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

Summary
The Björling ‘<strong>Opera</strong>’
The aim in this chapter was to develop a deeper understanding about the
informal Björling ‘school’ in Sweden. Contextually the example is related
to the micro history of opera education, contributing to the macro perspective
through a provincial example of domestic opera schooling. The specific
focus was on Karl David Björling (1873-1926), the teaching parent of the
Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-1960) and his brothers Gösta and Olle.
The Björling family model of opera schooling belongs to the classic canon
of domestic home education that was common at the time. Within the
field of opera singing it is a significant reference in the historical context of
the Nordic history of vocal education.
The uniqueness of the Björling ‘school’ seemed to be the rigorous and
exceptionally early training. David Björling’s pedagogy was rooted in earlier
German theories of musical upbringing. It is clear from his results that
he was familiar with the neo-humanistic ideal on which the reformed music
education was based. Of specific interest is the term Gesang als Unterricht
as a concept for developing children’s musical and memorising capacities.
Conceptually the roots of the Björling model are in the eighteenth-century
Romantic view of prodigies and their abilities. The extensive touring is
connected to the promotion of wonder-children, and David Björling’s educational
style to the conservative Master-pupil tradition.
David Björling’s vocal ideal was part of the contemporary debate about
“The decadence of the singing art”, and seems to have had its roots in an
older Italian tradition. There are recurring similarities between his educational
methods and the didactic principles of the Lamperti School: Enjoying
a revival around the late 1800s and early 1900s, it has been called the
natural or the national school. Nevertheless, through authentic experiences
and gramophone recordings the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso became David
Björling’s pedagogical role model.
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