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Scan 112
A dictionary of music and musicians, 1926
14 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 90. See the scan on archive.org.
1observed the flute solo is overwhelmed. In a fine performance of his works half the battle lies in the exact observance of these nuances. No one before him used them as subtly as he, and no one has excelled them since. G.
3FORTI, ANTON, distinguished baritone singer, born at Vienna, June 8, 1790. He made his début at Presburg with so much success that towards the end of 1807 Prince Esterhazy engaged him almost at the same time as the tenor Wild for his celebrated band. Forti soon forfeited the favour of the Prince, who suddenly enrolled him as a soldier, and only released him at the intercession of several of the nobility. He next appeared (June 29, 1811) at the Theatre 'an der Wien' as Don Juan, a part for which his very sonorous voice, commanding presence, and elevated refined style of acting eminently fitted him. In April 1813 he was engaged at the court theatre, and speedily became a favourite. Besides Don Juan he specially excelled in Figaro (Mozart and Rossini), Telasco ('Ferdinand Cortez'), etc., and in French dialogue-operas. He sang Pizarro at the revival of 'Fidelio' in 1814; and Lysiart at the first performance of 'Euryanthe' (1823). When Count Gallenberg undertook the direction of the court theatre in 1829 Forti was pensioned, and made starring tours to Prague, Hamburg, and Berlin, where he also took a short engagement. On his return to Vienna his voice had lost its charm, and his increasing corpulence spoiled his acting. He retired finally from the stage after winning the first prize in one of the public lotteries, and died July 16, 1859. C. F. P.
5FORZA DEL DESTINO, LA. Tragic Opera by Verdi, libretto by Piave; in four acts. Produced at St. Petersburg, Oct. 30 (Nov. 11), 1862, and at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, June 22, 1867.
7FOSTER, MURIEL, born at Sunderland, Nov. 22, 1877. From 1896 to 1900 she received instruction in singing from Miss Anna Williams at the Royal College of Music, gaining a Council Exhibition in 1896 and a scholarship in 1897. On Nov. 6, 1896, she made her début in oratorio at Bradford in Parry's 'King Saul.' On Dec. 11, 1896, she played Mrs. Quickly on the production in English of Verdi's 'Falstaff' at the Lyceum Theatre by the College students; and on March 19, 1897, sang at St. James's Hall 'My heart is weary' from Thomas's 'Nadeshda' at a students' concert there. The Chester Festival followed next in July of the same year. On March 25, 1899, she first appeared at the Popular Concerts in duets by Brahms, Cornelius, and German, in conjunction with her twin-sister and fellow-student Miss Hilda Foster (who retired from public life in July 1900 on her marriage with Mr. F. C. Bramwell). On March 15, 1900, she sang some of Elgar's 'Sea Pictures' with great success at a students' concert in the same hall. From 1899 to 1903 Miss Foster has sung at all the Three Choir Festivals; in 1902 at Sheffield and Cardiff, and 1903 at Birmingham, on the production of Elgar's 'Apostles.' She has sung in London at the Bach Choir, the Royal Choral Society, the London Symphony, and Ballad Concerts (Chappell's), the Philharmonic, etc. On June 20, 1903, she sang the Angel's music with great effect on the production of Elgar's 'Gerontius' at the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Westminster, having undertaken the part in the previous year at the Lower Rhine Festival, Düsseldorf. She has also sung in other parts of Germany, in Holland, in Russia, and the United States. Miss Foster, who is the possessor of a beautiful contralto or low mezzo-soprano of over two octaves from g to b'' flat, also excels in lieder and ballads, and has rapidly attained the highest rank among the singers of her generation. A. C.
9FOSTER, MYLES BIRKET, eldest son of the late Birket Foster, the artist, was born in London, Nov. 29, 1851. Upon leaving school he was articled to Mr. Hamilton Clarke for two years. He subsequently entered the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied under Sullivan and Prout (composition), Westlake (pianoforte), Pettitt (violoncello), and Horton (oboe). Mr. Foster has held organistships at St. James's Church, Marylebone, and St. George's, Campden Hill; from 1880 to 1892 he was organist of the Foundling Hospital, during which period he was also organist at Her Majesty's Theatre, and choirmaster of St. Alban's, Holborn. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and of the Royal College of Organists, and a Licentiate of Trinity College, London, for which he has examined since 1888, being the first English examiner to visit Australasia (1895). He acted as editor to Messrs. Boosey until 1900.
11Mr. Foster has composed a symphony in F sharp minor ('Isle of Arran'), overtures, a string quartet, a pianoforte trio, etc.; cantatas for children, 'Cinderella,' 'Lampblack,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'The Angels of the Bells,' 'The Bonnie Fishwife,' 'The Snow Fairies,' and 'The Coming of the King'; in addition to songs and part-songs, and two cantatas for male voices, 'Eudora' and 'Ode to Music,' written for Queen's College, Oxford. His church music includes two cantatas, 'The Seven Last Words' and 'Seed-Time and Harvest,' an evening service in C (men's voices), a festival service in A (Sons of the Clergy, 1883), and a communion service in B flat. He has also composed some forty anthems, of which his melodious and devotional setting of Cowper's words, 'Oh for a closer walk with God,' has justly met with wide acceptance. Mr. Foster has contributed articles on musical subjects to various magazines, and he is the author of Anthems and Anthem Composers (Novello, 1901). F. G. E.
13FOSTER, STEPHEN COLLINS, an American
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