Giacomo Galvani’s method of singing created for Moscow conservatory (in the lens of scientific trends of the 19th century)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of the method of pedagogical work of the professor of the Moscow Conservatory, Italian Giacomo Galvani. This method was outlined in 1882 in the treatise “Practical observations of the vocal apparatus” (“Observations pratiques sur lʹorgane de la voix”). The method is noticeable in the European vocal treatises of the 30-40s of the 19th century towards the convergence of related sciences, including physiology, acoustics, and the history of singing art. It is they who are reflected in the formation of the maestro’s views on the path to improving the technique of staging the singing voice, where the latest knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the vocal and respiratory organs becomes the basis. Thanks to the synthesis of new knowledge stimulated by the spirit of the times, Galvani integrates into his singing method the works of phoniatrist Francesco Bennati and historian Gabriel Fantoni. Thus, Maestro Galvani finds himself at the beginning of an important historical stage in the development of Russian vocal pedagogy, which focused attention on the counter- movement of the science of voice and empirics. The new methods of pedagogical work highlighted in Giacomo Galvani’s treatise, which pay attention to the position of the tongue during singing, its functions in sound formation, and the functions of the diaphragm, give reason to talk about the serious intellectual work of the maestro, built by him on the basis of the principles of physiological expediency.