Exposition

Tracing the Madness (2025)

Victoria Oftestad

About this exposition

As a tourist in London during the late 17th century, it was mandatory to visit the House of Bedlam, the biggest mental institution in the city. The patients, being considered completely unreasonable, were attributed animalic characteristics, which was reflected in the brutal treatment behind the bars. The ultimate mirroring of the culture of exposing madness could be found in the theatre. Composers for the theatre, in wanting to explore the inability of reason in humanity, wrote The Mad Songs, where the madness is reflected in quick shifts in emotions. These songs have been my tool to gain access to a broader palette of expression in singing. I have developed a handbook of historically informed techniques and documented my process of embodying them, using sources such as Le Brun's "Conférence (...)" (1698); Walter Charleton's "Natural History of the Passions" (1701); Aaron Hill's "The Art of Acting" (1753); and George Vandenhoff's "The Art of Elocution" (1846). My quest for madness has also become a quest for genuinity. When Charles Le Brun conveyed his theory of expression on canvas, he strongly distinguished the difference between painting tense muscles and painting genuine expression. This has become a guideline for my research: in order to gain genuinity, one has to channel a reaction and produce an impulse. This study is an attempt to bridge the gap between now and then, allowing for a deeper understanding of the Mad Songs, as well as encouraging others to dive into theatrical repertoire on its own premises.
typeresearch exposition
keywords17th century, acting, embodiment, English baroque music, historically informed practice, singing, theatre, vocal performance
date18/09/2024
published07/07/2025
last modified07/07/2025
statuspublished
share statusprivate
copyrightVictoria Oftestad
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3013241/3163789
doihttps://doi.org/10.22501/koncon.3013241
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue1. Master Research Projects

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comments: 1 (last entry by Wouter Verschuren - 02/03/2025 at 08:10)