Bouilly, Jean-Nicolas

Bouilly, Jean-Nicolas (24 January 1763, Tours; 17 October 1842, Paris), librettist, was raised by his father-in-law, who planned a career in law for him. A trip to Paris and introductions into the salons of Mme Necker and Mme de Staël induced Bouilly to turn to literature, however, and he was fortunate enough to have André Grétry write a score for his Pierre le Grand (1790) (See eighteenth-century volume for Grétry). He went on to do a number of plays and operas for the Paris stage including…