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

22 Juvas Marianne Liljas
portant investment in view of the country-wide tours they were to undertake
in Sweden. The one they did in 1922-23 has been called the North
tour, 5 and featured the highest number of venues. In spite of the name it was
also to encompass the southern parts of Sweden (Björling Kärn 1990, 1995;
Liljas 2007, pp. 237, 275-283). The concerts were given in order to support
the boys’ studies. David Björling’s intention was to have them study singing
in Italy. He planned a European tour through Germany and Austria, and
further to Italy. However, the plan was interrupted when he collapsed during
a tour in July 1923 (Liljas 2007, pp. 281, 320-321).
The touring family quartet attracted a lot of attention in its time. The
singing ability of the boys was astonishing given their very young age, and
also considering how children generally sing. They had a masculine timbre,
with strength – something that was unknown in Sweden. I quote from a
review in Borlänge Tidning from 1 December 1917:
Mr Björling’s boys astounded listeners through their strength, range,
and the high level of teaching their voices bore witness to. We have never
seen the like of this before. 6
David Björling had problems in getting his method accepted among his contemporaries,
and was occasionally accused of destroying his sons’ voices.
He was a pioneer in the field of training small children’s voices, which in
itself provoked some scepticism. According to Gustafsson (2000), the social
network built up during one’s education constitutes a significant resource
in terms of gaining acceptance in the field. The fact that David Björling
was trained abroad also meant that he was unknown within the Swedish
system. The problem of capitalising on his foreign education in Sweden
was compounded by the fact that he switched to voice training instead of
following his career in opera: his ambitions were related to promoting his
own children. Early on he instituted systematic training in singing and piano
playing, and some form of general music education. His ambitions were
high: he stated that he would start his own opera house.
David Björling’s predictions regarding his sons’ future potential were to
be realised. The boys became professional singers, Karl Olov (Olle, 1909-
1965) as a church and concert singer and Karl Gustav (Gösta, 1912-1957)
5 Norrlandsturnéen. The tour is briefly described in Märta Björlings diary, a copy of
which is to be found in the Jussi Björling museum archive.
6 “Hr Björlings pojkar förbluffade åhörarna genom styrkan, omfånget, och den höga
grad av utbildning, deras röster vittnade om. Något liknande har man överhuvudtaget
aldrig bevittnat.” Borlänge Tidning 1/12 1917.