Delia Maria, (Pierre-Antoine-)Dominique

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Delia Maria, (Pierre-Antoine-)Dominique

Delia Maria, (Pierre-Antoine-)Dominique , French Opéra composer; b. Marseilles, June 14, 1769; d. Paris, March 9, 1800. Son of an Italian mandolinist, he was remarkably precocious. He played the mandolin and cello at an early age, and at 18 produced a grand Opéra at Marseilles. He then studied composition in Italy (for a time with Paisiello) and produced in Naples a successful opéra, II maestro di cappella (1792). He went to Paris in 1796; obtaining a libretto (Le Prisonnier) from Duval, he set it to music in 8 days, brought it out at the Opéra-Comique (Jan. 29,1798), and was at once famous. Before his death he finished 6 more opéras, 4 of which were produced during his lifetime; a posthumous opéra, La Fausse Duegne (completed by Blangini), was produced at Paris in 1802.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire