Voice Lessons: French Mélodie in the Belle Epoque (review)

Abstract

Voice Lessons: French Melodie in Belle Epoque. By Katherine Bergeron. (The New Cultural History of Music.) New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. [xvi, 400 p. ISBN 9780195337051. $29.95.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, index. In her new monograph, Katherine Bergeron ventures into world of French melodie in Belle Epoque (1880- 1920) with purpose of investigating short-lived yet prolific art form and exploring what it meant to those who first enjoyed it-and, more important, why it mattered (p. ix). Taking her inspiration from graduate course on Gabriel Faure and Marcel Proust that she taught in collaboration with colleague from French department at Berkeley, Bergeron applies interdisciplinary approach to French melodie as whole, trusting that such study will offer new angle on our approach to telling (p. ix). In order to achieve this goal, Bergeron not only considers melodie from musical perspective but also explains its delicacy and restraint through an exploration of social, political, and cultural climates of period. From beginning number of compelling details make reader appreciate Bergeron's hard work and particular dedication during this project. The author admits to taking voice lessons in order to gain a unique perspective on [her] subject (p. xi) and in so doing is able to more clearly take notice of nuances and style heard on period recordings. With this book, Bergeron also includes companion Web site (www.soundidea.org/voicelessons [accessed 20 January 2011]) where reader is encouraged to listen to some of these performances as well as hear author's informed performance of Faure's La Chanson d'Eve. This strategy enriches reading experience and comprehension in rare yet indispensable way considering emphasis her research places on performance practice by contemporaries. Another aid, and one that I deplore is not employed more often in other musicological writings, is marking of music examples in order to draw reader's attention immediately to point under discussion. Finally, it is evident throughout her treatment of various literary texts that Bergeron possesses strong understanding and grasp of French language's nuances, necessary skill for study of fin-de-siecle poetry. Armed with these advantages as well as directness of her writing style, Bergeron tackles topic from various angles. Conscious of her audience's interest in she begins by providing brief history of French melodie, making sure to point out ambiguity and sinuosity related to origins of this genre. Aware of difficult task involved in clarifying and supporting such vague notions as singing without and the muting of expression in music, Bergeron begins with thorough examination of Faure's La Chanson d'Eve (1910), which she believes is representative of French view of melodie as embodiment of delicacy and restraint. Through this analysis she introduces many of key themes that will be further explored in book: quality of voice, French accent, timbre, l'art de dire. Beginning in chapter 2, Bergeron assembles valuable synopsis of history of mandatory education in France and development of common French language for all of French society during early years (the 1870s and 1880s) of Third Republic. This results in background that sheds light on French obsession of that period for clarte and on how various institutions set stage for fixation on pronunciation, which then leads to concept of French accent-the critical importance placed on sound, speech movement, and physiology. Bergeron presents detailed account of various attempts made by modern French linguists during 1880s to uncover mechanics of French language in order to discover best process by which uniform speech may be achieved among population at large. …