Ansy Derose
chanson
Ansy Dérose is one of the most refined figures in Haitian chanson. Born in Port-au-Prince on June 3, 1934, he received classical vocal training from Mme Élisabeth Mahy and spent years singing Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, Lalo, Massenet, and Fauré before developing his own Haitian repertoire. That training gave his music a precision and gravity that set it apart from much of the dance music around him.
Ansy studied in Germany in the 1960s, continuing his technique while introducing Haitian traditional songs and his own compositions to a different audience. In the 1970s, Haitian listeners encountered him as a singer, composer, painter, and artist searching for a language of light, hope, and reflection. Albums such as 'Ansy, sa Musique et sa Poésie', 'Quo Vadis Terra', and 'Merci' show an artist moving Haitian song toward theater, poetry, and social conscience.
His partnership with Yole Dérose became one of the great stories in Haitian music. 'Merci', presented at the Festival de la Chanson et de la Voix in Puerto Rico in 1979, and projects such as 'Anakaona, Reine d'Haïti' placed love, history, family, and nation in the same voice. Ansy died on January 17, 1998, but his music remains an example of Haitian chanson that is carefully written, beautifully sung, and still popular.