(b. Mayence, Dec. 3, 1752; d. Paris, Oct. 9, 1821), won considerable fame as a clarinettist in his day. He was a professor at the Paris Conservatoire and composer of various works for wind instruments. w. w. C.
Archive | F
FAGOTGEIGE
(B assoon F id d l e ), a small bass viol with sympathetic strings. (See V iola d i F agotto ; Viola B a sta rda.) f . w . g .
FARINELLI, GIUSEPPE
(b. Este, May 7, 1769 ; d. Trieste, Dec. 12, 1836), composer. In 1785 he entered tho Conservatorio de' Turchini at Naples, where he studied accompaniment under Fago, and composition under Sala and Tritto. In 1808 he was in Venice, and 1810-17 at Turin. In 1819 ho was appointed Kapellmeister at Trieste. He composed an immense number of operas (Fetis enumerates 40, and Riemann gives the number as 20 serious and 38 comic operas) in avowed imitation of Cimarosa, which, however, were more successful than the majority of imitations. A duet ho introduced into the ' Matrimonio segreto ' has been mistaken for Cimarosa's own composition. He also wrote Masses, a Stabat in two parts and other church music. M. c . c .
FEDERICI, VINCENZO
(b. Pesaro, 1764; i . Milan, Sept. 20, 1827), was accompanist at ihe Italian opera in Londonc. 1790-93, where he produced 4 of his own operas. He wrote in all 14 serious and one comic opera ; also cantatas. In 1808 he was teacher of harmony at Milan Conservatoire, where he succeeded Asioli as censor in 1814 (Q.-L.).
FESCA, (1)FRIEDRICH ERNST
(b. Magdeburg, F e b . 15, 1789 ; d. Carlsruhe, May 24, 1826), composer. His father was an amateur, and his mother a singer, pupil of J. A. Hiller. Having completed his elementary studies, he went through a course of counterpoint with Pitterlin, conductor of the Magdeburg theatre. On Pitterlin's death in 1804 he became a pupil of August Eberhardt Muller at Leipzig. Here he played a violin concerto of his own with brilliant success. In 1806 he accepted a place in the Duke of Oldenburg's band, but in the following year became solo violinist under Reichardt at Cassel, where he passed six happy years and composed his first seven quartets and first two symphonies, interesting works, especially when he himself played the first violin. In 1814, after a visit to Vienna, he was appointed solo violin, and in the following year Konzertmeister to the Duke of Baden at Carlsruhe. During the next eleven years he wrote two operas,1 Cantemir ' and ' Leila,' overtures, quartets, quintets, chorales, psalms and other sacred music. He died of consumption, after many years' suffering, which, however, had not impaired his powers, as his last works contain some of his best writing. His De Profundis, i arranged in four parts by Strauss, was sung at his funeral. Fesca's rank as a composer has been much disputed. There is a want of depth in his ideas, but his melodies are taking and his combinations effective. His quartets and quintets, without possessing the qualities of the great masters, have a grace and elegance peculiar to himself, and are eminently attractive. His symphonies are feebly instrumented, but his sacred works are of real merit. In richness of modulation he approaches Spohr. A complete edition of his quartets and quintets (20 and 5 in number) has been published in Paris (Rimbault). His son, (2) A l ex a n d e r E rnst (b. Carlsruhe, May 22, 1820; d. Brunswick, Feb. 22, 1849), was a pupil of Rungenhagen, Wilhelm Bach and Taubert, and composer of trios for pianoforte, violin and violoncello, and other chamber-music popular in their day. The best of his four operas was ' Der Troubadour ' (Brunswick, 1854). m. c. c.
FINAZZI, FILIPPO
(b. Bergamo, c. 1710; d. Hamburg, Apr. 21, 1776), a male soprano who appeared at Breslau in 1728, and was until 1737 at the court of Modena. He returned with the impresario Pietro Mignotti from Prague to Hamburg, where he bought an estate, and became the intimate friend of the poet Hagedorn and Baron von Ahlefeld. In 1758 he broke both legs and was nursed by the widow of a smith with such devotion that he married her and left her his fortune. He composed arias, songs, cantatas, symphonies for string quartet, etc. (Mendel; Q.-L.).
FITELBERC, GRZEGORZ
(b. Dinaburg, Livonia, Oct. 18, 1879), conductor and composer, made his name in the former capacity as conductor of the Warsaw Philharmonic concerts (1908) and conducted later at the Vienna Hofoper (1912) and at St. Petersburg (1919-21). But he has identified himself with Polish music, has made Warsaw his headquarters and taken part in the national movement in composition of which Szymanowski is the leader. His works include a symphony in E minor (op. 16), and a Polish Rhapsody for orchestra, chamber music and many songs. c.
FLOWER, ELIZA
(b. Harlow, Essex, Apr. 19, 1803 ; d. Dec. 12, 1846), composer, was the elder daughter of Benjamin Flower, the political writer. She published a set of ' Fourteen Musical Illustrations of the Waverley Novels ' in 1831 ; a once popular chorus, ' Now pray we for our country,' in 1842 ; and a set of Hymns and Anthems, the publication of which began in 1841 ; a selection from them was reissued in 1888. Among them is the original musical setting of ' Nearer, my God, to Thee,' the words of which were written by the composer's sister, Mrs. Sarah Flower Adams. (d.N.B.)
FORSTER&ANDREWS
have been established at Hull as organ-builders since 1843. Amongst many instruments from their factory may be quoted the organs in the Kinnaird Hall, Dundee ; St. Mary's, Leicester ; Holy Trinity, H u ll; and the City Temple, London. v. de p.
FRANCHETTI, ALBERTO
(b. Turin, Sept. 18, 1860), composer, was born of wealthy parents, and studied at first under Nicol6 Coccon and Fortunato Magi, subsequently under Draeseke a t Dresden and at the Munich Conservatorium under Rheinberger. From his German teachers he seems to have acquired skill in the manipulation of masses of sound, such as are required for operas on a large scale ; y e t the thoroughness of his training has not secured him a very high position in the estimation of the best Italian critics, although his private means have enabled him to command the attention of the public, and to have his works produced under the most favourable conditions. The following operas have appeared : ' Asrael,' in 4 acts, produced Reggio d' Emilia, Feb. 11, 1888, and afterwards at La Scala, and elsewhere, had great success. His ' Cristoforo Colombo,' in 4 acts, produced at Genoa, Oct. 1892, contains an admirably worked ensemble in the first act, but appeals to the public rather by its scenic panorama of the voyage than by anything else. The 3-act ' Fior d' Alpe ' (Verona, 1894) and the 3-act ' Signor di Pourceaugnac ' (Milan, 1897) were less successful than ' Germania ' (Milan, 1902).1 This has had considerable vogue, and was even put on at Covent Garden in 1907. A symphony in E minor must be mentioned in the number of his works. Later productions at Milan have been ' La figlia di J o r io ' (1906) and ' Notte di Leggenda' (1915). Franchetti collaborated with G i o r d a n o (q.v.) in the production of ' Giove a Pompei ' (3 acts) (Rome, 1921). ' Glauco,' tex t by Forzano, appeared a t Naples (1922). Some critics have called Franchetti the Meyerbeer of modern Italy, and there are certain points of resemblance between the two, besides the accident of their outward circumstances- circumstances, it may be hinted, that are not always entirely advantageous in the long run. I t is true that Franchetti is at his best when there are many characters on the stage, or when inspired by some spectacular effect on the scene. His music is not profoundly emotional, not very often distinguished, but his workmanship is sound and scholarly, and the fact that he owes little or nothing to Wagner, and stood entirely apart from the hysterical school of Young Italy, in the ascendant during Franchetti's youth, should not be reckoned against hinl. m . , with addns.