Tracing the Madness

Victoria Oftestad

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.

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VII Final Conclusions

Research question: How can a study of passions and genuinity inform my performance of the Mad Songs of the late 17th century?

In my investigation of historically informed embodiment, I have allowed the historical understanding of the passions and the discussion of genuinity to guide my interpretation. This has led me to the field of rhetoric, visual art and acting. By using the Mad Songs as a musical tool to explore a broader palette of emotions, I have also explored the concept of madness in performance. As the artistic representation of madness in the Mad Songs is based in the perception of being possessed by passions, but this often limits the availability needed to sing the music, I have been forced to take a stand in the historical discussion of genuinity. This has been manifested in the experimentation of balancing the pure sensation of passions with their artistic representation and musical demands. And since “music speaks louder than words,”¹ I have concluded that the response to the discussion of genuinity can only be found in the effects of its artistic representation. Only in the perception and experience of the artistic choices made, one feels the impact, and thus can decide upon the most effective balance.

With this exposition, I would like to bridge the gap between now and then. While the stylistic representation of emotions on stage has changed since the 17th century, I have experienced that the methods that were used to channel the true sensations of the passions are still applicable today. It is in the moment of transitioning from the privacy of one's own emotions, alone with oneself, to stepping onto the stage that I have discovered the crucial tension: What is the artistic manifestation of truly embodied passion? By delving into only certain aspects of what the late 17th-century Mad Singer would have encountered (while leaving out elements like historical gestures), my scenic representation becomes limited to the movements of my own stage persona. However, my study of the concept of madness and the Restoration Actresses has shown that my personal stage persona and a historically informed interpretation are not incompatible. Adopting the perspective of a Restoration actress, I have used my stage persona's presence as a way to connect with the imagination of the audience, and have thus shaped the sensation of the historically informed passions for the stage of today.

By choosing not to emphasize the stylized gestures when performing, I leave out parts of what is considered important when pursuing a historically informed interpretation. However, as Christopher Page emphasizes - research in the historically informed musical field is motivated by a desire to enrich one’s musicianship. He describes the Early Music movement as “the exercise of a musical imagination that is disciplined, but not ultimately constrained, by a body of historical evidence to which singers and players freely acknowledge a responsibility because they find it enhances their musicianship,”² which I find very encouraging. Rather than developing an entirely new body language for myself based on historical, stylized gestures, I have sought to inform the one I already possess, expressing informed genuinity.

The rapid emotional shifts in the Mad Songs convey something beyond themselves. To achieve historical accuracy in this repertoire, one should not focus on emphasizing stylized body language, but on tracing the performance back to the core of the Mad Songs - the artistic representation of irrationality in the human mind. By allowing the cultural ideas and understanding of the passions in the time conduct the performance, one can access new and unpredictable ways of shaping the repertoire, which essentially deepens the interpretation, and more importantly, the madness.

A Serious Topic

In February 2025, I visited the Bedlam Royal Hospital and its archive. While in the institution's canteen, I caught myself wondering which of the other individuals might be the "mad" ones. I had become a visitor, a spectator—just like those in the 17th century. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Studying perceptions of madness in the 17th century and its connection to the passions has deepened my motivation to explore the Mad Songs. Reflecting on the conditions behind the bars at Bedlam, alongside reading the enthusiastic reports from contemporary visitors, has made me realize the seriousness of this subject. Even though the repertoire reflects a culture that, in many ways, feels distant from our own, it remains relevant and important. It sheds light on a view of humanity that we seek to distance ourselves from, while also calling for sympathy for things we may not fully understand. If we allow the Mad Songs, with their exaggerated portrayal of passions out of control, and a disconnect from the rational soul, to carry the voices of the poor lunatiques behind Bedlam's bars - victims of alienation and an unjust system - the songs become a manifestation of the inhumane view of unreason and mental illness. In this way, the Mad Songs can be a way to highlight the need for inclusion and human compassion. My wish is that this approach, and the exposition as a whole, will inspire others to dive into the world of the Mad Songs.

As previously discussed, the Mad Songs can also reflect the perception of female unreason and their perceived inferiority. Keeping this aspect in mind when interpreting and performing, deepens the expression, as it compels me to portray the characters with respect and sincerity. This, in turn, strengthens my desire for genuine emotional expression. Rather than aiming to entertain, I want to move the audience by using real emotions, and by telling a true story. A story where Mad Bess and the other portrayed women merge with the patients of Bedlam. Understanding the background of the Mad Songs has motivated me to immerse myself in the characters of this genre, rather than remaining an external observer. I have gone from being a visitor to becoming, in a sense, a "Bedlam-mad."

“(...) because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars (...)”³

Footnotes:

1: A popular quote, used, for example, in a song with the same title by Peter, Paul and Mary, Payne/Pease/Scarpiello, Warner-Tamerlain & Crank Music (1982).

2: Page 2013, extract.

3: Kerouac 2011, p. 7

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Victoria Oftestad - Tracing the Madness - 2025