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

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The Björl<strong>in</strong>g ‘<str<strong>on</strong>g>Opera</str<strong>on</strong>g>’<br />

In Sweden <strong>the</strong> opera s<strong>in</strong>ger and s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g pedagogue Fritz Arlberg (1830-<br />

1896) promoted <strong>the</strong>se aspects of s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g educati<strong>on</strong>. He advocated tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />

based up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cept that <strong>the</strong> vocal organs were anatomically designed<br />

so that <strong>the</strong>y could not, and should not, be stirred by predeterm<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

methods. The scientifically based method, labelled ‘artificial’ <strong>in</strong> Sweden,<br />

was assumed to have a forceful character and collective aim that disturbed<br />

<strong>in</strong>dividual voice development. In str<strong>on</strong>g oppositi<strong>on</strong> to such an artificial s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g<br />

style – “which isn’t <strong>on</strong>ly ugly but also destroys voices” – he wanted to<br />

create a natural school adapted to Swedish voices and percepti<strong>on</strong>s of beauty,<br />

and to <strong>the</strong> Swedish language (Arlberg 1891, pp. 139f, 67, 150, 179f; Liljas<br />

2007, pp. 157-168, cf. Sörens<strong>on</strong> Gertten v<strong>on</strong> 2011). At different times, <strong>the</strong><br />

orig<strong>in</strong> of this natural method has been l<strong>in</strong>ked to David Björl<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

Ano<strong>the</strong>r aspect to be taken <strong>in</strong>to c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> is that David Björl<strong>in</strong>g also<br />

visited <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g pedagogue Oscar Lomberg (1861-1911), a famous enthusiast<br />

of Fritz Arlberg’s teach<strong>in</strong>gs. Lomberg’s reputati<strong>on</strong> and positi<strong>on</strong> as<br />

a vocal expert were c<strong>on</strong>firmed, am<strong>on</strong>g o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs, by <strong>the</strong> fact that he was<br />

recommended by Arlberg as a successor to Julius Gün<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> lead<strong>in</strong>g vocal<br />

pedagogue at <strong>the</strong> Royal College of Music, Stockholm (Kungliga Musikhögskolan<br />

i Stockholm) (letter from Fritz Arlberg to Ludvig Josephs<strong>on</strong>, 28 August<br />

1895, The Nati<strong>on</strong>al Library of Sweden / Kungliga biblioteket).<br />

The Natural school of s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g<br />

David Björl<strong>in</strong>g attracted both nati<strong>on</strong>al and <strong>in</strong>ternati<strong>on</strong>al recogniti<strong>on</strong> and attenti<strong>on</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> field of vocal tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>on</strong> account of his children’s s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g educati<strong>on</strong><br />

and achievements. The pr<strong>in</strong>ciples <strong>on</strong> which he based his practices<br />

were at that time a pedagogical phenomen<strong>on</strong> emphasis<strong>in</strong>g t<strong>on</strong>e build<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

ma<strong>in</strong>ly c<strong>on</strong>cern<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> powerful chest-voice ideal that his children represented.<br />

The Western paradigm preferred a bright and light child’s voice. 20<br />

19 There were fundamental ideological differences between <strong>the</strong> schools, but al<strong>on</strong>gside<br />

<strong>the</strong> success of <strong>the</strong> Garcia School <strong>the</strong>re developed an unethical market <strong>in</strong> which every<strong>on</strong>e<br />

wanted to be “Garcia”. Scand<strong>in</strong>avians travelled to Paris to be schooled <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> method.<br />

Many had <strong>the</strong> bad luck to end up with pedagogues who said <strong>the</strong>y taught accord<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

<strong>the</strong> Garcia method but who did not master it (cf. Liljas 2007, pp. 97-104, 113-116, 151-<br />

156, 195-200 with fur<strong>the</strong>r references). Manuel Garcia Jr. moved to L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> where he<br />

c<strong>on</strong>t<strong>in</strong>ued to develop <strong>the</strong> school at <strong>the</strong> Royal Academy of Music (Fitzly<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> The New<br />

Grove Dicti<strong>on</strong>ary of <str<strong>on</strong>g>Opera</str<strong>on</strong>g>, vol.2 1997, p. 345).<br />

20 Reviewers <strong>in</strong> both Sweden and America compared <strong>the</strong>ir ideal to boys’ choirs <strong>in</strong><br />

Germany, Sweden, England and <strong>the</strong> USA. One reviewer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> USA claimed to be<br />

familiar with authorities that advocated “<strong>the</strong> white voice”. (The Jussi Björl<strong>in</strong>g museum<br />

archive; cf. Liljas 2007, pp. 370- 395)<br />

29

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