Dérivis, Prosper

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Dérivis, Prosper

Dérivis, Prosper, distinguished French bass, son of Henri Etienne Derivis; b. Paris, Oct. 28, 1808; d. there, Feb. 11, 1880. He studied with Pellegrini and Nourrit in Paris, making his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1831. He subsequently created roles there in opéras by Berlioz (Benvenuto Cellini), Meyerbeer (Les Huguenots), Donizetti (Les Martyrs), and others. He appeared at La Scala in Milan (1842–3), singing in the premieres of Verdi’s Nabucco and I Lombardi; also sang in the first performance of Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix in Vienna in 1842. After his retirement from the stage in 1857, he taught voice in Paris.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire