Karl Formes
Karl Johann Formes , also Carl Johann Formes , (born August 7, 1810 in Mülheim am Rhein , † December 15, 1889 in San Francisco , California ) was a German-English opera singer ( bass ).
Life
Formes, brother of Theodor Formes and father of Ernst Formes , was first a cooper and worked as a sexton at the Catholic Church in Mülheim. He was already a family man when he decided to devote himself to art in 1841 and began his singing studies under the direction of the song composer Ferdinand Gumbert , then a baritone player at the Cologne City Theater. In the same year he was able to successfully debut as Sarastro there .
Two years later he was employed in Mannheim and in 1845 he was appointed to the Hofoperntheater in Vienna , where he asserted himself in the audience's favor as a brilliant singer and actor, until he had to flee because of the political role he played during the March Revolution in 1848 .
He has now made guest appearances in all the major cities in Germany and was a member of the Italian Opera in London from 1852 to 1857 . In North America, too, where he went in 1857, his achievements caused the greatest sensation. In 1864 he was in Havana , where he had to sit in prison for 14 days as a result of political events that went right up to the stage and it was only thanks to his English citizenship that he was released so soon.
Later he made guest appearances, now in America, now in Europe, everywhere, namely in Berlin in 1874 , arousing admiration through his indestructible voice. Some of his brilliant parts are written especially for him, such as B. Plumkett in Martha and Falstaff in the Merry Wives of Windsor . From 1875 he lived as a singing teacher in San Francisco, but appeared again in London in 1888.
Honors
A street in Cologne-Mülheim, the so-called Formesstrasse, is named after the Formes family of singers, who were known around the world at the time.
Roles (selection)
- Sarastro - The Magic Flute ( Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart )
- Plumkett - Martha ( Friedrich von Flotow )
- Falstaff - The Merry Wives of Windsor (Opera) ( Otto Nicolai )
literature
- Ludwig Eisenberg : Karl Formes . In: Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century. Paul List, Leipzig 1903, p. 271–272 ( daten.digitale-sammlungen.de ).
- Adolph Kohut : The critical hours in the life of a bass player . In: From the magical land of Polyhymnias . Berlin 1892, pp. 58-65.
- Hermann Arthur Lier: Formes, Karl Johann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 48, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, pp. 650-652.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Formes, Karl |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Formes, Karl Johann (full name); Formes, Carl Johann |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German-English opera singer (bass) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 7, 1810 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mülheim am Rhein |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 15, 1889 |
| Place of death | San Francisco , California |