820 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF 1891 /^.3..^.g,f/.. iflUulV /.r//.a/A^... 3513-1 MT 820.R9™" """"""^ ""'"^ ^''* iiiiWiTCriilteS "' """=81 art:a plan st 3 1924 022 379 295 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022379295 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART A PLAIN STATEMENT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF SINGING IN A SERIES OF INFORMAL CHATS WITH VOCALISTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, PLATFORM-SPEAKERS, AND ALL WHO WISH TO USE THEIR VOICES CORRECTLY BY LOUIS ARTHUR RUSSELL BOSTON OLIVER DITSON COMPANY NEW YORK CHICAGO PHILADELPHIA C. H. DITSON & CO. LYON & HEALY J. E. DITSON & CO. Copyright, MCMVII, by Oliver Ditson Company PREFACE. The following studies treat of the philosophy of the voice and of voice use, and offer suggestions as to the best method of practice for the develop- ment of the speaking voice and the voice in singing. The work is largely made up of essays written during the last ten years for various musical journals, and of lectures before musical institutions. These essays have been rewritten and brought up to date, with reference to the author's further experience and deeper study since their first publica- tion. They have also been placed in practical sequence, and made more didactic, that they may, together with much new matter, form a succinct text book for vocal students (singers and public speakers), and serve as a companion work to the author's books of Practical Exercises, The Essential Practice Material for Singers ; English Diction for Singers and Speakers; and The Singer's Control of Body and Breath. The volume is placed before the pubUc after many requests from the readers of the original essays throughout the country, and also to meet the requirements of the author's pupils now teaching in accordance with the processes herein displayed. Perhaps the cause of the cordial approval that greeted the essays in their original form was, as has been said of them, their " plain speech." So much of vocal literature is written in cumbersome, technical language — or still worse, with fantastic personal theory — the whole subject has become a doctrine of mysteries. To such an extent has this been the fact, it has grown to be the belief of many that the practice of the profession of vocal teaching is a very conspiracy, the innocent student being willfully kept in darkness by the teacher, who exercises every effort to impress upon him the occult nature of the art, and the oracular power of the "professor" or "master." IV PREFACE. The writer stands in the profession as a disciple of the new school of vocal culture, which represents not a method of mysteries, but as far as pos- sible with so subtle an art, a clearly defined process of habit-culture, revealing to the student the known laws of voice production, and endeavoring to sweep away the clouds of fantasy and of mystery, which have for so long been the working material of a large class of theorists and teachers. Nothing is claimed for this series of papers further than that the doctrine is logical and that it is believed to be absolutely the truth; while it is also hoped that the theory is so plainly set forth as to be within the comprehen- sion of the average intelligent student and teacher. While some heresies may be charged against the author, who certainly does not believe in many things formerly considered orthodox, yet it is hoped by him that there will be foutid no evidence of "fantastic fad" or of that great disgrace of the profession, the vanity of a "personal method possessed and known only by its author." The philosophy herein set forth is the result of twenty-five years of vocal teaching, and of inquiring study with the most celebrated authorities; a long and varied experience as. critic and raconteur, and the practical advantages of contact with many artists, not his own pupils, who have sung under the author's baton during twenty-five years of public work as orchestral and choral conductor. There is no thought in the author's mind that in these papers the mooted points shall surely be settled; but if he has succeeded in presenting the topics discussed in a readable and perspicuous way, and can know that these " studies" of a subject so dear to many thousands of persons through- out the land, have been of some assistance in the development of the most sublime of the arts, and in the awakening of the masses to an appreciation of the "common sense" side of voice culture, he will feel that his work has fulfilled its purpose. L. A. R. TABLE OF CONTENTS. SECTION TITLES. PAGE Primary Vocal Law i Commonplace Physiological Terms 4 Philosophy of Voice . 8 Localized Effort 20 The Emotional Effort and Its Source of Power 27 The Floating C^in 31 The Relation of Song to Speech -35 The Singer's Courage 42 Placement , . ..... 45 The Even Scale. (Registers) . . , . ....... 48 Registers 53 Tone Color 62 Placement or Focus Without Resonance 69 The Art of Phrasing 71 GENERAL DIVISIONS. Attack 43 Buoyant Body and Its Poise, The. ... 21 Chest Voice, The 58 Clean Attack; the Legato and the Portamento 71 Coming into Correct Position 23 Control of Color Within the Mouth . 64 Developing of Muscular Power, The 17 Dual Process in Singing, The .... 41 Even Plane of Voice, An . . . 40 Expansion in Singing 3S Expressional Condition; Color. (Covering) . 47 Focus 45 Freedom vs. Stiffness . 9 Involuntary (Functional) vs. Voluntary Effort ........... 28 Larynx, The , . 61 "Let Go" While "Holding On" 30 Local Effort vs. Automatism .... 8 Muscular Power .................. 14 V VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Mouth, The Open 33 Movements of the Various Parts op the Vocal Apparatus ...... 6 Nature vs. Art 26 Nuance . 73 Plane op Tone and of Effort, The 39 Poise, Counterpoise, and Equipoise 11 Quality of Tone 43 Reflex Tension ... 28 Registers, Wrong Use op . 59 Remedying Bad Register Action , 56 Resonance in Speech and in Song 37 Singer's. Sensation, The. (The Fervent Voice) 24 Singing Efforts? What are the. 12 Smiling Looseness, The 42 Stroke of the Glottis. (Attack) . . ... ........... o 49 Throat, The Open 31 Throat and the Spine, Thf 29 Training of the Tongue, The. 32 Whisper as a Guide, The 47 TOPICAL INDEX. Artistic Balance, ii. Artistic Color; 47. Attack of a Tone, The, 44. Automatic Control of Muscular Tissue, 15. Automatism, g. Beauty of Singing, The, 50. Beginner in Voice Culture, The, 56. Body, The, 22. Breath Management, 28. Cadence, The, 74. Chest Tones, 59. Chief End of Song is to Say Something, The, 74. Chin, The, 72. Close of Words and Phrases, 73, 74. Color, as Applied to Tone, 62. " Coming into Position," 23. Control of the Inner Mouth, 65. Covering the Tone, 67. Depend on the Body for the Physical Burden of Singing, 42. Distinctness of Utterance, 70. Efifort in Singing, The, 20. Elasticity in Firmness, 12. Expressive Nuance, 73. Firm and Direct Attack, 51. First Study of the Vocal Student, The, i. Floating Chin and Free Tongue, The, 31. Freedom (in art), 10. From Inertia through Relaxation to Buoy- ancy, II. Glottis, The, 49. " Head-voice " should be Beautiful, 60. Heavy Voices, Contraltos and Bassos, 59- Height of the Chest, The, 21. How Shall the Student be Taught Reg- isters ? 55. Human Voice is the Richest in Over- tones, 63. Intensity of Emotional Expression, 27. Legato Style of Singing, 72. " Let Go," The, 23. Lip Shapinj, 32. Local Effort, 8. Main Singing Effort, The, 13. Metallic Voice, The, 69. Muscular Stiffness and Surplus of Breath, 2. Musical Quality of a Tone is Due, 43. No Tone Should be Reached for, or Pushed into, 40. No Vowel can be Sung without a Stroke of the Glottis, 52. Normal Shape of the Front Mouth in Singing, 65. Perfect Legato, 72. Personal Expression, 9. Phrasing in Singing, 71. Placement, Correct, 45. Plane of Tone, 39. Portamento, 73. Pronouncing Tongue Consonants, 65. Pure Tone and No Noise, 51. Quality of a Tone, 43. Reflex Tension or Reflex Action, 28. Registers in the Human Voice, 58. Restraint at the Waist, The, 38. Serious, Dignified (sombre) Color of Voice, The, 47. Shoulders, The, 22. vm TOPICAL INDEX. Singer's Sensation, The, 24. Singing is Intensified Speech, 35. Stiffness, 10. Teaching of Tone DeKvery, 59. Tension Without Strain, 12. Thin Nasal Tone, The, 69. To Cultivate Power with Muscular Free- dom, 18. To Sing Well not an Easy Task, 1. Variety-Stage Voice, 69. Voices Show the Break, 57. Vowel Color, 64. When the Body is Buoyant, the Throat is Open and Free, 45. Young Singers. 69. THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART PRIMARY VOCAL LAW. To sing well is not an easy task, yet when one is well equipped with correct subconscious habits properly established, it appears a simple matter, not only to the listening spectator, but to the singer himself; and this apparent ease of singing, to one who " knows how," is so deceptive as to cause us to think "effort" entirely lacking; but if we allow this illusion to prevail we soon find that, to attempt to sing without controlling muscular effort, will surely bring disaster. The apparent ease of correct singing is due to equi- poise. We must learn to know the distinction between correct effort and strain. It is a lack of regard for this difference which leads so many writers and teachers astray in their doctrine; and we read and hear much of doctrine set forth as fundamental truth, which, in fact, is far beyond funda- mental, and reaches into the results of most thoughtful and long-continued practice of fundamental conditions of muscular development and control. To be told, for instance, that no local effort is to be allowed, and all that is necessary is to let the body assume a "free, flexible condition" or position, and that we will then sing automatically, is to be led into a most grave form of error; for this free, flexible condition, coupled with correct automatism, is the result of a thoughtful process of development through devices of study which include absolute local control. The first study of the vocal student is development of automatic control of the body, so that functional life-sustaining respiration shall become an active power for art use. This is the study of poise, counterpoise, and 1 ^ THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. equipoise, bringing at last elastic, buoyant freedom of body and correct automatic action. When the body habitually assumes a correct poise and properly disposes of the effort of singing, the throat is freed from stiffness and the vocal apparatus (the throat and mouth with their various parts) is allowed to operate in complete and exact response to the will. This con- dition, so simple in its perfection, but so difficult for many to attain, allows the student to sing in such a way as gradually to develop the voice in purity, variety of color, and in power. At this stage of development, where the body takes the physical burden, as it should, the throat, freed from all stiffness, quickly adapts itself to the will's demands, and through a most interesting process of study, artistic results reward the student in the shortest possible time. This physical con- dition gives us the power to "let go" all muscular strain, it allows nature to do her part of the singing effort, and cultured will to control the entire mechanism of the voice without interference of any sort on the part of the unneeded muscles. In turn, this freedom of throat and mouth and auto- matic control of body and breath dismiss the usual difficulties which beset the vocal student, and permit the voice to respond to the will so freely as soon to be able to reproduce the " mental concept" with fair clearness; thus the student with acute ear and a reliable model, having accomplished the fundamental requirements of physical " condition," will readily learn to control correct "action," and soon be on the highroad of art culture. If however, these fundamental studies be neglected, the student will find the study of singing full of seemingly insurmountable difficulties; and local effort in making the vocal organs do the will's bidding will play havoc with the voice, and artificial results will always follow, regardless of the most conscientious study. We should, then, direct our study closely to the fundamentals, until the correct conditions are assured; we should also cultivate the ear to a fine point of discriminating judgment, and work with mind and body in closest sympathy. When this condition is reached, we say " it is now not so much making as allowing one's self to sing or to talk well." Muscular stiffness and surplus of breath are the two great destroyers of beautiful tone. We are rid of one, the other is under control, and we PRIMARY VOCAL LAW. i are ready to sing. There is still much ahead of us, but it is almost exclu- sively mind culture. The physical members are responsive and awaiting orders from the will. To bring about this excellent condition, this free, unrestrained, respon- sive state, is often diflScult, especially with adults with many acquired habits, and it will not suffice for the teacher to call for freedom, breath control, etc.; these must be induced by various pedagogic devices. It is enough now to say that a great part of the true teacher's work is toward this condition of freedom, and that, when this is reached, the rest is a simple and delightjul process 0} growth through continuous use of the voice, studying technical exercises, songs, and arias. This reads well and sounds almost too easy, but it is really the truth. Of course there is much study, much earnest work to be done, but in the main it is mental, i.e., the establishment oj proper ideals ; correct appreciation 0} tone quality ; a true conception 0} that subtle sensation which so plainly tells the initiated of the poise of the voice; a clear comprehension of that priceless thing almost lost to us to-day, legato speech in song ; phrasing ; nuance of force and tone color, all that goes to make up what we know as expression, and those more superficial yet quite essential items of agility, scale and arpeggio passages, etc. The study of these will fill the years of student life most effectually. So, let us address ourselves to the study of poise and equipoise of the muscular system, with the end in view that we shall induce a subcon- scious habit which we know as Automatism, all directed to the control of natural respiratory forces, so that they will, without local attention, serve us in the art work, while we sing, or speak. Note: At this point, if not before, the reader should make sure that he understands the elementary terms of Vocal Phraseology, and the move- ments of the various parts of the vocal apparatus. COMMONPLACE PHYSIOLOGICAL TERMS. Plain talk appears essential in any treatise on Voice Culture. There is much of scientific fact regarding the proper use of the voice with which the student need not be familiar, and much of this I shall omit, referring the reader who wishes to delve into these depths, to the many works on vocal physiology, most of which are more learned than practical. But even in such a purely practical treatise as this is intended to be, there must be included the discussion of some physiological facts of which the student must know, else even the simplest discussion of the philosophy of voice will fail in intelligibility. The singer must know of his body, limbs (arms and legs), head, and neck. The body (torso) is the main workshop of the singer, and there are a few specific muscular centers in the body (virtually forming the body), bone surfaces and joints, of which all should know, and over which the will should have complete control, altogether, in groups of parts, or singly. (See Body and Breath, by the author of this work.) The singer, fully to comprehend the physical side of the vocal effort, must see, as it were, insidq as well as outside of his body, so that he may . differentiate muscular action closely and accurately. This power includes what we call introspection. (a) The principal muscular groups of the body are, the abdominal surrounding the abdomen; the costal, covering the ribs at the sides; the dorsal, reaching to the spine; and the diaphragm, separating the upper and lower cavities of the body. (6) The two (upper and lower) cavities of the body are: — ist. (Upper.) The thorax, surrounded by the chest walls, and within which are the lungs and heart; and 2d. (Lower.) The abdomen, containing the digestive organs, etc. (c) The hones oj the body of most interest to us at this time are the spine (back-bone); the ribs, floating and fixed; the sternum (breast-bone), and 4 COMMONPLACE PHYSIOLOGICAL TERMS. 5 the clavicle (collar-bone). The arms attach to the body at the collar-bone; the joints here are the shoulder joints. The legs attach to the lower body at the hip joints. The upper and lower parts of the body are connected by no bones except the spine. The head is connected to the body at the neck, with only the spine for the bone connection. At all of these points of junc- ture, the body or the adjoining members can move in various directions, giving the freedom of movement necessary for the ordinary physical energies. {d) The neck contains the throat, and through the neck, surrounded by a mass of muscular tissue, pass the trachea (Windpipe) and oesophagus (gullet). (e) The head includes the ears, the nose, the eyes, the chin, and the mouth (and, of course, the brains). The construction of the mouth in- cludes the two hps (in front), the cheeks (both sides), the hard palate (front roof), the soft palate (back roof), the pharynx (back wall against the spine), the uvula (soft pendant from the soft palate, hanging down toward the tongue), the floor of the mouth, under the tongue, forming also the under siu-face of the chin at the neck. (/) Within the mouth are the tongue, rooted in the muscles of the neck, and reaching its tip out to the front of the mouth; the teeth, resting in the upper jaw, behind the upper lip and in the lower jaw or chin, behind the lower lip, both upper and lower teeth reaching around, back to, or near, the inside siu-face of the cheeks. At either side of the tongue, following the line of the soft palate at the uvula, are the pillars of the throat, along- side of which are the tonsils. This point across the back of the mouth is sometimes spoken of as the veil of the throat. ^ The open space at the back of the mouth, surrounded by the soft palate, the tongue, and the pillars, is called the fauces. {g) Within the trachea at the throat is the larynx, the outside walls (cartilages) of which form what we know as the Adam's apple. Within this laryngeal space are the two vocal cords, which when we use the voice (as we say) are brought together by a complex muscular mechanism and are put in vibration by the breath which i? sent from the lungs. b THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. THE MOVEMENTS OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE VOCAL APPARATUS. It will be seen that we are carrying this study of anatomy to no great detail. I am only mentioning such parts as the singer will need to con- sider individually in his practice. We will now glance at the broadest classes of movement of these parts, passing over the movements of the body, the limbs, and the head at the neck, all of which movements are well known and need no telling here. (a) The chest (thorax wall) may be expanded or contracted by the action of the diaphragm, the rib muscles, the dorsal muscles, and the abdominal muscles. These muscles act both voluntarily and involuntarily. (6) The larynx may at will be raised or depressed, by muscles seated in the neck. (c) The back mouth at the throat may be opened or closed by a depres- sion of the larynx; by a spreading of the parts spoken of as the veil of the throat (enlarging the space named the fauces), and by a flattening of the tongue. (All of these things occur in yawning.) (i) The tongue can move in practically any direction; it can be drawn back, curled over toward the throat, or under into the lower jaw, its tip thrust into the cheeks or far in front past the lips. It can flatten itself so that it lies out, as if it were the floor of the mouth; it can wobble from right to left, or flap itself up and down at the tip, and it can be taught to do these many contortions with great speed. A complete conception of the possibilities of the tongue's movements and a control of the same is an important item in the singer's culture. (e) The cheeks can be puffed out or drawn in. (/) The soft palate can be raised or allowed to drop toward the tongue. {g) The lips can be separated (opened apart), puckered, drawn in toward the teeth, and spread sidewise (as in a grin). Let the student be sure that every item of this simple exposition of every- day happenings of the body be fully understood, every part placed in the mind's eye, and every motion ynder control, for some of these things occur COMMONPLACE PHYSIOLOGICAL TERMS. 7 when they should not, and some should, occur when they do not; therefore every one who expects to sing well should have these elementary muscular actions under mental control. Practice before a mirror. We may broadly divide singing into three processes, i.e., Breathing (the motive power), Phonation (the mere voice at the larynx), Quality, includ- ing Speech (Enunciation), and character of tone. All of these will be treated specifically later. As each of these processes is the result of muscu- lar action, the subject of the mechanics of voice culture is one of muscular control, and it is in the diversity of terms used in expressing muscular con- dition and action that the vocal student finds his greatest distraction and often his undoing. The Breathing process is done exclusively by the muscles of the body acting upon the lung tissue. Phonation is the work of the vocal cords vibrating by the force of the air current from the lungs (thorax). The making of tone character (beautifying the tone), and the forming, so to speak, of tone into articulate speech, is the work of the oral cavity (upper throat, front and back mouth, etc.) and the movable parts of the mouth. PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. LOCAL EFFORT VS. AUTOMATISM. Local Effort. — Local eSort, or more particularly, its avoidance, is the watchword of many theorists of the rational school of voice culture. If one wills to hft with the right hand and arm a weight of considerable resistance, he will localize (place) the effort by direct will in the muscles of that hand and arm and lift the weight; again, if one wishes to walk across a room, he will simply will to go to the opposite side of the room, quickly or slowly as the impulse directs, and his legs take him there without a thought of how they move. In the first instance there is local effort in the hand clasp and the tension of the muscles of the arm, which prepare themselves for the resistance of the weight; in the second case the thought is directed to the result alone. If one wishes to say the syllables oo oo oo, e e e, and he puckers for the oo and spreads his lips as in grinning for the e, he will localize the effort, giv- ing direct attention to the place of vowel sounding; while if one says in the normal colloquial way, "Do me the favor," with the mind directed upon the thought and not upon the manner of its expression at the lips, there will be no local effort, the will being directed to the result. If one desires to sing a song, and begins his singing by willfully contracting the diaphragm,- spreading the ribs, raising the shoulders, and fixing his throat muscles in certain ways, this process would be through local effort; while, on the con- trary, if he knows how to sing and simply thinks of his song and its musical beauty and its sentiment, he will direct his voice only toward the final result, without thought of how he reaches it; and this is the reverse of local effort. Let these statements be carried in the mind for future reference. Briefly stated, local effort in singing wills the manner of reaching a result in muscular action : the true process in art is to will the result only; how it is done is not to be considered. To avoid local effort is a result of advanced culture; the novice, in seeking results, must 'first localize his efforts. PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 9 i Automatism. — The very antithesis of local effort is automatism. Au- tomatism is subconscious habit in control of processes. Conscious effort is local effort. Through the practice of specific muscular action, with the will directed to the place and the manner of action, automatism is finally induced. If the mind be occupied with the thought of how the physical conditions are being operated, the art work is defective, because of mental distraction. In art the mind should be allowed, all possible freedom from restraint and distraction, that it may devote itself entirely to the expression of the thought, and this can never occur unless the physical means of expression be, so to speak, self-acting, automatic; a condition which can only obtain when subconscious control has taken the place of conscious local effort. Automatism is the final result of physical culture, toward which all voice study should tend. Without it, freedom can never exist, and the art product will be defective, stiff, awkward, and will fail, to be reaching or emotionally truthful. Without correct automatic habit, everything we do displays the effort and destroys the illusion, so necessary in art, of spontaneity; the result is crude and carries the impress of uncouthness. It marks itself at once as amateurish. FREEDOM VS. STIFFNESS. There is no personal expression without effort. — It is the requirement of the artist to conceal the effort, and to give no evidence of anything but of the spirit, in free expression of its emotion. Under great emo- tional excitement the action of the heart is accelerated, the breath comes in quick respiration, the bosom heaves, etc., and every action appears to be the result of the emotion. The cry of fright finds its carrying power through intense muscular action, but it is all an unconscious effort on the part of the affrighted one. So all feigned or simulated emotion in artistic expression depends for its power and its expressional character upon muscular tension; but to be effective, this power of muscle must be in perfect freedom, unrestrained, else the result will feel the effects of stiffness, the great hindrance in all expressional art. 10 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. The uncultured singer or public speaker is never able to reach emotional climaxes in his work without ill result of some sort, because of lack of freedom. The woodsman who fells a tree without a perfectly free sweep of the arm controlling the ax, will waste much tissue in his awkward action, and realize less of force from his stroke and also less of accuracy of blow; he will soon tire, will suffer from overstrained muscles, and possibly injure himseU physically through sheer awkward overtension, while his fellow- worker makes every stroke count; he relies on the ax's weight for some of the force needed; he frees himself from all restraining effort, he avoids all interfering muscular tension, and fells his tree in less time, with much less effort, and in a much more finished way than the other. This is all the result of freedom. By freedom (in art) we mean non-inter jerence of unneeded muscles. Stiffness is due to an attempt to use muscles not required for a desired result. A muscle .under tension contracts and thickens; this thickening (bunching of the tissue) of unneeded muscle interferes with the needed muscles, by pressure against them; thus the necessary muscles at the moment have not only to perform the required duty, but they also have to resist this restraining pressure of the interfering muscles. Let us consider this multiplied energy. First, there is the energy required to put the neces- sary muscles in tension. Second, there is the energy consumed by the tension of the unnecessary muscles (the interfering muscles are often in the greatest tension). Third, there is the additional strain upon the necessary muscles, resisting the pressure of the interfering tissue, against which odds the former must perform the work in hand. Fourth, there is what is called sympathetic tension, which extends sometimes throughout the muscular system. This latter class of contraction is often so extreme as entirely to stop the action of the muscles under the direction of the will, and the result is absolutely no action whatever. The needed muscles are clogged by con- tracting tension. This is seen in complete stage fright, or in the effort to walk a narrow pathway over some dizzy height, etc. There is no need of carrying the explanation farther; it requires no great penetration to see how the required effort is doubled or quadrupled when the muscular system is not under perfect and automatic control. Great results require great PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 11 efforts, but the effort must never exceed the requirement, and no unneeded muscle must interfere through tension, else the balance is destroyed and what we call equipoise is lacking. POISE, COUNTERPOISE, AND EQUIPOISE. There is no artistic balance or poise without counterpoise. — To stand erect indicates a certain balance of forces. Released from all tension of muscle, inertia ensues and the body sinks to the ground; under too great a tension of muscle, the body also loses its balance, and is either deprived of all power of moving from its fixed position, or topples over one way or 2 nother. From Inertia, through Relaxation to Buoyancy. — The mastery of a true equipoise is one of the final accomplishments of the singer; it is a delicate operation, and so subtle in its sensations as to mislead many theorists into the belief that it is quite a natural thing, or at worst an easy accomplishment. Buoyancy is the opposite of inertia; in art, relaxation does not mean complete release from tension, for that is inertia. By relaxation in art (referring to singers) we mean the relaxing of all extreme tension, and the entire release of unneeded muscles from any tension what- ever. This latter condition, however, is purely elemental, for in artistic poise every muscle of the body is in more or less of sympathetic activity, always ready to respond to any call of the will, though not necessarily in constant contraction (tension). Bodily buoyancy is the perfection of equi- poise. The healthy child has it while at play; it makes the body lithe, it causes the eyes to sparkle, it induces what we term lightheartedness; the body fairly floats in the air; the feet seem but lightly to touch the ground; we feel as if, were there but a little more of the condition, we could veritably lift ourselves into space. There is no interfering muscular tension, yet every nerve and every muscle feels as if in activity; we "fairly tingle," as with an electric current passing through us; momentarily at least, the body, the spirit, and the mind are in perfect health, ready for any call of the will. This is equi- poise, this is buoyancy, the body can move in any direction, every joint is free, every muscle firm but elastic. 12 THE COMMONPLACES OP VOCAL ART. Elasticity in Firmness. — This elastic firmness is one of the physical paradoxes. Everything is in activity, all is tension; there is a certain sort of relaxation, but nothing approaching flaccidity; the body is in elastic muscular tension, evidencing firmness, but there is no rigidity anywhere; every part of the body is alert, ready for action. When the call comes from the wiU to "do," there are no undue tensions to be relieved, every muscle is quickly responsive; the chest has its position, the head is properly poised upon the neck, the neck is flexibly firm, the body is joyously ex- panded, buoyant, free, elastic, resting, as it were, upon the hips as lightly as if it were but an inflated balloon. The throat is open, the nostrils fairly dilate in the most free sort of respiration, the breath seems to ebb and flow as lightly as a babe's; everything waits upon the mind in absolute freedom from restraint. These conditions are not secured by the student without culture ; a close study of specific details with local effort is essential to bring about this buoyant sensation, which must be the automatic habit of the singer if he wishes to have free scope for the expression of his emotions in song. WHAT I ARE THE SINGING EFFORTS ? Tension without Strain. — One of the most delicate thoughts regarding the physical phenomena of singing is "How shall we have tension of muscle without strain?" and here follows a vital question, one which must be com- prehended completely by the singer, else his work will never be sponta- neous. We are often told that to sing is to "breathe easily, naturally," and to "use correct enunciation," "just open the mouth and without effort let the soul express itself." This all sounds easy, and were it true would be a delightful condition of affairs, making it possible for the whole world to sing, for all have souls, and all can readily learn to breathe without effort and to speak their mother tongue intelligibly. But, unhappily, we cannot sing by mere breathing and opening of the mouth and letting the soul exp-ess itself; this fact appears to me to have been clearly demonstrated in the preceding paragraphs. There is effort in singing; it is not simply a natural process, but is the result of culture leading to a complete control PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 13 of energies. Now the questions arise, What are the singing efforts ? What muscles do the work ? How can we control a proper effort ? How can we prevent any interfering effort ? How shall we know the amount of effort required, and how avoid over effort, or strain ? The main singing effort (physical) is that of breath control; another singing effort is correct position of body, neck, head, and of the Umbs; another singing effort is that of control of the mouth and upper throat. All of these centers of control require certain physical conditions, without which the result in art is injured. Of course we know that all physical effort is by muscular tension. There is a certain amount of muscular tension which is almost functional; the balance of the body in standing,, walking, or, in fact, in sitting; the poise of the neck supporting the head, every habitual position of the body or its members; the merest closing of the lips, requiring, as it does, the holding of the chin up, etc., all are due to tension of muscle; release this tension entirely and the body sinks to the floor, the chin drops, we are as if dead. This "ordinary" tension differs with individuals; some walk erect, and with elastic step, others "stoop" at the shoulders and walk in a "slipshod," laggard way. We all know which of these conditions is preferable, and which indicates vitaUty. The processes of art require that these normal conditions of tension shall be fiuther vitalized, and the question at once arises, How much, more of tension is required for breathing when singing than for the everyday activities of life ? The tendency, when increasing the tension for any purpose whatever, is to "overdo," to make a prodigal use of muscular force, and while in some lines of activity the purpose may be accomplished in spite of over effort (as, for instance, one may, in lifting one hundred pounds, exert enough energy to lift two or three hundred pounds), the result is accomplished, but there is great waste of tissue. In singing, however, overtension causes not only waste of energy, which is perhaps a negative wrong, but it positively in- jures, and perhaps forbids, the result sought. If we contract the breathing muscles to too great a tension, a stiffness ensues which hinders the singing process; if we open the front mouth or the back of the mouth too wide, the muscular effort stiffens the entire throat and neck, and prevents the tone's 14 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. proper emission and correct formation into a beautiful musical phrase. If we hold the chest rigidly high, the muscles are in too extreme tension and the throat is interfered with, to the detriment of its freedom, so necessary in singing. So we see that we must have vitality, tension beyond the normal, if we are to sing; we must not, however, have too much nor too little; we must have just enough. Too little tension is flabbiness through which artistic expression never can come; and on the other hand, too much tension is sti£Fness, strain, which also acts as a barrier through which the true voice cannot come. How then shall we know how much of tension is necessary and how shall we differentiate between correct and sufficient tension, and too much tension? MUSCULAR POWER. The most important thing to know about muscles is how to make them passive. They should be ready to act instantly when called upon. In order to do this they must not be in a state of rigidity. We all work too much when we sing. There is too much getting ready. Too much tension. Too much taking hold and not enough letting go. Too much rigidity, not alone at the throat but throughout the entire body. Too much thinking of muscles and not enough consciousness of good tone quality. When the pupil has learned 'to make himself physically passive, to devitalize the vocal mechanism so that all parts may be ready to respond automatically to his thought, he will have no further trouble with physical processes. His throat will open in just the right manner to produce the quality he is trying to express. His tongue will be just where it ought to be without trying to put it there, and he will be able to sing with comfort to himself and others. Between flabbiness and stiffness there is a middle state which we call balance. This is the condition of buoyancy spoken of in the preceding paragraph. Let us experiment in the search for this middle state, this balance of effort, which supplies enough, but not too much muscular force. PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 15 In cultivating automatic control of muscular tissue we must learn to think minutely, and to watch closely, the sensations of effort, as we study the results of effort. Let us use, as an example, the process of opening the pharynx (the back mouth and upper throat). We will first take the two extremes of back mouth action, "tight closure" and ''great opening." Willing, to violently say "go" we stop as in stammering upon the con- sonant, several times repeating it, thus, g-g-g-g-go. Notice closely the feeling of pressure of the back of the tongue upward, and of the soft palate downward, each toward and against the other. Now suddenly change the effort and open the throat and back mouth (the fauces) wide, for a good hearty yawn; notice the stretching of the soft palate upward and sidewise; the uvula recedes, often quite out of sight; the tongue flattens and its back part recedes, as it were, into the throat (more truly into the neck). In either of these experiments muscular tightness or stiffness will ensue, and we feel the strain which, if long continued, will become painful. Third ex- periment: While holding the yawning position, endeavor to repeat the word "go" or "gay" as in the first exercise, contracting violently for the con- sonant (g), not quickly, but slowly, feeling the stammering contraction as a somewhat prolonged pressure of tongue and palate together; separate the lips and teeth (open the front mouth) so that with a mirror these conditions of the inner mouth may be seen and carefully noted, as to the appearance as well as to the internal sensation. These exercises are not for long practice, for they are conditions to be finally avoided; we are simply using them In the study of sensation in "overstrain." Now, when these con- ditions are realized and under control, we enter into the practice of the more subtle condition of artistic tension, just enough of muscular effort to allow the throat its proper opening and correct vitality. Exercise : When the back mouth is opened in the yawning strain, quickly "let go" the extreme tension, but do not allow the muscles to relax to a condition of flabbiness; simply will to hold the mouth and throat open without the yawning strain. We feel the " let go " sensation and to a slight extent the tissue, released from extreme tension, drops from its wide-spread con- dition; but if with the eye (with aid of mirror) and by a close attention to the sensation within (introspection), we see to it that the opening does not 16 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. materially lessen in dimension, we shall soon learn just the right "feeling," and we will have the "wide open throat" so often called for, and without strain, the tension being just sufficient. The " let go " is of the strain; the correct tension still holds the throat and back mouth open, but it is now " jreely open" not "stiffly open." Every needed muscle is in what we calj active, responsive condition. These exercises should be practiced with the jaws closed and also with the chin dropped (closed and open front mouth), that from the first of this sort of practice the student may realize that the " open mouth " condition for singing is largely a condition of the hack mouth, not a separation of the jaws at the teeth; such a manner of practice also cultivates a fine power of differentiation as to the various parts of the mouth. Perhaps a simpler experiment in this thought of tension without strain will be the following: Take a small plate or saucer of from four to six inches in diameter (according to the size of hand), spread the fingers around its rim and hold it as if it were very heavy. Gradually relieve the strain of the fingers against the rim, until at last the finger pressure is just enough to hold the saucer; then finally, with the other hand quietly take the saucer from the holding hand, which to allow this, still further relieves the clasping pressure. The hand still remains open, the fingers still hold as if the saucer were within their grasp; but all strain is now off, except that almost unconscious and quite imperceptible tension which keeps the hand open to the finger tips, ready if called upon at any instant to resume the added pressure, if the call of the will were made, to hold the plate. This experiment may also be made without the use of a saucer; the hand first assuming the strained position as the throat does in yawning. This experiment with the hand gives a more plainly visible exposition of the yawning exercise, and they both, if carefully practiced, will give a true idea of the principle so vital in singing, and especially as applied to the condition of the throat and mouth which we know as "correct tension without strain or stiffness." PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 17 THE DEVELOPING OF MUSCULAR POWER. The development of muscular power up to the point of a perfect equi- poise is a most interesting process. The fine art of local muscular control, leading to automatism, is in the power which brings response from any muscle or set of muscles without the slightest interference, or in fact even the most harmless sympathetic contraction on the part of any other muscle or muscles. Let us experiment. Place upon a table the following articles: a pin, a pocket knife, an ordinary sized book, a three or four pound flat-iron, or any other set of everyday articles readily at hand of about this succession of relative weights. Sit or stand easily at the table, and with as slight an effort as possible raise the pin (pick it up) and place it at some other point on the table. There will be no appreciable effort, and seemingly ho muscular tension. Move the pin from place to place several times; now change the action, doing the same thing with the next heavier article (the pocket knife), placing it from point to point on the table; now alternately pick up and replace the pin, then the knife several times; after which raise the next heavier article (the book), doing the same as before; after several movements of the book, alternate the action with the other two articles, then at last carry the exercise on to the fourth article (the flat-iron), doing the same as with the others. Note carefully the muscles of the hand and arm and finally of the body at the shoulder, seeing that only the required tension is used in each case. For the heavier weight the hand grasp is tenser (tighter) and the muscles in the arm harden and thicken. After each picking-up of an article relax the muscles entirely and let the hand and arm drop to the table; use no more energy than is absolutely required in each case, and feel assured that no part of the body or of the limbs is in contraction, unless absolutely required. As a fiu-ther experiment; with one hand, lift the lighter article and with the other lift a heavier one, alternating at pleasure among the four or more articles, always noting that there is a perfect independence of effort, one hand interfering in no way with the doings of the other. This simple experiment teaches us to differentiate muscular effort, both as to the degree of effort (much or little) and as to its locality (one muscular center 18 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. or another). It also shows us that great strength is attained by muscles in combined effort (contraction), and that two muscles or two sets of muscles may be under control of the will at one time doing different things; the other muscles, unneeded for either of the efforts, being in perfect freedom, or in the greater efforts (lifting heavy weights or the like) certain muscles of the body " brace " us for the effort (as a fulcrum under a lever), supporting the more active members in their muscular effort and creating a physical "balance." Let us carry the experiment one step farther. Walk across the room with elastic step, breathing with rhythmic regularity, deeply, fully; swing- ing the arms loosely in all directions, bending the body at the waist (hips), as if bowing, also in all directions, and bowing the head lightly on all sides. While making all of these motions as gracefully, as easily as possible, quietly but suddenly grasp with one hand the back of a not too large or heavy chair, lift it off the floor and raise it either at the side or in front of you with extended arms, as high as you can without extreme, straining effort. At the same time keep up the loose, elastic motion of the other arm and the neck, and as far as possible, with the body at the hips; raise the feet alternately and lightly from the thigh, kick out in front and back, noting that in all these moving joints there is a perfect freedom of action, quite as much, in fact, as before raising the chair, except perhaps in the case of the muscles at the waist; these will not have quite the same freedom as before, yet a swaying of the body is quite easily controlled and must be insisted on. If there be no chair in the room small enough (light enough) some other object may be used. Let it now be noted that the large muscles of the body are necessarily called into action, the body braces itself for this extreme effort and adds counterpoise, offsetting both the weight of the object lifted and the muscular tension of the lifting member; the insistence upon the freedom of the other muscular centers insures us against interfering contractions, the body, being the strongest muscular center (at the waist), assumes the burden of effort (a very girding on of the loins), and we have in evidence extreme effort imder perfect control, with elastic freedom and without unnecessary tension. To cultivate power with muscular freedom we must learn how to localize PHILOSOPHY OF VOICE. 19 e^ort, and how to economize energy; thus reducing to a minimum all inter- fering conditions, and preventing waste of energy and of muscular tissue. When we can do the Uttle things of muscular effort with freedom, we gradually increase the effort by the added tension of muscle, until we reach our limit of strength in any direction. Perfect physical control admits of the doing of several things at once, each act requiring mental con- trol over some particular muscle or set of muscles. In this case of course a perfect freedom, a complete dissociation of muscular centers must be within our control. Beginning, therefore, our culture of muscular control at a point of complete inertia, or as nearly so as we can command, we sepa- rate the movable parts, and learn to control each in its simplest phases, then in more complex action, until at last the whole muscular system is in perfect response to our will. LOCALIZED EFFORT. The effort in singing is of a complex nature; the lips, chin, and tongue are in voluntary action, the throat is free from voluntary action or contraction, the chest walls are held freely expanded, the lung tissue expands and con- tracts within the thorax, the contradictory respiratory muscles are in ten- sion, and the body is held in elastic firmness, carried by the hips, upon free, but firm legs. This broadly defines the outlines of the singing effort. While all of these muscles are attending to special duties, they must do their part in the complex whole, without overtension, producing interfering stiffness. To one who has cultivated independent and combined muscular power, it is not difficult to bring the body into quick response to the will's demands, but to the average student, who knows not himself nor his powers, this complex effort in singing appears a difficult accomplishment. The attempt to grasp it all at once is folly; to expect automatic control to respond to the call of the will before a clear sense and control of local effort have been established will result in failure, except in a few cases of especially endowed beings. The process is simple enough to the initiated, for after all the items are not many, but these specific items of control must be at the will's command, first consciously, then automatically (unconsciously or involuntarily), else the natural tendency toward stiffness and strain will destroy the result. The great efforts of the singer are in the item of breathing, and in the general poise of the body. The body must take the effort of singing. It must do the breathing and the controlling of the breath; it must carry all the stress of emotional expression; the throat must be free; the larynx unrestrained by voluntary tension; the mouth must be free to act in quick response to the will. In singing there is no voluntary effort at or above the larynx (except perhaps at the spine, back of the pharynx), which exceeds that of ordinary colloquial speech. Everything of local effort and volun- tary muscular tension must be in the body, mainly the respiratory muscles, including the entire walls of the thorax, and this tension must be cultivated through local control to a subconscious (involuntary) condition of autom- LOCALIZED EFFORT. 21 atism. The base of all of this effort and consequent power, which is duplex, i.e., propelling force and restraint, is at the waist, reaching at the sides to the hips, upon which the body, supported by the spinal column, rests. THE BUOYANT BODY AND ITS POISE. "We now understand what is meant by freedom under properly controlled automatic tension, and we know the meaning of buoyancy of body, but these generalities are not sufficient. Such questions are constantly asked as, for instance. What to do with the upper chest ? What is the correct condition for the abdomen's surface ? Do the ribs contract when we sing? Are the muscles of the back interested in breath control and poise of body? To all of these the reply is that the buoyant frame so necessary in singing is in elastic expansion, everywhere, from the hips to the collar- bone, yet no part is stiff or strained. The body may be said to rest upon the hips; the abdominal muscles reach up to the diaphragm and the lower ribs, and consequently have much to do with breath control and with poise of body; the viscera within the abdomen are passive, but are dis- turbed by the movements of the surface wails; hence the abdominal curve will be more or less changed during singing, but it must be distinctly known that there is no bulging out or flatiening of this surface; the buoyant, expanded body is not properly affected by so violent a contraction of the diaphragm as to press appreciably against the abdominal viscera so as to distend the surface, nor is there ever a requirement in singing for so violent a contraction of the abdominal surface as to flatten it or draw it in. The correct poise of body, however, demands that the hips be drawn back to a line directly below the shoulders, and this slightly affects the abdomen by drawing it back with them. This latter fact frequently mis- leads theorists into a belief that the abdomen should be drawn in by its own contraction. In the buoyant body the thoracic cavity is open, the ribs spread, the muscles of the back under the shoulders expand the back walls of the thorax, the chest rises and the diaphragm flattens, opening the thorax downward; all of this occurs in the one complex act, expansion. The height of the chest is a vexed question, but is, after all, a simple mat- 22 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. ter. If the chest be allowed to drop, buoyancy is affected; if held stifiBy high, rigidity ensues. True buoyancy is never flaccid nor rigid, as has been shown. The exact height of the upheld chest is non-important at the moment of singing, but it is very important that the upper chest walls do not "heave" with each respiratory act, and that it is firmly active, so that the lungs may have free play within the thorax. The shoulders are thrown back without stiflEness; they should always be free enough for all possible movement, though held well back of the front chest line. The neck should be firm, free, elastic; carrying the head with dignity, without stiffness. Every part appears to be ready for duty. The breath rushes in through the mouth and throat, into what '■'■feels" to the initiated as if it were but a great open space between the ribs down to the "pit of the stomach," where it is gently pressed out by the muscles at the waist, and without action at the upper chest; or if about to sing, we control the breath by the diaphragm and surrounding muscles and allow only such breath to escape as is needed for the tone. The body is now lithe and firm, buoyant and elastic. Every muscle is alert, ready; every part of the body or its members is in its place, free from all stiffness, yet in no way flaccid; relieved from strain, yet active; fully alive and ready for duty. The body is in such a condition as one would assume in warding off a blow; a free, elastic condition of resistance of the force of the blow. The poise of a hound in playful activity shows the muscular condition exactly. Every muscle is in tension, but not a joint or muscle is strained or stiff; the hardy sportsman at his play also shows the condition. Externally this is the condition of joyous health, where the happy spirit is expressed in the firm lines of healthy muscle. With head, erect on a lithe neck and thrown slightly back, with chest erect, firm and resisting (the most prominent part of the body in correct poise), with hips drawn hack to a line with the shoulders, which latter are held back of the line of the coUar-bone, with abdominal surface drawn back by the poise of the hips, neither indrawn nor distended, but in passive elasticity,' and with arms and legs absolutely free in agile lightness, the singer is ready for any call of the will; the muscular system is subconsciously differentiated, each muscle or group of muscles free to answer a call to duty without interfer- LOCALIZED EFFORT. 23 ence from other groups ; the spirit speaks through the body. All strain of local effort is off the throat, the breath now takes care of itself, as its con- trolling muscles also protect the throat, especially the larynx and vocal cords, from all strain. The body is ready to lift a- heavy weight, to resist a foe, to run a race, to do any physical or athletic act, or to sing; for this is the condition known as freedom, or, as some say, "natural." It is the result of art; of keen, introspective culture. When we have mastered this condition we can say to ourselves, "let go," and all else of singing effort will quickly adjust itself if we but train omrselves in correct speech, through • keen hearing and a true freedom of the mouth and throat. The " let go," means let the body go with the thought ; it is then not a question of making the physical nature do the thing, it is allowing the pro- cess to go into automatic action; correct habit has been so positively estab- lished upon nature's basic materials and laws, that we may now say that to do rightly is at least second nature, as we may say of all confirmed habits of the body or mind, whether they be correct or incorrect. COMING INTO CORRECT POSITION. The "coming into position" is now a simple matter. We simply will to sing or to talk as a man or woman should, and at once, spontaneously, the whole system responds with a readiness which surprises most novices in the art of correct physical automatism. The intaking of breath seems to do it all, yet we know that the action of the body is an initial effort; the thorax opens through automatic control; at once, simultaneously, the air rushes in, quickly or slowly, as we will it to do, and the entire enginery of the muscular system responds, letting go where not needed and quickly aiding where required, in the one grand result of poise and general sing- ing condition. The militant (may I use the word) position and condition are due to correct, firm counterpoise, which balances the initial tensions and induces immediate equipoise. Complex as it is, subtle as it is, yet with proper specific training, a very short time, a few days or weeks, will bring about such a controlling power of will as to allow this whole procedure to respond in an instant with automatic precision, to the simple 24 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. . call of the mind, "prepare to sing." As quickly as this is done, so also comes the power of release from all effort, and at another call of the will we can as instantly devitalize the body, or any group of its muscles. This is art, and a delightful one too. Through it we find health, good spirits, the power for usefulness in the world in many ways, and especially the physical condition which permits good singing. THE SIHGER'S SENSATION (THE FERVENT VOICE). We hear a great deal about the "Singer's Sensation." It is often' treated as a deep mystery; and again, it is called a natural condition within reach of any one's will. The true "Singer's Sensation" may as readily be called the sensation of the actor, the public reader, or the orator. It is, briefly defined, nothing more or less than the "feehng" of the body and its members, just preceding and during the act of emotional expression. Doubtless this sensation is appreciated by the athlete during, a contest, although it may be contended that with him the emotional status is on a lower plane than that which controls the singer or the orator. The writer is of the opinion that all strenuousness of feeling, and emo- tional intensity which is the sensation of the correctly trained singer, may be felt by one who sings without proper physical control, but we will dis- miss wrongly induced sensation and speak only of that sensation which is the result of correct automatism. The " Singer's Sensation" is one of emo- tional intensity; it is the spirit speaking through the body, the body assum- ing the emotional sense generated by the spirit. It is that moment when a thought, a sentiment, is revealed to the consciousness through the mind; the body, the physical nature, feels its thrill and springs into immediate condition for the expression of the thought in words and action. It is that condition of immediate sympathy between brain and muscle, which occurs and "thrills us " as we say, when we suddenly step, out into view of a glorious sunset, or a raging tempest. It is of the same physical nature as that sob or sigh of the breath, when suddenly induced by an involuntary emotion. With the singer or the orator emotion is more or less assumed, and the LOCALIZED EFFORT. 25 sob, or sigh, or laughing is a voluntary dissembling, but physically the cause and result are the same; the thorax opens all around, the diaphragm de- scends, the breath enters. In the voluntary act the breath is restrained for artistic voice emission, etc.; in the involuntary act the usual process is one of panting; the breath streaming in and out in more or less rapid flow, according to the intensity of the emotion; the sigh of quiet sadness being slow, in rotation; the excited sob or hysterical laugh being often extremely quick; while in children crying, the repeated indrawn sobbing breath frightens the parent, who fears asphyxiation, the inspiratory muscle acting without the counteraction of the expiratory muscle, the balance, being for the time, lost. When the true singer begins to express an emotion through the medium of his voice, at once every muscle assumes its proper condition, — the lungs inflate, the muscles control the breath, the throat assumes its open freedom, the tongue is free, the chest is in active poise, the muscles of the face smile or take on an expression of seriousness such as fits the senti- ment uttered by the voice, the limbs are lithe and free for action if needed (as upon the stage), the body resting freely on the hips, held with elas- Jticity by the spine, the breath filling a deep chest or thorax and seeming to rest upon the waist, the diaphragm and its contributory muscles at the sides and back seeming to hold all the body in free action and elastic control. There is no interfering restraint, everything hel^s the singer in his expression; the thrill is there, the body is as buoyant as that of a child in joyous play, and this condition gives every evidence of a hearty spon- taneity which is "catching;" immediate rapport ensues and the listener is thrilled, as the phrases roll out with clear, full ringing tones as simply, as apparently "artlessly" as if the singer were merely talking of something the thought of which intensified his words, that the listener might know how much they mean. This is what the singer's sensation is; it is hearti- ness and fervor, it is self-confidence, self-belief, and the result of such a physical condition as will allow him to express a sentiment with complete truthfulness, carrying with it conviction, and seeming to be an expression of the singer's very own being and life. At its best, this is always the result of a culture which gives the singer or orator a complete control over 26 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. physical processes, to the final result of artistic automatism. This singer's sensation is the true accompaniment of the fervent voice. NATURE VS. ART. Many think that the condition, ]ust explained, is a matter of natural, almost functional action; but it must be borne in mind that the artist has to assume the emotion, at least in the initiative of its expression, even though he may finally "enter so into his subject" as to be, as we say, "carried away" by it, in which case it may be somewhat natural, but the more nearly natural the singer or orator becomes, the more likely is he to forget his art, and in this latter case all sorts of accidents are likely to happen, destroying the art work. Even automatism, though never so infallibly established, needs mental control, else at least one item of expression in art, i.e., quality of tone, is sure to be sacrificed. In ordinary life one who is lamenting a lost love, bewailing a perfidious friend, or uttering anathema over a foe, is unUkely to do so in what we would call beautiful tone; on the contrary, the deeper, or at least the more intense the emotion, the more ugly is the voice likely to come from the throat; while with the singer, except in moments when he discards song and lapses into unrestrained shouting or' screaming for some drama.tic phrase, in which he wishes to display abject loss of self-restraint, his greatest care must be that his voice be allowed its beauty of tone, and herein enters a subtle thought regarding automatism, which may be expressed as follows: While automatism controls the local details of art, the mind, perfectly poised under the most strenuous emotional strain, must ever have a calm and infallible control over the automatism, i.e., over the complete mechanism! Herein does art find its plane beyond nature's basic laws, and herein does mankind exceed the limitations of the brute. Man can control his impulses and so manipulate the means of expression as to make them express his will rather than his emotions. THE EMOTIONAL EFFORT AND ITS SOURCE OF POWER. Intensity of emotional expression is effected by the muscles of the waist and of the back, particularly the diaphragm, which latter, being the strong- est muscle of the body, carries its greatest burdens. Emotional expres- sion is the result of force. This force must be counterpoised, else it will fail in expression; it will overstep itself, will "splutter," as we say; the voice will over-blow, and instead of coherent words and sentences, we stammer, mispronounce, jimible the words, and emit disagreeable, often ridiculous sounds, and cut outrageous capers with grimaces, all showing that the emotion has had no "balance wheel"; it "falls over itself," and where intense and serious feeling was to be expressed, the result is gener- ally ludicrous, though sometimes very serious in result; for uncontrolled emotion (passion, hysteria, etc.) result in serious physical accidents, even to the point of death. The singer who attempts to express deep emotion without control of counterpoise will always do something abnormal and ridiculous; every muscle shows the strain, the face grows red, the eyes seem "a-bursting," the limbs stiffen, the neck grows rigid, and the veins stand out in ridges, while the throat will stiffen and fix itself relentlessly. If the climacteric tones come at all from the throat, they are of that quality we know as pinched and throaty, altogether making the singer's efforts painful to the listener, and the great probability is that the voice will not stand the strain, but will "break" upon the high tones. All this is due to lack of equipoise. For every correct muscular effort there must be a counterpoise, an effort making the balance which supports the process; thus, the inspiratory muscles resist the contraction of the ex- piratory muscles in all true vocal effort, preventing undue breath pressure against the vocal cords. The more acute (higher) tones, when sung with full power, also require the resisting force of counterpoise at the waist, for otherwise too great a pressure of breath is thrown upon the vocal cords. All local effort at the throat is to be avoided; the more powerful or higher the tone and the more intense the emotion, the greater is the requirement 27 28 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. for counterpoise at the waist; the effort, the muscular tension, being down, away from the throat, which must retain the same freedom as in ordinary speech, as must also the other parts of the organs of speech, — the tongue, jaw, and lips. INVOLUNTARY (FUNCTIONAL) vs. VOLUNTARY EFFORT. While it is difficult to determine many of the centers of automatic action in the singing process, such as are really under mental control, though cultivated to a state of subconscious habit, there are a few centers of activity the processes of which seem to be almost functional and are surely involuntary and free from any local controlling efifort whatever. I know that my views on this subject are among the vocal heresies, but I feel confident that readers with a perfect control of freedom and of equi- poise, a keen ear, and as keen power of introspection, all of which condi- tions must obtain to make an authoritative investigator; any such, I say, wiU surely learn to know that all vowel making is (should be) an involun- tary act so far as local muscular control is concerned. It is already generally admitted that the condition, position, and action of the larynx, in which are the vocal cords and of course the glottis, are involuntary, so much so as to be almost functional in their action when allowed perfect freedom from local muscular tension, either directly ordered by the will or due to lack of power to "let go." Breath management for singing or speech is a voluntary act, — first, in its cultivation for art purposes by direct local control; finally, by automatic control. Poise of body is also a voluntary act, — first, by direct control; then through automatism. The correct condition of the organs of speech, the various parts of the mouth and upper throat, etc. (excepting the larynx), are really brought about by voluntary effort, though in some items this is more reflex than direct. REFLEX TENSION. By reflex tension, or reflex action, we mean such processes as occur through the direct control of some part or parts away from the center of action in question. Thus in the artist singer, the opening of the back mouth has THE EMOTIONAL EFFORT AND ITS SOURCE OF POWER. 29 grown to be a reflex action, due to the voluntary expansion of the body for breath, and could we induce with the student a perfect freedom of the muscles of the throat and neck at once with a control of the buoyant, firm body, there would be no need ever to teach him to "open his throat," as we say; for this condition is a sure reflex of the correct poise of the body, combined with a correct breathing process and a freedom of all muscles of the neck. The natural, functional "yawn" exemplifies this. This yawning effort or process offers an excellent opportunity for the study of reflex action, as between the body and the throat. THE THROAT AND THE SPINE. And this brings us to a rather deep subject, and one upon which there is much of contrary opinion; i.e., the connection between the condition of the spine and the action of the throat and back mouth. I shall not attempt to enter into any deep technical explanation of this, but will briefly state the condition. The relations existing between the spinal column and the tissue all about the pharynx, the back surface of which lies practically against the spinal column, are but faintly under- stood; but that there is a close sympathetic relation between the spinal column with its surrounding muscles, at the back of the neck, and the muscles of the upper throat and back mouth, is certain. The student finds great assistance in bringing about the singer's poise and the singer's sensation when he recognizes this fact, and in his earlier study of muscu- lar control seeks to realize what appears to be a reflex influence upon the throat and mouth, especially upon the soft palate (the livula particularly), through or from the condition of the spinal muscles. In yawning, the cervical (neck) vertebrae assume an almost rigid con- dition, the surrounding muscular tissue contracting very appreciably; through reflex or sympathetic muscular action the soft palate is affected, and rises as high as possible. If we let-go the strain, the extreme tension of the involunary yawn, we still have the active influence of the spinal column and the muscles mentioned; but now in what we know as elastic 30 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. freedom, the fauces still remains open, but not m stiffness, the mouth spaces are free and open, allowing for proper exit of the tone as well as for resonance. Many of the automatic processes at work in singing may be looked upon as reflex, but the condition in these cases is of no particular importance, since they are cultivated locally, and in the final result the automatism carries the specific processes on without attention of the will. "LET GO" WHILE "HOLDING ON." When the student clearly understands the distinction between the volun- tary and the involuntary efforts in singing, it will be a very simple problem to learn that we "let go" of those parts which act involuntarily, while we, subconsciously as to the local items and consciously as to the complex process, control (piildly hold on) to the automatic process. Thus we "let go " the throat completely, letting it act as free from our will as if its work were functional; at the same time we control the body, willing it into a certain poise, and we will the back mouth and pharynx to remain open. We "let go" all muscles not in actual requirement, and hold under control such as are needed. We say, however, that practically no part is "let go" to the condition of flaccidity. THE FLOATING CHIN. The floating chin and free tongue are constant watchwords of the new school of vocal culture. The tongue will easily hang free if the general buoyancy of body and a free throat be maintained, but the floating chin is perhaps a more difficult accomplishment. However, this is a simple thing for one who has mastered the thought of relaxation and elastic freedom. The chin drops down and backward (the floor seeming to drop into the neck), and hangs there as free and floating as if it had no muscular connection with the other parts of the head. From this inert (or seemingly so) con- dition it responds upon call to do its part of the singing process, but it must never stiffen nor must it ever interfere, as is its wont, with the duties of the tongue. If its floor (really the floor of the mouth) stiffens, it affects the freedom of the throat and the larynx and impedes the process of vowel making within the mouth. The whole front surface of the neck and throat from the under jaw-bone to the collar-bone must be free (feeling soft to the touch); when any part of this surface stiffens (hardens), it affects the in- trinsic involuntary muscles of the throat and mouth, and interferes with the freedom of the larynx (and vocal cords). In enunciation and articulation the chin has very little to do, and should never interfere in the articulation of the tongue consonants. Try reading aloud from a book or newspaper with the teeth together, or if the teeth be too closely set together, place the thickness of a match between them, and notice how little chin action is required in articulation. Cultivate the loose back- dropping, floating chin; it aids the whole oral process and also the freedom of throat. THE OPEN THROAT. When the chin is "floating" the tongue in elastic freedom, the soft palate in active condition (upraised through reflex tension, not locally strained), the hack mouth and throat will open as we take breath into the lungs. There is much of importance in the sensation of downward opening, as if the throat dropped open, down into the neck and chest. This down- 31 32 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. ward opening should prevail from the lips through the entire mouth to the lar)mx. The tendency to spread the mouth sidewise (crosswise) at any point (lips included) is wrong; it induces stiffness of the muscles, leading also to white, thin tone; while the feeling of downward opening, with broad- ening at the throat and chest, gives breadth to the tone, and by adding a more somber hue the whole character of the voice is made more serious, more artistic. The chin drops downward and backward in floating loose- ness; the tongue likewise hangs limp in the open throat. Mr. E. J. Meyer in his latest work has aptly expressed this, thus — the mouth open " O" rather than " O " THE TRAINING OF THE TONGUE. Among the many errors of teaching which have so long stood in the way of singers' advancement in art is the thought that correct vowel making is a matter of lip shaping. I have elsewhere entered largely into the dis- cussion of this subject ' and will here only make the statement that vowels are made in the mouth behind the lips, and practically by the mid and back tongue, the hps having nothing to do with the vowel color, although some vowels find their focus at the Hps. Every shade of vowel color can he readily made and should always he made without interference of the lips. On the contrary, however, the tongue should be trained to a perfect freedom, so that those infinitely small variations of inner mouth shapes which are primarily due to the position of the tongue, and which give vowel color to speech, may be at the instantaneous call of the will. The tongue is the most neglected of the parts of the apparatus of speech, and when not neglected entirely, it is generally wrongly treated by the singing master and student. Where can one find vocal students who are not struggling to " hold the tongue flat." Every conceivable device is used to bring about this almost impossible condition, and were it possible, the condition is not correct. The absolutely flat back or flat top tongue is practicable only when pronounc- ing ah; all other vowels require other conditions of the tongue. The ' English Diction for Singers and Speakers. THE FLOATING CHIN 33 tongue must jie trained to a condition of freedom, not to a condition of flatness, for the flat tongue, except for ah, is a stiff tongue, and what we must have for free vowel speaking is a perfectly free tongue, which can shape itself automatically in song as in colloquial speech, for all vowels. For this the mid and back tongue need special processes of training, which processes must tend to loosen the thicker parts of this member, and free it not only from the back mouth and throat, but also from the sympa- thetic action of the lower jaw, which is ever offering its unneeded assistance; and at last the tongue must be so free at the thicker posterior parts as to allow these thicker sections to act unimpeded in vowel making, while the tip surface is engaged in articulating the lingual consonants. The use of coins or spoon backs to hold the tongue flat is a most per- nicious process. The tongue must he taught to act, and never should be restrained in any such mechanical way as these or their like. Every shade of vowel color can be easily and properly sounded with the tip tongue held gently between the teeth, and with the lips loosely separated and motion- less. An experiment along this line will prove at once the condition of freedom or stiffness of the tongue, which is a most essential condition. A stiff tongue, whether flat or "humped," will do more to induce a throaty, non-resonant tone than almost any other false condition; further- more, such a condition never allows distinct articulation or enunciation. If we look well after the back tongue, the tip tongue will take care of itself. THE OPEN MOUTH. We are told that the mouth must be open, and indeed it must; but a great error is often fallen into by the idea that the chin must be dropped ex- tremely. This is not the fact, and its doing is often the cause of inartistic tone quality. The open throat and back mouth must be the care of the stu- dent; here at the line of and back of the pillars of the fauces is where we want the freely wide-open space, and we should have control over this con- dition whether the front mouth at the lips and teeth be wide open or close together. The front mouth at the teeth should be loosely open, from three eighths to half an inch, or more in some cases. 34 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. However, in practicing for color and for diction, it is well to experiment with the teeth together and also with them far apart (the chin dropped low), so that finally the "middle ground," so often mentioned, and with which is fovmd the greatest freedom and the greatest variety of power, may become the habitual condition. Some singers find an extremely wide open front mouth an aid in singing the highest tones in coloratura passages; but usually a very open front mouth induces a pinched, closed throat and back mouth. The practice with words for the open throat will be quicker in results if done frequently with the teeth fixed loosely together, making as httle as possible of motion with the lips. THE RELATION OF SONG TO SPEECH. Singing is Intensified Speech. — The vocal organs, the oral cavity, the articulating centers should in singing, be held as free to act as in ordinary speech. In song we reach beyond the normal plane of colloquial speech, beautifying it by both emotional color and sustained musical tone. The highest plane of controlled force (intensity) possible for the voice is reached in song. The voice passes through various expressional phases before reaching the plane of dramatic song. Thus, the normal conversational voice may be made intrinsically beautiful by what we know as intelligent enunciation and purity of tone, with the quaUty of interesting expressive cadence.* The voice passes through various phases of intensity in conse- quence of the momentary purpose of the phrase or its emotional import; thus; in inquiring tone, in calm reiteration of a thought, in impatient reiteration of a thought, the call to one at some distance, the commanding voice, the impatient reiteration of an unheeded command, anger, joyful^ ness, etc., all leading to the more even plane of added intensity of the voice of the public speaker, this plane varying with the size of the auditorium or the emotional character of the discourse; still higher in degree of intensity after the reaches of oratory have been passed, come the dramatic climaxes of the actor; then, we reach the highest possible plane of voice, in singing, extending from the subdued song of drawing room or sanctuary, through the emotional song to the oratorio and operatic aria, where every element of power and of restraint is brought to bear, in completing the art fabric. Although a beautiful speaking voice is a great accomplishment and one for which every person should strive, yet its mastery is far below the plane of art, sought by the student of song. The normal speaking voice may be extremely coarse in quality, yet if used lightly, will not be offensive to the average listener; but the moment force is added to it, the voice sounds well nigh unbearable. In the cultivation of such a voice for sing- ing, to it must be given a better support of breath (a perfect balance); color, volume, and resonance, gradually developing power with correct • See English Diction for Singers and Speakers. 3=; 36 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. color, etc. In singing there must be no accompanying noises with the voice. In speech these noises (breathiness, throat rattlings, etc.) are generally tolerated, because the main purpose of speech, that of conveying thought, is accomplished; in singing, however, we must beautify every- thing. The character of the voice must first of all be made pure and beautiful, the words must be formed with accuracy and articulated dis- tinctly, the musical phrase must be correctly delivered and the emotional content of both text and music impressed upon the listener. All of these conditions, except the absolute pitch of the tones and the melodic outline, may in some degree obtain in speech; but the inflections of speech are so indefinite as to tonal character, that they forbid much of absolute sustained tone, and thus deprive us of the power of giving that beautiful quality to the voice which is so well adapted to the sustained musical tone in singing. Yet with this broad difiEerence between the speaking and the singing voice the student of singing will find that his progress will be of the most rapid kind if he wiU train his singing voice closely upon his speaking voice. If in a moment of climax or of especial intensity and accentuation in earnest speech, we sustain for an instant any one of the words or syllables spoken, the listener will feel the same result as in singing. If the reader will repeat the phrase "I love you, dear" with either a rising or falling inflection on the entire phrase, sustaining the word "dear" an instant, not changing the tone of the voice at all after the word is spoken, nor allowing the voice to rise or drop in inflection at the close, simply sustaining it and then cutting it off, as it were, the last word will practically be sung, and the experiment will show in some degree the close relation between song and speech. Another experiment will be to take a phrase of eight syllables and sing it to the music of a diatonic major scale, thus "the spring has come with birds and flowers "; this fits the scale of seven tones and the octave; divide each, the scale and the phrase in half; sing the first half of the phrase, talk the remainder, or talk the first half and lapse into song for the remainder, each way, up and down. See to it that in the lapse from song to speech there be no other difference than the mere change from song to speech or the reverse; maintain the same intensity for speech as for song; maintain the same ease of throat and mouth for song as for speech; speak the phrase THE RELATION OF SONG TO SPEECH. 37 earnestly, emotionally, but with no great intensity. Let the speaking part of the exercise be in normal easy pitch of voice, without attempting to fix it on a musical tone; when the exercise closes with speech change the inflection, alternating the upward and downward cadence of voice. RESONANCE IN SPEECH AND IN SONG. A vital difierence between the normal speaking voice and the singing voice is in the resonance of the latter. This is due not only to the increased intensity, but to the fact that the singing effort, keeping the voice con- tinually upon a stated plane of sustained tone, is always supported by the body in complete buoyant freedom, a condition which even the orator and the actor do not always maintain. This "singer's condition" allows every aid possible in the way of reinforcement of the tone. The entire pharyngeal space in the mouth and nose, and the hollow spaces above the mouth in the head, all lend aid in resonance to the voice, and then there appears something of resonance added by a vibrant upheld chest, though this latter source of resonance is difficult to determine. Flabby tissue of any sort diminishes resonance; therefore, the firm but free condition of all the members of the mouth and throat doubtless adds to the resonance of the voice. In yawning, the oral cavity is much enlarged by the depres- sion of the larynx, the sinking of the tongue and the spreading of the pillars; the quality of tone emitted during yawning is hollow, though possessing some of the somber quality sought by the singer. From this condition we find a way to a correct opening of the mouth without strain; the larynx is allowed its freedom, the soft palate and uvula are not forced up against the other tissue, we retain the active tension, but relieve the extreme strain,, and in consequence every space is fully open, nothing is contracted; thus, we are aiding the tone by allowing nature to do its part. The voice is free to come to the mouth, where it is shaped and colored, the back and upper chambers are open for resonance (reverberation), the tongue and lips and soft palate are free for enunciation, and with the body in correct condition and poise, we have every primal condition for beautiful tone and expressional singing, the same as in speech. 38 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. EXPANSION IN SINGING. Strange as the doctrine may sound, we sing, so far as physical sensation is concerned, inward and downward. The muscular expansion of downward opening of the throat and chest, gives the most positive physical or muscular sensation realized by the singer. The sensation of placement of the tone in the front of the mouth, the delicate manipulations of the oral cavity, and the still more delicate feeling of vibration at the throat, are all so subtle when free from restraining influences, as to make the bodily effort, the expansion, and the breath-hold most positive in sensation; and thus this complex act is more directly and locally responsive to the will, so that we feel as if the e^ort were downward and back, although we know that we sing upward and out. To prevent confusion among students as to this subtle and conflicting dual sensation, I always say to a pupil, "breathe down, hold back, sing out." If the student be not able to control the buoyant freedom of which I have written so much, he wiU find great diflSculty at first in conquering this duplex idea, which is simply the result of equipoise; the usual first result in practice is entire stoppage of voice, the "hold back" is taken literally, and the breath is entirely withheld, thus, of course, preventing phonation at the vocal cords. Gradually, however, the true condition is recognized and an equipoise is established between the output and the restraining of breath, and the full volume of voice is finally attained. The restraint at the waist is of sxurplus breath; it is an allowing of suffi- cient breath in exit and of the right quality (compactness) for the required tone, but of no more than is needed. The more intense the voice, the louder or the higher, the greater will be the requirement for this restraining coun- terpoise, preventing the possibility of a collapse of the frame, crushing uncontrolled breath against the vocal cords. So we say, "for the greater vocal effort we must have greater expansion and restraint, which gives equipoise to the entire singing apparatus." Every part of the throat " hangs open" as it were, free from all stiffness; this part of the singing apparatus, i.e., the back mouth and throat including the larynx, are acting practically functionally; whatever of local effort there is at these parts is entirely refler THE RELA TION OF SONG TO SPEECH. 39 and involuntary, the correct action being due to correct condition elsewhere, of the body, particularly at the waist. THE PLANE OF TONE AND OF EFFORT. It has been my desire to make plain the fact that in the philosophy of singing, it is not a question of "whether or not there is effort in singing," but that the fact being acknowledged that there is ejfort in all classes of voice work, it is the duty of the instructor to clearly define the classes of effort, correct and incorrect, local and reflex, and to put all of these conditions under the control of the student. It is impossible to increase the force of the voice without an increase of effort; it is impossible to sing with varying pitch and emotional quality of tone (as every song requires) without varying the physical effort. This fact should be thoroughly comprehended by the student, so that he will waste no time in vain search for a process which is without effort. No teacher or writer who says simply, do the thing naturally, freely, flexibly, easily, etc., means what he says, else he is unworthy of his claims as a true teacher. I have never read a book in which the watchword was "sing with no effort " or some similar catch phrase, but that within its pages were line upon line of contradictory thought, hinting at or teUing plainly that this or that item is the result of this or that class or locality of control. Effort we must have, else we have no art; and our study is " what and where is the effort." This broad statement, if not already acknowledged,. must be clear to any one reading the preceding pages of this book. We often hear of " plane of tone " and »' plane of effort," and the better class of writers of the new school all maintain that the effort and the tone must be upon the same plane. The tendency of the imperfectly developed singer is to contract the body and pinch the throat in ascending passages and in all forceful moments, and to collapse, fall down, relax, as the musical passage descends or "gives 'way" in emotional intensity or in power. In either case the result is bad art with defective tone and weakened emotional expression. In the first instance the voice becomes hard and "throaty," the singer loses his 40 THE COMMONPLACES Of VOCAL ART. balance (equipoise), and all spontaneity and heartiness are lost in the strain. In the second case the tone becomes flabby, breathy, and non-resonant; the emotional expression of course responds to the general condition, and loses all "authority" or impressiveness. In either case there is a likelihood of the voice " breaking, " and disaster of more or less importance ensues. So we say, "go witk the tone," "keep effort and tone on the same plane." To completely control this condition of equal plane of tone and effort, we insist upon a seeming paradox, i.e., we say, introspectively, " look down" for the high tones, and "look up" for the low tones; thus counteracting the tendency to reach stiffiy for the high tones and to drop down for the low tones. Of course this is really a mere ruse by which we " trick " our con- sciousness into a control of resisting conditions which prevent overstrain or weak collapse. A still better thought, except in those extreme cases of error just explained, is in the belief that there are no high or low tones with respect to altitude, but that all tones of the voice are on a similar plane. AN EVEN PLANE OF VOICE. No tone should be reached for, or pushed into as if high, nor should a tone be sought, through relaxation, down deep into the body (either chest or abdomen). We should sing as if tones of any pitch were all upon a similar plane. Rather than think of tones as being high and low, requiring that we reach up or drop down in singing them, let us think of tones as to their intensity, the more acute (higher in the scale) being more intense than those lower in the scale, the " plane, " however, being the same in all cases. We have already learned that the more intense the tone, whether it be of pitch, or power, or emotion, the greater the resistance of the body; and this bring- ing of the body into expansive resistance of the natural effort of " output, " this willing of counterpoise, brings about the buoyant frame, free, elastic, in perfect equipoise, exactly in proportion to the required intensity of the tonal result; and all of this "vibrancy of effort" we call "going with the tone " not because of pitch, and therefore forced up or let down, but as to intensity, in perfect accord with the muscular requirement of the tone's making and sustaining, "more or less," not "up or down." The body is THE RELATION OF SONG TO SPEECH. 41 in perfect equipoise, ever ready to fix itself upon a plane of simple effort, or to rise to the requirements of the most severe tsnsiop; never flabby for the lower tones or lighter voice; never stiff and relentless for the extremer moments, yet always firm in its support of the tone, high or low, loud or soft, mild or intense. Thus we " go with the tone, " but always maintain the singer's condition and position. There must always be this thought also, that so far as the throat is concerned, pitch or power matters not; the body takes the effort, freely and automatically, leaving the throat always free; the effort being away from the tone-making center, the throat. THE DUAL PROCESS IN SINGING. It appears a paradox but it is a fact that, when the processes of singing are correct and are freely acting, there appears practically to be no opera- tion whatever of the throat. This part of the apparatus is certainly a most important factor, but its freedom from extrinsic muscular tension allows an action of the intrinsic muscles so subtle, so involuntary (as far as local effort is concerned) and so free from the sensation of action, that it becomes veritably functional, as free from sensation as the heartbeat or the operations of the vital organs, in health. This lack of tense feeling at the throat divides the singing effort into two parts, the breath process and the ipaking of the words at the mouth, and these two are kept apart, as to physical action, though so close in spirit and in fact. THE SINGER'S COURAGE. When correct automatic control has grown to be a spontaneous habit of the singer, then will he have the courage to "allow" the proper processes to assert themselves. He will dare to "let go," dare to let the chin float and the mouth open, dare to be free from res^traint; he wiU have confidence in his body, that it will take the burden of the singing, and then it will be a matter oi allowing the processes free play, and there will never appear evidences of his "making" the parts do their work. THE SMILING LOOSENESS. When we learn to depend on the body for the physical burden of singing, and dare to "let go" of all else, letting reflex tension do the work elsewhere, then we shall have what Mr. Wm. Shakespeare calls the "smiling loose- ness" of the face. This allows no simpering or grinning lips, for that results in contraction; but the eye smiles; the face muscles are not drawn in a "broad" smile, they are more ready to smile than really smiling, and this condition of readiness to smile is seen particularly in the eye itself. It is the alert face, the earnest good-natured face, never with a fixed grin, but as if about to smile. This condition is the most favorable for expres- sive singing, for its freedom from fixed muscular contractions allows free play to the expressive parts, especially the eyes and lips, neither of which may at any time take on extreme tension with puckerings, etc., without danger of interfering with the quality of the tone. In dramatic singing, the color and general character of the voice may depict great sadness or great joy; the opera singer lapses into laughter or crying at times, but if he allows the features to enter too largely into the play of emotions, his tone is at once changed. This will often suit the dramatic element of the moment, but it as surely takes away from the intrinsic musical beauty of the tone or the passage; the buffo song, such singing as at times is required of Mephisto, etc., exemplify this fact. The "laughing voice" however, is often of great value in teaching voice poise, and tone quality or character. THE SINGER'S COURAGE. 43 QUALITY OF TONE. Tones may be of beautiful quality yet of different character. A number of emotions are within the reach of the expressional power of the human voice, and many of them may be sung with a beautiful quality of tone; so we may differentiate tone quahty from expressional character. I have entered largely into this subject elsewhere alongside of a discussion of English in Song, so will not do more here than to outline the subject and refer the reader to the work mentioned or other similar treatises.^ The musical quality of a tone is due first; to its correct starting at the vocal cords; second; its proper placement or focus in the mouth after pass- ing through the upper throat, etc.; third; its proper reinforcement through resonance and shape of oral cavities; and fourth; its support by the breath. It must never be forgotten by the student that the quality of tone we seek first, last, and always, is what we call "beautiful." A tone to be beautiful must be pure, i.e., free from any ugly quality. Various noises are frequently made by singers as they sing, and these noises all interfere with pure tone. Breathiness and that hard quality we call throatiness are two prime ill conditions which destroy purity of tone. The first of these is caused by too much breath, a flabby condition of the throat, and imperfect attack; the second is the result of stiffness at the larynx and around it; both results are due to improper condition of body and consequent lack of correct reflex conditions at the throat and mouth. The singer controlling proper position (poise), and correct muscular condition direct and reflex, is unlikely to sing either breathily or throatily. ATTACK. The quality of a tone is of course largely determined at the instant of its starting at the vocal cords, for if the conditions prevailing at this instant be not correct both as to the breath pressure, causing the tone at the larynx, and as to the "disposal" of the tone as it reaches the mouth, the 1 See English DicHonfor Singers and Speakers. 44 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. tone will start badly, and except under the most expert management con- tinue in its impurity throughout its duration. The attack of a tone is that starting point of its sounding, which is caused by the vibration of the breath against the vocal cords in the larynx. (See Glottic Attack.) The starting of a tone correctly, implies a perfect control over all the conditions explained in the preceding discussion. The attack should be instantaneous, without preliminary noise of breath or anticipation of tone; for instance, in singing "ah" no click or whizz of breath should be heard, and no preliminary sound of any sort as "umah," "e-ah, " or the like, all of which indicate unpreparedness and an indefinite management of the vocal processes. A mental image (aural) should be well established in the mind before attempting to utter a tone; then with the pitch and desired quality well defined, this tone concept should at once be realized through the voijce, without hesitancy, without preliminary noise of any sort. This all implies that the body has been put into condition and that everything is in order, alert, responsive, ready for the call of the will; this again is spontaneity; the whole body is in singing condition;, there is nothing to interfere with the will, nothing to push away from the throat, no noises to make; everything is " in tune," ani the one tone wanted is all thai can ensue. (The various characteristics of attack wiU be discussed later.) PLACEMENT. FOCUS. When the body is buoyant, the throat open and free, when all the con- ditions are correct, the tone at the instant of attack reaches through the pharyngeal into the buccal cavity, and there finds its placement and point of impingement and reflection. While that subtle substance (if I may name so intangible a thing a substance) which we ckU tone, really fills the front of the mouth and reflects back for reinforcement, yet we feel, in correct sing- ing, that the tone has a specific point where it finds impingement or place- ment, and this in the case of a pure tone is upon the hard palate at the teeth. The novice in sensation will more readily feel the placement to be directly on the teeth, but as the art grows more automatic, and the ear and appreciation of internal sensation more acute, the feeling of placement will readily be realized on the hard palate (the front roof of the mouth). In singing the vowel " e" under proper conditions of freedom, etc., the strongest sense of vibration will be felt at the teeth; so also a free " oo" will be felt at the Kps, but the keen sense will realize that in both cases the tone vibrates all aroimd the front of the buccal cavity (the front mouth), the lips feel them both, so does the tongue's tip and the tissue of the cheeks. Letting the voice ghde from " e " to " ah," on one tone (slowly), thus, " e-ah," it will readily be felt that the "ah " fills farther back in the mouth toward the soft palate; so through the range of vowels their peculiar color and form require each an especial form of the inner mouth (which form is entirely involuntary, reflex, and not to be locally controlled). Yet however they may "fill the mouth" the sense of impingement must ever be felt at the hard palate, near or directly upon the teeth. In this the lips play no part; they must be absolutely free for the articulation of labial consonants and are not to be "shaped" for the vowels. Correct placement gives artistic color to the voice. There are three char- acteristics of tone which are broadly defined as color. First, there is the 45 46 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART normal artistic color oi the voice, i.e., Lyric, Dramatic, Bright, Somber, Soprano, Bass, etc., through which we determine the general character of the voice. Second, there is the vowel color, through which (with conson- antal help) we comprehend the meaning of the word being sung. Third, there is the expressional, the emotional color, and with these there is a qual- ity indicating the singer's culture or intelligence. All of these are affected by placement. Bad placement gives imperfect color, destroys purity and clarity of tone. The white, flat, drawling voice of the uncultured "Yankee" is the result of a too forward sprawling placement, in which the tone fairly spills out of a widely opened mouth as in saying "yaas" or "tiaow," etc. The other extreme is found in the dialectic color of the southerner, especially the negro, who draws hie voice far back into the pharynx and makes it somber, heavy, and thick as he says, "Ah bid ye good mawnin, sak," in that almost gutteral tone with which we are so familiar. This is all a matter of place- ment, for placement includes also the condition of the vocal organs with reference to resonance. The better way to develop a sense of placement is to begin with small white tones (the voice of a child) right at the lips, teeth, tip tongue, and front mouth; recite any "baby talk" quickly, in light bright voice as in talking to an infant; the tones will seem to drop off the lips as if they were made there or as if they could be plucked right out of the extreme front of the mouth. From this extreme front position we gradually develop a more serious, dignified color of voice, noting as we progress that the words (the tones) fill farther back into the mouth, till at last the limit is reached at the soft palate and the pillars, back of which we dare not go. All the while the tones retain their far-front impingement, but they also reach back, filling the mouth. Here they are protected, they are not allowed to get into the throat nor to sprawl out of the mouth; our cultured ear indicates the artistic color, and by a subtle control which soon grows to be automatic we protect the tones by a process of the buccal tissue and back tongue so infinitely delicate as to be entirely out of the range of local control. We feel that we are not allowing the tone to spread, to sink back, to squeak, or shout; the ear is directing the whole process. PLACEMENT. 47 THE WHISPER AS A GUIDE. A fine sense of forward placement is gained, through the use of the whisper; not the whisper which is too jar forward and carries with it the whistling noise (sufflated) which we do not want, but the quiet whisper with as little of lip and tip tongue hiss as possible, though each word is correctly and fully pro-, nounced, without voice. This whisper may be made fuller {darker) by filling into the hack mouth somewhat. For instance count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 or more, in this way, then gradually add voice to the whisper, noting that the position of the voice is exactly where the whisper impinged. EXPRESSIOWAL CONDITION; COLOR. (COVERING.) Artistic color in the voice is the result of artistic feeling aided by correct conditions under control of the will. Nothing so quickly bespeaks culture as a voice of rich color. What is called covering a tone is simply putting the voice upon a serious artistic plane. Aside from the elementary study of placement as indicated above, there is no direct culture in the art of placement or control of color beyond that of the body's correct buoyant condition and the mouth's reflex condition, except that of ear training; the correct tone concept is the result of a good model; then the ear listens and controls the color automatically. The serious, dignified (somber) color of voice is the artistic color; to main- tain this requires that all the conditions of body, throat, etc., as explained in this work, shall be under automatic control. The mind and the emotions will then find quick response in color, provided always that a correct model be set before the ear. Daily practice should be done in cultivating the voice to quick response to emotional expression. Take a short phrase of a song, a phrase with some depth of meaning, and let the voice play upon it,' with the accent placed upon different words, with thoughts of joy, sadness, anger, alarm, etc., endeavoring so to color the voice as to impress a listener with the emo- tional meaning of your reading. This is interesting and helpful. Allow the vocal apparatus full play, let the body do the work, and let the ear criti- cise as the will commands. THE EVEN SCALE. (REGISTERS.) The thought of registers is a mixed item in vocal philosophy. I have no faith in the thought that the voice should be trained in its several parts in different ways; that each vowel fits some part of the voice and no other, and that the voice should be treated accordingly. To me this is mere busi- ness cant, or crass ignorance of a self-evident truth, viz., there is no part of the voice that is not likely to he called upon to sing every possible vowel sound in the language; there is no part of the voice Which is not likely to be called upon to sing with every shade of color, variety of emotion, or with every degree of dynamic expression. True, we find many voices especially adapted for certain things, or with certain characteristics to which they are adapted, and others to which they respond with difficulty, and these con- ditions should be well considered in the original diagnosis by the instructor who is to show the way to make use of the healthy conditions, and eradicate the iU conditions. It is also true that voices should be cultivated particu- larly in the line of least resistanqe, for in this line will they be likely to do the most effective work; but, with all of this allowed, every artist (within his or her limitations) should show broad lines of culture, and should not have one part of the voice or one class of tone cultivated at the expense of another, for this limits the development, is one-sided and incorrect. When the proper conditions are under control of the will, when equi- poise has been rightly established, when we can "go with the tone" and allow aU the reflex conditions to e^ssert themselves, then the accomplish- ment of an even scale is a simple matter; registers will he hut a name to the singer, or at most a mark of emotional color. A properly controlled voice calls for no worry about its registers. The high or the low or the middle voice all respond to the same laws of condition and action of the body, through automatic control. When the voice responds imperfectly, when the registers do not "work," we must not look at the throat for repair of the error, we must look to the general poise of the body, and making it correct, the other reflex con- ditions right themselves and the error is rectified. This is the law. It 48 THE EVEN SCALE. 49 surprises many pupils and many experienced singers, but it works the repair of voice as if by magic. It is reasonable, it is simple, it is true. It is not a fad, nor a mystery, nor the possession of a few; it is for all who desire to sing. (See Registers.) STROKE OP THE GLOTTIS. (ATTACK.) The glottis is the opening between the vocal bands. Without the vocal cords there would be no glottis, Just as without the jaws there would be no mouth. The stroke of the glottis is really not a stroke of this hole or space, for how can we make a stroke with that which has no substance? We would express the action better by saying a stroke of the vocal cords, for they take the active part, the glottis being passive and dependent for its very existence upon the vocal cords. I wiU try to explain by reference to a movement more readily seen, viz., at the lips; let us understand the nature of a consonant; it is an explosion of active (moving) breath through some closure of the throat or mouth, into open space. Let us try this experiment: Place the lips together lightly and say in a whisper "huh," not by drawing the breath in, but by allow- ing the breath within the mouth to burst, as it were, out through the lightly closed lips. The active breath within the mouth explodes through the lips into open inactive air. This explosion was of the sudden separation of the lips and a consequent biu-sting out of the pent-up air. Say 'Huh" in the same way. We will find that the explosion here was caused by the bursting of pent-up breath through a sudden opening caused by the tongue released from pressure against the hard palate just behind the upper front teeth. Now do the same thing with "kuh." The explosion is at the soft palate, which is pressed against the back part of the tongue. Now we will whisper "uh," and think a bit before deciding where the explosion is and what causes it. All these (except, perhaps, the last) are "consonantal strokes." There are a number more, but these will serve my purpose. We do not call them strokes of the mouth, but rather of the lips, or tongue-tip and front palate, or back tongue and soft palate, etc. so THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. Add aloud a vowel to ttese consonantal effects and we have articulate speech. By articulate speech we mean speech with joints (articulations). The consonants are the joints of language, without which the sounds would run into each other indefinitely, Thus, oo, o, ah, a, e, are vowels; add consonants to them and we make shaped or articulated words, as hoo, bo, loo, lo, gah, gay, etc. For lack of a better name we will call the sound "uh " a "laryngeal ■consonant," because the action in the larynx is similar to the action of the lips, etc., in the production of consonants. The air below bursts through and separates the vocal cords, which are pressed together with more or less force, and an explosion occurs against the inactive air above the larynx, in the mouth. All vowels are thus primarily made in the larynx by the vocal cords as one will see upon trial, and cannot be made in any other way. Now this Starting or making of vowels may be with much or little force (hard or soft, we sometimes say), but they must be made here, with a closure of the glottis by the vocal cords and a subsequent forcing open by the air in the lungs. When the word or tone with a word is spoken or sung with an initial consonant, the explosion of the consonant in the mouth is so acute as to quite cover the making of the vowel in the lajynx, and no explosion is felt there at all. The process of vowel making without consonantal help is called the stroke of the glottis {couf de glotte). Shall I need to say, then, whether it is well to study the stroke of the glottis? Since all vowels require a stroke of the glottis, and we are always using vowels, it certainly seems quite proper to study the best way of making the "stroke," rather than to attempt to evade it. The beauty of singing depends upon an elementary quality of purity of tone. A harsh or hard attack of tone is always accompanied with the sounds of the making-effort. If we sing " oo, o, ah," very forcibly, we will discover an element in the sound which can be called noise and not musical tone. If we return to the former example, viz., a whispered " uh," and do this also with great force, we wiU find that the noise heard when singing the loud "oo, o, ah," was the noise of the explosion. Do not let this para- THE EVEN SCALE. 51 graph pass till quite understood; and then I ask, can we admire this noisy vowel-making ? We must make the vowels in our throat by the explosion caused by the sudden bursting apart of the closed vocal bands; and when we do this force- fully it makes a disagreeable noise that destroys the tone-purity. We find it difficult to avoid this noise; in fact, most singers fail to give a loud tone which starts "pure," if there be no consonantal aid. We want pure tone and no noise, and we must find a softer way to take the place of the harsh process. We must also have a prompt attack of every phrase, and often it begins with a vowel. Can we attack a vowel in song, either loudly or softly, without the mechanical effort being heard by the listener, or even by the singer himself? To this I answer yes; and herein lies the art of pure vocal attack. When honest and capable teachers proclaim against the stroke of the glottis, it is well to inquire into their full meaning. The probability is that they are warning the student against the noisy shock we have just con- sidered; they surely cannot mean that there is to be no direct attack of vowels in the larynx. Perhaps some less thorough investigators think that if they do not hear the stroke, there is none; and as we all know that the truly good singers are not heard to "shock the glottis," these careless observers proclaim the stroke non-important, and teach us to avoid it. This seems to me a hapless moment for the student. To learn to make a firm and direct attack of vowels we must heed our breath, for in its control lies the secret. Practice a series of vowels, as " oo, o, ah," upon an easy tone of the voice, quite lightly, and watch carefully not to push the tones out, but that they seem to " pop out " without effort, and absolutely without the explosive noise of breath. Also practice a simple phrase, as, for instance, "Ah, me!" upon an easy tone. Use no breath- effort and watch carefully for the noise. Will to do it without any sound of breath at all; nothing but pure tone. When we can do it lightly, we may increase the force of tone, and, finally, will find ourselves able to sing a strong declamatory sentence without the abominable breathy and noisy attack we hear so much of, and which, by some misguided authori- ties, is called the legitimate stroke of the glottis. We will have the 52 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. Stroke, but will be its master; while in the other case the service is reversed. Reviewing these statements regarding the stroke of the glottis, let me repeat, all vowel sounds are started in the larynx; even though we hear no violent attack of tone, it really has a moment of beginning when the vocal cords come into approximation, and this moment of tone delivery is, broadly speaking, the stroke of the glottis. If we make a succession of vowel sounds legato, one issuing as it were from the other, the vocal cords have no stroke except at the beginning of the series. No vowel can be sung without a stroke of the glottis except it be glided into from another vowel. No vowel can be sung under any conditions with- out glottic action. The whispering of vowels has nothing to do with the point at issue. The color of the vowel is governed at will by the shape of the inner mouth; the tone is made at the glottis with the vocal cords. Practice upon an easy tone of the voice all vowels thus, " ah, ah, e, e, a, a," and the other vowels. REGISTERS. There is, perhaps, no item in voice culture so obscure and so diflScult to talk reasonably about as that of the "registers." The subject is quite well understood by thp majority of intelligent teachers, but the true con- ditions prevailing in the operation of the registers are so subtle and so obscure that they are not easy to explain. It is useless to teach beginners about registers. Furthermore, it is often productive of ill results rather than of good. Yet students have the right to demand an explanation even if the course of study does not require close analysis of the action of the vocal organs in the changes known as the registers. Students may desire to understand the matter even if they do not study a personal control of registers, and this is reasonable if for no other result than that they may be able to discuss the matter with those who do study the processes and consider the item one for the study of all students. No sensible teacher will attempt to deny the physiological truth of regis- ters or change of glottic space and vocal cords as one ascends or descends through the range of the voice. From the earliest times in the art of singing (in the old Italian days) these different parts of the voice were recognized and named. The some- what fanciful nomenclature was due entirely to the localizing of sensations, and often led to very bizarre theories. The three names which particu- larly mark the most clearly defined changes of the voice are chest, throat {or medium), and head voice. These names, being the result of local sen- sations, were followed, in turn, by theories which even went so far as to claim that the parts of the voice received their names from the localities in which they, the tones, were made. Thus, the chest voice was really made in the chest, the throat (or med- ium) voice was made in the throat, and the head voice, in the head; sup- posititious vocal cords being provided for each section of the voice in the part of the body named. I have met singers who stood staunchly by their statements that they sang their chest tones "with the chest and not at all in the throat." S3 64 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. I am of divided opinion as to the value of the laryngoscope to the musical world, for it has been the cause of so much unsatisfactory theorizing on the matter of voice culture that the evil results therefrom to voice students, may be said to almost balance evenly the wonderful assistance it has been to the throat surgeon. In all the range of discovery of the functions of the various organs of the body, this stands unique as the one in which man has at once assumed that he could do the work by some process of will evolved out of his own inner consciousness rather than by what nature desired. Where the action was too subtle for the laryngoscope's searching mirror, men have found no diflSculty in formulating a complete theoretical process and putting it before the public as a discovery of importance, and this thing has gone on till the whole subject has become a very nuisance in the profes- sion. We are content to allow the blood to flow through our veins, the heart to beat, the stomach to perform its functions, even though we know somewhat of the facts pertaining to their operations; and when any part of the body fails to fulfill its duty we endeavor to find what impediment is in the way of nature, and, relieving it, excite the organ to natural action; but the functions of the larynx, now that we have learned to know something of its operations, we will not allow normal sway, but endeavor to have it work in response to our will as a mere bit of muscle. The physical conditions of the function of the larynx known as phonation (speaking or singing) are as subtle as thought itself; and although we may see some of the external action, there is so much that cannot be seen as to make any adequate ex- planation quite impossible. We know, for instance, that the lower tones of the voice call into vibration the entire length of the vocal cords, while for the highest tones only the edges vibrate, and the medium tones show a gradual change from the first condition to the other, the glottic chink between the vibrating cords being shorter for the higher tones, and the bands themselves becoming firmer and presenting less vibrating surface as the tones grow more acute (higher). We know, also, that there are several muscles which are all required to be in activity for every tone, each part of the voice requir- ing the especial action of some one or more of these, to the partial relief of the others, but no one of these laryngeal muscles is dispensable at any time. REGISTERS.: 55 The exact relafionshtp of effort on the part of these muscles is unknown. If a partial disablement of any of these muscles takes place, the voice is enfeebled and we have what is known as paresis or other diseased con^ ditions. If one or more of the muscles be quite disabled, we have paraly- sis and loss of voice, etc. None of these muscles is within the control of will as a physical part, so far as concerns phonation; that is to say, we cannot will to move the in- dividual singing muscles so as to produce a change of the glottic shape as in singing, except as we reach a result in the aggregate, by willing to sing and allowing the muscles to perform the function according to nature. We can however, resort to external aid and produce results which may seem to be a control of the vocal organs by direct action of will upon the muscles, as, for instance, a pressure of the finger upon the "Adam's apple" will often quite change the tone, as compared with the same condition of will without the pressure; but this is, of course, impracticable for singing. I wish by these explanations to impress the truth that local effort at the throat will avail nothing, and that an attempt to make oneself sing the various registers is working backward, and far more likely to cause one to produce tones out of their proper register than is the more reasonable procedure of allowing nature to attend to her part of the work of singing in her own way. It has been fuUy demonstrated by those who have experimented most thoroughly in the matter of voice production that the registers are a fart 0} the natural junction of vocalization; when a certain tone has been reached the mechanism of the throat adapts itself to a new requirement for a higher or a lower series of tones, and this adaptation will surely occur if the singer ■will allow it, though often the process of change is so delicate as to be nearly or quite undistinguishable even with a laryngoscope. This brings us, then, to a plain statement of truth. The registers of the singing (or speaking) voice are a provision in nature for the proper adjust- ment of the vibrating vocal cords to the various ranges of tone within the compass of the individual voice. This adaptation brings about a change in the glottic shape and the vibrating siurface of the cords, and is shown to the listener through the ear by a change of timbre or quality. How, then, shall the student be taught registers? becomes the next 56 THE COMMONPLACES OP VOCAL ART. question, and I advise the study of registers by what I will call "logical approach." By this I mean, study them when we have reached them through a logical development of our singing-tones. REMEDYmC BAD REGISTER ACTION. We will find, on careful investigation, that when we sing a tone "out of the proper register," as it is often called, the cause is not due to a defect in the changing powers of the singing muscles, but to the fact of our placing some impediment in the way of their proper and natural operation. There- fore, the way to study registers is to study "how to let the throat do its will in the matter," which, when we have learned it, will at once give complete control over the changes. The ability to will a singing of certain tones in a register not normal, will be not a localized effort at the throat but a matter of will as applied to the result of a quality of tone previously determined upon, and the will finds a focus at the point of impingement of tone, where the tone is said to have its placement, with the surrounding conditions of color, etc. The beginner in voice culture has nothing to do with variety of timbre; his studies should be, for a while, limited within a range of tones found by the teacher to be those most easily produced in his throat. These tones should be sung with only one idea as the desired result, viz., perfect purity without effort at the throat. Truly, this sounds simpler than it really proves to be, and implies other conditions, the satisfaction of which requires long study. Thus : the breath must be restrained from its natural outward flow by a more or less gentle seizure at the waist; the throat must be relieved of all contraction, that it may be absolutely free to act as nature desires; then we endeavor to feel the vocal current focus in the front of the mouth just behind the upper front teeth or even upon the teeth and lips. This places the two points of thought at the waist and front mouth. From this point we go still further, and, after proper practice of the diaphragm, we let it do its will, looking after it only occasionally, as it has gained automatic action and assists the singer as the force of tone demands; this, then, at last gives us only the front of the mouth REGISTERS. 5T to attend to, and we find our study entirely one of beauty of tone, the less aesthetic elements being left to subconscious habit, which kindly attends to the physical elements. Singers are often told to change their tones from one register to another at certain points in the voice, and are chided for singing this or that tone in the wrong' register. Have they known how to rectify the mistake? Have they ever made it better by simply thinking of the registers? To make the registers correct we must go back to first principles and make our tone-making process correct, and the registers will surely take care of themselves. I think it is a great mistake to make registers a point of early study; to insist upon the feeling of decided change of timbre is often wrong, for many voices show none of it, and when the natural change is made roughly it should be treated as a general defect of tone, and the efforts to smooth over the break should be in the line of thought similar to the usual processes of relieving the voice of coarseness, i.e., the keeping of the tone well forward and the breath current under control at the waist; all of which conditions should obtain as simply as in everyday dignified speech. Some voices show the break between the chest and medium registers very plainly, and often the change is agreeable, though only so when without any coarse tones. This change, however, is agreeable not because it is a change of register, but generally because the lower voice is more free than the medium, and therefore more beautiful; in which case the lapse over the "break" from the medium to the chest voice is agreeable. A great error into which many instructors and students fall is the mis- taking of a small falsetto tone for the "head voice," and consequently we frequently hear women going above e (fifth line of the staff) in a voice that is without color or real human warmth; this small misnamed "head voice"' (it is not the true head voice) can never be made full, beautiful, expressional, unless the whole process is changed, and it is fit for nothing except "fiora- ture" flutelike passages far below the true character of the human voice. No tone is correctly made which (with proper control) can not be swelled (messa di voce) without change of throat condition. When the singer's condition is correct, when he can "go with the tone" 68 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. the body's action being automatically correct, the plane of efifort responding to the requirements for the tone or phrase, and the throat is in perfect free- dom, the tone, reaching a proper placement, wiU surely be in the "right register " as we say, and so far as our control of this thought is concerned it will be entirely a matter of wiU as to emotional color. AS TO THE CHEST VOICE, As already said, registers in the human voice are recognized by the ear, by a variety in the quality (timbre) of the tones. This thought of tone- quality cannot be expressed in words, but one element which distinguishes the variety may be understood as relative fullness; that is, one register is of fuller (richer, we may say) quality than another. The belief in registers and the theories of their cultivation have led teachers into systems which demand of their pupils a positive change of quality where the registers change; and the consequence is, practically always, an unequal voice, usually with top and bottom notes strongly and roughly marked as chest and head tones, and the middle of the voice color- less and thin. It is quite well comprehended that for the so-called chest tones the entire length of the vocal cords is in vibration, and as the voice ascends in pitch, the tones becoming more acute, the cords are shortened in their working dimensions tiU, for the very highest tones, the glottis or vocal chink between the vibrating cords is extremely small, and only the very edges of the cords seem to vibrate. This physical operation is, in the main, involuntary, and the many small muscles doing the work are quite beyond the control of the singer, except as he wills the result of a certain quality of tone, and by proper emission, allows these various muscles to perform their duties. Personally, I do not believe in teaching registers. I do, however, believe in allowing the registers to assert themselves properly, and in showing the student the changes of condition and quality. If a student persists in forcing registers beyond their limit, it becomes necessary to explain the error; but, as a rule, registers will surely take care of themselves, if the voice be properly delivered, as shown in previous paragraphs. SEGISJESS. 69 The teaching of tone delivery is not, properly, through the registers, but, on the contrary, registers are taught through a correct tone-delivery. By this I mean that the usual way of breaking a voice into parts (chest, med- ium and head tones), as a first process of voice culture, is a great error, and its fallacy is at once shown by the very teachers vfho profess this doctrine, by their commencing, directly they have made a "break in the voice," to mend it or " smooth over the break," to blend the parts. If a tone be delivered properly as regards its placenient and the body and breath con- trol, all local effort avoided, the cords are in nature bound to provide the right condition for the tone's right production, and this is "register." But if the throat be pinched, the breath badly managed, the impingement of the tone not correct, then the muscles which nature has provided to pro- duce good quality are put out of use for the time, and the tone shows at once faulty production. WRONG USE OF REGISTERS. Heavy voices, contraltos and bassos, are apt to use their lower chest tones badly, through a desire for "big" tone. It requires great judgment to know how large a voice one has. The great majority of deep voices are pushed and coarse, a fault which the public seems inclined to consider a virtue. But when one of acute ear has heard a piure low voice, he realizes the wretched noises generally delivered by bassos and contraltos. Listen for a moment to the lowest pedal notes of an organ (a good one of course) ; there seems little of noisy power, but how rich and mellow it sounds, and how firm a foundation it makes for the other tones of the organ! Compare such a tone with the rattling, spluttering, guttural tones of many of the low bassos, and ask yourself, why this difference? If bassos and contraltos will only believe the truth, they will soon stop pushing their low tones and allowing them to rattle in their throats. These tones do not gain in power when sung in this noisy way, and they as surely lose in beauty. Chest tones are to be sung correctly just as are other tones. All tones are to impinge high, above the throat, well forward in the mouth. Breathy tones are no more beautiful in the chest register than in other parts of the 60 THE COMMONPLACES 0I> VOCAL ART. voice. Cultivate all tones toward an ideal beauty. Power must never be sought at the cost of purity of tone; for, high or low, the voice loses its greatest charm if it have not beauty. Do not think that because the entire vocal cords are in vibration with chest tones that the lung-tissue must be felt to rattle. The real resonance-cavity is not the thorax, but around the pharynx and the front mouth, the open spaces above the larynx. The only place to hear the "whiz" of breath is on the teeth, and this is not desirable except as an exercise in placement. If a pupil shows no break in the voice, where the books say it ought to be, teachers should not insist upon making the voice "flop" down with a coarse, guttural noise from the medium G to the chest F; but, on the contrary, if it does drop down, we should insist upon holding it up out of the throat, where we can purify the coarse, unmusical tone and make it beautiful. When men will consent to sing beautifully rather than noisily, then will the tones blend throughout their range, and tenors will sing a perfectly even scale, every tone of which will be exactly forward, and no tones wiU be allowed to drop into the throat to rattle and wheeze. When bassos have learned the lesson of the superiority of purity over power, then shall we begin to realize the real beauty of the male voice. When contraltos and mezzo-sopranos will believe that "mannish" voices are out of place in a woman's throat, then shall we be spared such vocal horrors as Scalchi and Ravogli often have shown us. The rage for chest tones has sent many voices down into the throat to become coarse and inartistic. How far better were it for these to have been kept up, forward in the mouth, musi- cally pure and artistically expressive. Likewise the ' ' head voice ' ' should be beautiful. It is not right to seek extreme range of voice at the cost of beauty and warmth of tone. Of what use are those fluty, falsetto "head tones" which so many sopranos seek to attain? They are inexpressive (mere imitations of the flute), good perhaps for coloratura passages, but what we want in the upper tones of a woman's voice is womanliness, expressional, emotional warmth, all of which rest with proper culture alongside of great flexibility and facility of voice. REGISTERS. 61 Every soprano with a fairly good vocal organ can if she will, learn to sing high, and to sing florid passages, and if she will hear the truth with reference to registers she can also have a real living head voice, as warm and beautiful as her lower voice, and with this voice throughout its range, she can, if she will, sing with pure and intelligible diction. The ease with which the falsetto "head" tones are produced is misleading. We must have ease, but we must also have the right quality throughout the voice's range. AS TO THE lARYNX. I shall not enter at any length upon a discussion of the error so often taught with reference to the larynx and its action in the operation of the registers, but wiU say briefly; to hold the larynx fixed in any way during singing is to enforce a stiffness, and stiffness an3nvhere in the throat pre- sents an impediment to the proper production of tone. There has never been advanced a theory of "fixed larynx" for singers that has not been or can not be successfully disproved by any singer with a perfectly free throat and tongue. If, as in some cases, a degree of somber quality is gained by the low-held larynx, it is more than counteracted by an artificiality of tone which makes the singing extremely disagreeable, and I believe that my own observations represent the universal I'esult, i.e., no singer can ever sing his higher tones with a fixed larynx, and with a tone that is endurable ! The fixedness has to give way, else the high tones will not issue except in a hoUow shouting quality. TONE COLOR. An item in voice study and voice use that many teachers leave till late in the course of practice, is tone color. We soon learn what is meant by for- ward placement of tone, and can readily distinguish between a tone free in the front of the mouth and one that is cramped and throaty. But to know the truth of tonal balance, of proportion of tones in loudness and size, is a much deeper and less understood subject. The word " color " as applied to tone is borrowed from another system of sense-appealing conditions, color being something in nature which is realized through the eye. The French call tone color, "timbre" while the Germans use an expression similar to our own, " klangfarbe." This word timbre or tone character is used in several ways by musical writers, and it is well to know its various applications at once, and find where it will apply in our own study. The peculiar quality or character that marks the tone of an instrument and gives it individuality to the listener is called its timbre or color. Thus, a clarinet, a flute, a horn, or a violin each has its own quality of tone which we recognize upon hearing, though we do not see the instrimient, and this recognition is because of its timbre. Then some instruments produce various qualities of tone, in different parts of their compass, or by different management of their speaking parts. These differing quali- ties are sometimes spoken of as registers. Thus, a clarinet has three dis- tinct qualities of tone, according as the tone is produced in its low, medium, or high compass. A horn produces a peculiar tone when the bell is muted, and a violin is much changed in tone quality when the strings are muted with the sordine. We know a brass band, a string orchestra, a pianoforte or a human voice in song, by the peculiar quality of tone these different instruments produce, and this is owing to what we name tone color or timbre. Scientists tell us that these conditions of difference are traceable to easily determined physical causes, the principal thought being the rela- tive prominence in the sound of what are termed harmonics or overtones 62 - TONE COLOR. 63 (Helmholtz calls them " partial tones "); while, of course, the character of the vibrating instrument and its environment are prime sources of differ- ence in the resultant tone. I shall not attempt to write specifically on this matter, but refer to any book on the physical theory of music or the laws of acoustics. I only desire to clearly explain the thought of tone quality, first, as applied to different sound-producing instruments, and, finally, as applied with varying effect to any one instrument. Of all instruments the human voice is the richest in overtones and the most elastic in the possibilities of color. We all know well the charac- ter, the sound, of a woman's voice as distinguished from a man's; it re- quires more cultivation of ear to distinguish between two women's voices, that one is soprano and the other is contralto, or between men's voices, that one is tenor and the other is basso. Even a finer sense of hearing is required to separate lyric voices from dramatic voices, a baritone from a basso, or a tenor robusto from a high baritone, etc. These finer discrimi- native powers of hearing are essential to teachers, and ought to be culti- vated by students. The artist requires even a finer development of the musical ear, so that his performance of a composition may include the various emotional or intellectual nuances contained in any true art-work. It is not sufficient that a singer have control of dynamic variety. Mere change from loud to soft, though in great diversity of degree, will never suffice; for, impor- tant as this is in art-work, the higher principles of expression demand something far more subtle than control of power, and this is control of color. When we hear a Paderewski play the piano, or an Ysaye play the violin, or a prima donna sing a song, we realize that these and their kind draw from their instnmients an exceptionally beautiful tone quality and we look for the cause. Of coiu-se, the physical conditions are favorable. The singer's voice has natural beauty, and the piano and the violin are the best made. But this does not tell all the story, for you will readily detect a condition of spirit which appreciates the extreme possibilities of the physical powers of the instruments, and prevails upon them to respond to its call. The 64 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. ear of such artists is correctly attuned to all the finer gradations of expres- sive delivery possible from the bondage of mere silent wire or vocal cords. To do this so beautifully has cost unlimited study. It means complete mastery of the technical possibilities of the instrument, and the placing of these in communion with the spirit that is awakened to the inner voice of musical expression. To singers, then, I say, let us look more practically into the question of color as applied to the human voice. I will try to make the matter clear by a broad division into two parts: First (technical), vowel color; second (emotional), expressive color. A volume could be written on these two points, but I will be brief.' Vowel color is determined by the shape of the inner mouth, but no amount of " mouth culture" will ever be satisfactory if it is not accompanied by acuteness of ear. From a student's standpoint, I consider all diagrams showing how letters appear in shape, on the lips or in the mouth, as of no practical value; and students who are brought up on vowel shape never obtain a mellow quality or a free emission of tone. I like to see a .student, now and then, "mouth" his language, if he will do it for the sake of showing ample action of the chin and inner mouth; but this, if properly used in study, will always be free from stiffness and serve to overcome con- traction, puckering, and mincing of the words. This latter condition is sure to result from the word-shaping systems often indulged in. CONTROL OF COLOR WITHIN THE MOUTH. In singing, as in speech, the tongue, chin, inner mouth, and throat must aU be perfectly free; added intensity finding its power in the body, at the waist. The hack mouth (including tongue) must be trained to a perfectly free and accmrate control of vowel color and of tonal amplitude and color, and it must be borne in mind that although the front mouth to and even including the lips and tip-tongue, are important factors in placement and color, yet one of the greatest impediments to the emission of tones of good 1 N. B. Specific exercises and fuller explanations of this subject will be found in English Diction for Singers and Speakers, by the author of this work. TONE COLOR. 65 quality with correct enunciation of the text, is stiffness of the back mouth parts, and interfering conditions (which also are stiffnesses) at the front of the mouth. The chin takes the work of the tongue, the lips shape them- selves for tone color and vowels, which interferences are wrong and result in imperfect tone and Word forms. It has been found that two forms of extreme experimental practice serve us well as devices for the training of the individual parts of the mouth and tongue, to a condition of complete independence; a very essential condition. The normal shape of the front mouth in singing calls for the lips and teeth to be separated about three-eighths to half an inch; the lips are perfectly free, as in speech; the chin " floats" as explained before; the hack of the tongue lies in the throat in absolute freedom. In pronouncing tongue consonants as in such words as Loo, Lo, Lah, Lay, Lee; Doo, Do, Dah, Day, Dee; Noo, No, Nah, Nay, Nee, etc., the chin has no important part to play; it hangs loose while the tongue makes the articulations. The same is the fact with Go, Gay, Ko, Kay, Grow, Gray, Crow, Cray, etc. (whatever may be the vowel). In singing such combinations as e-ah, o-ay, al-low, away, O, lay etc., the passing from the smaller or more for- ward vowel to the more open or broader vowel is usually accompanied by a sudden opening of the mouth (by dropping the chin), and herein lies a great defect among singers: this sudden opening, allowing a bursting of the second sound (and usually a sprawling white tone ensues), the change of tone color in- the succession of vowels destroying all evenness of tone within the phrase; a most inartistic result. To offset this diflSculty we have this rule in vocal expression, "There shall be no change in the shape of the lips or the position of the chin during a phrase." To bring about such a control of the inner and especially the back of the mouth is a simple thing if singers will but apply themselves closely to the study of the condition, but we are so accustomed to the use of the chin in the doing of things which are the duty of the inner mouth and the tongue, that we are apt to consider it the correct thing; consequently artistic singing, is the exception, largely because of improper use of the mouth and 66 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. chin. To overcome this great fault we may use a few exercises which in- sist upon the several parts of the tone-and-word-forming organs being in independent action under extreme conditions, viz., (i) Practice especial exercises and reading aloud with mouth closed (teeth together), the lips of course being separated. If the teeth are built very closely together, the thickness of a match may be used to separate them. Every class of word form can be clearly enunciated and articulated in this way, and the practice of this exercise insists upon a free action of the back mouth and tongue. (2) The very opposite of this exercise is the following: Drop the chin loosely, separating the jaws as widely as you can without stiffness, then sing all the vowels legato and staccato, also forming words with such con- sonants as I, r, g, k, t, d, S, z, th, dh, j, and ch, adding each Vowel. In all of these let there be no change of shape of mouth at the lips; some of the vowels will be imperfect in color at first, but continue the practice until all are as pure as with the mouth in normal shape. (3) Another form of practice in this culture of the mouth is to let the tongue lie out upon the lower lip and sing all of the vowels, and words which do not include such consonants as I, n, r, d, t, dh, th, s, and z. The teeth may also be closed loosely upon the tongue and the same exercises be spoken and sung. Such words as you, yah, yo, yay, goo, go, boo, bo, etc., are especially good for this work. (4) As a final test of the freedom of the back mouth and tongue and the support of the voice at the waist, drop the chin as in (2) and while singing vocalizes (without consonants) move the tongue with extreme action out and in, and side to side, allowing no interference with the free, smooth, and equal emission of the tones. In all of these exercises revert at once after use of the device, to a normal condition of mouth and tongue, maintaining the same general ease in all of the conditions (i to 4) and in the normal mouth shape: always use a mirror as guide. The Heedlessness of shaping the lips for vowels is proved by a simple exercise in speech, viz., say or sing, no, no, no, do, do, do; lo, to, do, no, ro, (all long 0); loo, too, doo, noo, roo, etc. The only action of the lips will be a TONE COLOR. 6T gentle separation to allow the speech emission. This may be carried out with all consonants and vowels, and we will find that the inner mouth muscles are doing the work naturally and easily, except in the making of the lip consonants, h, p, v, /, and m. With the mouth wide open we are cultivating the muscles of the tongue and inner mouth to shape the vowels rightly, while the resonance chambers are adjusted for the best emission of laryngeal tone. This accomplished, we have gained perfect control over that great desideratum of singers, an open throat, accompanied with a free tongue and mouth, the local con- ditions required for speech and song combined. We may allow ourselves now to aid in beautifying the vowel color by a little more action. The closer vowels may be allowed a smaller opening, and the vanish of some diphthongs may be finished with closer lips. But we feel a freedom through this open mouth practice which no other study can give. As I said at the first of this chapter, no vowel is perfectly under control unless it can be delivered with open mouth, with a fair degree of truth of color. I might paraphrase the statement and say that the mouth is not perfectly under control unless it can be held open without stififness while pronouncing any of the vowels. In conclusion, what is called "covering the Voice" is often understood to mean a muffling of the tone by closing the mouth. This is a great and frequent error. There is no such thing in reality as covering a tone unless we destroy its freedom of emission; but there is a correct quality known in the profession as "covered" and perhaps the word is expres- sive of the sensation and serves a good purpose. What I wish to explain now is that this quality known as " covered " must be within our control with an open hack mouth; and if the tone be very loud, the back mouth must be open for any vowel, else we will fall into the pitfall of many acknowledged singers who deliver a climacteric tone in fortissimo, which is too small for its power. If for no reason other than that found in the requirements of such moments as these, we should gain control over lan- guage with the open mouth. Otherwise we are likely to do either one of two wrong things; first, shout or " bawl " a tone ("too open" the profession will call it), or, secondly, cramp the mouth and deliver a small metallic tone. 68 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. The free open condition explained above, with a correct singing con- dition of the body, make possible the perfect balance of power, quality, and expressional color so little understood; that artistic condition which allows a tone in aU grades of power to find its proper fullness; that all tones may be loud enough but not too loud for their size (fullness). PLACEMENT OR FOCUS WITHOUT RESONANCE. The quality of tone generally known as that of the Concert-Hall oi Variety-Show singer is familiar to us all. The metallic twang, the white and nasal quality with a superabundance of harmonic overtones, is a color we all know as vulgar, and in a vocal sense unmusical. Young singers, boys and girls, often affect this quality, especially when singing sentimental songs. The tone is sharp, harsh, penetrating, and offensive to the delicate ear; the singer using it usually prolongs and in- tensifies the small vowels, especially e (he sings my-ee, dy-ee, high-ee, etc.); everything is well forward (too forward) in the mouth and brilliant. Usually, regardless of incorrect pronunciation, dialectic provincialisms, and the like, these singers sing with clear enunciation and articulation; their words can be understood; the singer of the popular, topical song speaks to his listener. The thin nasal tone is the easiest kind of tone to produce, and it reaches farther, with the least effort of all tone qualities. (Notice also the news- boy's voice.) Very few who fall into this kind of singing ever get out of the habit and develop a truly musical quality of voice, and I believe the cause of this failure to gain a pure, orotund, resonant tone-production, is in the fact that the process of development is generally an effort to entirely eradicate the old habit of forward placement, etc., and to build the voice anew from the back of the mouth. It can readily be demonstrated that this strident Variety-Stage voice has in it correct basic conditions, and in remedying such a voice (setting it right) the placement needs but little alteration, for it is fundamentally correct, but instead of the over-doing of the brilliant front-mouth, closely focussed tone-production, this must be modified by the addition of the resonance gained by proper use of the resonance spaces, back of the soft palate; in fact, frequently it is found on close inquiry that in this thin brilliant tone the singer does not get the resonance of even so forward a 69 70 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. chamber as the mouth, at the point in front of the pillars about the mid- tongue. By gaining the resonance of these posterior spaces, and still retaining the forward focal point, and of course eliminating the over-accent of the smaller vowels, we gain the desired end: the tone is brilliant but round and resonant, (properly somber). We often work in the opposite direction, when the student's quality is too dark, too far back, lacking in forward focus ("thick" we often call the quality) ; in this case we can reach a correct focal condition, relieving the tone of throatiness and kindred faults, by the use of a thin juvenile tone- quality, always fairly ''on the teeth" and in a mild sense, strident in character. The French do this very thing when seeking the nasal quality, so charac- teristic of many singers of the French school. This nasal quality, however, is a dangerous thing, difficult to get rid of, when once a habit, and the quality of nasality is always objectionable if in the least assertively apparent. Nasal placement should never be so extreme as to induce nasal quality; we seek nasal resonance, as we seek every source of resonance, but its promi- nence in tone making is highly offensive. Distinctness of utterance, brightness and incisiveness of tone, and relief from throatiness result from correct focusing of tone : richness, warmth, and deeply expressive (emotional) tone color are the result of freedom of the posterior and nasal resonance spaces. We must have both, forward focus, and resonance, in proper relationship, if we may expect artistic quality and variety of tone. THE ART OF PHRASING. CLEAN ATTACK, THE LEGATO AND THE PORTAMENTO. Phtasing in singing, is making plain the words and the meaning of the words in the various parts of a song or aria. Deprived of that subtle means of expression so effective in speech, i.e., inflection, the singer is called upon to exercise great artistic skill in singing his lines, if he convey the full emotional content of the song. The phrase is of various lengths from two words and two notes to many words with many tones (notes). The words or syllables of a phrase may each occupy the length of one note, and this may be long or short in duration, or a syllable or word may extend through two or more tones (notes). A phrase must have a clear, clean-cut begin- ning, and whether the &st word and first tone be accented or not, it must be clearly set forth to the hstener, and whether the first word of a phrase begins with a vowel or a consonant, there must be no hesitancy, no preliminary sound, no feeling for the tone- nor pushing up into it, crowding through a contracted throat or mouth. Many singers reach for a high note in a phrase, pushing through a lower tone before sounding the correct tone. A more inartistic condition is not possible than this " digging" under a tone, making an imperfect attack. The difficulty is distinctly mental; a complete image of the tone is not fixed by the singer before producing it, consequently the singing apparatus is not ready for the tone making until after the initial effort. Those who "dig" into a tone from below, on ascending passages leading to higher tones, are of the same class (as to mental control of their singing) as those who when singing ascending passages or initial phrase tones, hold the consonantal explosion back an instant and emit some sort or another of grunt or squeak before the tone is heard; thus, ''um-my" for "my," "en-near" for "near," "el-long " for "long," "ed-dear" for "dear," "ug-good" for "good," etc. These conditions of wrong doing absolutely destroy the purity of the tone emission and make for unintelligible diction, while they also stamp the singer as wanting in either carefulness or in- telligence. These impure attacks are all too common and should be most 71 72 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. thoughtfully sought out and corrected by all who pretend to artistic singing of even the most simple sort. The Legato style of singing is the normal requirement; Staccato, Marcato, and Portamento being especial expressional conditions. A perfect legarto includes a smooth connection of all the tones of the phrase, i.e., without sharp, unduly abrupt explosions of the consonants; an even plane of effort throughout, an even plane of tone as to emotional color, an unchanging front mouthshape (at the lips and teeth), thus making all the vowels of the phrase upon one color plane. There are no sudden changes of placement; the entire phrase lies in one groove, the back mouth and mid and back tongue making those changes which are necessary for the variety of vowel color within the phrase. One word is never dragged drawlingly into another (the Italians call this latter error strascinamento). The open vowels do not sprawl; the closer vowels do not squeak or squeal; there are no interruptions to the flow of voice, which is as a continuous stream of tone, issuing from the throat into the mouth where it is shaped into words by the use of vowels, and mild but always accurately made consonantal explosions. The chin hangs passively down with almost imperceptible motion, the lips are active only on labial and semi-labial consonants {i.e., b, p, }, V, m), the tone issues from the larynx as a continuous stream, which is at once given vowel color as it enters the mouth and at the same instant given word shape by the consonants; thus the phrase "I go too" should flow as "I o 00," the explosion of consonants being strong enough to properly shape the words, but never so hard or harsh as to in the least way stop the continuous flow of voice with the vowel nor allow frictional (fricative) action of the word-shaping consonant to be heard. To overdo this legato flow by too great a softening of the consonants is to emasculate the voice and to take all firmness out of it. Thus, "I think it's so" can be so soft- ened as to sound as the words of an intoxicated or imbecile person, thus, "/ dhing idz zo" (drawled out languidly). Not to obey the law of legato delivery, on the other hand, gives a jerky effect; the voice is interrupted in its flow by the too long held and too violently exploded consonants, the vowel color is uneven, the suddenly opening mouth sprawls some of THE ART OF PHRASING. 73 the vowels, others being pinched; all evenness and dignity is wanting, it is as a badly taught child talks. The legato phrase is the climax of art; to control it is not an easy thing, but its study, with all of its di£&culties, well rewards the serious student. It is not within the scope of this work to enter into all the elements of expressional singing, but I shall briefly call attention to an item in phras- ing scarcely less important than those of attack, even plane and legato; i.e., the close of words and of phrases. We must bear in mind the fact that the listener hears the last word, and the last part of a word even more positively than the first part; therefore in pronunciation, the enunciation of the closing syllable and the closing letter of a word is of the greatest importance in the lis- tener's comprehension of the word and its meaning; thus the syllable "hea" (he) may be the beginning of heed, heel, heat, heave, heap, etc., all of which require the exact articulation of the final letters to decide their identity and meaning. I merely call attention to this, having elsewhere ' entered at length into the subject, that the student may be awakened to the necessity of studying diction closely, alongside of phrasing. The Portamento is merely the carrying of a syllable up (or down) to the pitch of the following tone before the time of this latter, thus anticipating the second tone (which belongs to another word or syllable), using the word or syllable of the first tone; thus the phrase /k j ^^^ will be sung ^ i PES ^— - — ^~: the ah being carried over into the C. Ah, me I Ah, mel Portamento is a much-abused grace; if much used the effect is mawkish and soon cloys. mr ANCE. Expressive Nuance includes all the art of variety of delivery, within a song or aria; the gradations of force, the variety of emotional color, the staccato, marcato, portamento, legato, the messa di voce, the crescendo, sfor- zato, diminuendo, the half-voice, and other expressional items. ' English Diction for Singers and Speakers. 74 THE COMMONPLACES OF VOCAL ART. The Cadence is a great means of expressive nuance; through it the voice finds a parallel as nearly as possible to the inflections of speech. The musical side of the cadence, that is, the finding on the part of a melody, of a harmonic point of repose in some degree, must be aided by the nuance of the singer, and each phrase must be "closed" with some emotional or expressional effect. The student of singing should study "phrases" care- fully, that he may not only attack them properly and sustain them prop- erly throughout, but also that he may learn to close them artistically, that their meaning may be completely and beautifully rendered to the listener. While we may say as a general rule, phrases have a vanishing effect at their close, yet not every phrase closes, as we say, "softly." Let us study the emotional or expressional meaning of a phrase and then in song "talk" to our audience, finding in the musical cadence a veritable "inflection" as truly expressive of the thought as in speech. The chief end of song is to say something, and to say that as impres- sively, as truthfully, and as beautifully as possible. To do this well includes both the arts of singing and of elocution. The two combined represent the limit of vocal expression. We have to learn to sing phrases upon short notes in succession through a variety of tone pitches; we have to sing long-note tones with diminish- ing and increasing force (messa di voce); we have to pronounce distinctly words covering every possible emotional meaning while gracefully running along scales, arpeggios, trills, graces of various kinds, quick and slow, high and low, sadly and joyously; we laugh and cry, scold or cajole; every- thing that we do in life has been set to song; the whole gamut of human emotion must be within the imitative reach of the singer. The path of culture for the artist singer is long, yet every item of the art is within the grasp of the average intellect willing to work with comrage and thoughtful common sense. BS-33