Karl Johann Franz Formes (b. Mülheim am Rhein, 7 August 1815; d. San Francisco, 15 December 1889), also called Charles John Formes, was a German bass opera and oratorio singer who had a long international career especially in Germany, London and New York. Minnesota Historical Society photo of Karl Formes . At one time extremely famous and in the forefront of his profession, several roles were composed for his voice, most notably that of Plunkett in Flotow's opera Martha.
Formes's own Memoirs, first published in 1888,Wilhelm Koch (Editor), Aus meinem Kunst- und Bühnenleben. Erinnerungen des Bassisten Karl Formes (Köln 1888). The English version was published privately by Formes's third wife, Pauline Formes, as: My Memoirs. Autobiography of Karl Formes. Published in his Memory, (James H. Barry (printer), San Francisco 1891) See Internet Archive, Karl Formes Autobiography to read online may not be entirely trustworthy.H.A. Lier, 'Formes, Karl Johann' in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, in German Wikisource . Charles Santley recorded that Formes was a great teller of stories, 'much after the style of Baron Munchausen'.Charles Santley, Student and Singer, 3rd Edn (Edward Arnold, London 1892), 265–67.
Origins, training and début Karl Formes derived from the Spanish family of Formes-de-Varaz, settled in Germany since the 16th century.Memoirs, 169-70. His father was sacristan of the Roman Catholic church at Mülheim, and Karl was eldest of seven sons and one daughter. He began by singing in the church choir, received keyboard (spinet) lessons and became adept at the organ and the guitar. For three years he served as church organist before, aged 14, he made a journey as far as Switzerland to earn money by itinerant singing.Memoirs, 11–12. Although financially successful, his father would not permit him to make a career in music: instead he was apprenticed to a brewer in Cologne, a relative of his mother's, and there he remained until he was twenty. He got training in fencing and pistol shooting. There followed two years' military service in the 25 Regiment, then stationed at Coblenz. Here he first met Karl Anschütz, a musician whose career became linked to his own.Memoirs, 17. After Coblenz he returned to the brewery at Cologne. In 1838 he went back to Mülheim to support his father and worked both as brewer and sacristan, while also singing when the chance arose and serving as choirmaster. At about this time he married and had children.This paragraph, Memoirs 1–23: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie.
Around 1840, he decided to attempt a musical career, encouraged by Franz Liszt who heard him sing.This paragraph, Memoirs 33–41. An actor, Ferdinand Gumbert, tutored him in bass roles from Die Zauberflöte (Sarastro), Norma (Oroveso) and Boieldieu's La dame blanche (Gaston).Memoirs, 32–34. He made his debut as Sarastro at Cologne Stadt-Theater in January 1842, with such success that the Director, Spielberger, immediately engaged him on a salary, and he was able to understudy other roles. Liszt declared his prophecy fulfilled, and Formes devoted himself fully to the stage. At Cologne the bass Josef Staudigl (of the Vienna Hofoper) made guest appearances which Formes studied closely, especially his Bertram in Robert le diable and his Marcel in Les Huguenots. Staudigl, returning from London in 1843, heard Formes perform Bertram with his own modifications, and paid him a broad compliment. They sang together once in I puritani, as Riccardo (Staudigl) and Giorgio (Formes).Memoirs, 35–37. After two years (including a season at Düsseldorf), Formes broke his contract with Spielberger and escaped to Mannheim, where he joined the Grand-Ducal Opera and befriended Vinzenz Lachner. In February 1845 he was singing Marcel there.Memoirs 37–41.
Vienna 1845–1848 When Staudigl left the Vienna State Opera at the end of 1844, Formes was offered trial performances at Vienna. Having sung under Lachner on his way through Munich, his first Vienna performance was as Bertram under Heinrich Proch, beside Joseph Erl (Roberto), Louise Liebhart (Alice), Hasselbarth (Princess) and Reichart (Rambaldo). He was appointed to succeed Staudigl immediately, and soon performed Sarastro, Marcel, and Mozart's Figaro.Memoirs, 41–45.
In the midst of success, he was visited by Giovanni BasadonnaBasadonna (1806-after 1851) was the most famous Otello (Rossini) of his generation and creator of Crispo (in Fausta, Rodrigo in Sancia di Castiglia, and Roberto Devereux for Donizetti. In 1845 the singer was obliged to retire owing to an illness of the vocal cords. See William Ashbrook, Donizetti and his Operas (Cambridge University Press, 1983), note 65, pp. 622–23. who offered to instruct Formes in the 'true old Italian method'. Formes studied seriously with him for three years, improving the evenness of colour in his voice, learnt musical theory with Simon Sechter, and met elderly musicians who had known Mozart or Beethoven.Memoirs, 46–51. His interest in Schubert Lieder was developed, singing privately with Liszt on one occasion:Memoirs, 111-12. he often sang 'Der Wanderer'.
In Vienna he sang Malvolio in Flotow's Alessandro Stradella, with Joseph Erl and Anna Zerr, and the composer wrote the role of Plunkett in Martha for him, which he created at the Theater am Kärntnertor in 1847 with Erl and Zerr, and with Therese Schwarz as Nancy. Also Halévy adapted his Les mousquetaires de la reine for Formes, Erl and Zerr.Memoirs, 61. Otto Nicolai composed the role of Falstaff in his Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor for Formes, though he did not sing it until 1853 in Hamburg.Memoirs, 62–65. Before the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 he made a tour to Brno, Pesth and Ofen. At Pesth he met the young Johann Nepomuk Beck, whom he coached as Riccardo in I puritani and performed it with him, before Beck made his distinguished baritone career in Vienna. In Ofen, in the Arena, he sang Bertram, and also his Caspar in Der Freischütz to Joseph Erl's Max.Memoirs, 73–81.
Formes obtained performances at Vienna of Nicolai's Die Heimkehr des Verbannten and Il templario, both suppressed there as works of Prussian sympathy.Memoirs p.63. An engagement from 1846–1850 to sing at Milan was broken off after a few days for fear of anti-Austrian feeling, though he was in fact German.Memoirs, 156-58. Giacomo Meyerbeer invited him to sing Marcel and Bertram in Berlin, but the plan misfired and he did not appear there until 1853.Memoirs 65–66. Imprisoned briefly in Vienna for speaking disrespectfully of Metternich, he still took part in rehearsals and performances.Memoirs, 59–61. Formes, hostile to Metternich's oppressions, fell heavily out of official favour in revolutionary Vienna.Memoirs, 87–101, at p.98. When he was driven to leave early in 1848, Joseph Staudigl resumed his post at the State Opera.Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, 'Josef Staudigl.'
Germany and Netherlands, 1848–49 Escaping to Hamburg (where he had missed fulfilling a contract in April 1848) he joined the Opera's co-operative, paid on shares not guarantee, singing first his Marcel.Memoirs, 101-03. That autumn 1848 he took some part in the opening of the revolt of Schleswig against Denmark.Memoirs, 101. After singing in Bremen, Leipzig and Frankfurt he reached Dresden, where for a term he sang with Josef Tichatschek (whom he admired immensely) and Johanna Wagner, sometimes under Richard Wagner's baton, though not himself a Wagnerian.Memoirs, 106-08. Formes advocated to Wagner the Italianate delivery of his recitatives in preference to harsher declamation.Memoirs, 108-10. In addition to Bertram and Marcel, Sarastro, Figaro and Caspar, he sang Lysiart (Euryanthe), the Cardinal (La Juive), Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Rocco (Fidelio) and Mephisto in Spohr's opera of Faust. He was also singing Leporello at that time.
After a season in BraunschweigMemoirs, 113. he returned to Dresden. He attempted to revisit in Vienna and only narrowly escaped.Memoirs, 113-18. Then after singing in Cologne for a spell, he received engagements in Amsterdam through Ferdinand Röder, where (for his old friend Karl Anschütz) he appeared in Der Freischütz, Weber's Jessonda, Spohr's Faust and Die Zauberflöte in Italian versions for the first time. He also sang with success in Rotterdam, Leyden, Utrecht, and other parts of the Netherlands, all the time suffering from an intermittent fever.Memoirs, 118-19.
London, 1849–1850 In May 1849, he joined Röder's German company under Anschütz for a season in London. Anschütz conducted the Drury Lane orchestra for Röder's season and improved its playing standard, which had often been erratic when led by its regular conductor, the Maltese-born Francesco Schira (1809-1883). The fever gone, in June Formes first sang his Sarastro at Drury Lane Theatre, London to great acclamation:Memoirs, 119–120. Charles Santley was inspired by this example.Santley, Student and Singer, p. 30. H.F. Chorley wrote that Formes
Engaged by the Sacred Harmonic Society to sing Elijah, Messiah and The Creation at Exeter Hall,Memoirs, 120. soon Formes became as admired in concert as on the theatre stage. In the 1849 Wednesday Concerts under Anschütz at Exeter Hall he appeared alongside such musicians as Alfredo Piatti, Henri Vieuxtemps, Ole Bull, Giorgio Ronconi and Marietta Alboni. He sang in the solo quartet of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with Clara Novello, Charlotte Sainton-Dolby and Sims Reeves, under Anschütz, with orchestra of 350 and chorus of 700,Memoirs, 125-27. (afterwards repeated with Reichart, former Vienna colleague, in Reeves's placeA. Carse, 'The Choral Symphony in London', Music and Letters 1951 XXXII (1), 47–58.) and in the same formation sang Mozart's Requiem at the Wednesday Concerts.Memoirs, 127.
Formes was soon recruited as primo basso assoluto for the standing management for reconstruction of the Royal Italian Opera at Covent Garden Theatre after its latest collapse.Memoirs, 121. This group included Michael Costa, Mario, Giulia Grisi, Mme Castellan, Giorgio Ronconi and Enrico Tamberlik (all migrants from Benjamin Lumley's company in 1846), Antonio Tamburini, Elena D'Angri and Frederick Gye. In April 1850 Formes appeared as Caspar in the first Italian Der Freischütz in London (Il franco arciero)Memoirs 122. with Tamberlik, which Chorley thought 'one of his favourite characters – the type of all he could do best in opera'.Chorley, Thirty Years' Musical Recollections, II, p. 122.
There followed the first London Italian performances of Gli Ugonotti, with Mario, Grisi, D'Angri, Tamburini and Marai to Formes's Marcel, and Roberto il diavolo, with Tamberlik, Pauline Viardot, Grisi and Mario to his Bertram. Chorley remarked:
Chorley saw him play Caspar with the Belgian tenor Maralti and Mme Castellan, and his Leporello with Grisi, Viardot and Mario. There followed his Sarastro, with Louisa Pyne, Angiolina Bosio1830, Turin – 1859, St Petersburg. NYPL portrait of Bosio and Mario. Formes had a successful debut and season in Spain,Memoirs, 169. and claimed to have visited and sung for both Heinrich Heine and Rossini in Paris on his way there.Memoirs, 165-66. In autumn 1850 he sang Elijah at the Hall inauguration for Liverpool's first Grand Musical Festival, and the next night joined Tamburini, Luigi Lablache and Ronconi in bass passages of Mozart's Requiem and Rossini's Stabat Mater.Memoirs, 128. The same year (and in later years) he joined the Italian Company's operatic tour in Dublin under Anschütz,Memoirs, 142-48. and made a recital tour in Scotland with Clara Novello and Sims Reeves, the violinist Ernst and pianist Litolff.Memoirs, 148-49.
London and elsewhere, 1850–1857