Deva Dassy (born Marie-Anne Lambert; 26 August 1911 – 11 March 2016) was a French
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
, active in opera and operetta in France from the 1930s to the 1960s who made many radio and studio recordings.Deva-Dassy. In : L'encyclopédie multimedia de la comédie musicale théâtrale en France (1918-1940) accessed 17 March 2016 (with two portrait photos)Deva Dassy at the BNF /ref>
Life and career
Born Marie-Anne Lambert in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, she was the daughter of the radical French politician Charles Lambert (1883–1972) and the pianist Germaine Polack (1878–1952) and had a half-sister Gertrude van Goens, from the previous marriage of her mother with the cellist and composer Daniël van Goens (1858–1904).
She made her debut with her stage name at the Opéra-Comique on 19 February 1932 in ''Madame Butterfly'' (Suzouki). She went on to sing major roles in operas such as ''
Werther
''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...
'' (Charlotte), ''
Mignon
''Mignon'' () is an 1866 ''opéra comique'' (or opera in its second version) in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's 1795-96 novel '' Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre''. ...
'' (Mignon), ''Résurrection'' (Servant), ''
Gianni Schicchi
() is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...
'' (Ciesca) and ''
Les voitures versées
''Les voitures versées'' (1808) is an opéra comique in two acts by François-Adrien Boieldieu after ''Amour et mystère, ou Lequel est mon cousin?'' (1807) and before ''Rien de trop, ou Les deux paravents'' (1810). The libretto is based on Emma ...
'' (Agathe) ''La Femme nue'' (l'Infirmière). Among her creations at the Salle Favart were Inès in ''Frasquita'' (1932), Violette in ''Le Roi bossu'' by Elsa Barraine, a servant in ''Tarass Boulba''.
In 1934 her performances in Nice brought forward the comment that her Charlotte confirmed her early promise to be a star of the French lyric stage, with her warm and sensitive voice. As Mignon, the critic lauded her physical appearance embodying the wild 'bohémienne', with her voice across varied tones. She also appeared there that season as ''
la Navarraise
''La Navarraise'' (, "The Woman of Navarre") is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain, based on Claretie's short story ''La cigarette'' (1890). It was first performed at Royal Opera House, Co ...
'' and as Prince Charmant in '' Cendrillon''.
In musical comedy she created roles in ''Erosine'' in 1935 (Commère), the title role in ''Yana'' in 1936, and in the 'revue opérette' ''La Féérie blanche'' in 1937, with
Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to:
* Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) (1904–1983), English ballet dancer and choreographer
* Anton Dolin (film critic)
Anton Vladimirovich Dolin (; ) is a Russian film critic, journalist, radio host, blogger and podcaster. ...
among the cast. After the war she became a frequent participant in the programme of the Service lyrique de l'ORTF making radio broadcasts of light operas, and up to 1963 took part in ''Rhodope'' (Ganne) 1962, ''
No, no, Nanette
''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical with a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Harbach; and music by Vincent Youmans. The farcical story centers on three coup ...
'' 1954, ''Dix-neuf ans'' ( Pascal Bastia) 1963 and Lady Poum (''Die erste Beste'', Oscar Straus) 1963, among others.
She appeared in the film ''Faut ce qu'il faut'' (filmed 1940, released 1946, also known as ''Monsieur Bibi'') directed by
René Pujol
Amédée Ferdinand René Pujol (21 August 1887 - 21 January 1942) was a French screenwriter, film director, and librettist.
Biography
Partial list of publications
*1919 : ''L'Homme qui gagne'', Éditions françaises illustrées
*1928 : ''S.O ...
, ''Ces sacrées vacances'' (1955) by Robert Vernay, and ''Toute la ville accuse'' (1955) by Claude Boissol.
In the 1930s she recorded operetta excerpts from, among others, ''Deux sous de fleurs'', ''La Dubarry'', ''Fleur d'Hawaï'', ''O mon bel inconnu'', ''Rose de France'', ''Valses de Vienne'' and ''Yana''. In the 1950s she took part in recordings of longer extracts or complete versions of ''La Petite Mademoiselle'' by Messager, ''Le Coeur et la main'' by Lecocq (Josefa), '' Les Mousquetaires au couvent'' by Varney (Soeur Opportune), ''
Geneviève de Brabant
''Geneviève de Brabant'' () is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant.
For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-ar ...
'' (Isoline), ''
Orphée aux enfers
''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Th ...
'' (Junon/Vénus), '' La Vie parisienne'' (Métella) and ''Barbe-Bleue'' (La Reine Clémentine) and the title role in ''
La belle Hélène
''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy's elopement with Paris (mythology ...
'' by Offenbach. In 1962 she was Militza in ''
François les bas-bleus
''François les bas-bleus'' is an opéra comique in three acts of 1883, with a French language, French libretto by Ernest Dubreuil, Eugène Humbert, Paul Burani, and music by Firmin Bernicat, completed by André Messager.
Background
Bernicat had ...
'' in a radio recording under
Marcel Cariven
Marcel Auguste Antoine Cariven, (18 April 1894, Toulouse – 5 November 1979, Crosne near Paris) She died in
Mouriès
Mouriès (; , ) is a commune in France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department in southern France.
Population
Economy
Mouriès is known for its olive oil production, calling itself "the olive oil capital of Fra ...
.
Family
In 1925 she wed Artillery Lieutenant Louis Jean Charles Lallemant (1904–1934) at
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
(divorced 1932). In 1936 she married François Brunschwig, and had a son Jean-François; they were divorced the same year.Déva DASSY cantatrice (1911-2016) genealogy accessed 23 July 2017.
In 1940 she was one of the passengers on the ocean liner the ''Massilia'' with her partner
Georges Mandel
Georges Mandel (born Louis George Rothschild; 5 June 1885 – 7 July 1944) was a French journalist and politician who was a member of the Chamber of Deputies representing Gironde from 1919 to 1924 and from 1928 until the dissolution of the Fren ...
which transported members of the defeated French government and their families into exile.Fauchet, Benoît. Deva Dassy ls nous ont quittés '' Diapason'', Juin 2016, No.647, p15.
Gilbert Bécaud
François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...