- Allan James Foley
Allan James Foley (Signor Foli) (
August 7 ,1837 -October 10 ,1899 ), distinguished 19th century Irish bass operasinger , was born atCahir ,Tipperary . [This article incorporates text from the "Encyclopedia Britannica" 1911.]Originally a carpenter, he studied under Bisaccia at
Naples and made his first appearance atCatania in 1862. From theopera inParis he was engaged by Mapleson for the season of 1865, and made his London debut in Les Huguenots. 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.'He appeared with much success in various parts. He sang in the first performance of "The Flying Dutchman" (Daland) in England in 1870, and in the first performance of Gounod's "La Rédemption" in 1882. He was famous for his Sparafucile ("
Rigoletto ") and Commendatore ("Don Giovanni "). His voice was powerful, but of beautiful quality and great compass. He appeared in oratorio at the principal festivals and sang in opera and at concerts in America, Austria and Russia. He was distinguished for his vigorous, straightforward way of singing, and was a great favourite in London for many years.Foli was one of the very earliest classical musicians to make a
phonograph recording. He did this atThe Crystal Palace in 1878 (on or soon after Good Friday, 19th April), and the fact was described and reported in "The Times ". [See external link [http://www.webrarian.co.uk/crystalpalace/crystal14.html] ] The (?tinfoil) recording is not known to have survived.Notes
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