18 April 2024
Discover this Metaclassique podcast produced at the Villa Viardot in Bougival, in partnership with the Centre Européen de Musique. In this new episode, David Christoffel and his guests explore the scientific and musical debates surrounding the lyric voice in the 19th century, marked in particular by research into the laryngoscope.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there was such a fascination with dynamic contrasts that extreme variations in volume, alternating between very soft and very loud, became part of the common musical vocabulary. At the same time, the importance placed on maintaining a uniform timbre across the full range of a voice or instrument was also increasing.
In an environment eager to scientifically justify artistic expressions, the French Academy of Sciences intervened in 1840, calling on researchers to provide anatomical, acoustical, and physiological explanations for the workings of the human voice. This period saw the emergence of numerous writings on the voice, as doctors and singing teachers, although sometimes discussing different realities, strove to understand the same phenomena.
Among these pioneers, Manuel Garcia Jr, both a doctor and a singing teacher at the Conservatory, distinguished himself by developing a "laryngoscope" to directly observe the functioning of the larynx during singing. This instrument will soon be displayed at Villa Viardot, named in honor of Pauline Viardot, the sister of Manuel Garcia Jr.
It is precisely in this villa, in Bougival, that the Centre Européen de Musique has chosen to celebrate the public reopening of this historic site after its restoration. The first event marking this new era for the CEM was the recording of an episode of the Metaclassique podcast, dedicated to the history of the laryngoscope and the debates surrounding the operatic voice at the height of bel canto.
For this special edition, we welcomed Michèle Castellengo, a CNRS researcher specializing in musical acoustics, Pierre Girod, a historian of the voice and teacher at the University of Toulouse, and Alessandro Patalini, a singing teacher at the Conservatorio Frescobaldi in Ferrara.
Concluding the show, Jorge Chaminé, president-founder of the Centre Européen de Musique, who played a key role in the restoration of Villa Viardot and the acquisition of Manuel Garcia's laryngoscope, also made an appearance.
This episode was produced and directed by David Christoffel, shedding light on a fascinating aspect of musical and scientific history.
To listen again to other episodes of Metaclassique produced in partnership with the CEM: #122 – Vénérer, #141 – Ancrer, and #178 – Européaniser.
Playlist