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

20 Juvas Marianne Liljas
it a useful network, it was also a source of knowledge about vocal demands,
dominant voice ideals and the principal singing schools.
Both the Gelhaar family in Stockholm and the Berwald family are useful
references given the focus of this chapter on the informal education in
singing that took place in professional music families during this period.
In earlier epochs it was quite normal for children in artisan and bourgeois
families to be educated in their homes, and not only by tutors but also by
their parents (Rosselli 1992, pp. 92-94; cf. Hartman 2005, p. 22). Before the
establishment of opera schools it was not unusual for parents or other relatives
to educate family members, including daughters and sons, and also
future spouses and grandchildren, with a view to forming a family troupe
or opera company. “Like any other trade, music came down by inheritance,
Many singers were trained by their parents or uncles, themselves
musicians” (Rosselli 1992, p. 92). The importance of the parental role as
educators also links the Björling family to the paradigm of domestic vocal
education and the historical tradition of opera singers as a family product
(cf. Rosselli 1992, pp. 92-95). From this perspective the family is part of
a canon, and the singing education Jussi and his brothers received when
they were small could also be considered in the context of significant opera
schooling in Europe and the Nordic countries.
There may have been similarities between the Berwald and the Gelhaars
families, but the conditions in the Björling home probably differed
substantially. The schooling process in the family was really hard given the
demands of ordinary life and general school studies (cf. Stenius 2002). Another
significant aspect from the education perspective is the family genealogy
- they were not opera singers deep down, and far back in their
family history they were blacksmiths (Björling & Farkas 1996, pp. 30-31).
Accordingly, they did not have access to the codes that are normally passed
down or the symbolic capital that, according to Bourdieu, is important for
success (Gustafsson 2000, p. 22) Furthermore, the Björling domestic opera
schooling was based in the countryside where there was a much poorer
musical landscape than in the big cities, thus the family was, at least geographically,
excluded from the urban sphere of musicians and opera singers
surrounding the Royal Swedish <strong>Opera</strong> in Stockholm (cf. Ander 2008, pp.
497-506). Nevertheless, the Björling family name has strong resonance in
Nordic opera history. The aim in this chapter is to enhance understanding
of the informal Björling ‘school’ as a historical phenomenon, especially in
terms of education and pedagogical ideas. More specifically, the focus is on
the didactic principles followed. First and foremost I wish to draw attention