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

24 Juvas Marianne Liljas
pany, New York in 1920 (Henrysson 1993, pp. 159-150, 74-76; Day 2000,
p. 220; cf. Liljas 2007, pp. 355-360). The recordings are a contemporary
document reflecting two significant factors: the technical developments in
sound recording that made them possible and the renown that lay behind
them. They were a status symbol and a means of spreading the word about
the singing talent of the Björling children in parallel with their concerts.
They could also be sold at the performances, thereby enhancing the status
of the concerts. The significance of the gramophone as a technical innovation
relates to the popular music of the time and its spread to the general
public (Day 2000). It exposed the prodigies to a wider audience and become
an artefact of sound production in intimate home settings.
The recordings also document a phase in the children’s vocal development.
From a scientific perspective they facilitated David Björling’s theoretical
introduction of his children’s voice ideal and could be compared with
an auditory product. 10 On account of their success there is a real archive of
reviews in both Sweden and the USA. Those of the quartet’s US concert
performances have a special value in that they bring an international perspective
to David Björling’s pedagogy beyond contemporary judgements,
enabling comparison of opinions about him as a teacher and reactions to
his sons’ singing technique between the US and Swedish reviews. 11 At the
same time the reviews provide proof of how David Björling was perceived
and valued as a pedagogue.
David Björling’s musical education
David Björling’s vocal identity was a product of the religious revival that
occurred in Sweden and Finland during the 1880s. The vocal model was
probably his father – the blacksmith Lars Björn (1842-1909) - who loved
to use his magnificent voice at the Sunday church services. His mother,
Henrika Mathilda Lönnqvist (1844-1918) from Pori in Finland, was deeply
religious and expressed her faith through her singing (Björling & Farkas
1996, p. 30). The Björling family was a singing family with renowned vocal
talents. During the period they spent at Solla bruk (Fredriksberg) in Finland
the Björling parents and their six children are said to have built “their own
church choir” (Björling-Kärn 1990; Björling & Farkas 1996, p. 32).
10 For an analysis of the recordings and the children’s voices cf. Liljas 2007, pp. 360-
370.
11 See Liljas 2007 for a comparison between Swedish and foreign reviews. For more
details see pp. 370-395.