"Ancient music – Historical singing" ("Alte Musick – Historischer Gesang") in German Music Universities

Kruglova Elena ORCID: 0000-0001-6565-2083 PhD in Art History Professor, The State Musical Pedagogical Institute named after M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov 109147, Russia, Moscow, 36 Marxistskaya str. elenakruglowa@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Today, Baroque music occupies a strong place in the repertoire of academic singers. At the same time, the importance of stylistic adequacy of its execution increases significantly. Unfortunately, modern domestic stage practice still reveals serious shortcomings in the professional training of academic vocalists in the field of historically grounded singing of compositions of the XVII - first half of the XVIII centuries.

Dynamic and expressive Baroque music, unlike subsequent eras, was created by composers for specific virtuoso singers, and therefore is much more complicated in technical terms. According to the tradition of performance, it became mandatory to introduce improvisational decorations during repetitions, on the farms of the performed works.

Doctor of Philosophy, Professor I. S. Kuznetsova, analyzing the evolution and standards of the aesthetic ideal of music of the period under consideration, rightly points out that "the virtuosity of performance inherent in professional musicians was especially appreciated by those who had a good idea of the complexity and dynamics of musical works.

Baroque music did not just affect listeners, enhancing the drama of their experiences. On the one hand, she caused pleasure, admiration for her beauty, formed the need to listen to her again and again. On the other hand, her drama emphasized the brightness of feelings, spiritual uplift, the desire for heroic efforts ..." ^{[9, p. 67]}.

As if summarizing what has been said, the words of Professor, Doctor of Art History V. N. Kholopova sound: "The paradigm of music established in the Baroque era is distinguished by the correspondence of a high-rising wave of emotional sound and a bright symbolic glow of meaning around it" ^{[14, p. 83]}.

It was at this time, in the Baroque era, that musical culture was marked by the flourishing of vocal art, which received the definition of bel canto (it. - beautiful singing). The significance of Baroque music in art is succinctly defined by V. N. Kholopova: "Baroque music, the beginning of the New Age, was the cultural breakthrough that established the musical paradigm, modern in the broadest sense of the word" ^{[14, p. 92]}.

A completely new content fills the technology of the singing school itself. Captivatingly charming cantilena and flexible coloratura, replete with complex passages and melismatics, subordinate to the expression and transmission of the state of the hero of the performed work - all this distinguishes the style of bel canto, the standard of solo academic singing. The main figure becomes a virtuoso singer, conquering listeners with phenomenal technique and high artistic skill. At the same time, it is important to remember that the peculiarity of the music of the time in question was its so-called conventionality. The musical notation was only the framework of the composition, on the basis of which well-trained singer-musicians composed ornamental coloratura patterns with special ease, complementing the melodic canvas set by the composer. Along with the art of improvisation, they deftly determined the tempo, dynamics in the work, the designations of which were also absent in the musical text. Thus, the Baroque singers were not only performers, but also collaborators of the composer.

Italian vocal art has historically influenced the formation of all national schools of academic singing. Relying on the traditions of bel canto, the musicians strive today to recreate the singing traditions laid down by the ideals of the Italian masters of singing of the Baroque era.The demand for Baroque music in the modern musical world, the active interest of listeners and awareness in the direction of historical performance practice among instrumentalists place increasing demands on the academic vocalist to master this art.

Serious professional training is required to fulfill all the conditions. This problem determines the relevance and novelty of the chosen topic. The object of our research is the curricula for master's degree programs in the profile "historical singing" at German music universities as a guideline in the chosen direction of vocalists' education. The purpose of the study is to determine possible ways of forming a solo academic singer of historical specialization. The methodological basis of the article was historical, analytical methods that contribute to the disclosure of the stated topic in various angles. A comparative method of analysis was used.

The interest in Baroque music in Europe spans more than a century of history. The outstanding Belgian conductor, one of the most sought-after musicians of modern times, Philippe Herrewege, notes that today there are already five generations of authentic musicians ^[13].

In Russia, the revival of music of the XVII-XVIII centuries began in the fifties of the last century. One of the pioneers of Baroque music in our country was Rudolf Barshay - a wonderful musician (violist, conductor), the creator of the first chamber orchestra in the USSR (1955), in whose performance the little-known works of A. Vivaldi, G. F. Handel, J. S. Bach, G. F. Telemann sounded at that time. The activities of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra of R. Barshay are covered in detail in the article by L. Chistyakov ^[15]. In the following years, new collectives specializing in the performance of ancient music are formed with varying intensity. The periods of the formation of authentic performance are covered in sufficient detail in the article by I. I. Kodenko ^[6].

In the field of domestic education, according to the profile of historically grounded practice, a somewhat different picture is emerging. Only in 1997, on the initiative of outstanding musicians Alexey Lyubimy, Natalia Gutman, Nazar Kozhukhar and Mark Pekarsky, the Moscow Conservatory opened the first in Russia and to date the only Faculty of Historical and Contemporary Performance, which trains purely instrumentalists.

It has to be stated that there is currently no specialized training in the direction of historical singing in the domestic academic vocal education. The study of this practice has been carried out to date generically, only in special courses of solo, chamber classes and partly in the class of musical theater. The initial link in the formation and education of solo academic singers who are able to navigate the stylistic features and historical context of the Baroque music performed is our author's course "Fundamentals of Baroque vocal Art", developed and introduced into the educational program "Musical and Theatrical Art. The Art of Opera Singing" at the M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov State Medical University ^[7]. At the Moscow Conservatory, a similar program contains the discipline "History of Vocal Styles", within which the main stylistic features of the vocal culture of the XVIII-XX centuries are mastered, while most of the topics are devoted to the study of the principles of bel canto. However, this is only a small part in the study of historical practice.

In European universities, conservatories and music institutes, there are separate faculties and departments of ancient music that produce qualified performers, including vocalists.

In Germany, ancient music occupies a leading position, while making special demands on the development of a historically adequate style of performance. Serious attention is paid to the study of the traditions of Baroque singing in this country. For a considerable period, there has been a revival of historical performance practice. Various associations of ancient music, united partnerships, communities and centers, as well as the largest music festivals bearing the names of composers of the Baroque era – J. S. Bach, G. F. have been born and are successfully developing up to the present time. Telemana, G. F. Handel.In Europe, there is a Bologna two-level education system: bachelor's and master's degrees.

About the specifics of the content of education and the organization of the educational process, German colleagues say that "the bachelor and master act in this case as instruments or vessels that need to be filled appropriately" ^{[4, p. 65]}. So, at the first of the stages, students receive a basic specialization, and at the second they master a narrower specialization in the chosen direction (it can be as a continuation of the bachelor's direction).

In Russia, in addition to these two levels, a domestic traditional system of training specialists is also possible. At any of these stages of training, vocalist education programs are based on acquiring in-depth specialization and obtaining several qualifications at the same time, including not only a concert / opera singer, but also a teacher. D. A. Astashev rightly writes about the content of domestic educational programs, noting that they are focused "on the professional training of a vocalist in academic singing mainly of the classical-romantic tradition" ^{[2, p. 72]}.

The peculiarities of the intonational nature of the sound of Baroque music are emphasized by Professor, Doctor of Art History, researcher of ways of expressing the spiritual life of a person in musical art V. V. Medushevsky: "The aesthetics of authentic performance of ancient music... strives for the exact observance of the performing manner, protests against the fat, thick sound, against the viscous legato, against the continuous monotonous passionate vibration invented by the XIX century, strives for authenticity of strokes, tempos, dynamics" ^{[11, pp. 8-9]}.As part of the educational process, vocalists study Baroque music, as a rule, in the first years of their studies at the secondary and higher levels of education.

The essential importance of ancient music both for educational purposes and the concert practice of vocalists is described in detail in our article ^[8]. Questions of style in performance are limited to the recommendations of teachers of the smooth and instrumental sound studies of the singing voice, but such an important stylistic issue as the introduction of improvised ornamentation is not practically solved. Student interpretations with variational coloring are usually distinguished by borrowed decorations from performing versions of more or less famous soloists, which, unfortunately, do not always correspond to the Baroque style.

Musicians often speak about the emerging issues of historically grounded singing. Thus, a modern brilliant interpreter of ancient music, Jakub Jozef Orlinsky, in his reflections on the importance of teaching historical practice, says: "For its performance (Baroque music - E. K.), you need to learn a lot. You should be able to sing beautiful slow musical phrases, master coloratura" ^[5].  Maria Maksimchuk, conductor of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich–Danchenko Moscow Academic Musical Theater, head of the Baroque Consort Tempo Restauro, reports that many people love baroque music, "but not everyone knows how to perform it.

<...> it is necessary to skillfully control vibration and sound science, while correctly using vocal decorations" ^[12].In Italian conservatories, undergraduate programs (Biennio Accademico di II Livello ordinamentale), in addition to basic solo singing courses, courses "Renaissance and Baroque Singing" ("Canto rinascimentale e barocco") are offered.

The study programs for these courses at the Italian conservatories (Verona, Venice and Rome Conservatories) are discussed in the articles by D. A. Astashev ^{[2; 3]}. In most German higher schools of music, vocal education in bachelor's degree programs (Bachelor of Music) is implemented similarly to Russian education. Students are offered to master the basic course "Singing" ("Gesang"). In this regard , the reflections of Maestro F. become relevant . Herrewege, who, in a story about the results of working with singers from his choirs, notes that "they are all professional singers, but, of course, their voices and musical thinking are adapted to the music of the XIX century" ^{[13, p. 39]}. 

And yet the exception is large institutes with separate operating entire faculties of ancient music, offering a full course of historical performing practice and, accordingly, obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees in music.

The Master's degree program in Germany, along with the educational courses "Gesang: Konzert" ("Singing: concert") and "Gesang: Musiktheater" ("Singing: musical theater"), offers an independent course on the study of ancient music: "Alte Musik Gesang" ("Singing ancient music"). The above list of master's degree programs for vocalists is indicated by the example of the Higher School of Music in Nuremberg.

In German higher educational institutions, it may have a different name: "Barockgesang" ("Baroque singing") or "Alte musick – Historischer Gesang" ("Ancient music – Historical singing").

Another difference between the German master's degree from similar Italian and domestic programs is that in addition to basic education, a number of institutions offer two of its directions: an in-depth master's program in ancient music ("Alte Musik vertiefend Gesang") and an extended master's program in ancient singing ("MM KA Alte Musik erweiternd Gesang" – the name one of the master's programs at the Higher School of the Arts in Bremen or "Verbreiternd konsekutiver Master Alte Musik historischer Gesang" – one of the master's programs at the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdi Higher School of Music and Theater in Leipzig). The difference in directions is determined by the first (already existing) qualification received. So, if the initial stage of education was carried out according to the programs of ancient music, then the master's student is sent to study under the program of in-depth study of ancient music. On the contrary, the presence of a qualification in the field of art, by analogy with a diploma of domestic higher professional musical education, determines the path to the program of extended study of historically grounded singing. 

Since the specialty and bachelor's degree programs in Russia imply a basic course of mastering solo singing, in order to understand the peculiarities of preparing vocalists to perform ancient music, we turn to a comparative analysis of the educational programs of the basic and advanced master's courses of baroque singing in Higher Schools of Music in Germany.

The Master's degree program in Baroque singing in Germany in these areas is designed for four semesters and amounts to 120 credits. Special attention is paid to the teaching of the specialty, which is given 1.5 hours a week. No less important in the process of forming a master's degree is regular historical performance practice.

Historical data on educational institutions and data on curricula for the preparation of master's programs in the profile of Baroque singing are taken from the official websites of the considered musical educational institutions in Germany ^{[16; 17; 18; 19]}.

The internationally recognized center for teaching ancient music is Bremen Academy of Ancient Music, which since 1994 became part of the Higher School of Arts in Bremen. This educational institution was founded in 1986 and became the first institute in Germany offering a full course of historical musical practice ^[16]. Innovations and specialized education, a combination of specialized classes with a wide concert vocal and instrumental practice give the academy an original character. In addition to teaching the main artistic disciplines, subjects such as "Historical Dance", "Harpsichord", as well as lectures and seminars on music theory and musicology have been introduced into the curriculum, which contribute to the education of students and bring them to the level of highly qualified professional musicians.

The Faculty of Ancient Music offers training in historical performance at all levels of education: undergraduate and graduate.

"Alte Musik erweiternd Gesang" ("Advanced Master's Program in ancient music singing") is the name of one of the areas of study for vocalists in the master's program "Master of Music K?nstlerische Ausbildung (KA) Alte Musik" ("Master of Musical Art Education (KA) Ancient Music") in this educational institution.

The master's curriculum contains a number of subjects on which the practical, theoretical and scientific foundations of ancient music are studied ^[16].  So, the main module includes the following disciplines: specialty "Singing", "Rehearsal in class" (work with an accompanist, as well as participation in rehearsal work with other vocal students) and "Rehearsal" - individual rehearsal work in the vocal class, complementing the basic training.

The purpose of the module "Artistic Practice" is to expand the range of artistic and practical skills beyond the specialty. Students participate in project weeks, orchestra/ensemble projects. Public concert performances include compositions of the XVIII century accompanied by a baroque orchestra or works of the XVI-XVII centuries performed by a larger composition of vocal and instrumental mixed ensembles. The module also involves playing the harpsichord or basso continuo, studying historical systems of musical structure and intonation, practicing various improvisation techniques and their application in accordance with the peculiarities of the style, using historical improvisation manuals (for example, schools of diminution) and developing their own variations, as well as knowledge of the most common historical dances for a deeper understanding of ancient music, based on dance semantics. Thus, the module "Artistic Practice" consists of six disciplines.

The next module – "Theory /Musicology of ancient music" – includes a significant block of musical and theoretical disciplines such as "Musical theory of ancient music / Counterpoint", "Counterpoint", "Notopis", "Manuscripts", "Musical history of ancient music", "Musicology of Ancient Music", "Colloquium on Musicology" "Religious Studies / Mythology". The curriculum also includes a module of elective disciplines.

At the end of the training, a master's project is presented, including a concert and written work. Interestingly, a significant share is made up of artistic and practical disciplines, nevertheless, there are no disciplines of plastic art such as "Gesticulation" in the program, and there are also no disciplines related to the study of a foreign language.

A prominent place in teaching historical performance in Germany is occupied by the Faculty of Ancient Music of the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdi Higher School of Music and Theater in Leipzig, founded in 1992, which also implements all programs of historical performance practice ^[17].

The curriculum of the master's program, similar to the Bremen one, entitled "Verbreiternd konsekutiver Master Alte Musik historischer Gesang" ("Extended Master's program in ancient music. Profile: historical singing") ^[17].

It is the most voluminous in terms of the number of disciplines, which indicates deeper learning and obtaining serious professional skills. So, the main module, which is called the "Main vocal specialized Complex", consists of the following five disciplines: "Historical singing", "Solo rehearsal", "Mandatory instrument: harpsichord", "Gesticulation", "Vocal ensemble".

The module "Theory and practice: chamber music in ancient music" also consists of five disciplines, including "Analysis of primary sources", "Methodology", "Notation", "Historical Organology" (the science of musical instruments and their classification), "Chamber Music".

Further, the curriculum includes courses in Italian and French, compulsory elective subjects and a master's thesis project.

Such a rich training program emphasizes special attention to the formation of a universal, confident, practical and theoretical knowledge and skills of a professional singer.

The curriculum of the master's degree program "Master of Music Historische Instrumente und Barockgesang" ("Master of Music. Profile: historical instruments and Baroque singing") at the Institute of Ancient Music at the Higher School of Music and Dance in Cologne consists of almost similar core modules/competencies, however, filled with slightly different disciplines ^[18]. From the very beginning, attention is drawn to the expansion of time boundaries in the study of music. This program is intended for those who want to study the music of the XVI - XIX centuries in depth. Classes in general bass, ensemble performance, study of Italian, French (if desired) languages, lectures on ornamentation, harmony and musicology, dedicated to the XVII-XVIII centuries, are included in the modules of the curriculum. Meanwhile, the curriculum of the Higher School of Music and Dance in Cologne in comparison with the plan of the Higher School of Arts in Bremen on the list of subjects looks more modest.

The disciplines of the main module include only the Specialty. The volume of requirements for its development is striking. In the process of work, the student must master the stylistics of the correct performance of not only baroque music, but also chamber compositions by composers of the XIX-XX centuries.

The content of the "Artistic and practical module" consists of a number of disciplines: "Ensemble playing", "The practice of playing the general bass", "Fundamentals of Musicology of the XVI-XVIII centuries", "The doctrine of jewelry and the performance of cadences of the XVI-XVIII centuries".

The following requirements are imposed on the "Ensemble Game": knowledge of the basics of the basso continuo game, knowledge of the repertoire of ancient music, as well as instrumental literature of the XIX century, stylistic features of various national schools and epochs, historical sources and treatises; norms of harmony; as well as possession of communication skills in ensemble creativity. The "Practice of playing the general bass" aims to teach the analysis of harmonic structures, as well as to be able to decipher simple basso continuo parts, improvise and ornament cadences. The "Fundamentals of Musicology of the XVI-XVIII centuries" includes not only the study of music science by students, but also the independent writing of a written musicological work. In general, by expanding their knowledge and skills, vocalists have the opportunity to acquire professional skills in the field of historical singing. Reaching a high artistic level, young soloists form their own performing style. 

The Higher School of Music in Nuremberg is the third state Higher Music School in Bavaria, created as a result of the merger of the oldest Meistersinger Conservatory in Nuremberg and the Leopold–Mozart Conservatory in Augsburg in 1998.

"Master Gesang: Barockgesang" ("Master of Singing. Profile: Baroque Singing") is the name of the master's degree program at this educational institution ^[19]. The proposed curriculum for the training of vocalists-undergraduates, unlike the Cologne program, is expanded by disciplines within modules. The main module includes not only the discipline "Specialty", as in Cologne, but also "Learning parts" and "Baroque Opera / Baroque Concert Project", which emphasizes the allocation of more time to the practical singing part in training.

The module "Musical Practice" involves the study of the general bass and ensemble repertoire in various compositions (from vocal to or vocal-instrumental) with special consideration for the historical performance practice of different eras and national styles.

The compulsory module "Language / Science" allows students to expand their knowledge in the fields of history and culture of the period under consideration. Thus, the discipline "Sources / notography" – directs to the study of preserved sources (treatises, manuscripts, manuscripts) according to the traditions of the practice of performance as a basis for historically informed interpretation.

Undergraduates also study "History of Music and Culture" and "Foreign Language" (Italian, English, Spanish). The module of elective disciplines offers: "Performance practice", "General Bass" or "Historical dance". At the end of the training, similar to the programs of other educational institutions for master's degree programs, a dissertation is written.

The training of undergraduates under the "Barockgesang" program at the Higher School of Music in Nuremberg allows singers, along with the improvement of vocal technique, to gain in-depth knowledge of the style and performance practice of the time in question, as well as to master an extensive and diverse baroque vocal repertoire at a high artistic level. At the same time, intensive study of historical sources and literature in the field of Baroque stylistics, as well as the development of several European foreign languages, are mandatory. It is worth noting that there are no disciplines related to the study of foreign languages in the programs of the Higher School of Arts in Bremen, but there are in other Higher Schools under consideration.

The experience of German colleagues, the programs of the course "Historical Singing" / "Baroque Singing", in particular, the disciplines of the considered curricula are seen as promising for implementation in domestic vocal education.

The development of specialized educational programs for the training of vocalists, advanced training courses, retraining, updating of curricula will contribute to the achievement of an integrated approach in the study of historically based performance.

N. Arnoncourt explains in a rather detailed way the features of the "new" education, with whose opinion we fully agree: "Now that old music has become relevant (whether we want it or not), music education should be completely different, based on other principles. You can't reduce learning to where you need to put your finger to get a certain sound, or how to achieve a fluent game. Education, aimed only at improving technology, trains not musicians, but ordinary acrobats. Brahms once said that in order to become a good musician, one must devote as much time to reading as to practicing at the instrument. Actually, this is the essence of the matter today" ^{[1, p. 26]}.

The appeal to the music of ancient masters activates the cultural growth of the singer not only in terms of vocal technique, but in the spiritual and artistic sphere.

Specialized study of Baroque singing traditions and mastering the artistic principles of historical performance will allow creating new models in the education of competitive highly qualified singers with a unique and unique personality, consciously possessing the knowledge, skills and abilities of historically grounded performing practice.