UDC 784
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202304013
Authors
Zhang Menwen,
Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, 125009, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the influence of the Russian singing school on the formation of professional skills of one of the outstanding Chinese opera singers of our time — Guo Shuzhen, whose teacher during the years of study in the USSR was the Russian opera and chamber singer, Professor of the Moscow Conservatory Elena Klimentievna Katulskaya. The studied materials of the Personal File of the Chinese singer from the Archive of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory contain new information, unknown in China, about the years of her studies at the vocal faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Especially significant was the conclusion of Professor E. Katulskaya, made at Guo Shuzhen’s admission to the vocal faculty of the Moscow Conservatory in 1953, where she spoke about the beauty of the entrant’s voice and timbre, her musicality, expressive singing and beautiful diction, noting, at the same time, the lack of formality of the upper register. The stages of opera, pedagogical and concert practice of E. K. Katulskaya are briefly covered. When studying the teaching methods of Professor E. K. Katulskaya, special attention is paid to the consideration of technological aspects, such as the correct mastery of singing breath, the work of the larynx, as well as the use of resonators of the vocal apparatus. The main questions of the theory of vocal art are briefly presented, which were reflected in the articles by E. K. Katulskaya “What Is the Support of Sound?” and “Improving Vocal Skills”.
Keywords
Russian singing school, Guo Shuzhen’s personal file, E. K. Katulskaya, archive, chamber and opera singer, pedagogy
