DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

1( FAUST FAUX-BOUEDON
April 26, 1865, chosen for this part by Meyerbeer
himself; tlie Marquis de Posa in Verdi's 'Don
Carlos,' in 1867 ; the title part in Thomas's
'Hamlet,' 186S ; Meiihistopheles on the first
performance of ' Faust '
' at the Opera, March 3,
1869; Paddock in Diaz's 'Coupe du Roi de
Thule,' and Charles A'll. in Mermet's 'Jeanne
d'Arc,' in 1873. He made his final appearance
there on May 13, 1876, in his great part
Hamlet, in which his acting was founded on
his boyish recollections of Macready in tliat
part in Paris. {Musical World.)
In London he first appeared atCovent Garden,
April 10, 1860, as Hoel, and returned there
every season until 1866, excepting 1865. His
parts included Don Juan, Figaro in ' Le Nozze,
Tell, Assur, Fernando in 'La Gazza Larlra,'
Alfonso XI., Pietro in 'Masaniello,' Rudoljjh in
' Sonnambula, ' St. Bris, Peter the Great, and, on
July 2, 1863, Jlephistopheles on production of
' Faust, ' in which he has never been surpassed.
In 1870 he played, at Drury Lane, lago in
the revival of Rossini's ' Otello '
; Lotario on
the production in England of ' Mignon, ' etc.
From 1871 to 1875 inclusive he was again at
Covent Garden, for the first time there as Hamlet,
Caspar, and the Cacique on the production of
Gomez's 'Guarany.' In 1876 he sang at Drury
Lane ; and in 1877 at Her Majesty's for the
first time in England as De Nevers, and Alfonso
in 'Lucrezia,' which part he plaj'ed, May 19,
1877, on tlie occa,sion of the last appearance on
the stage of Therese Titiens. In 1857 he was
for a short time Professor of singing at the Paris
Conservatoire. In 1870-72 he sang with great
success in opera at Brussels, and on Jan. 27,
1872, was appointed Inspector of the singing
classes at the Conservatoire there. ^ In 1861
he appeared at Berlin at Meyerbeer's request,
but the tremolo in his voice did not please the
Germans. In 1878, however, he sang in Italian
at "Vienna with the greatest success in two of his
best parts, Don Juan and Mephistopheles, etc.,
and was appointed by the Emperor of Austria
'Imperial Chamber Singer.' He also sang in
concert tour of the French provinces, hut for a
long time past he has lived in retirement.]
Faure is a good musician and a fine actor.
He is also a collector of pictures and a man of
great culture. His voice is a baritone of great
extent and of very fine quality. In 1859 he
married Mademoiselle Lefebvre (1828-1905),
the chief actress of Dugazon roles at the Opera
Comique. He has published two books of songs
(Heugel), and a Train in 1886. G. ; additions
by A. c.
FAUST. Music to Goethe's 'Faust' was composed
by Lindpaintncr, and appears to have been
produced at Stuttgart in June 1832; also by
Prince Radziwill, thescoreof which was publislied
in 1836. Spohr's' Faust' (words by Bernhard), a
' He had previously played thla part in London, during forrr
seasons, IBW-OfJ.
2 Isnardon's Tfiidtre de la ilonnaic.
romantic opera in two acts, is in no respect connected
with Goethe's play. It was comjiosed at
Vienna in 1813 for theTheater ander "Wien, but
was first performed at Frankfort in March 1818,
and was lor many years a great favourite. It
was produced in London by a German company
at the Prince's Theatre, May 21, 1840; and in
Italian at Covent Garden under Spohr's baton,
July 15, 1852. '^
The musical settings that are now best known
are the following ;— (i. ) Faust, opera in five acts
music
words after Goethe, Ijy Barbier and CaiTe ;
by Gounod. Produced at the Theatre Lyrique,
March 19, 1859; at the Grand Opera, March
3, 1869; Her Majesty's Theatre, as 'Faust,'
June 11, 1863 (selections had previously been
sung at the Canterbury Music Hall, Westminster)
; at the Royal Italian Opera, Covent
Garden, as ' Faust e Marglierita,' July 2, 1863 ;
in English (by Chorley), as 'Faust,' at Her
Majesty's, Jan. 23, 1864. In Germany sometimes
known as ' JIargarethe.
(ii.) La Damxatiox de Faust, dramatic
the words partly adapted
legend in four parts ;
from Gerard de Nerval's version of Goetlie, partly
written byM. Gandonniere, and partly by Berlioz
himself. Composed by Berlioz (op. 24). Performed(as
a concert)at tlieOpera Comique, Paris,
Dec. 6, 1846 ; two parts given under Berlioz
at Drury Lane, London, Feb. 7, 1848, selections
at the same place, June 29 of the same year, and
at the New Philharmonic Concert of June 9,
1852 (in Choiiey's translation). First complete
performance in England under Halle at the Free
Trade Hall, Manchester, Feb. 5, 1880. In
1903 it was put upon the stage at Monte Carlo,
but the experiment, though tried in various
theatres, has happily not been piermanently
adopted. f. g. e.
(iii. ) Mefistofele. > Grand opera in a prologue
and five acts, words (after Goethe) and
music by Arrigo Boito. Produced at Milan,
March 5, 1868. Remodelled and brought out
again, in a condensed form (prologue and four
acts), at Bologna, Oct. 4, 1875 ; at Her Majesty's
Theatre, July 6, 1880. [See also Liszt, Pieesox,
and 'Wagner.] ji.
FAUX-BOURDON, or Falsobordmie, a simple
kind of Counterpoint to the Church plain-song
in other words, a harmony to the ancient
chant. The first kind of variation from strictly
unisonous singing in the Middle Ages was the
'Organum,' or the addition of octaves above
and below the plain-song or melody. Other
parallel concords were also (as in the 'mixture'
organ-stops) Ijlended with the octaves—as the
fifth, and even tlie I'ourth. These appear to have
been used as early as the 8tli century. After the
Organum the next improvement was the Diaphonum
and Discant, and by the 14th century
there are historical intimations that these had
led, by a natural development, to the use of
' Faux bourdon,' at A\-ignon, whence it was