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

240 Jens Hesselager
Rung embarked on a strategy of cautious, gradual and systematic training
of Pauline’s voice.
Interestingly, a manuscript of singing exercises written by Henrik Rung,
which presumably dates from around this time, contains among many other
things a number of short phrases with many alternative texts written underneath
(Rung n.d.). The phrases often suggest rather “passionate” outbursts
as shown in Illustration 3, where the words abbandono, assasino,
and so on are to be sung on the pitches g’-g’-(d’’)-c’’. Significantly, all the
exercises of this type are in a relatively low register (mostly between c’ and
c’’). None goes beyond f’’.
A similar tendency seems to be generally detectable in the original rehearsal
material for the part of Rachel in Jødinden. Short dramatic statements
which in Halévy’s original often end on rather high notes (higher
than f’’) are altered, presumably so that they can be sung in a lower register.
Another example appears shortly before Leopold/Samuel reveals his true
identity in Act II. Here in the original Rachel sings the name “Samuel!” on
a repeated ab’’’, fortissimo. The alteration changes this into a descending
diminished triad, f’’-d’’-b’ (Illustration 4).
It would seem logical that such alterations stem from 1842 as part of
a general strategy of accommodating Pauline Rung’s voice problems and
show care that she not over-exert her voice again. At the same time, it
would seem that the use of a relatively
low register for short, strong, passionate
outbursts was also calculated
to produce a specifically “exotic” dramatic
effect.
That this was the case, may be
confirmed, I think, by considering a
concert which took place at the Court
Theatre on 12 February 1842, only
Illustration 3. Detail from Henrik Rung:
Sangøvelser (n.d.). The Royal Library,
Copenhagen.
Tamburini, Lablache, Grisi, Persiani and the young Pauline Garcia (Thrane 1901, 55-
56). It may be added that Henrik Rung’s large collection of musical materials, now in the
Royal Library in Copenhagen, contains a copy of a first edition of Manuel Garcia’s Ecole
de Chant, vol. 1, from 1840, and a copy of Nicola Vaccaj’s Metodo pratico de cant, first
published in 1832. Concerning Rung and his collection, see also (Bergsagel 2004).