Franz Anton Forti (8 June 1790 – 16 July 1859) was an Austrian operatic baritone. He took leading roles in operas by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and

Weber Weber may refer to: Places United States * Weber, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Weber City, Virginia, a town * Weber City, Fluvanna County, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Weber County, Utah * Weber Canyon, Utah * Weber R ...

, and in revivals of Beethoven's opera ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...

''. He appeared for many years at the

Theater am Kärntnertor or (Duchy of Carinthia, Carinthian Gate Theatre) was a prestigious theatre in Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its official title was (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna). History The theatre was built in 170 ...

, the royal court theatre of Vienna.

Early life and career

Forti was born in Vienna in 1790, and had lessons in singing and the violin. His musical career began as a viola player in the orchestra of the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...

. After his debut as a singer in

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...

, he was appointed in December 1807 by Prince Esterházy as a member of his court musicians.Forti, Franz Anton

Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe The ''Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe'' (short ''WeGA'') is a scientific-critical edition of all works of the composer Carl Maria von Weber, published by the Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is ...

. Retrieved 27 February 2018. From 1811 he appeared at the Theater an der Wien. In that year he was in Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' in the title role; it was, wrote

Carl Ferdinand Pohl Anton Carl Ferdinand Pohl (6 September 181928 April 1887) was a German-Austrian music historian, archivist, and composer. Pohl was born in Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the so ...

, "a part for which his very sonorous voice, commanding presence, and elevated refined style of acting eminently fitted him." In 1813 he appeared as Sarastro in Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''. His success in this role led to his engagement at the royal court theatre of Vienna, the

; he was there from May 1814 to April 1828.Paul Nettl. "Forti, Anton". ''Beethoven Encyclopedia''.

Philosophical Library Philosophical Library is a publisher, based in United States, specializing in psychology, philosophy, religion, and history. It was founded in 1941 by Dagobert D. Runes with the intention of publishing the works of European intellectuals fleeing ...

, New York. 1956. On 17 February 1814, he married Henriette Theimer, who had played Zerlina in ''Don Giovanni''.

Theater am Kärntnertor, and later years

He appeared as Pizarro in the revivals of Beethoven's opera ''

'' in 1818, 1822 and 1824. In 1821 he was in the first production in Vienna of Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

'', as Caspar, and he created the role of Lysiart in Weber's ''

Euryanthe ''Euryanthe'' ( J. 291, Op. 81) is a German grand heroic-romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber, first performed at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 25 October 1823.Brown, p. 88 Though acknowledged as one of Weber's most important operas, ...

'' (1823). Anton Forti 1844 Litho

In 1829

Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg (28 December 1783 – 13 March 1839) (full name Johann Wenzel Robert Maria Joseph Sigmund Seyfried, Count Gallenberg) was an Austrian composer, particularly of ballets, which were produced in Vienna and Italy. Life ...

became lessee of the Theater am Kärntnertor, and Forti was pensioned. He made successful appearances in Prague, Hamburg and Berlin; after his guest appearance in Berlin in June 1829 he was engaged there at the

Königsstädtisches Theater Königsstädtisches Theater was the name of different theater buildings in Berlin in the 19th and 20th century. The first Königsstädtisches Theater was built by Carl Theodor Ottmer in , a former settlement neighboring Berlin that is today par ...

until the end of 1830. From 1831 to 1842 he occasionally appeared again at the royal court theatre in Vienna. "His voice had lost its charm, and his increasing corpulence spoiled his acting," wrote Carl Ferdinand Pohl. He retired after winning first prize in a public lottery. In later years he withdrew from public life, suffering from an eye ailment. He died in Vienna in 1859.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forti, Anton 1790 births 1859 deaths Singers from Vienna Austrian operatic baritones 19th-century Austrian male opera singers Male singers from the Austrian Empire