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Allan James Foley (Signor Foli) (7 August 1837 – 10 October 1899), distinguished 19th century Irish bass opera singer, was born at Cahir, Tipperary.〔This article incorporates text from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 1911.〕〔See Dirny Reynolds, ''A Neighbour's Child: The Life and Times of the Irishman Signor Foli (1835–1899)'' (Millington 1994).〕 In accordance with the prevailing preference for Italian artists, he changed the spelling (but not the pronunciation) of his name and was always known as 'Signor Foli.' His family emigrated, and Foli spent much of his youth in Hartford, Connecticut.〔'Signor Foli says we are savages', (''San Francisco Call'' Vol 79 no. 180, 28 May 1896 ).〕 Originally a carpenter, he studied singing under Bisaccia at Naples and made his first appearance at Catania in 1862. From the Paris Opéra he was engaged by Mapleson for the season of 1865, and made his London debut as St Bris in ''Les Huguenots''. In the absence of Antonio Giuglini the company toured in late 1865 with Mario as principal tenor in Manchester, Dublin, Belfast and Liverpool. In January–April 1866 Mapleson split the company into two parties for a very extensive British provincial tour, Foli joining the ensemble of Mario, Grisi and Lablache under Arditi.〔J.H. Mapleson, ''The Mapleson Memoirs 1848–1888'' (Chicago, New York & Sand Francisco: Belford, Clarke & Co., 1888 edition), I, 86–89.〕 ==Opera, oratorio and concert== In that year of 1866 he was introduced at the Royal Philharmonic Society.〔R. Elkin, ''Royal Philharmonic. The Annals of the Royal Philharmonic Society'' (London: Rider & Co. 1946), 63.〕 Thereafter he appeared regularly as principal basso for Mapleson, with much success in various parts. In 1866 he appeared in a short run of ''Il Seraglio'' with Therese Tietjens, Hans von Rokitansky and Clarice Sinico:〔C. Santley, ''Student and Singer: the Reminiscences of Charles Santley'', 3rd Edition (London: Edward Arnold 1892), p. 244.〕 and in 1868 he was with Clara Louise Kellogg, Zélia Trebelli, Bettini and Charles Santley in ''La Gazza Ladra'' (Il Podestà).〔Santley, ''Student and Singer'', p. 259.〕 In 1869, the season in which the Gye and Mapleson resources were combined, Foli was in the opening production of ''Norma'' with Tietjens, Sinico and Mongini, and in the ''Rigoletto'' which followed it.〔Santley, ''Student and Singer'', p. 272.〕 He took the role of Daland in the first performance of ''The Flying Dutchman'' in England in 1870 with Santley as Vanderdecken and Ilma de Murska as Senta.〔Santley, ''Student and Singer'', p. 285-86.〕 Herman Klein mentions his Bertramo in the 1872 Drury Lane production of ''Robert le Diable'' with Christine Nilsson, Italo Gardoni, Mongini and de Murska.〔H. Klein, ''Thirty Years of Musical Life in London 1870–1900'' (New York: The Century Co., 1903), 154.〕 He was famous for his Sparafucile (''Rigoletto'') and Commendatore (''Don Giovanni''), and had a repertoire of some 60 operas. Foli's career in concert and oratorio at the principal festivals developed alongside his operatic work, often with the same colleagues. In 1866 he appeared with Santley in a performance of ''Israel in Egypt'' given by the National Choral Society at the old St Martin's Hall.〔'Death of Signor Foli', ''The Graphic'', 28 October 1899, p. 610.〕 In February 1867 he scored a success in Haydn's ''The Creation'' with the Sacred Harmonic Society.〔A. Chitty, 'Signor Foli', in G. Grove (Ed.), ''A Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1900).〕 Santley and Foli sang ''The Lord is a man of war'' in the Handel Festival of 1868.〔Santley, ''Student and Singer'', p. 264.〕 He took the role of Jacob in the first production of Macfarren's ''Joseph'' at the Leeds Festival, 21 September 1877, and Herod in that of ''L'Enfance du Christ'' of Berlioz under Charles Hallé in Manchester (30 December 1880) and London (26 February 1881).〔Chitty, 'Signor Foli', ''Grove 1900''.〕 He sang in the first performance of Gounod's ''La Rédemption'' in 1882. In Sydney, Australia in May 1892 Foli had a great success with Haydn's ''The Creation'' but, in July, a failure with Mendelssohn's ''Elijah'', for which he was suffering from a sore throat.〔'Mendelssohn's Elijah', ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 7 July 1892: 'Haydn's Creation,' ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 August 1892.〕 During the 1890s, in his late fifties, he was singing ''Messiah'' in England in company with Adelina Patti, Emma Albani and Edward Lloyd.〔''San Francisco Call'' 28 May 1896.〕 He appeared in concert, oratorio and opera in various countries. He toured in Russia (Moscow and St Petersburg) in 1873, where he made a great success in ''Israel in Egypt'' and as Pietro in Auber's opera ''Masaniello''. In Mapleson's first American tour in the autumn of 1878 he was in company with Etelka Gerster, Minnie Hauk, Zélia Trebelli, Italo Campanini and many others, and appeared in a particularly notable ''I Puritani'' with Gerster and Campanini at Chicago.〔''Mapleson Memoirs'', I, 199, 207–08.〕 He returned several times to America, was also heard in Vienna, and in the 1890s he toured in Australia〔'Signor Foli in Australia', ''Barrier Miner'' (Broken Hill, New South Wales), (21 December 1918 ).〕 and New Zealand,〔(Review of a Concert in Auckland 1892 )〕 and in Canada.〔Foli Concerts in Toronto, April–May 1897, see (Daily Mail and Empire 21 April 1897 ), (4 May 1897 )〕 In addition to stage performance, through the 1870s Foli appeared regularly with leading singers in the Grand Operatic Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.〔See Davidson's Musical Programmes, (Cat. e.1399.a (British Library Music Collections) )〕 In 1877, with Santley, Nilsson and Ciro Pinsuti,〔Sims Reeves was also involved, but unable to take part.〕 assisted by Arthur Chappell, he gave a benefit concert which raised £1500 towards an annuity for their colleague Mario, who was then living in Rome in straitened circumstances.〔C. Santley, ''Reminiscences of My Life'' (London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons 1909), 146.〕 He was among the contributors at the Retirement Concert of Sims Reeves at the Royal Albert Hall on 11 May 1891,〔C.E. Pearce, ''Sims Reeves: Fifty Years of Music in England'' (London: Stanley Paul & Co. 1924), p. 296.〕 and sang in two concerts in the first Promenade season (1895), including the final concert, the benefit for Robert Newman.〔H.J. Wood, ''My Life of Music'' (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd 1946 edition), p. 83.〕 In England he also appeared frequently at the Boosey popular Concerts. Songs described in the tours of Australia and Canada give some idea of his recitals, such as Pinsuti's ''Bedouin Love Song'', Formes's ''In Sheltered Vale'', Battison Haynes's ''Off to Philadelphia'', Schubert's ''The Wanderer'', Loder's ''The Diver'', Knight's ''Rock'd in the Cradle of the Deep'', the 'Drinking' song ''In cellar cool'', Gatty's ''True till Death'', and stand-alone operatic pieces such as ''Qui sdegno non-s'accende'' (Mozart, ''Die Zauberflöte''), ''She alone charmeth my sadness'' (Gounod, ''La reine de Saba'') and ''O ruddier than the cherry'' (Handel, ''Acis and Galatea''), all of which remained in the standard English concert repertoire well into the twentieth century, and were recorded by such singers as David Bispham, Peter Dawson, Robert Radford or Norman Allin. Foli's voice was powerful but of beautiful quality, its compass from the bass E to F above middle C.〔''The Graphic'', 28 October 1899, p. 610.〕 With his vigorous, straightforward delivery, he was a great favourite in London for many years. George Bernard Shaw referred to the certainty and spontaneity of his roulades.〔G.B. Shaw, ''Music in London 1890–1894'' (3 Vols) (London: Constable & Co 1932), I, p. 72.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Allan James Foley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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