Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/653

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FLORIMO.
FORSYTH BROTHERS.
637

quartet (Girard, Naples) 1835; 12 songs published under the same title by Boosey (London, 1845) six of which were included in the first collection; 3 popular Neapolitan songs in a collection published by Lonsdale, 1846; 24 Songs (Ricordi, Milan) etc. He has written a Method of singing (Ricordi), 3rd edition 1866; a 'History of the Neapolitan School of Music,' Naples, 2 vols, 1869–71; a 'History of the College San Pietro,' Naples, 1873; a second edition of the above with the History of Music in Italy, Naples, 4 vols. 1880–82; 'Wagner and the Wagnerites,' Ancona, 1883, with a supplement containing letters from Verdi and Bülow, from Frau Wagner 'to the most amiable of librarians, and the juvenile octogenarian,' expressing the satisfaction of herself and her husband at a performance of a Miserere of Leo by the students of the College on the occasion of their visit there in 1880; also a lithograph copy of a letter from Wagner himself to the Duke of Bagnara, the President, from the Villa d'Angri, Naples, dated April 22, 1880. [App. p.819 "date of death, Oct. 2, 1888."]

[ A. C. ]

FLOTOW. P. 535 a, line 12, for 1869 read 1870. Line 13, for Flor read Fiore. Add that he died at Wiesbaden, Jan. 24, 1883.

FLUD, or FLUDD, Robert, the son of Sir Thomas Flud, treasurer of war to Queen Elizabeth in France and the Low Countries, born at Milgate, in the parish of Bearsted in Kent, 1574. At the age of 17 he became a student of St. John's College, Oxford, where he studied physics. After a short time of residence he went abroad for six years, at the end of which time he returned and took the accumulated degrees of Bachelor and Doctor of Physics. In 1605 he was made a Fellow of the College of Physicians. From 1616 until his death he was engaged in the composition of various philosophical treaties, in which he refuted the theories of Kepler and Mersennus, and advocated those of the Rosicrucian and other mystics. In the history of philosophy his name is of some importance, since his writing exercised a powerful influence over Jacob Behmen. In musical literature he holds a far less prominent position, his chief connection with the art being found in a treatise printed at Oppenheim in 1617, entitled 'Utriusque cosmi majoris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica atque technica historia.' The following sections treat of musical phenomena: Tract I. Book iii. and Tract II. Part i. Book vi. and Part ii. Book iv. His 'Monochordum mundi symphoniacum,' written in reply to Kepler (Frankfort, 1622) contains a curious diagram of the universe, based on the divisions of a string. He died at his house in Coleman Street, Sept. 8, 1637, and was buried at Bearsted.

[ M. ]

FOLI, Signor, whose real name is Allan James Foley, was born at Cahir, Tipperary, and in early life went to America. He was taught singing at Naples by the elder Bisaccia (father of Gennaro Bisaccia the pianist), and in Dec. 1862 he made his début at Catania as Elmiro in 'Otello.' He played successively at Turin, Modena, Milan, and in 1864 at the Italiens, Paris. On June 17, 1865, Signor Foli made a successful début at Her Majesty's as St. Bris ('Huguenots'); on July 6 as the Second Priest on the revival of 'Zauberflöte,' and on Oct. 28 as the Hermit in 'Der Freischütz.' From that time he has sung frequently in Italian at the three 'patent' theatres in upwards of 60 operas, viz. as Sarastro, Commendatore, Marcel, Caspar, Mephistopheles, Sparafucile, Basilio, Assur and Oroe ('Semiramide'), Rodolfo ('Sonnambula'), Bide the Bent ('Lucia'), Bertram, and Daland on the production of 'Der Fliegende Holländer,' at Drury Lane, July 23, 1870, etc., in addition to the parts previously named in which his fine voice—a rich powerful bass of more than two octaves from E below the line to F—has been heard to full advantage.

Signor Foli is equally well known as an oratorio and concert singer at all the important festivals. He made his first appearance in the former on April 25, 1866, in 'Israel' at the National Choral Society, but his first success was on Feb. 22, 1867, in 'The Creation' at the Sacred Harmonic. His new parts in this class include Jacob, on the production of Macfarren's 'Joseph' at the Leeds Festival, Sept. 21, 1877, and Herod, on production of Berlioz's 'L'Enfance du Christ' under Hallé at Manchester, Dec, 30, 1880, and in London Feb. 26, 1881. He has played in America, at St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vienna, etc. In Russia he made a conspicuous success as Caspar, Moses (which part he has sung with success at the Sacred Harmonic), and as Pietro in 'Masaniello.'

[ A. C. ]

FORM. P. 543 b, l. 7 from bottom, for the former read they. P. 544 a, l. 11 from bottom, for 1688 read 1715. P. 545 a, l. 19 from bottom, for 1703–85 read 1706–85.

FORMES, Karl. Add that he visited England again in 1888, appearing at Mr. Manns's benefit concert, April 21. (Died Dec. 1889.)

FORSYTH BROTHERS, a firm founded at Manchester for the sale of pianos, by the brothers Henry and James Forsyth in 1857. They had been brought up, and represented the third generation of the name, in the establishment of John Broadwood & Sons. Forsyth Brothers began engraving music in 1872, with Mr. Charles Hallé's 'Practical Pianoforte School,' the first numbers of which were published by them in Jan. 1873, and at the same time they opened a London branch of their business in Oxford Circus. An appendix to the School, entitled the 'Musical Library' was commenced some time after, and a catalogue was formed which includes several compositions by Stephen Heller as well as important works by other composers. They have also added to the instrumental part of their business an agency for American organs, from the manufactory of the Dominion Organ Company, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Henry Forsyth died in July, 1885. Mr. James Forsyth has, in connection with the business in Manchester, maintained an important share in the management of the leading concerts of that city.