DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

FRANZ FRASI 105
time, shidying Bacli, l')0etliOYen, and Sclmbert.
In 1843 he published liis hrst set of twelve
songs, which at ouce attracted the attention of
Sohiimann {Xcue Jici/sdirifl, July 31), whose
frankly expressed admiration was soon shared
by Mendelssohn, Gade, Liszt, and other eminent
masters. At length the authorities at Halle
thought fit to appoint Franz organist at the
TJlrichskirche, and eondnotor of the 'Singacademie
' ; and in due course of time he obtained
the titles of 'Kriniglicher Jlusikdirector'
and doctor of music, which latter title was olfered
by the University of Halle, on his lecturing to
its students on nnisieal subjects. Unfortunately
as early as 1S41 his sense of heariug began to
decline, his troubles were aggi-avated by serious
nervous disorders in 1853, and became so grave
that in 1868 he had to relint[uish his employments,
and give up ^^Titing altogether. The
distressing pecuniary difficulties which arose in
consequence were, however, etfectually overcome
by the generous exertions of Liszt, Joachim,
Frau Helene Magnus, and others, who in 1872
got up concerts for Franz's benelit, and realised
a sum of £5000.
In his latter years Franz devoted much time
to editing and arranging the works of Bach and
Handel, bj' furnishing proper polyphonic accompaniments
in cases where the composer's intentions
are only indicated by a figured bass,
re\\Titing the part sketched for the organ for a
group of wind instniments, so as to facilitate
performance in concert- rooms, supplying proper
substitutes for parts written for obsolete instruments,
etc. Detailed critical essays upon and
about Robert Franz's songs and arrangements,
have been p>ublished by Saran, Schatfer, Ambros,
Hueifer and Liszt, of which the first and last
are the most lmp)ortant. See also vol. i. pip.
43/.
Franz's own contributions to the literature of
music are ; iTlttheihniijcn ilher J. S. Back's
Magnificat (Halle, 1863); a.nd Offener Brief an
Ediwird Hanslick iihcr Bcarbeitungen alterer
Tonwerke, nmnentlich Bach'scher and HandcVscher
Vomlmusil- (Leipzig, 1871). His composi-
tions and arrangements consist of 257 songs for
a iingle voice with pianoforte accompaniment,
in 45 sets ; a Kyrie, a cappella, for four-part
chorus and solo voices ; the 117th Psalm, a
cappella, for double choir in 8 parts, and a liturgy
for the evangelical service ; 6 chorales ; four-
part songs for mixed voices, and 6 ditto for
male chorus. His arrangements are as follows :
Of Sebastian Bach—the ' Passion according to
' ' '
St. Matthew ; Magnificat in D ; Trauerode'
'
10 cantatas ; 6 d\iets and numerous arias. Of
Handel—the 'Jubilate' ; 'L' Allegro,il Penseroso
' ed il Moderate ; 24 operatic arias and 1 2 duets ;
Astorga's ' Stabat Mater '
; and Durante's ' Magnificat.'
Of Mendelssohn— a Hebrew melody
6 two- and four-part songs
for piano and violin ;
an-an^ed for one voice with jiiano ; Mozart's
quintets in C minor and major, and Schubeit's
quartet in 1) nnuor, transerilied for piiauu rluet
(1878). FranzdiedatHalle, Oct. 24,1892. E. D.
FRASCHINI, Gaetano, -was born at Pavia
in 1815. Originally intended for the study of
medicine, he soon found himself possessed oi' a
most powerful tenor voice, and devoted himself
to its cultivation. Having received some instruction
from a master named Moretti, he made
his hrst attempt (1837) in the cathedral of his
native city, and was immediately engaged to sing
t!ie second tenor role in ' Belisario '
at Pavia,
anil Rodrigo in ' Otello ' at the fair at Beigamo.
In 1840 he sang at Milan ;
and from thence went
to Na]iles, where he remained several years
attached to the Opera. Fetis heard him there
in 1 84 , 1 and admired his voice, and the bold style
in wliioh he attacked the most difficult notes ;
nine years later he heard him again at Bergamo,
and found to his surprise not only that his
energy and purity of tone were undiminished,
in spite of the violence of the music which he
had been executing during that period, but
that he had learned to sing better than befoi'e.
Frasehini %'isited Bologna, Venice, Turin, Padua,
Viccnza, London, and Vienna ; and sang frequently
at the latter pilace down to 1852 A\'ith
constant success. In 1847 he made his deljut
at Her Majesty's Theatre, 'Though originally
gifted with greater v(»eal power ' than another
singer, says Mr. Chorley, ' Signer Frasehini was
less fortunate . . . The newcomer, naturally
anxious to recommend himself by the arts which
had delighted his own peojile, seemed to become
more and more violent in proportion as the '
' sensation
" failed to be excited. But he " piled up
the agony," /or/c on forte, in vain.' He continued
to appear for many years more, and
afterwards retired and lived at Pavia, where the
theatre is called after him, Teatro Frasehini.
He died at Naples, May 24, 1887. J. M.
FRASI, GiULiA, apjieared in London in 1743
with Galli, and remained in public favour lor
many j'ears. ' She was young and interesting
in person, with a sweet, clear voice and a smooth
and chaste style of singing, which, though cold
and unimpassioned, pleased natural ears, and
escaped the censure of critics ' (Burney). She
took part that year in the revival of Handel's
' Alessandro,' and in the first performance of
Galuppii's ' Enrico.' Her instructor was a musi-
cian named Brivio ;
but she doubtless owed much
more of the formation of her taste and style to
Hanrlel and his singers, than to her first master.
In 1746 she was still in an inferior position, but
in 1748 played a more imjiortant piart in the
pasticcio ' Lucio Vero,' in operas by Hasse, and
in the comic operas instituted by Croza. Frasi,
however, now entered on a career which will
do more to render her memory lasting tlinu
any small successes she ever achieved in opera.
In 1749 she sang in Handel's Oratorios for
tlie first time, taking part in ' ' Solomon
h
and