1891 Autograph of Irish Opera Bass Singer Allan James Foli (Foley) (1835 - 1899)
England, UK: Not Published, 1891. Autograph. Not Bound. Very Good. Item #027702
Autograph, "Yours faithfully A.J. Foli London March 1891" Irish bass singer Allan James Foli (Foley) (1835 - 1899) "... was born 7 August 1835 at Cahir, Co. Tipperary; nothing is known of his family background. He was trained as a carpenter, but abandoned this after it was discovered that he had an excellent singing voice. Moving to Naples, he studied under Bisaccia, making his debut as Elmiro in Rossini's 'Otello' at Catania, Sicily, in December 1862. His strong bass voice won much praise, and performances followed in Milan, Turin, and Paris...His repertoire was extensive, more than sixty operas, and he sang the role of Daland in the English premiere of Wagner's 'Der fliegende Holländer' (1870) which, according to established London custom, was actually performed in Italian as 'L'olandese dannato'. He sang the title role in a successful Russian tour of Rossini's 'Mosé', and also performed in the first English performances of Berlioz's 'L'enfance du Christ' (1880), and Gonoud's 'Redemption' (1882)..." (Patrick M. Geoghegan biography in the DIB) Approx. 3" x 3 3/4" size; old fold lines; album mount paper on back; in very good condition.
Price: $45.00