Opera on the Move in the Nordic Countries during the Long 19th ...

The Björling ‘<strong>Opera</strong>’
A children’s nursery academy and an Italian conservatory in
miniature
Juvas Marianne Liljas
In the opera world of the long nineteenth century, stories flourished about
sensationally early debuts and the importance of the teaching opera stars
had as children. One such star was the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-
1960). The training he received as a child is an interesting and unusually
well documented case contributing to the broader context of promoting and
educating children during the epoch. Jussi Björling made his formal debut
at the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> in Stockholm when he was nineteen years old
(Björling & Farkas 1996, p. 60). 1 His real debut, however, was in a church
when he was four. Together with his brothers, Olle and Gösta, he amazed
the audience. The review refers to children performing the songs with authority
(Örebrokuriren 13/12 1915). 2 The repertoire was unconventional for
1 Jussi Björling’s debut role was on 20 August 1930 as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by
W.A. Mozart. Before that he played the smaller part of the lamplighter in G. Puccini’s
Manon Lescaut.
2 This first documented musical performance with the Björling children (13 January
1915) was repeated in an official concert with David Björling’s external pupils. David
Björling opened a private practice in his home in Örebro in 1914. Cf. Liljas 2007, pp.
287-297.
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