same composer wrote his second opera Les Peines et les Plaisirs de l’amour, this time on the text of Gabriel Gilbert.
Jeu de Paume de Bel Air : Second Opera House
With the arrival of Jean-Baptiste Lully as the new opera intendant in 1672, the company moved to another Jeu de paume hall. This time it was in “Jeu de paume de Bel Air”, not so far from the previous one, in today’s 6th arrondissement of Paris. The new hall was transformed by a famous Italian set designer, Carlo Vigarani, famous for his elaborate stage machinery. Lully, who will stay for the next 15 years as the Opera’s director, composed here his first opera, a lyric tragedy (tragédie lyrique) Cadmus et Hermione. This space was abandoned the very next year, for a real theatre inside the Royal Palace (Palais Royal), just across the Louvre.
Museum of Jeu de Paume
Almost two centuries later, history had once again put together opera and Jeu de paume. After the failed assassination attempt on the French Emperor Napoleon III in 1858, in front of the old Opera (Salle Peletier), the government decided to build a new opera house. The project, led by a young architect Charles Garnier, started in 1861 and would end only in 1875. For construction purposes, it was necessary to demolish the Jeu de Paume hall at the Passage Sandrié, near the new building site. As a replacement, a new sumptuous hall was constructed in the Tuileries garden, next to the Louvre. Its style and position were symmetrical to the nearby Orangerie museum, and the new hall was the biggest of its kind in Paris. Jeu de paume was practised there until 1909 when the game lost its popularity against tennis. The building turned into a museum in 1944, and since 1991 it has been the main photography museum of the French capital.
[BNF – Collection of Jules Beau, Photographie sportive]
Jeu de Paume and Ballet
Even before the arrival of Opera to France, it was another art that had the privilege to be played in Jeu de Paume – the ballet. It is known that Louis XIV was passionate about the arts, a patron of music and a distinguished ballet dancer. But it was during the reign of his father, Louis XIII, that some of the ballets played in his honour in “Jeu de paume du petit Louvre”, a court situated in the Parisian quarter of Marais. Some of them were: the Ballet of the Effects of Nature, and the Ballet of Time or Ballet of the Great Demorgogon.
Tennis and Ballet
We often say that tennis movements look like a ballet dance. In recent years, tennis fans admired the beauty and elegance of Roger Federer’s play, comparing it with the grace of the art of ballet. Even the Suiss champion himself compared these two during his visit to the ballet corps of the Paris Opera during the Summer Olympics.
But it is Suzanne Lenglen, from 1920s, that embodies the best this connection between tennis and ballet. The famous French player was the first tennis diva, but also a fashion icon. She was known for her flamboyant play, grace on the court and elegance of her outfit. She was even an inspiration for two ballets, created by a famous company Ballets Russes. The first one, named “Games” (“Jeux”) was composed by Claude Debussy, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky and premiered on the opening season of the new Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in 1913. Eleven years later (in 1924), it will be Nijinsky’s sister, Bronislava, who choreographed the other ballet, named “The Blue Train” (“Le train bleu“). Its cast was stellar: Darius Milhaud wrote the music, Jean Cocteau libretto, Coco Chanel designed the costumes and Picasso painted the scenery. Unfortunately, neither of these ballets had much of a success.
Modern links: Théâtre du Jeu de Paume
Finally, there is one contemporary link between this ancient ball game and the art of the opera. Namely, the main and the oldest theatre in Aix-en-Provence is named after the hall of the “Jeu de Paume Royal”, where King Louis XIV himself was playing the game. In 1787 this theatre opened and had mostly hosted theatrical, drama shows. However, the summer International Opera Festival in this town (existing since 1948) has put into use this theatre in 2000, after a few years of complete renovation. Its small stage was ideal for baroque and contemporary operas, as was the practice back in the 17th century. Some of the forgotten operas of Cavalli, Rameau, and others were recreated there but also created the works of George Benjamin, Ondřej Adámek or Adam Maor. Ana Sokolović moved the borders of the genre by presenting in 2015 her opera “Svadba” (“Wedding”), an opera without orchestra, written for six female a cappella voices.
