Prosper-Didier Deshayes (mid 18th century – 1815) was an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and dancer who lived and worked in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1764 he was a

balletmaster A ballet master (also balletmaster, ballet mistress, ''premier maître de ballet'' or ''premier maître de ballet en chef'') is an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company. In mo ...

at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. By 1774 he had become an assistant (''adjoint'') at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

. His first opera ''Le Faux serment ou La Matrone de Gonesse'', a ''

comédie mêlée d'ariettes The French term (, 'comedy mixed with little songs') was frequently used during the late ''ancien régime'' for certain types of ''opéra comique'' (French opera with spoken dialogue). The term became popular in the mid 18th century following t ...

'' in two acts, was first performed on 31 December 1785 at the Théâtre des Beaujolais in Paris and became a popular success. He went on to have another 18 works performed at various venues in Paris, but only two, ''La faut serment'' and ''Zélie, ou Le mari à deux femmes'', a 3-act ''drame'' first performed at the Salle Louvois on 29 October 1791, were ever published as musical scores. He also participated in the collaborative

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

opera ''

Le congrès des rois ''Le congrès des rois'' (''The Congress of the Kings'') was a 3-act French Revolutionary opera of the genre '' comédie mêlée d'ariettes'' with a libretto by De Maillot, a stage name used by Antoine-François Ève early in his career, and mu ...

'', a 3-act ''comédie mêlée d'ariettes'', which combined music written by Deshayes and 11 other composers and was first performed by the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

at the Salle Favart on 26 February 1794. He died in Paris.Wild and Charlton (2005), p. 200.

References

Sources

*Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1992). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. . *Wild, Nicole; Charlton, David (2005). ''Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique Paris: répertoire 1762-1972''. Sprimont, Belgium: Editions Mardaga. . 1815 deaths French opera composers French male opera composers Year of birth missing {{Ballet-bio-stub