Henri-Étienne Dérivis

Dérivis was born in Albi, a town in southern France and entered the Paris Conservatory in December 1799.

He made his debut at the Paris Opéra on 11 February 1803 as Sarastro in Les Mystères d'lsis (the French version of Mozart's The Magic Flute).

During the course of his 25-year career at the Opéra, he performed all the leading bass roles and sang in many world premieres, including Spontini's La vestale and Rossini's Le siège de Corinthe.

After retiring from the company, he continued to perform in French provincial theatres for several more years.

Their son Prosper Dérivis was also a prominent operatic bass and their granddaughter Maria Dérivis sang leading mezzo-soprano roles in various European opera houses in the late 19th century.