On the First Graduation of Vocalists of the Saratov Alekseyev Conservatory

Abstract

A picture of the initial period of the activity of the Saratov Alekseyev Conservatory, formed in 1912, is recreated based on rare unpublished works from the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, the State Archive of the Saratov Region, the Archive of the Saratov Sobinov Conservatory, as well as its library’s fund of manuscripts. It is revealed that the first final exams, which took place in 1915, were held in accordance with the Charter of the conservatories of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (IRMS), in which all the conditions for the implementation of final tests were included in detail. The Directorate of the IRMS in St. Petersburg appointed the outstanding musicologist and theorist, B.Yavorsky, who had considerable authority in musical circles. A written report by Yavorsky to the Chairman of the IRMS, Princess Elena of Saxe-Altenburg, (the document is introduced into scientific circulation for the first time) contains valuable information that makes it possible to assess the level of vocal training of singers graduating from a higher educational institution. Analysis of the report showed: the presence of all types of singing voices among the students of the conservatory - soprano (coloratura, light lyric, spinto), mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass; the presence of problems in the technical aspect of the performance (lack of a full range and basic vocalisation skills) and performing skills (freedom of behaviour on stage, artistry, charisma, charm, temperament); problems in the repertoire (vocal programs had different complexity for all graduates, although there were all the traditional vocal genres for academic singers: arias and romances by Russian and foreign composers), shortcomings in sound science (presence of tremolation, voice clamp, unrevealed timbre, lack of even sound science, which consists in the heterogeneity of timbre colouring and the non-smoothness of the transitional registers of the singing voice), as well as insufficient musical development for some graduates of a higher educational institution. At the same time, it should be noted that the chairman of the graduation committee, Yavorsky, attached great significance to emotional fullness in revealing the figurative content of the works performed by the vocalists. This criterion was often more important to him than the technical side of the performance. Based on the content of the report, it can be concluded that the level of vocal graduates was generally sufficient for professional activities (although Yavorsky did not always share the opinions of the teachers of the Saratov Conservatory - members of the commission), which indicates effective teaching of solo singing at the initial stage of the activities of the Saratov Alekseyev Conservatory.