Chaliapin, Feodor

Chaliapin, Feodor (Ivanovich)

 or Fyodor Shalyapin

(born Feb. 13, 1873, near Kazan, Russia—died April 12, 1938, Paris, France) Russian singer. Born a peasant, he received little early musical training, but his talent led to his taking leading roles with a touring opera company in his teens. Coached by Dimitri Usatov (1847–1913), he had debuts in St. Petersburg (1894) and Moscow (1896), where he played Boris Godunov, the role he would be most associated with. These led to his triumphant 1901 La Scala debut as Mefistofele. His imposing stage presence and fine acting gave him a popularity second only to that of Enrico Caruso.