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 CHOIR TRAINING 
 
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 'A.MADELEY RICHARDSOH 
 
 M.A..MUS.DOC. OXOHmF.R.C.O. 
 
BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
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 MUSIC 
 
Cornell University Library 
 MT 88.R59 
 
 Choir training based on voice production 
 
 3 1924 022 495 794 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 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/cletails/cu31924022495794 
 
TO THE HON. A. PERCY ALLSOPP, 
 With grateful memories. 
 
 CHOIR TRAINING 
 
 BASED ON 
 
 VOICE PRODUCTION 
 
 BY 
 
 A. MADELEY RICHARDSON 
 
 M.A., Mus. Doc, OxoN. ; F.R.C.O., 
 Organist and Director of the Choir of St Saviour's Collegiate Church, S.i 
 
 Price Two Shillings and Sixpence. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 THE VINCENT MUSIC COMPANV^, LIMITED, 
 BERNERS STREET, W. 
 
I\ -2. ^ -2. (, S r- 
 
 The author desires to express his indebtedness to the late Sir John 
 Stainer, Rev. Canon Taylor, and Dr. C. Harford Lloyd 
 for hind advice and assistance received in the preparation of 
 the following pages. Also to Messrs. Novello & Co., Ltd., 
 and the proprietors of " Hymns Ancient and Modern " for 
 permission to print their respective copyrights — viz., Ouseley's 
 Chant in E and Mr. A, H. Brown's Hymn Tune to " O 
 Love Divine." 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I— FORMATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CHOIR. 
 
 Chapter I. — iNXRODncxoRY. 
 
 1. Necessity for a high standard, 
 -z. Objections answered. 
 3 — 4. Reverence in worship. 
 
 5 — 8. The one thing needful. 
 
 9. Qualifications of a choirmaster. 
 
 Chapter II. — The Choir-Room. 
 
 ID — II. Size and arrangement of the 
 room. 
 
 i3. 
 
 The pianoforte. 
 Other details. 
 
 Chapter III. — The Choir 
 
 14. Frequent practices. 
 
 15. The full practice. 
 
 16. Selection of boys. 
 
 17. Age of boys. 
 
 18. A common difficulty. 
 
 ig. Payment of boys. 
 
 20. Payment of men. 
 
 21. Balance of voices — The men. 
 
 22. Balance of voices — The boys. 
 
 23. Probationers. 
 
 PART II.— VOICE PRODUCTION FOR BOYS. 
 
 24. Voice production. 
 
 25. Management of the breath. 
 
 26. Two rules. 
 
 27. Two directions. 
 
 28. Importance of deep breathing. 
 
 29. Testing the capacity of the lungs. 
 
 30. The Spirometer. 
 
 31. Breathing gymnastics. 
 
 32. Position of the body. 
 
 33. Time beating. 
 
 34. Two rules. 
 
 35. Position of the head. 
 
 36. Vocal tone. 
 
 37. The vocal cords. 
 
 38. Their use. 
 
 39. The breath controllers. 
 .40 — 41. Their position. 
 
 42. And use. 
 
 43. Structure of words. 
 
 44. Consonahts. 
 
 45. Control of vowel tone. 
 
 46. " Throaty " and " nasal " tone. 
 
 47. " Husky " tone. 
 
 48. Attack. 
 
 49. Two directions. 
 
 50. A special exercise. 
 
 51. Resonance. 
 
 52. Of various kinds — Experiments. 
 
 53. Principle of the structure of 
 
 musical instruments. 
 34. The human voice. 
 
 55. Resonance in the human voice. 
 
 56. Material of language. 
 
 57. Definition of a vowel. 
 
 58. The central vowel. 
 
 59. The round vowels. 
 
 60. The thin vowels. 
 
 61. Other arrangements. 
 
 62. The seven long and six short 
 
 vowels. 
 
Diagrani of vowels. 
 
 Peculiarity of O and A . 
 
 The vocal R. 
 
 Diagram of consonants. 
 
 Preliminary training. 
 
 Resonance, pitch, and vowel 
 
 quality. 
 The registers. 
 Three divisions of the treble 
 
 voice. 
 Blending of registers. 
 The low register. 
 The middle register. 
 The high register — Diagram. 
 Importance of the middle. 
 Production of middle notes. 
 -78. Exercise for finding the 
 
 " focus." 
 
 79. The compass of boys' voices. 
 
 80. Shall boys be used as altos ? 
 
 81. No. 
 
 82. What to do with boy altos. 
 
 83. Usual range of boys' voices. 
 
 63- 
 
 64. 
 
 65- 
 66. 
 67. 
 68. 
 
 70. 
 
 71- 
 72. 
 
 73- 
 
 74- 
 75- 
 76. 
 
 77- 
 
 84. Voice production exercises — 
 
 General directions. 
 
 85. Variety. 
 
 86. Three principal figures. 
 
 87. The octave. 
 
 88. The arpeggio. 
 
 89. The descending scale. 
 
 90. The ascending scale. 
 91 — 92. Combined figures. 
 
 93. Teaching a new figure. 
 
 94. Transposition. 
 
 95. Supreme importance of tone. 
 
 96. Soft and loud singing. 
 
 97. Vowel exercise. 
 
 98. The round 0. 
 
 99. Er. 
 100. A. 
 loi. E. 
 
 102. Rules for pronouncing con- 
 
 sonants. 
 
 103. Consonant exercise. 
 104 — 105. Artificial words. 
 
 PART III.— THE RENDERING OF CHURCH MUSIC. 
 Chapter I. — Hymns. 
 
 106. Importance of hymns. 
 
 107. Points to consider. 
 
 108. Musical accent. 
 
 109. Verbal accent, 
 no. Musical emphasis. 
 HI. Verbal emphasis. 
 112. The two combined. 
 
 113 — 116. Hymns with refrains. 
 
 117. Breath-taking and phrasing — 
 
 Two rules. 
 
 118. Difficulty of phrasing hymns. 
 119 — 120. Instances. 
 
 121. Directions for phrasing. 
 
 122. Importance of phrasing. 
 
 123 — 124. How to teach phrasing. 
 
 125. Accuracy of time. 
 
 126. What to avoid. 
 
 127. Endings — Another rule. 
 
 128. Illustration. 
 
 129. Proof. 
 
 130. Endings with consonants. 
 
 131. Application of rule. 
 
 132. Three classes of hymn-tunes. 
 
 133. Advantages of practising hymns. 
 
 134. Summary. 
 
 135. A lesson. 
 
 136. In detail. 
 
 137. The choirmaster's attitude. 
 
 Chapter II. — The Responses, etc. 
 
 138. The details. 
 
 139. The General Confession. 
 
 140. What note to take. 
 
 141 — 143. Flattening — How to avoid' 
 it. 1 
 
 144. False accents. 
 
 145. Distinctness. 
 
 146. Pace. 
 
 147. Volume. 
 
 148. The Lord's Prayer and Creed. 
 
 149. The commencement. 
 
 150. The Festal and Ferial Responses. 
 
 151. Endings. 
 
 152. Phrasing. 
 
 153. A common error. 
 
 154. General directions. 
 
 155. The Amens. 
 
Chapter III. — The Psalms. 
 
 156. Wideness of the subject. 
 
 157. Standard of chanting generally- 
 
 low. 
 
 158. Points requiring attention. 
 
 159. The Recitation. 
 
 160. Irregular rhythm of the 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 161. The " accent." 
 
 162. What it means, and what it 
 
 does not mean. 
 163 Examples. 
 
 164. Value of the accent. 
 
 165. Division of the semibreve. 
 
 166 — 168. Rendering of middle 
 
 words. 
 169. Words of three syllables. 
 170 — 172. Endings. 
 
 173. Complete sentences. 
 
 174. An important principle. 
 
 175. Words and music. 
 
 176 — 178. Method of teaching the 
 Psalms. 
 
 179. How to regard the Psalms. 
 
 180. Antiphonal singing. 
 
 181. Rule for breath-taking. 
 182.' Selection of Chants. 
 
 Chapter IV. — Anthems and Services 
 
 183 — 184. Two new points. 
 
 185. How to secure good " leads." 
 
 186. Pauses — A difficulty. 
 
 187. Its solution. 
 
 Chapter V. — Reading at Sight and Learning New Music. 
 
 188. Sight-reading. 
 
 189. Two things to consider, 
 igo — 191. Intervals. 
 
 192. Diatonic and Chromatic. 
 
 193. Time values. 
 
 194 — 195. Plan for learning new 
 
 music. 
 196. Summary. 
 
 Chapter VI. — Choir Practices as a Whole. 
 
 197. Three types of practices. 
 
 198. For boys only. 
 
 199. For men only 
 
 200. Full practices. 
 
PART I. 
 
 FORMATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CHOIR. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 I. How can we improve our Choirs ? This is one of the 
 most prominent questions at present before the musical and 
 ecclesiastical worlds. The days are long past when there was 
 any question as to the desirability of choirs and musical services. 
 All parties, however great their differences on other matters, now 
 agree that music ought to hold a foremost place in the Services 
 of the Church ; and that worship is offered in its highest form in 
 the Choral Service. Admitted that a Choral Service is desirable, 
 it follows that, to be a worthy offering, it must be the best 
 procurable by the means at the disposal of those responsible ; 
 nothing less can be acceptable within the Church's walls. How 
 obvious this seems. And yet there is a hardly defined feeling in 
 the minds of some devout people that there are dangers 
 connected with a highly artistic musical Service ; a dread that 
 gain in musical culture may mean loss in other directions ; that 
 worship may degenerate into a mere outward formality without 
 true spiritual life : though these same people would probably 
 be shocked at the idea of offering in the House of God anything 
 but the best in other forms of art. Would anyone maintain that 
 a badly painted picture would be more likely to aid devotion than 
 a good one, or that we ought to have feeble architecture, poor 
 sculpture, &c. ? No 1 in all other branches of art, nothing is 
 considered too good for the House of God. Then, if music we are 
 to have, it should be the most artistic, as perfect as it can be 
 made with the material we have to use. 
 
 2. Highly trained choirs have been objected to on the ground 
 of a supposed interference with congregational singing, which is 
 by some regarded as the ideal way ot worship. Into the question 
 of congregational singing it is not our purpose to enter l\ere ; 
 but it will surely be admitted that a congregation singing with a 
 good choir is preferable to one in company with a bad choir. 
 And if it is supposed that good singing implies of necessity 
 elaborate music which must exclude the congregation, we enter 
 a protest against any such idea. The smallest things are worth 
 doing well. It is just the simplest parts of the Service that, as 
 a rule, need most attention, and these are unfortunately the 
 parts that are least frequently well rendered. At present too 
 much is thought of what music is to be performed, and too little 
 
8 
 
 of how it should be sung. The aim should be to have simpler 
 music, well rendered in every detail ; then there would be less 
 of the assertion that a good choir excludes the congregation. 
 
 3. It is of course essential that if a choir is to set an example 
 in the way of singing, it must do so in all other matters 
 connected with worship. Sad indeed is it to see a choir, after 
 perhaps singing beautifully, show by their behaviour that their 
 thoughts are anywhere but where they should be. A choir that 
 behaves badly defeats its own object and does more harm than 
 good. Valuable as singing is, it would be better to have a plain 
 read service than one most artistically rendered accompanied by 
 carelessness and irreverence. Let a choir be taught that, as the 
 object of their music is to bring home the meaning of the words 
 they use, so the words ought to truly represent the thoughts of 
 those who use them — or else, all is vain. 
 
 4. Every adult choirman should be a Communicant, and 
 should be expected to enter into the Church's life, and realise 
 that in Church the choir are worshippers, and that for this they 
 are present. 
 
 5. How shall we improve our Choirs ? we ask. What are 
 their defects ? What the remedies ? The answer to these 
 questions may be summed up in two words — ^Voice Production ; 
 teach this, and our choirs will soon approach perfection. How 
 often do we hear choirs singing elaborate music, in time, in tune, 
 with perhaps correct expression ; but the tone ! Where is the 
 soft full pure tone that should characterize boys' voices ? Only 
 heard in very few places ; it would perhaps be safe to say that 
 their number might be counted on the fingers of both hands. 
 Yet this true production might become the rule rather than the 
 exception if only our choirmasters were able to teach their choirs 
 in the right way. Without teaching Voice Production, all 
 choir-training is futile. It is erecting a building without a 
 foundation ; colouring a picture without first sketching its 
 outlines. 
 
 6. This applies more forcibly to the singing of boys than that 
 of either rhen or women, as in any body of the two latter it 
 rnay be presumed that a certain proportion will have already 
 studied singing, and the good sense and taste of others will 
 prevent them committing the grosser errors. But with a body 
 of boys it is different. The average boy neither knows nor cares 
 anything about Voice Production ; his one idea is to make as 
 much noise as possible, and in this, unfortunately, he is as a 
 rule only too successful. 
 
 7. It is thought by some that it is unnecessary and useless to 
 attempt to teach production to a choir ; that some voices are 
 good, others bad ; and that beyond teaching time, tune, &c., 
 there is no more to be done. Nothing could be a greater 
 mistake I Of course, there are some voices here and there 
 exceptionally strong, clear, and sympathetic — obviously these 
 should be trained for solo work. But we maintain that all voices 
 
can by teaching be made more or less beautiful (except in cases 
 of natural deformity), and this is'an easier matter with boys than 
 with adults, as the former have not lived long enough to confirm 
 bad habits as the latter may have done. 
 
 8. Others think that, though in the abstract it is desirable to 
 teach production, with boys it is a task of such difficulty that it 
 is a useless attempt, To these we would say : " It is a difficult 
 task, but by no means impossible. It has been done, and can 
 be done again ; with perseverance the difficulties will vanish." 
 
 9. It is not every one that will make a good choir-trainer. 
 Certain qualifications are absolutely essential. A choirmaster 
 must be a good disciplinarian ; he must possess unbounded 
 patience, unfailing energy, and indomitable perseverance ; also 
 an even temper, a kind, quiet manner, a cheerful disposition, and 
 a delicate and accurate ear. 
 
 2. 
 
 THE CHOIR-ROOM. 
 
 10. Whenever possible, have a room specially set aside for 
 practice ; not too large, but lofty and well-ventilated. The boya 
 should all face the siame way. They should be divided into 
 two groups, corresponding with the Decani and Cantoris sides 
 in Church, and should be so arranged that the choirmaster can 
 see all faces at the same moment. For a large choir, a good 
 plan is to distribute the boys into two or three rows placed one 
 behind the other, each row being raised on a platform with a 
 step, about eighteen inches higher than the one immediately 
 before it, and with a- gangway dividing the rows exactly in 
 the centre. The choirmaster should be seated in front at a 
 pianoforte, facing the singers. Behind each row should be 
 placed chairs on which to sit occasionally ; and before each row 
 should run a sloping desk, on which to rest the music, the ledge 
 being about 40 inches from the floor, and tilted at an angle of 
 45°. This height will suit the taller boys. For shorter ones, 
 hassocks can be provided to stand upon, so as to bring their 
 eyes to a level with the music. 
 
 11. Where it is not possible to have the rows raised from the 
 floor, they may be all on the same level, and the pianoforte and 
 choirmaster may be on a platform of a corresponding height ; but, 
 for obvious reasons, the first-named arrangement is the best. 
 In any case the chairs and music desks are essential, and let no 
 one attempt training boys without them. Sometimes the two 
 sides, Decani and Cantoris, are made to face one another as in 
 church ; but the objection to this is that the boys, being able 
 to see into one another's faces, a good deal of mischief and 
 inattention may arise, which, with the other arrangement, is 
 impossible. 
 
 12. The pianoforte is an indispensable adjunct to the practice 
 room. A small pianette is sufficient, with pleasant tone, and 
 
10 
 
 well in tune. The instrument should not be incessantly used, 
 but is necessary for testing the pitch, and is of great assistance 
 in teaching new music. The advantage, however, of making a 
 choir thoroughly accustomed to singing without an instrument 
 cannot be too strongly urged ; it gives a confidence and self- 
 reliance that can be obtained in no other way, and these qualities 
 are the foundation of musical expression. 
 
 13. A blackboard and chalk are further necessary for the room, 
 and with such obvious necessaries as pegs for hats and coats, 
 cupboards and shelves for music, we are ready to start. 
 
 3- 
 THE CHOIR. 
 
 14. Frequent practices should be held. When possible, the 
 boys should be taken every day of the week except one, which 
 should be regarded as a holiday ; and the men should attend 
 twice, once for practice alone and once for full practice, which 
 latter should be regarded as the summing up of the others ; a 
 time for emphasising what has been already taught rather than 
 for learning anything new. 
 
 15. The full practice should be held in church, all other 
 practices in the choir-room. At the former, every member 
 should be in his own place, under conditions as nearly as possible 
 similar to those on Sundays. For the full practice, it is an 
 advantage to have a second pianoforte wheeled into the centre of 
 the chancel, where the choirmaster should always stand. For 
 an inefficient choir, the pianoforte is indispensable; but when a 
 high standard has been reached, it is much better for the choir- 
 master to rely on simply a tuning fork and a b&ton. On no 
 account should the organ be used for choir practices ; all it can do 
 is to cover up and obscure deficiencies, which is just what a good 
 trainer does not want. His object should be to show up defects 
 and correct them, not to blur them over. We repeat, that there 
 is nothing like singing without accompaniment to give a choir 
 confidence and decision ; and when singers can render any given 
 work unaccompanied, there need be no fear for them when the 
 instrument is added. The organ can then fulfil its proper office 
 of enhancing and extending the general effect, when not 
 trammelled by the necessity of leading and supporting the 
 singers. 
 
 16. In selecting boys, when, as is usually the case, only 
 ordinary raw material is procurable, more attention should be 
 paid to the appearance of the boy than to the sound of his voice. 
 It is well-nigh impossible to judge from a first trial how a boy's 
 voice will turn out. Very frequently the most unpromising at 
 first hearing will prove the best after training. An accurate ear 
 is necessary, though it is wonderful how the ear can be trained, 
 and very often a seemingly incorrect ear is simply caused by 
 
II 
 
 nervousness or bad habits. In selecting boys, then, take the 
 ones whose appearance you like. Do not take delicate boys ; 
 do not take sulky boys ; nor those that appear silly and careless. 
 Choose those that are bright and intelligent, strong and 
 healthy ; and look out for a well developed chest and throat. 
 By all means hear their voices, but be guided chiefly by 
 appearance. 
 
 17. As to age ; do not take boys too young. Remember that 
 ■■ a boy's voice is like a rose ; for a moment it blossoms out to 
 
 perfection, then is gone. Just before it breaks is the time for a 
 boy's voice to be heard ; that is, as a rule, at the age of fourteen. 
 Though nothing is more uncertain than the exact time it will 
 last. The writer has known boys of nineteen with voices un- 
 broken; others go at about thirteen. An experienced choirmaster 
 gets to know instinctively, by the look of a boy, how long his 
 voice is likely to last. A quick-growing boy will lose his voice 
 early ; a boy of late development will retain it much longer. 
 Still, as a rule, the age of breaking is between fourteen and 
 fifteen, other times are the exception. The best age to 
 commence then is, in general, between ten and eleven. 
 Boys taken younger will often force their voices in attempting 
 to rival their seniors, and thus do more harm than good. 
 
 18. This brings us to a difficulty that besets almost all choir- 
 masters of parish churches. We have seen that it is necessary 
 to have as many boys as possible as old as fourteen or fifteen. 
 In most places where the choir is taken from the humbler classes, 
 it is just at this age that the boy is sent to " work," and the choir- 
 master is informed that, in consequence, he proposes to leave the 
 choir, the reason given being either that he considers himself 
 too old for the choir (now imagining that, as a wage-earner, he is 
 already a man) or else that he is tired of the choir's work, boys 
 being, as a rule, sadly fickle and volatile creatures, without an 
 atom of perseverance. Now unless there is some remedy for 
 this, the choirmaster's efforts will be thrown away, as these elder 
 boys are the ones he must secure if he is to do really good work ; 
 one boy of fifteen being worth half-a-dozen of eleven or twelve 
 as far as voice is concerned. The only way to make the choir- 
 master independent of these difficulties is for the boys to be well 
 paid, on some system that will prevent their leaving without 
 permission. 
 
 19. The best way to attain this object is by a plan of deferred 
 payment, which will work as follows : Let each boy receive a 
 small amount as pocket money (say, 3d. a week) ; this will secure 
 regularity of attendance, and from it can be deducted fines, to 
 strengthen discipline. In addition to this weekly amount, let a 
 further sum be reserved for each boy, varying according to age 
 and ability, from, say, is. a month upwards; put aside on the 
 distinct understanding that it will only be given if the boy 
 remains in the choir until his voice breaks, or else leaves with 
 the permission of the choirmaster. The amounts so reserved 
 
12 
 
 may be written down on a table to be hung up in a conspicuous 
 place in the choir-room, so that each boy may see at a glance 
 how much he is entitled to at any particular time. It is 
 important to make this arrangement quite clear to the parents 
 when the boys join the choir, explaining that those who leave 
 before their time will only have the benefit of free teaching, 
 whereas those who remain to the end will, in addition, receive a 
 bonus of a good round sum. To avoid any misunderstanding, 
 it is best to have a printed form for the parents to sign accepting 
 the arrangement. There are other methods by which the same 
 result can be gamed, but the above is the simplest plan and will 
 be found to work well. 
 
 20. In regard to the adult members of a choir, the opinion is 
 gaining ground more and more that, whenever possible, they too 
 should be paid, however small a sum. As Sir John Stainer so 
 tersely put it in his speech at Exeter a year or two ago, " the only 
 valid reason for having a voluntary choir is inability to pay one." 
 The argument that a man who accepts money for singing in 
 church will, on that account, look upon the work as a matter of 
 business only is, when examined, an absurd one. If it were 
 sound, it would apply to the clergy, organists, vergers, and other 
 paid workers, who are becoming more and more numerous every 
 day. Certainly the choirman should look upon his work as a 
 matter of business — i.e., as work to be done with all the 
 punctuality, accuracy, and assiduity of business; but this feeling 
 need have no effect upon the religious tone of a choir, if by 
 example and precept they are constantly shown the right way. 
 To do good work, a choirmaster must be able to insist on perfect 
 regularity and discipline, and experience shows that these can 
 never be permanently maintained in a voluntary choir. Fre- 
 quently individuals will be found willing and ready to make the 
 choir a first consideration, but these are only individuals ; no 
 large body of men can be made to look upon things in this light 
 permanently. Therefore, we say, pay them; secure regularity 
 and discipline first of all, then proceed to inculcate other things. 
 The object of payment should not be to secure the best voices 
 apart from other qualifications. Very often a person possessing a 
 fine voice may be quite unsuitable for a choir on other grounds. 
 Considerations of character should weigh quite as much as vocal 
 ability in selecting for a choir ; but, having selected your 
 members, then it is essential to bind them down to their duties. 
 Therefore, we say again — pay them. 
 
 21. As to balance of voices. It is well-nigh impossible to lay 
 down any hard and fast rules that will serve for all cases ; so 
 much depends upon the strength and quality of the voices 
 available. For general purposes the following may serve as a 
 guide. First as regards the three lower parts. Of course, the 
 very smallest choir will consist of two voices to each part — i.e., of 
 one representative on each side. To increase this, we would 
 recommend twice the number — two to each part each side ; then 
 
13 
 
 add an extra bass each side, an extra tenor, after that one of 
 each part, finally an extra bass. Thus : — 
 
 (i.) Six voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 I Aho. 
 
 I 
 
 Alto. 
 
 I Tenor. 
 
 I 
 
 Tenor. 
 
 I Bass. 
 
 I 
 
 Bass. 
 
 (2.) Twelve voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 2 Altos. 
 
 2 
 
 Altos. 
 
 2 Tenors. 
 
 2 
 
 Tenors, 
 
 2 Basses. 
 
 2 
 
 Basses. 
 
 (3.) Fourteen voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 2 Altos. 
 
 2 
 
 Altos. 
 
 2 Tenors. 
 
 2 
 
 Tenors. 
 
 3 Basses. 
 
 3 
 
 Basses. 
 
 (4.) Sixteen voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 2 Altos. 
 
 2 
 
 Altos. 
 
 3 Tenors. 
 
 3 
 
 Tenors. 
 
 3 Basses. 
 
 3 
 
 Basses 
 
 ^5.) Twenty-two voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 3 Altos. 
 
 3 
 
 Altos. 
 
 4 Tenors. 
 
 4 
 
 Tenors, 
 
 4 Basses. 
 
 4 
 
 Basses. 
 
 (6.) Twenty-four voices. 
 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 
 Can. 
 
 3 Altos. 
 
 3 
 
 Altos. 
 
 4 Tenors. 
 
 4 
 
 Tenors. 
 
 5 Basses. 
 
 5 
 
 Basses. 
 
 22. The boys should be considered differently. If (a) they are 
 of good age and (6) thoroughly trained, let their number equall 
 the sum of all the other voices — e.g., for our first choir we 
 should want six boys ; for our second, twelve ; for our third, 
 fourteen, &c. When, however, (a) there is a large proportion of 
 young boys, and (6) it is not possible to give them very frequent 
 practice, the number should be largely increased ; to double what 
 we have said, if possible, or to as many as can be obtained under 
 
14 
 
 the circumstances. It must be ever remembered that age and 
 frequent practice make all the diiiference in the strength of boys' 
 voices, apart from any question of quahty, &c. 
 
 23. Here we come to the matter of probationers, needful to 
 keep up a constant supply of boys. There should be a definite 
 number of these extra children ; say, equalling a fourth of the 
 number of regular choristers. Let them attend all the practices 
 (remember we do not want them too young) and sit in a special 
 place in church, where they will not be much heard, but where 
 they will feel that they are of some consequence. Give them 
 all copies of the music, and it is a good plan to let them wear 
 ■cassocks but not surplices ; the latter being the garment of dignity, 
 marking the full chorister. Pay these juniors a small sum, and at 
 practice place them, not all together, but between other experienced 
 boys; in this way they will soon learn without requiring much 
 special attention. 
 
15 
 
 PART II. 
 
 VOICE PRODUCTION FOR BOYS. 
 
 24. Having now arranged our room and secured our choir, let 
 us make a start with the boys and teach them something of voice 
 production. 
 
 25. The first thing to consider is the management of the breath. 
 Whole treatises have been written on this important subject, and 
 many conflicting theories advanced. Without wearying the 
 reader with long discussions, we will state briefly what we believe 
 to be the correct plan. The lungs can be inflated from above 
 (clavicular breathing), from the sides (lateral breathing), and from 
 below (abdominal breathing). To secure a full inflation, these 
 three methods should all be used in conjunction, beginning from 
 the bottom of the lungs (the diaphragm), and gradually filling 
 upwards until the chest is reached. While the breath is being 
 expelled from the lungs, the upper chest should not be allowed to 
 fall until all the lower part has been emptied, so that the pressure 
 upon the larynx may be exerted from the diaphragm. And the 
 reason for this is, that all hard and heavy pressure upon the 
 larynx must be carefully avoided, which can only be done by 
 taking the force from the soft muscles of the diaphragm, instead 
 of from the hard bones of the chest. Further, it is important to 
 avoid forcing the larynx upwards and thus tightening the throat, 
 deadening resonance and inducing " throaty " tone. When the 
 will is directed towards delaying the fall of the chest bones, the 
 result will be that the larynx will tend to fall in the direction in 
 which the former are inclined. 
 
 26. In teaching boys, two points should be emphasised : — 
 (i) The lower part of the lungs should be well expanded. 
 (2) No force should come from the chest. 
 
 27. A good method of breathing is the very foundation of all 
 successful singing, and, quite apart from other considerations, the 
 better the breath is controlled, the better will be the tone of the 
 voice. Insist upon the rules that : — 
 
 (a) As much breath as possible be taken in. 
 (6) As little as possible be let out. 
 
 28. Singing being the sustaining of sound as distinguished 
 from speaking, which consists of short and disconnected tones, 
 much more breath is required for the former than for the latter ; 
 and until the ability to take and retain it has been acquired, a 
 singer can make no real advance. 
 
 29. Besides insisting constantly upon deep breathing during 
 singing, in teaching boys it is an immense advantage to have 
 
i6 • 
 
 some accurate means of testing the progress of each individual 
 from time to time. 
 
 30. This can be done by means of 
 
 The Spirometer, 
 
 Having assembled all the boys together, find out the capacity 
 of the lungs of each by means of this instrument, and take note 
 of the same ; then tell them all to practise breathing gymnastics 
 at home during a given time, say three months, at the conclusion 
 of which they will again be tested, and the one who has made the 
 most progress will receive a prize. The boys will be immensely 
 interested in this process, a large majority will do the breathing 
 exercises with great diligence, and, besides the one who receives 
 the prize, all will benefit by the practice. 
 
 31. The exercise should be a simple one, as follows: Direct 
 a full breath to be taken through the nostrils, while the body is 
 held in an erect position and lightly clad, so as to allow the lungs 
 full play. Let the breath be retained as long as possible, and 
 then slowly ejected through the mouth, while the lips are held 
 together, and only allow a very thin stream of air to escape 
 between them ; continue till all the breath has been ejected, and 
 then commence again and repeat the process six times. The 
 exercises should be performed once every day, in the morning on 
 rising. This, then, together with a constant insistence on deep 
 breathing while singing, will soon make a vast difference in the 
 tone of the choir ; and any teacher adopting such a plan will be 
 well repaid for the extra trouble it involves. 
 
 32. After considering the breathing, the next point is the 
 position of the body when singing. Insist on boys standmg (a) 
 upright, {b) with the shoulders thrown easily back, and (c) the 
 arms at rest by the sides.- It will now be seen how advantageous 
 it is to have a proper music stand (§ 10), so that the arms may be 
 free. If one or both hands be constantly required to hold up the 
 music, the result will be unnecessary strain upon the muscles, 
 which should all be left free for tone production. 
 
 33. Also, it is a good plan to teach boys to beat time when 
 practising, which cannot be done if the music is held in the hands. 
 
 34. Insist then on two things : — 
 
 (i^ Left hand down. 
 (2) Right hand beating. 
 
 35. The head should be thrown well back; so far, that if 
 standing against a flat wall, the back of the head would just 
 touch it. The chin should be kept down, and on no account 
 protruded forward. 
 
 36. We are now prepared to commence singing. Let us 
 consider the way in which vocal tone is caused. 
 
 37. The sound is generated by the vocal cords, a pair of 
 delicate lips, situated in the larynx, which, being tightly held 
 together and set in motion by the pressure of the breath, produce 
 synchronous vibrations — in other words, vocal tone ; the pitch of 
 
17 
 
 the sound depending upon the weight of the lips and the tension 
 with which they are stretched. For a full account of their 
 structure and action the reader is referred to any good work on 
 vocal physiology — e.g., "Voice, Song, and Speech " (Browne 
 and Behnke). 
 
 38. It is the function of the vocal cords merely to generate the 
 sound, its volume is mainly determined by the form and 
 substance of the parts of the body which it sets in vibration, and 
 the amount and shape of the air enclosed in the various cavities 
 of the mouth, &c. If the larynx could be removed from its 
 natural surroundings and the vocal cords then set in vibration, 
 the result would be only a feeble buzzing sound, quite different 
 from vocal tone. 
 
 39. Above the vocal cords, in the upper part of the larynx, is a 
 second pair of lips, commonly called "the false vocal cords " — 
 more correctly, the " breath controllers." We must pause to 
 consider what is their use and how to secure their correct 
 action. 
 
 40. If the reader is in doubt as to where these lips are 
 situated, let him take a full breath, and, after holding it a moment, 
 whisper sharply any vowel sound, avoiding vocal tone ; the 
 result will be a distinctly felt explosion at the commencement 
 of the sound, and this is caused by the lips in question 
 suddenly opening to release the air after having been tightly 
 closed. 
 
 41. Let the reader next sound a vowel with vocal tone, thus 
 bringing the vocal cords into play, and compare its effect with 
 the whisper. It will be plain that the tone is now generated 
 lower down. 
 
 42. The vocal cords proper are very delicately constructed, 
 and their work is to set the expelled air in vibration, not to 
 govern its egress : for this latter they are quite unfit, and if it 
 is forced upon them the effect will be disastrous. All outgoing 
 air should be controlled by the breath controllers, and, in properly 
 managed voices, it always is ; but owing to the exigencies of 
 language, this natural function is frequently usurped by other 
 organs. Let us see how this happens. 
 
 43. Words are composed of vowels and consonants, the 
 former are musical tones proceeding from the vocal cords, the 
 latter are noises of various kinds, caused by a complete or 
 partial stoppage of the outgoing air passing through the mouth. 
 The consonant "P" is made by completely stopping the out- 
 going breath by the lips, and then suddenly allowing it to escape, 
 thus causing a sharp explosion. " T," "CH," and "K" by 
 doing the same thing with the tongue pressed against the roof 
 of the mouth, at the front, middle, and back respectively. 
 
 44. Every time one of these consonants is sounded the breath 
 is completely stopped or controlled at that particular point ; 
 and the breath controllers of the larynx, not being then required, 
 will remain at rest. 
 
iS 
 
 45. But in a language like ours, where the consonants are 
 so numerous, and so little attention is given, in ordinary 
 conversation, to pure vowel tone, the real breath controllers in 
 many cases get hardly any employment, and in consequence 
 become weakened and sometimes entirely lose their power of 
 acting in a proper way when required. With an ordinary talker 
 then, who is musically uncultivated, the mouth in speaking is 
 kept almost closed, consonants follow in quick succession, and so 
 the egress of the breath is being continually checked and a 
 balance is maintained. But tell the same person to open the 
 mouth and sing a vowel alone, he will at first feel quite helpless ; 
 the breath rushes through in an unimpeded flow, being no longer 
 checked by consonants, and the true " controllers " being in a 
 state of partial disablement from want of employment. A poor, 
 feeble, unmusical tone will be the result. 
 
 46. Often enough, though, the throat, finding itself thus, as it 
 were, thrown on its own resources, will make an effort to stay 
 this unwonted flow, and may do so in two ways ; either by a 
 contraction of the pharynx causing "throaty" tone, or by the 
 descent of the soft palate with the uvula, causing " nasal" tone. 
 Directly the breath is controlled, in the proper way, at the larj'nx, 
 these two evils will disappear, and in the majority of cases a 
 pure vocal sound will be heard. 
 
 47. We have entered at some length into this question, as it 
 is at the outset of the greatest importance for the choirmaster 
 to understand it. Remember that "husky" tone, "throaty" 
 tone, and " nasal " tone are all caused by an inadequate 
 control of the breath at the proper point, and may be without 
 much difficulty cured in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. 
 "Husky tone!" This most objectionable fault (only next to 
 "throaty" and "nasal") is caused, as we say, by the same 
 want of control, only that here much more breath is allowed to 
 pass than is required for tone production ; and, instead of being 
 impeded in a wrong way, it is not impeded at all, and so escapes 
 through the mouth, causing a dull, dead tone. This brings us 
 to the question of — 
 
 48. Attack, which is, in fact, involved in all we have said. 
 Correct " attack " takes place when the tone starts at exactly the 
 same time as the emission of breath, and is secured by the 
 explosion at the breath controllers with the initial vibration of the 
 vocal cords. The result must not be a jerk, but simply a clear 
 start of sound ; the ear must judge when this has been acquired. 
 Avoid the two extremes of a husky tone and a jerked tone ; but 
 if the former proves obstinate, it may be cured by leaning in the 
 direction of the latter; just as to straighten a crooked stick, you 
 bend it in an opposite direction. 
 
 49. When, as we shall see further, a proper course of training 
 is kept up with exercises on vowel sounds only, it will not be 
 necessary to say much on this matter to boys. Tell them to 
 
19 
 
 keep the larynx* low — this gives a better chance to the breath 
 controllers — and insist upon clear, pure tone. 
 
 50. Occasionally an obstinate case will appear. Take this 
 boy separately, and instruct him to practise privately an exercise 
 for reviving the disused parts. This may consist of the breath- 
 ing exercise already described, only substituting for the emission 
 of breath through the closed lips, a rapid repetition of a whispered 
 vowel, with the mouth open, commencing each time with a 
 decided click at the point of contact. This will probably soon 
 put things right. t 
 
 51. We have seen that the vocal cords can only start the 
 tone, its volume will depend upon the action of other parts of the 
 body. 
 
 52. It has been truly said, that in singing, every portion of the 
 frame is brought into play and assists in the production of tone. 
 And further than this, the voice of a singer will be affected by the 
 substance upon which he stands, and also by the size and shape of 
 the surrounding building. There is music in all nature. Every 
 substance is ready to vibrate to musical tone. Every particle of 
 air has its own voice to utter if it can meet with suitable environ- 
 ment. Take an illustration. Strike a tuning fork, hold it in mid 
 air, and listen : a faint humming note will be heard. Press its 
 stem, while still vibrating, against any solid substance, as a table 
 or a chair, and immediately a clear tone will ring out, its strength 
 depending upon the elasticity of the solid substance. Strike the 
 fork again, this time hold its vibrating ends over any empty vessel 
 (as a jar or bottle) ; if no reinforcement of the tone takes place, 
 reduce the bulk of the enclosed air, by gradually filling the vessel 
 with water ; at a certain point the tone will be suddenly increased ; 
 but if the filling process be continued, it will again be reduced in 
 volume until it dies away. Notice that in the first experiment 
 the resonance does not depend upon the size and shape of the 
 vibrating substance — any substance will answer the purpose, 
 provided it is elastic ; in the second, however, it is necessary 
 that the column of air should be of a certain definite size and 
 shape to reinforce the tone, and for any given note only at one 
 point will the resonance take place. 
 
 * We would not recommend the use of a scientific term like this when teach- 
 ing a mixed class of boys. Speak of the "throat," and point to the place you 
 mean. That will be quite sufficient. 
 
 t Perhaps no subject connected with Science or Art has given rise to more 
 discussion and differences of opinion than the action of the vocal organs in 
 singing. No two theorists agree on all points, and at every step we are met 
 with contradictory views, often supported by weighty authority and apparently 
 sound arguments on both sides. Among the theories that have given rise to 
 acrimonious discussion, none have been more hotly contested than the 
 principle of breath control here set forth. The writer states what he, from 
 observation and experience, believes to be true, though he is fully aware that 
 his views will be met with opposition in some quarters. For arguments on 
 both sides of the question the reader is referred to Lunn's "Philosophy 
 of Voice," to Browne and Behnke's " Voice, Song, and Speech," and to 
 " Mind and Voice," by J. Barnard Baylis (Bosworth and Co.). 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
22 
 
 66. The consonants of our language may be divided into — 
 
 (i) Explosive. (3) Mixed {smo\he.ve.d\oc3.\ tout). 
 
 P. b. M. 
 
 T. d. N. 
 
 Ch. g. {soft). Ng. 
 
 K. g. (hard). L. 
 
 (2) Sustained. R. 
 
 F. V. Y. 
 
 Th. th. (soft). W. 
 
 S. z. (4) Aspirate. 
 
 Sh. sh. (soft). H. 
 
 67. Our concern is at present chiefly with vowels, as these are 
 the musical sounds. The consonants are necessary to convey 
 thought, but all real vocal tone lies in the vowel sounds. Our 
 preliminary training should, therefore, be confined to vowels, the 
 consonants being added when the tone has been formed. This 
 will be obvious when it is remembered that a certain definite 
 arrangement of the parts of the mouth is required for every 
 particular vowel at any given pitch, and directly a consonant is 
 introduced this arrangement is upset. When, however, by 
 constant training the singer has become accustomed to producing 
 pure correct tone, the upsetting effect of the consonant will 
 not so much matter, as the force of habit will insure a return 
 to the correct position as soon as the consonant has been 
 sounded. 
 
 68. Here we must revert to the question of Resonance, and 
 consider it in connection with Pitch and Vowel quality. In 
 listening to a correctly produced voice, it will be noticed that the 
 quality is not the .same throughout its entire compass. The 
 lower notes have a clear penetrating tone partaking somewhat of 
 the reed timbre; the upper notes, on the other hand, are full and 
 round with a distinct flute quality ; the middle notes have an 
 intermediate colour. 
 
 69. What causes this variation ? Not any difference in the 
 vocal cords — they do not change ; but the difteient ways in 
 which the tones are reinforced at various pitches — the different 
 methods of resonance. 
 
 70. The treble voice may be roughly divided into three parts : 
 the lower, in which the resonance depends mainly upon the 
 vibration of the chest bones, hence called "chest voice";* the 
 
 * These old-fashioned terms, as describing the actual sensations experienced 
 in singing, are more convenient for teaching than the terms " thick register," 
 "thin register," &c., used by some, which, based upon the action of the 
 vocal cords at varying pitches, though perfectly intelligible to the teacher 
 who has mastered the subject, are confusing and often misleading to the 
 learner. 
 
middle, where the air enclosed within the cavities of the mouth 
 mainly reinforces the tone, called "middle voice";* and the 
 upper, where the bones of the head are brought into play, called 
 "head voice."* 
 
 I, 1^ 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 
 PC3- 
 
 bo \\ 'i 
 
 Chest. 
 
 Middle. 
 
 Head. 
 
 71. It must be clearly borne in mind that, though as a guide 
 to teaching these divisions are useful, they must only be taken as 
 approximately accurate ; and (i) it is possible to extend any 
 register up or down considerably beyond the limits indicated ; 
 (2) in a well trained voice no break should be heard anywhere ; 
 it ought to be impossible to tell exactly where one register begins 
 and another ends. 
 
 72. Now for the lower notes, the resonance depending upon 
 the chest, we can produce a good tone with any position of the 
 lips, consequently all the vowels can be used with equal ease, as 
 in speaking; for it must be remembered that the speaking voice 
 is almost invariably low-pitched, as compared with the singing 
 voice. 
 
 73. When we reach the middle notes, we depend for resonance 
 upon the air enclosed in the mouth, and this, as we have seen 
 in our experiment (p. 19), must be of a definite shape to reinforce 
 any given note ; the more air. we confine, the better and fuller 
 will be the tone. Therefore, the lips should here tend to close 
 and become rounded, thus causing a modification of some of the 
 vowel sounds. 
 
 74. As we ascend the scale and reach the head register, the 
 lips must again part and make as wide an opening as possible. 
 Here is a diagram showing the most favourable position of the 
 lips for vowel sounds at varying pitches : — 
 
 i 
 
 T^ 
 
 o 
 
 o ; 
 
 Let these positions be insisted upon for all practising upon 
 vowel sounds. 
 
 * See note on previous page. 
 
24 
 
 75- The part that will give most trouble is the middle, and we 
 must remember that in any given piece of music the majority of 
 the notes will be written there ; it is the exception when we go 
 very high or very low ; the middle part, then, will require the most 
 careful attention. Remember that the cavity of enclosed air 
 must be tuned to every note by the opening or closing of the 
 lips — the effect of opening being to enclose less air and of 
 closing to confine more. 
 
 76. We must aim at obtaining the maximum of tone with the 
 minimum of effort. This will be secured when the tone is 
 centred against the roof of the mouth, just behind the upper 
 teeth. Here tlie vibration must ba distinctly felt; the tone being 
 as it were, "focussed." 
 
 77. To find out the true focus, the simplest plan is to use an 
 exercise employing alternately the smallest and the widest 
 opening of the lips {i.e., 00 and AH), and so we are bound to 
 pass through the correct position ; when this takes place, the 
 pleasurable feeling of finding the note " fixed " will induce a 
 return to that position, and by constant repetition the pure tone 
 will in time appear with ease and certainty. 
 
 78. For- teaching boys the following exercise is invaluable : 
 
 00. AH. 00. AH. 00. AH. 00. 
 
 To be repeated on every semitone from — ■ 
 
 $^^^*' $ 
 
 In singing this, let the teeth be fixed apart with a small piece of 
 cork,* about three-quarters of an inch thick, held lightjy, not 
 pressed. This is necessary to avoid any closing of the teeth for 
 " 00," which will otherwise invariably happen with an untrained 
 singer. The " 00 " sound should be made to approach that of 
 " OO " (as in pull) to avoid a contraction at the back of the throat, 
 which will be induced by the former. The exercise must be sung 
 very softly, and may be taken slowly at first, afterwards 
 gradually increasing the speed. Let this exercise precede all 
 others, and be reverted to again and again throughout the 
 practice. After this, we can take exercises over the whole 
 compass of the voice. 
 
 79. Here we must enquire what is the compass of boys' 
 voices. Boys' voices vary like women's ; there are contraltos, 
 mezzo-sopranos, and sopranos — low, medium, and high. The 
 boy contralto is a rarity, the usual voice being either the second 
 or third. 
 
 * The pieces of cork may be cut from a solid block, but trouble will be saved 
 if small corks are purchased at a corkcutter's. They can readily be obtained just 
 the size required. 
 
25 
 
 8o. There is considerable difference of opinion as to whether 
 boy contrahos should be employed in choirs as altos, or whether 
 this part should be taken by adults only. We are strongly in 
 favour of the latter arrangement. It is sometimes urged that 
 male altos are scarce, and in some cases cannot be obtained 
 at all. The male alto is, however, an artificial voice and can be 
 made. There are plenty of baritones who could sing alto if 
 trained, and we recommend that when none ready-formed present 
 themselves, the choirmaster should take some young men who 
 have served their time as choir boys, and start them as altos. 
 The male alto, though not often effective as a solo voice, is very 
 useful for purposes of harmony, and blends admirably with boys' 
 and men's natural voices. 
 
 8i. If boys are used for the alto part, the difficulties of 
 training are enormously increased. To train boys thoroughly 
 •well, it is necessary at the ordinary boys' practice for the choir- 
 master to give his whole attention to the treble part ; this cannot 
 be done if some of- the boys are singing alto at the same time. 
 The only really satisfactory plan would be to take these latter 
 separately, thus placing a double burden upon the choirmaster's 
 already well-laden shoulders. 
 
 82. We advise, then, that when a boy alto appears, he should 
 be trained with the trebles ; his voice will serve for most of the 
 treble part, and will be a useful addition when the music is 
 written low. 
 
 83. The usual compass of a boy's voice is 
 
 to [JQ_ 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 many boys can sing ij ^ ^i with ease, but almost all can 
 
 easily be trained to B flat. 
 
 84. The voice production exercises then should cover the two 
 octaves indicated, special attention being given to the middle 
 part, after that to the upper. They should be sung to the vowel 
 AH, with modifications, as shown in the diagram (p. 23). When 
 
 singing the note ^2iF~^= slightly close the lips ; continue the 
 closing as the pitch rises until - ^ — ^ is reached, when the 
 
 lips should be well rounded as in singing " 00." For 
 
 the opening must be again increased, as in singing " OR," and so 
 
26' 
 
 continue to the highest note. Remember that the chin must 
 always be held well back, the larynx as low as possible, and all' 
 the muscles of the throat kept loose and unconstrained. 
 
 85. In order to keep up the interest in the exercises it is v/ell 
 to introduce as much variety as possible. Do not go through 
 exactly the same routine at any two successive practices, but 
 keep introducing some change. 
 
 86. Vocal exercises for boys can be founded on variations of 
 three iigures — (i) the octave, (2) the arpeggio, and (3) the scale, 
 passing through all keys, with the usual modulations, thus : — 
 
 i 
 
 =^ 
 
 m 
 
 feb: 
 
 ttfc 
 
 1^ *^ ^ I i i^a 
 
 &c. 
 
 -p-H- 
 
 S 
 
 iifcc 
 
 ^ 
 
 We will give some examples. 
 87. The simple Octave — 
 
 i 
 
 trc- 
 
 :&c. 
 
 V'^~ 
 
 This is most useful, introducing as it does a sudden change from' 
 a low to a high register. As soon as the slightest inclination to 
 force the upper note is heard, stop and try that alone, and insist 
 upon a soft full tone ; when this is secured, try again, but do not 
 let a single unsatisfactory note pass without correction. 
 88. The simple Arpeggio — 
 
 tes 
 
 This is an advance upon the octave. Here there is more- 
 opportunity for forcing up the lower register, which must be 
 most carefully prevented. Insist upon a closed note for the 
 upper C, soft and full. As we take the iigure up the chromatic 
 scale, the same sound will appear as its third note — 
 
 i 
 
 s 
 
 Try this C separately, securing again the same full tone. Then 
 the highest note will require attention ; it must be taken with the 
 head voice and wide open. Secure the proper opening by 
 directing two fingers to be inserted between the teeth and insist 
 
27 
 
 on a soft tone. When we get a little higher, the C will occur as 
 the second note of the phrase — 
 
 i 
 
 53= 
 
 =t: 
 
 Take this separately in the same manner as before. All this 
 requires great care and patience at first, but in actual practice it 
 is astonishing how soon the true tone will be acquired^ if it is 
 distinctly understood that the teacher will be satisfied with 
 nothing less ; and it is soon sufficient, when a passage is 
 unsatisfactory, merely to touch the pianoforte and ask for it 
 again. After a time the arpeggio may be extended, thus — 
 
 Thus 
 
 i 
 
 =p= 
 
 and 
 
 ^ 
 
 ultimately 
 
 !_. J ^-''r-r^ . 
 
 ^^r^^^ 
 
 ^n ^ -^ 
 
 \fO- 
 
 THE SCALE. 
 
 89. In rising by conjunct degrees the danger of forcing the 
 registers upwards is so great that it is best to confine the 
 practice at first to the downward scale. Here is a good form — 
 
 i^ 
 
 et 
 
 m 
 
 Lips: O 
 
 In this there is, plenty of time to secure a full tone for the highest 
 note, soft and round, vibrating against the roof of the mouth ; 
 this can be taken right down to the bottom of the scale, only 
 changing to the chest register for the last note. Taking the 
 same figure higher up, the plan will be different. Here it is on F — 
 
 i 
 
 es 
 
 ^. 
 
 ^s 
 
 Lips: Q 
 
 Listen always for the middle C, and never rest until you are 
 satisfied with it. 
 
28 
 
 go. Now may follow the ascending scale — 
 
 i 
 
 -ri- 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■O ?T 
 
 tout before trying it in its complete form, it is well to take it in 
 fragments — e.g., two notes — 
 
 • i 
 
 ^ 
 
 Three notes ; 
 
 i 
 
 w 
 
 J J J 
 
 m 
 
 Four notes : 
 
 i 
 
 =F=4= 
 
 j, cJ Q 
 
 - o g> " 
 
 and so on ; always one more till the eight are reached. 
 
 91. As advance is gradually made, the choirmaster can invent 
 Tiew figures for himself, derived from the three types already 
 given. Here are a few — 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 =pc 
 
 * s 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 =P2= 
 
 w 
 
 $ 
 
 ^^m 
 
 ^ 
 
 m 
 
 =^ 
 
 ■ a - g? - 
 
 m 
 
 33: 
 
29 
 
 92. It will be noticed that we have not included either 
 chromatic scales or minor keys; if desired, the choirmaster can 
 add them himself. Such figures can be multiplied ad infinitum, 
 according to the ingenuity of the choirmaster. 
 
 93. To start a new figure, play it over on the pianoforte, once 
 if simple, several times if complicated ; it will soon be caught up 
 if it be an interesting musical phrase. 
 
 94. We have written all the examples in C ; these will, of 
 course, be transposed into every key, ascending by steps of semi- 
 tones, as already indicated. 
 
 95. Though we have given a considerable variety, we recom- 
 mend, for early practice, only the simplest figures ; the actual 
 form of the figure is of little consequence, it is the tone that is 
 important. This must be constantly in the mind of the choir- 
 master. Let him have his own ideal of tone, and be satisfied 
 with nothing until he realises it. Lethim, whenever opportunity 
 occurs, go and hear the best choirs, and aim at making his own 
 as much like them as possible. Remember that harsh, forced 
 tone is never necessary, it is always the result of a wrong method.. 
 Every boy can be made to produce his voice properly, though it 
 is a task of much greater difficulty in some cases than in others ; 
 but we venture to believe that in no cases, except those of natural 
 deformity, is it an impossibility. 
 
 96. In practising vocal exercises, always insist on soft singing 
 — the softer the better- — the loud tone will come soon enough 
 when required ; it is only by practising softly that a full even 
 tone can be gained. 
 
 97. After some progress has been made with the foregoing 
 exercises, we must turn back to our table of vowels, and take the 
 seven long ones in the order given, viz. : 
 
 00. O. OR. AH. ER. A. E. 
 
 Let these now be sung in succession upon the lower parts of the 
 voice, again placing that invaluable little article, the cork,, 
 between the teeth. It will be seeii that in practising 00, AH, 
 we have already passed through the positions for and OR ;. 
 these, therefore, will give little trouble. 
 
 98. O needs the most care ; it should be well opened and 
 rounded. It is often pronounced with the mouth almost closed, 
 reducing it to a shabby sort of ER, and depriving it of its fine, 
 bold character. Insist then always upon a " Round O." 
 
 99. Passing to the other side, we have some new sounds. 
 ER will give little trouble; it very much resembles AH, the 
 difference being that for it the tongue is slightly raised. See 
 that it is pronounced with a broad, full sound. 
 
 100. A is the most difficult vowel to give a satisfactory sound 
 to ; it is often made so thin as to be hardly distinguishable from 
 E. Correct this by making it lean in the direction of ER — that 
 is to say, let the tongue lie as low as 'possible without actually 
 departing from the vowel. 
 
30 
 
 loi. E will sometimes give trouble; to form it, the tongue is 
 raised high against the roof of the mouth, thus blocking the way 
 of the tone. Let the sound ring well in the front of the mouth, 
 and if any difficulty is experienced, direct the tip of the tongue to 
 be curled over in a downward direction, touching the gums below 
 the front teeth ; this will allow room for the resonance to take 
 place. 
 
 102. When good vowel-tone has been formed, we must turn 
 to the consonants. These, though they interfere as we have 
 seen with the vowel quality, are yet of the utmost importance, if 
 singing is to answer its true purpose, to convey thought. We 
 must then consider how to get the maximum of clearness and 
 distinctness with the least possible disturbance to the resonance 
 cavities. Remember two things : (i) Untrained singers, when 
 pronouncing a consonant, will invariably allow the teeth to close. 
 (2) This is in no case necessary; but, on the other hand, the 
 consonant will be much clearer if the teeth are still kept apart. 
 Further, if the teeth are allowed to close, they will either remain 
 so and spoil the vowel that follows, or, being again opened, the 
 two actions will involve a considerable waste of energy. 
 
 103. It is useless to tell a class of singers to keep the teeth 
 apart while sounding a consonant, the force of habit will be so 
 strong as to utterly prevent them doing so. However, we can 
 remedy this in a moment. Take up the cork again and place it 
 in position ; then go through the series of vowels ; but this time 
 with the consonant placed before each, the desired effect will be 
 obtained at once without the slightest trouble. At first the corks 
 will be pinched so hard as to be, perhaps, bitten in two. The 
 learners must be warned against this. Let them aim at keeping 
 a perfect cork, if possible, without a dent. When this has been 
 achieved, the improvement in the tone will be astonishing. 
 
 104. Take first the simpler consonants, as P, T, K, making 
 the artificial words Poo, Po, Por, &c. ; then add a consonant 
 after the vowel — e.g., Poot, Pot, Port, &c. ; then when skill has 
 been acquired, double and triple combinations can be gone 
 through — e.g., Kloot, Klot, Klort, &c. These exercises should 
 be practised only on the lower and easier parts of the voice, 
 where the vowel quality can be well produced without difficulty. 
 They should not be continued for long together with beginners, 
 as they are somewhat tiring. 
 
 105. And now, having studied vocal tone, vowel quality, and 
 consonant utterance, we are prepared for the interpretation of 
 music combined with words. 
 
31 
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE RENDERING OF CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 I. 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 1 06. The choral parts of the Service may be divided into four 
 groups : — 
 
 (i) Metrical Hymns. 
 
 (2) The Responses, &c. 
 
 (3) The Psalms. 
 
 (4) Services and Anthems, including Oratorios, &c. 
 "We will consider these in order : — 
 
 First, the Hymn. The poor Hymn ! What shameful treat- 
 ment it sometimes receives ! It is pushed aside as if it were a 
 -thing of no consequence ; it is scrambled through, dragged or 
 hurried, as the case may be ; often sung quite inaccurately, seldom 
 Teally well. This does not apply only to weak choirs, but to 
 many that in other respects are good. We have heard a choir 
 that boasts of its reputation, and considers itself second to none, 
 simply murder a hymn ; rush through it, regardless of time, tone, 
 phrasing, and all that goes to make musical expression. We 
 would urge a strong plea in favour of more care being bestowed 
 upon this really important item of a musical service. If we 
 consider the object of music in worship, its importance is manifest. 
 Music is an aid to devotion and a means of edification. Now, 
 only a certain number of the mass of worshippers can follow the 
 intricacies of an elaborate anthem ; not all the expressions in the 
 Psalms are clearly understood ; but the meaning of the simple 
 hymn is plain to all. The words are usually without obscurity, 
 the form of the tune can be grasped without any musical educa- 
 tion. If then this simple, homely material is used with all the 
 advantages of musical expression, its power and usefulness are 
 boundless ; it appeals to all, its message is never lost. 
 
 107. Amongst the points that are often overlooked in singing 
 hymns are the following : — 
 
 (i) Accent and emphasis. 
 
 (2) Breath-taking and phrasing. 
 
 (3) Accuracy of time. 
 
 (4) (a) Endings with vowels. 
 
 (i) Endings with consonants. 
 
32 
 
 io8. Accent is the regular alternation of strong and weak 
 beats, which takes place in every bar. Though every musician 
 understands this matter theoretically, in actual teaching too often 
 it receives insufficient attention. The best way to secure its 
 correctness is to teach boys to 
 
 Beat Time 
 and insist upon them always doing so when practising measured 
 music. When the habit has been acquired, all that is necessary 
 is to point out that the first beat in the bar, which is always the 
 down beat, bears the strong accent ; if this is mastered the other 
 beats may be left to take care of themselves. 
 
 109. The accent of the words should correspond with that of 
 the music. It generally does. When, however, the two differ, a 
 compromise must be effected ; the musical accent must be 
 reduced to a minimum, so as to clash as little as possible with 
 that of the words. Many instances will occur to the reader — we 
 give a very familiar one : — 
 
 i 
 
 -^rri- 
 
 &c. 
 
 Spi rit of mer cy 
 
 no. Emphasis is a special and irregular accent. It occurs 
 both in music and words. In the former certain notes will 
 stand out more prominently than others on account of their 
 position, and should be dwelt on for a somewhat longer time 
 than actually written, e.g. — 
 
 * 
 
 ll*= 
 
 5= 
 
 :53: 
 
 It 
 
 the note marked * should be sung slightly longer than written, 
 besides bearing a strong accent. This is a matter that requires 
 great taste and judgment. As a general rule in singing, when a 
 phrase ascends and descends again the highest note must be 
 slightly prolonged, the time thus lost being deducted from the 
 following note. 
 
 III. Verbal emphasis is a simpler matter. It is constantly 
 necessary to bring out the sense of the words (which, remember, 
 is the object of singing). Notwithstanding, it is even more 
 frequently overlooked than accent ; certain words will require 
 dwelling upon more than others, or else, in some cases, the 
 sense will be entirely lost, e.g. — 
 
 I * I I I I , ._. ^ 
 
 y i -iu ,1 J - yiij i .! --' ■! » 
 
 'Here faith is ours" "but there are per - feet . ' 
 
 112. The words in singing should be rendered just as in 
 speaking, as regards emphasis ; important words should be 
 
33 
 
 shown to be so by an extra amount of tone, unimportant ones 
 should be taken simply with the natural accent. Emphasis 
 should not supersede accent — it should assist and amplify it. 
 
 113. Many hymns end with a refrain or " Chorus," e.g. — 
 
 " Let us with a gladsome mind." 
 " Hark ! hark, my soul." 
 " O Paradise ! " 
 " All glory, laud and honour." 
 And all Litanies. 
 
 114. Others commence with a motto or " text," as — 
 
 "Thine for ever." 
 
 " Peace, perfect peace." 
 
 " Holy, Holy, Holy." 
 
 115. Some have both these characteristics, as — 
 
 "Just as I am." 
 
 " Nearer, my God, to Thee." 
 
 116. In every case these points of structure should be noticed 
 by the choirmaster, and the phrases taken in a special markea 
 manner. 
 
 117. (2) Breath-taking and phrasing. We mention these 
 separately as they are not quite identical, all breath-taking 
 involves phrasing, but not all phrasing necessitates breath-taking. 
 The rule for the first is negative : — 
 
 (a) Never take breath when so doing destroys the sense of 
 
 the words, 
 for the second positive — 
 
 [b) Always make a break {i.e., end a phrase) when so doing 
 
 will bring out the meaning of the words. 
 
 118. This is an extremely important matter in hymns, as often 
 in no two successive verses are the words written to suit the 
 same plan of phrasing, and in such cases we must each time 
 adapt the music afresh to the words. 
 
 iig. Only passages of a certain length can be sung in one 
 breath ; beyond a certain point it becomes a physical necessity to 
 renew the breath ; we must then choose the place most suitable 
 in regard to the words — not always at the end of a line, this will 
 sometimes quite spoil the sense. Indeed, a case occurs to us in 
 which it would be best not to make any break at the end of the 
 verse — -in Hymn 17 (A. and M.) the verse ends thus, with only a 
 comma — 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 It 
 
 ici: 
 
 3=t 
 
 \ bid - ing in the breast," 
 If we go straight on to the next — 
 
 ^ 
 
 i — r 
 
 :2=t 
 
 izz: 
 
 " Save that Thy will be done," 
 
34 
 
 without any break, the improvement in the effect will be marked. 
 But such refinement as this is only possible with a very highly 
 trained choir. Under ordinary circumstances it is advisable to 
 make a pause at the conclusion of every stanza. 
 
 I20. Here is a case where the taking of breath should be 
 delayed beyond the end of a line — 
 
 i 
 
 fc^ 
 
 i: 
 
 4: 
 
 t^z 
 
 ZC±i 
 
 331 
 
 zi: 
 
 ' O'er moorandfen,o'ercragandtorrent,tiU . . * Thenightis gone." 
 
 If a breath is made at * the sense is lost ; breath should be taken 
 after "fen " and "torrent," and also, if required, after " night." 
 Here is a case where, though a fresh supply of breath is not 
 required, a break should be made in order to make the sense 
 clear — 
 
 i 
 
 ■*^ 
 
 =t: 
 
 :t 
 
 ze2i 
 
 -ri- 
 
 " Light of lights * when falls the even.'' 
 
 and such sentences as these — 
 
 i 
 
 " The length * breadth * depth and height * to prove." 
 
 i 
 
 9 
 
 znt: 
 
 =?2Z 
 
 'Find 
 
 ing * fol lowing * keep - ing * strug - gling.* 
 
 Here each word introduces a fresh thought. When a brea^ id 
 made at * the meaning is brought home. 
 
 121. Though more breath is not required in these cases, to 
 insure the break it is useful to tell beginners to take it, so that 
 there may be no misunderstanding. When good habits begin to 
 be formed, it is sufficient to explain that there must be a 
 momentary cessation of sound at such phrases. 
 
 122. No singing can be called satisfactory without correct 
 phrasing. Let it therefore be regarded as a matter of the first 
 importance. 
 
 123. If any doubt arises as to where the phrase should be 
 marked, read over the words, simply thinking of the meaning, 
 regardless of the music ; in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred 
 the required phrasing will be obvious. 
 
 124. In teaching boys, let them understand that you rely upon 
 their intelligence ; that as they would not talk nonsense, so they 
 Bhould not sing it. Drive home the rule that : " Breath should 
 be taken according to the sense." When it is incorrectly taken, 
 repeat the passage and ask why it is wrong. Let the answer 
 come : " Because it makes nonsense ! " Ask where the best 
 
35 
 
 place would be (for a sensible person). Then notice how intelligent 
 boys sometimes can be. 
 
 125. Accuracy of time. Let us before all things be accurate. 
 Think of musical time as representing truth ; of mistakes, in this 
 respect, as falsehood. Measured music should be sung rhythmi- 
 cally, though this must not be taken to imply that the time 
 should always rival the accuracy of a mechanical organ. 
 
 126. A certain liberty is sometimes necessary, but this should 
 never go so far as to obscure the rhythm. When the boundary 
 is overstepped, and, for instance, a bar of quadruple time is made 
 to sound like triple, an egregious error has been committed. 
 Who has not heard such performances as this — 
 
 i 
 
 ¥=p==^=^ 
 
 =t= 
 
 W= '' ■ ' &c. J 
 
 or this 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 -»— ri- 
 
 \ ! 
 
 or this 
 
 i 
 
 E^E^I^^^ 
 
 o • 
 
 m 
 
 -;\^ J- 
 
 molio accelerando. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 ■tl^ 
 
 I 
 
 i: 
 
 zz±: 
 
 A. 
 
 ' ! ♦ 
 
 * i • 
 
 perpetrated, not always by ignorant people, but even by those 
 who ought to know better ? It seems as if only in churches, 
 alas 1 can such enormities be heard ! The very same people 
 would probably never dream of playing a piece of instrumental 
 music in such a manner, or of so treating any vocal music except 
 the long suffering hymn ! We earnestly plead then, before all 
 things, for accuracy. If the ear is disgusted and offended by 
 such mistakes as we have quoted, nothing else can make 
 amends. 
 
 127. The instances of incorrect time hitherto given have 
 occurred in the middle of phrases. There are less obvious cases 
 which will require separate attention ; and these are the — 
 
 Endings — or final notes. 
 Before insisting upon their correct rendering, we must first decide 
 •what that is, and we may here give another rule : 
 
 " For every final note count one more beat than is written." 
 When the last word terminates with a vowel, this extra beat 
 must be the point where silence commences, not before. When 
 the word terminates with a consonant, that consonant must be 
 sounded on the extra beat. 
 
 128. It is important in training a choir to be quite clear as 
 to what is here expected in order that absolute unanimity may 
 
36 
 
 prevail. The above rule, if invariably followed, will secure this 
 unanimity. Let us consider that, supposing a horizontal line 
 represents continuous musical sound and this be intersected by 
 vertical lilies representing a division into beats, each beat will 
 continue in force until another takes its place, thus ; — 
 
 Here we have written down five beats, the last being the point 
 where silence commences ; but the horizontal line being taken 
 to represent the vocal tone, the sound will be only that of four 
 beats, ceasing at the end of the fourth beat — that is, the com- 
 mencement of the fifth. 
 
 129. If is sometimes supposed that it is sufficient to arrive 
 at the last beat indicated by the written note, without extending 
 the sound as far as the next beat, thus : — 
 
 I- I 
 
 That this is incorrect will be seen if we suppose the note, instead 
 of being of four beats, to be reduced to one; here, if the same 
 plan be adopted, we shall get quite a short note, not at all like 
 what is expected — , ^ 
 
 and the inaccuracy will be apparent. If, further, we suppose 
 the time to be very slow indeed, we shall then have a long pause 
 of silence instead of sound, which could not be tolerated for a 
 moment. But for however many beats the note may be supposed 
 to be prolonged, the principle remains the same. If, then, we 
 have proved our case for one beat, the same will apply for 
 any number. 
 
 130. In the case of a consonant ending, the matter is not 
 quite so apparent, though it is of still greater consequence. The 
 importance of a choir clearly and sharply sounding the final 
 consonants will be readily admitted. With what fatal errors 
 do we meet when this is neglected — we may hear " Lor " for 
 "Lord," "she" for "sheep," "throw" for "throne," and a 
 hundred other absurdities. Yet if all the voices are not exactly 
 together the remedy will be almost worse than the evil ; we shall 
 hear a shower of " ss " and " ts," resembling the explosion of 
 crackers or the scaring of cats. 
 
 131. As a cure for these evils we then recommend that the 
 consonant should be sounded on the beat following the last 
 written, thus : — 
 
 ■^ *♦ 5 
 
 I 1 1 1 
 
 hear 
 
 Lor 
 
37 
 
 If it is not so arranged we wander in a fog. Where else shall 
 it come ? No two persons will agree as to tne answer and the 
 result will be dire confusion. If it is objected that this plan 
 will result in prolonging the note unduly, the reply will be that 
 the consonant, being presumably sounded instantaneously, may 
 be regarded as a negligible quantity ; further, that the consonant 
 is not a musical sound, only a noise of a definite character ; 
 and that the written notes, being admittedly to indicate the 
 music, do not of necessity include the consonant. 
 
 Now if this rule be accepted and acted upon, we are in a 
 strong position as regards aiming at accuracy. The time 
 beating, already established, will furnish an infallible guide to 
 the exact length of a note, and then, except from carelessness 
 or want of practice, no mistake can arise. 
 
 132. Hymn tunes may be divided into three classes : — * 
 (i) The ancient Choral — 
 
 Instances — 
 
 " The old Hundredth." 
 
 " O Sacred Head." 
 
 (2) Th/ modern variety of the same form, of a lighter 
 " character, well adapted for congregational singing — 
 
 Instances — 
 
 " How sweet the Name." 
 
 " O Love Divine." 
 
 (3) The modern developed tune, partaking more of the 
 
 character of the part-song ; not so well adapted 
 
 for congregational singing, but often most effective 
 
 when well sung by a choir — 
 
 Instances — 
 
 " O Paradise ! " 
 
 " Lead, kindly Light." 
 
 " Days and moments." 
 
 133. There is no better training for boys' voices than the 
 practising of hymns. The tune taken alone serves as a vocal 
 exercise, and when the words are added, all the principles of 
 musical expression can be illustrated on a small and simple scale; 
 this simplicity allowing the learner to give attention to the 
 minutest details, which might be overlooked in a more compli- 
 cated work. Remember that only by taking pains over small 
 and apparently unimportant matters have all great works been 
 accomplished. " Despise not the day of small things." Practise 
 every hymn diligently and carefully, let not a single point escape 
 notice. Aim at the highest possible standard, and only there 
 rest content. 
 
 * The writer has not included Plain Song tunes, which require special 
 treatment. 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
40 
 
 production, the forcing of a lower register upwards, which results 
 in a harsh, vulgar tone, and makes the sustaining of pitch 
 a most difficult matter. The difficulty, as a rule, is not that a 
 note is too high, as we shall hear some complain, but that the 
 part of the voice used is too low. 
 
 142. To secure the right register with boys try the " 00, AH " 
 (§ 78) exercise on the reciting note very softly ; the right toiie is 
 then sure to appear. Proceed then to practise the words. 
 Directly the tone becomes thin and forced, revert to " 00, AH," 
 and continue this until the tone used in reciting matches that of 
 the exercise. 
 
 143. If a middle note is used, we recommend one well up in 
 the scale. A in preference to G. It is easier for boys to 
 produce good tone in the manner indicated on the former than 
 on the latter, and is better practice for the voices. 
 
 144. Under our second heading comes a common and gross error. 
 Untrained singers will often insist upon throwing an accent on the 
 first and last syllables of a sentence, whether they naturally hear one 
 or not. We hear such renderings as these — "Almighty, restore, 
 according. Father, sinndrs, penitent." The choirmaster, when this 
 occurs, should repeat the word as maltreated, and remark that no 
 such word occurs in the English language ; the singers are therefore 
 talking nonsense. This will probably soon put matters right 
 
 145. In the Confession it is also necessary to carefully insist 
 upon the accurate and distinct enunciation of every vowel and 
 consonant. Do not let a boy say, " Strayed'm Thy ways," 
 " offend'd," " things 'ch we ought 'ooa done." It is hardly 
 necessary to remark that all aspirates must be rigidly demanded. 
 
 146. The Confession must be taken at a moderate pace. Not 
 so slow as to sound tedious ; not so fast as to lose distinctness 
 and sound irreverent. In practising it is well to take it slowly 
 at first, and afterwards to increase the pace as much as is 
 desired. 
 
 147. Let the Confession invariably be taken softly. There is 
 only one place in the Prayer Book where any direction as to 
 musical expression occurs, and that is here. We are directed to 
 say the Confession with " an humble voice " — this is usually 
 understood to mean a soft subdued tone : and so let it be 
 observed. 
 
 148. All the above remarks apply equally to the " Lord's 
 Prayer" and "Creed," except that these are almost invariably 
 taken on a middle note and in a rather louder tone of voice. 
 
 149. There is one further matter worth notice. When the 
 Priest recites with the people, there is often doubt as to how the 
 commencement shall be made. Very frequently the Priest 
 alone takes the opening words, the people joining in with what 
 follows. This is sometimes objected to on the ground that in such 
 a case the people are excluded from their rightful part, and with 
 some show of reason too. There is really no principle involved 
 at all, it is merely a matter of convenience. 
 
41 
 
 A plan which meets all requirements is as follows ; — 
 
 (Priest. " Our Father (which art." 
 
 \People " Our Father {which art." 
 
 {Priest. " I believe .... fin God the Father." 
 (People " I believe tin God the Father." 
 
 This seems to be, on the whole, far the most satisfactory 
 solution of the question. 
 
 150. The Festal and Ferial Responses. — Here take pains over — 
 
 (a) Tone. 
 
 (b) Emphasis. 
 
 (c) Endings. 
 
 151. As the Responses are not measured music, the time is 
 of necessity somewhat free ; this makes the matter of endings 
 more important. We recommend that in all cases of doubt the 
 choirmaster should cause to be written in each book the number 
 of beats he expects for any given final note, e.g. — 
 
 i 
 
 -J — I 
 
 rail. 
 
 * 
 
 |=d= 
 
 :?2= 
 
 -r*p- 
 
 And 
 
 ^S^ 
 
 ^f 
 
 I III 
 
 take not Thy Ho 
 
 I 11 I 
 
 —IS « — •- — 
 
 iy Spi-rit*from 
 
 us, 
 2 
 
 te 
 
 =r 
 
 -t- 
 
 -1 — r 
 
 1 — r—r 
 
 Here the rallentando makes the ending a matter of less 
 certainty. Insist that the last word " us " shall be double the 
 length of "from," with the consonant as always counting one 
 more beat. 
 
 152. In this last Response notice the place for breath. The 
 length of the phrase makes it almost imperative to replenish the 
 lungs, otherwise the ending will suffer. It should be taken after 
 " Spirit," not after " Holy," as is sometimes done. 
 
 153. Amongst mistakes of emphasis, the following is common : 
 " And our mouth shall shew forth Thy praise." 
 
 154. The Responses should be taken at the pace of good 
 reading, neither dragged nor hurried. With a well trained choir, 
 the effect is best when they are sung with A as the reciting note ; 
 but G is admissible, and this must be left to the judgment of the 
 choirmaster ; sometimes A flat is used. Whatever the pitch, 
 when the choir sings unaccompanied, no flattening should be 
 allowed ; this will require equal care and patience with the 
 Confession. 
 
 155. The Amens. — Whatever form these take, insist upon the 
 two notes being of equal value. Frequently the last note is made 
 
42 
 
 quite short and ragged. A good plan is to regard each note as 
 bearing two beats, the last syllable will then count three, thus — 
 
 ¥ 
 
 I 
 
 The manner in which a simple Amen is sung is the test of a 
 good choir. The tone should be round and full ; all voices 
 should commence exactly together and end in the same manner. 
 Before every Amen a deep breath should be inhaled, and this 
 done while the last words of the preceding prayer are being read, 
 so that there may be no intervening pause. It is necessary for 
 the choir to be always on the alert and prepared to commence 
 exactly at the right moment. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 156. A whole treatise might be written on the rendering of the 
 Psalms alone. In them is opportunity for the display of all the 
 finest qualities of a first-rate choir, and in them difficulties to 
 tax to the uttermost the skill of the most accomplished. 
 
 157. A great deal of discussion is heard nowadays as to what 
 system of pointing shall be adopted and what kind of chants 
 used. We hear fiery arguments, and see pitched battles raging 
 around these questions ; but there is very little attention given 
 as to how this pointing and these chants are to be rendered. 
 We speak of course generally. There are notable exceptions, 
 where admirable chanting is heard ; but, as a rule, the standard 
 of chanting is extremely low. 
 
 158. Taking for granted that we have selected our Psalter and 
 chosen our Chants, the following points in chanting occur as 
 demanding attention : — 
 
 (i) The Recitation. 
 
 (2) The Accent Mark. 
 
 (3) Middle words. 
 
 (4) Endings. 
 
 159. The Recitation. — This should be taken at exactly the 
 same pace as the inflexion that follows, neither quicker nor 
 slower. At the end of any given sentence, the final syllables 
 must be regarded as being inflected — primarily, for the sake of 
 variety ; secondarily, to intensify the emotion ; but the pace with 
 which the words are taken should not vary from beginning to 
 
43 
 
 end. If it does, the inference is that the words so prolonged are 
 of more importance than the others ; whereas often the words 
 occurring in the middle of a long sentence are the chief ones. 
 
 i6o. Equal attention should be given to all words, whether 
 they are sung on one note or another. To insure this, it is 
 important to point out that in the course of a long sentence 
 many accents will occur and certain emphatic syllables. In 
 
 ' rhymed verse the accents occur regularly ; in the poetry of the 
 
 • Psalms, irregularly. Hence the difficulty. 
 i6i. This brings in our second division. 
 
 The Accent Mark. — Nothing has given rise to more misunder- 
 standing and error in chanting than this. So much so, that some 
 authorities have advocated its being abolished altogether. We 
 do not think this would be desirable, and will endeavour to show 
 why. 
 
 162. It is important to make clear (a) what the accent does 
 not mean, and (6) what it does mean. It does not always mean 
 that the syllable over which it is placed is the strongest in the 
 recitation ; frequently this is far from the case. Neither does it 
 mean that this syllable must of necessity be held longer than 
 others. But it does mean this : That the syllable over which it 
 is placed is the last before the bar that will bear any stress at all. 
 If this is clearly understood, its usefulness will be apparent. 
 
 163. Here is an instance — 
 
 " Wherewithal shall a y6ung man | cleanse his | way." 
 
 "Young" should be slightly accented, but it must not be so 
 strong as "wherewithal," nor as "cleanse," which follows; 
 neither must it be held longer than " man," but for an exactly 
 equal time. 
 
 " Even by ruling himself | after | Thy | law." 
 
 Here "self" will bear a slight accent, but should not be as 
 strong as " ruling," nor as " law," which follows. Again — 
 
 " With my whole heirt | have I | sought Thee : " 
 
 " Heart " bears an accent, but the principal word is " whole," 
 which should be still stronger ; and later, " sought " bears a stress. 
 If " heart " is rendered more strongly than the other syllables, 
 the meaning of the thought is entirely changed. The point is 
 not that the " heart " as distinguished from any other member 
 does the action. What the Psalmist dwells upon is the 
 "seeking," and that thoroughly ("wko/e heart"). 
 
 164. What we require, then, may be thus briefly put: We want 
 more accents, not less. By all means retain the present marks for 
 their proper use, to guide the singer at the point where the 
 inflection takes place ; but let us also add the other necessary 
 accents and emphasis which the sense of the words require. 
 
 165. The "accent" then, indicating the last strong syllable 
 before the bar, should be taken as representing the first semi- 
 breve before the chant. When it is followed by one or more weak 
 
44 
 
 syllables, this semibreve should be divided according to the sense 
 of the words. For rules for such division, the reader is referred 
 to Sir John Stainer's admirable Introduction to the " Cathedral 
 Psalter." 
 
 i66. Middle Words — that is, words occurring on notes inter- 
 mediate between the reciting note and close or half-close. These 
 need special attention. When in any bar are set two correspond- 
 ing syllables to the two notes of the chant, there is little 
 difficulty, though it is important to notice that the first of the 
 two must always bear an accent, though sometimes only a 
 weak one, e.g. — 
 
 * 
 " With my whole heart | have I | sought Thee." 
 
 Here, " have " should be light and the emphasis given to 
 " sought." When to one note of the music, either the up or 
 down beat, are set two syllables, the matter requires more 
 attention. A badly trained choir will invariably clip the first of 
 these syllables short and prolong the second. This is just the 
 opposite to what should be done. Insist that where two syllables 
 take the p ace of one, the first should always be longer and 
 stronger than the second. 
 
 167. This applies to a sub-division both ot the down beat and 
 
 the up beat. Instances — 
 
 * 
 " O come let us sing | unto the | Lord." 
 
 Here " un " should be distinctly longer than "to," and " the " 
 which takes the second beat, being an unimportant syllable, may 
 be somewhat lessened, so that the three syllables together will 
 be rendered almost like a triplet. Of course we should not 
 actually so describe it, but, if done properly, the effect will be 
 nearly so. 
 
 168. A familiar instance of two syllables on the up beat is — 
 
 * 
 " Glory be to the Father | and • to the | Son." 
 
 This is more difficult to get rendered correctly ; but the teacher 
 should insist on the distinctness of both syllables, and that the 
 first should be slightly longer than the second. 
 
 169. When three syllables occur to one note, the same 
 principle applies. Here the lengthening of the musical note 
 must be apparent — «.§•., trisyllables such as " vanity," "multitude," 
 " verily " are set in this way and should be " spread out," taken 
 as an even triplet, with the stress on the first syllable. 
 
 170. All this applies to endings ; but when two syllables are 
 here set to the last note, they divide the time of a semibreve ; 
 not, as in other cases, that of a minim ; so that, according to our 
 rule, the semibreve will become two minims, with the accent, as 
 before, invariably on the first syllable, e.g. — 
 
 * 
 " With my whole h6art | have I | sought Thee." 
 
45 
 
 Here obviously the first takes the accent and slightly more than 
 half the semibreve ; yet one frequently hears such a rendering as 
 
 sought Thee : . . . 
 
 f 
 
 y 
 
 the absurdity of which is apparent when written down. 
 
 171. Three syllables should as a rule be rendered as a triplet, 
 four syllables as a quadruplet, on the same plan. 
 
 172. This question of endings in chanting is one of the most 
 important to observe, and one with respect to which lack of 
 intelligence is most frequently displayed. 
 
 173. To sum up, we will take some complete sentences, and 
 apply to them what has been said. The sentences will be written 
 out in full, just as they should be sung. 
 
 — Represents a light syllable. 
 
 — " an accent. 
 
 = n an emphasis. 
 
 (a) 
 
 i 
 
 ^M: 
 
 come, let us sing 
 
 un - to the 
 
 Lord : 
 
 l*t- 
 
 :?z: 
 
 ^^ 
 
 (*) 
 
 hk 
 
 let us heart-i- ly re-joice in the strength of our sal va - tion. 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 =t 
 
 -a^-#- 
 
 (c) Let us come be-fore His pre-sence with thanks - giv - ing : 
 
 m. 
 
 =pz: 
 
 T 
 
 p ^-ri^J-r r ^^m 
 
 -ri- 
 
 ICt 
 
 (ii) and shew our- selves glad in Him with Psalms. 
 
 lil 
 
 m 
 
 ZS±1 
 
 (e) 
 
 For H^ is the Lord our God : 
 
 i 
 
 III 
 
 1^ 
 
 ^- 
 
 ^ 
 
 (/) „ *"^ we are the peo-ple of His pas-ture, ^nd the sheep of His hand. 
 
46 
 
 ie) 
 
 In His hand are all the cor - ners of ' the ^arth 
 
 I 
 
 iiU-lU-l 
 
 -I — ^ 
 
 -+- 
 
 (A) and the stren gth of t he hills is His al - so. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^ I / - ■» - <-J cJ 
 
 <y) 
 
 l«*i 
 
 ^ 
 
 Glo ry be to the Fa - ther, and to the Son 
 1- 
 
 ^ 
 
 =?=c: 
 
 
 
 -^ — e> St 
 
 (*) 
 
 i 
 
 ifc 
 
 and 
 
 to the Ho - ly Ghost: 
 
 =1= 
 
 =t 
 
 {I) As it was in the be- gin -ning, is now, and ev er shall be : 
 
 i 
 
 
 ■m-m- -0 — — 13 — o — t 
 
 ^ 
 
 (m) 
 
 1*1 
 
 world without 
 
 end. . 
 
 pfl^ 
 
 :c3= 
 
 174. The length of time occupied in singing any sentence 
 should depend upon the number of words it contains. All syllables 
 before the accent should be reckoned up mentally into so many 
 bars, and these bars taken at exactly the same pace as the 
 inflected portion of the chant. This is nothing new. In the 
 old days of Gregorian chant a separate note was invariably set 
 to every syllable of a sentence, thus clearly showing the relative 
 pace of the whole. This plan was dropped with the gradual 
 introduction of the modern Anglican chant, in consequence of the 
 complications that would have arisen from the necessity of 
 indicating a separate note for every part of the harmony. But 
 the Anglican chant is the legitimate descendant of the Gregorian 
 tone, and the proper method of chanting is precisely the same in 
 both. 
 
 175. A great deal of unnecessary pains have been taken to 
 show an imaginary difference between the two, sometimes to the 
 disparagement of the latter. One writer argues that in the 
 Anglican chant a stress should fall on the last note ; another, that 
 
47 
 
 this should occur in the penultimate bar. Both are right, and 
 both are wrong. The stress and accent should follow the sense 
 of the words ; if the last syllable of the sentence be an emphatic 
 one, it should be so rendered ; and, if not, it should be sung 
 lightly. Everywhere intelligence and common sense should be 
 the guide ; as regards accent and emphasis, the words must 
 lead, the music following. Whenever this is not so, the render- 
 ing is incorrect. 
 
 176. To teach a choir, it is not necessary that the whole 
 sentence should be written out with musical notes, as in the 
 examples. These have been given merely as a guide to the 
 teacher. Supposing this plan were adopted, it might help in 
 cases of dulness or insufficient practice ; but it is far better to 
 rely upon the mental power of the singers themselves, and when, 
 through this, a really good interpretation has been attained, the 
 necessity of constantly considering the meaning of the words 
 will throw life and reality into the singing, otherwise unattainable. 
 
 177. In practising the Psalms, the process in the mind of the 
 trainer should be as follows : — 
 
 (i) Good tone production. 
 
 (2) Evenness of pace throughout a sentence. 
 
 (3) The addition of emphasis when required. 
 
 (4) The subtraction of accents when not required. 
 
 (5) Graduation of tone, soft and loud ; which is, however, a 
 matter of little importance compared with the foregoing vital 
 points. 
 
 178. To one not accustomed to teaching in such a way, this 
 method will possibly jpound complicated and difficult ; but when 
 put into actual practice the difficulties are much less than might 
 be supposed. In most sentences of the Psalms, when it is made 
 clear that the meaning and natural accent of the words are the 
 one thing to be considered, a moment's thought will show what 
 the correct rendering will be ; in the rare cases when any doubt 
 can arise the choirmaster will have to decide, and himself first 
 sing the phrase in question in the manner he feels best, the choir 
 repeating it after him. 
 
 179. Let the teacher himself feel, and then endeavour to 
 impress upon his pupils the beauty and dignity of the Psalms, 
 and how great a privilege it is to have the opportunity of inter- 
 preting such glorious poetry. How every word should be 
 treated with reverence and awe ; how every sentence contains 
 some golden thought, which we should be wiser and better for 
 making our own. If teacher and learner alike regard the 
 Psalms in this way, no trouble will seem too great to give them 
 a true rendering. The labour thus spent will be a joy, and its 
 fruits a great reward.* 
 
 " The foregoing remarks upon chanting apply equally to the Confession in 
 the Communion Service, as set in Stainer's " Marbeck," which is really a kind 
 of irregular chant. 
 
48 
 
 i8o. In respect to antiphonal singing, we strongly recommend 
 the use of the half-verse arrangement. There is every argument 
 in its favour. As a rule, it assists immensely in bringing out the 
 structure of the poetry, and in the great majority of Psalms it is 
 obviously intended to be employed. It also makes good chanting 
 much easier to attain, as with it in use each side has always just 
 as much to sing as can conveniently be taken in one breath. 
 Then follows a pause for replenishing, and so a brightness and 
 vigour can be insured, which, with a whole long verse to sing in 
 one breath, is hardly possible. 
 
 iSi. Whatever plan be adopted, enforce this rule — let any one 
 side take a full breath while the other side are singing their last 
 bar ; not wait until they have finished. If this rule be carefully 
 followed, no unpleasant break need ever occur. 
 
 182. As regards the structure of the Psalms, and the way in 
 which chants should be set to them in accordance with the 
 structure of the poetry and the spirit of the words, there is no 
 better guide than Westcott's "Paragraph Psalter." 
 
 ANTHEMS AND SERVICES. 
 
 183. All that wre have said under the heading of Hymns 
 applies to the practice of these, and if the Hymn has been 
 thoroughly studied, the Anthem ought to give little trouble. 
 
 184. Two new points may be noticed— 
 
 (a) The " leads " in contrapuntal music. 
 (6) Pauses. 
 
 185. In all chorus singing, a good start and a good finish are 
 half the battle. Take the greatest care that when any part 
 enters alone, its first note shall be firm and decided, without the 
 slightest hesitation. Insist that every singer of a part shall 
 sing his first note at the proper time. When the note is a 
 difficult one to take, you may help the singers in two ways : 
 either point out some other part that has the same note in a 
 different octave which may be listened for, or else stop and let 
 the singers sing their own first note clearly and decidedly, and, 
 when they have well heard and felt its pitch, go back a bar 
 or more, pointing out how many beats there will be before the 
 lead. Then, if the fact that the singers have heard their note 
 with their own voices will instinctively guide them in returning 
 to it, the difficulty is reduced to a matter of time only, which, if 
 the beating is being rigidly enforced, will be soon overcome. 
 
 186. Pauses. — It is to be hoped that the day is approaching 
 when all indefinite pauses in vocal music will be abolished, 
 
49 
 
 and the exact length that the composer requires for any given 
 note clearly indicated. When a conductor beats time the 
 difficulty is not so much felt, though even then it would be 
 much better to know exactly what is expected than to be left 
 to the taste and caprice of each individual conductor. But when 
 no conductor is present, there ensues a state of " confusion worse 
 confounded." No one knows exactly how long the pause note 
 is to be held and therefore no one is to blame ; and the pause 
 coming as it does so often as the final note of a piece, just 
 when we want complete unanimity and decision we get the 
 very opposite. 
 
 187. The only remedy, since composers continue to write 
 indefinitely in this respect, is for the choirmaster to go over 
 the music carefully, and, having decided for how many beats any 
 particular pause-note should, in his opinion, be held, to have 
 that number clearly marked in each copy, and see that it is 
 observed. 
 
 5- 
 
 READING AT SIGHT AND LEARNING NEW MUSIC. 
 
 188. Sight reading is the power of mentally picturing the 
 musical sounds represented by written notes, and of promptly 
 reproducing these sounds. It is only acquired by practice, 
 constant repetition, and unwearied attention to small details. 
 
 i8g. In teaching boys to read at sight, the main points to 
 consider are — 
 
 (i) Pitch. 
 (2) Duration. 
 
 190. Under the first heading, it is necessary for the sake of 
 clearness to teach the names of the lines and spaces and the 
 names of the various intervals ; though the mere name of a 
 thing is only a small matter : it is its meaning that is important. 
 It is not necessary to say anything about the theoretical nature 
 of intervals, but only to point out that from any line or space to 
 the next adjacent space or line is called a second; from any line 
 to the next line, and from any space to the next space a third, &c. 
 Then refer to the vocal exercises, and show that all scales are 
 composed of seconds ; that the first two steps of an arpeggio of 
 the common chord are thirds, the final step a fourth ; that from 
 the first to the third note of the same is a fifth, from the second 
 to the fourth a sixth. The octave will be constantly recurring. 
 
 191. If these figures are by incessant practice imprinted upon 
 the mind, it ought not to be a matter of any difficulty to repro- 
 duce them when appearing in other surroundings. 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 192. There is no need when teaching boys to speak of minor 
 and major, perfect and imperfect intervals. When the music is 
 diatonic, it will naturally be sung correctly ; when chromatic, the 
 only needful thing is a clear understanding of the accidentals. 
 
 The ^ raises. 
 The b lowers. 
 The t| restores. 
 
 Refer often to this simple formula, and the boys will take pleasure 
 in applying it to the work they are doing. 
 
 193. As to the second head, the names and value of the notes 
 must be learnt ; but the one important thing to grasp is that 
 every bar will occupy the same time in singing, whether it 
 contains few or many notes. If, then, the beginning of every bar 
 be made certain through time beating, the difficulties will be 
 much lessened by enabling a general outline of the rhythm to be 
 gained almost at once, into which the details can be filled by 
 degrees. 
 
 194. In learning new music it is well to have a definite plan 
 before starting, and the following will be found helpful : — 
 
 First, go right through the piece with the help of the pianoforte, 
 and secure a general idea of the time and style of the whole. 
 Secondly, commence again at the beginning, and go on until a 
 difficulty arises ; stop here and learn this difficult part, then take 
 a few bars back, and fit in the fragment so learnt with its sur- 
 roundings. If it should be a florid passage, take it slowly and 
 secure perfect accuracy for every note ; if it rises and falls again, 
 take the highest note first, and when the production of that is 
 perfect, add the rest. When the difficulty lies in the intervals, 
 select the worst faults again. The least accurate note should be 
 first aimed at. When that comes with ease, its fellows will 
 soon join it. Lastly, turn to expression ; to small details of 
 finish ; to gradation of tone ; accents ; emphasis, and the various 
 other points already noticed in this work. 
 
 195. In the beginning, do not worry over small points until a 
 general idea of the whole has been clearly grasped. When first 
 commencing a new piece, it is a great mistake to keep stopping. 
 Such a plan only disheartens a choir and retards progress. 
 Think how a building is erected — 
 
 (i) The foundation is laid. 
 
 (2) The structure is built up. 
 
 (3) The ornaments are added. 
 
 On such lines teach new music — 
 
 (i^ Consider pace and general outline. 
 
 (2) Accuracy of notes. 
 
 (3) Finish of phrasing and expression. 
 
 So will a true, firm, artistic result be gained. 
 
SI 
 
 196. No expression is of any avail without accuracy. No 
 accuracy is complete without expression. The two may be 
 taken as representing the masculine and feminine elements in 
 musical performance, neither sufficient witliout the other. The 
 two combined forming one perfect whole. The union of Strength 
 and Elegance. The union of Truth and Beauty. 
 
 6. 
 CHOIR PRACTICES AS A WHOLE. 
 
 197. According to the plan we recommend, there will be three 
 types of practice : — 
 
 (i) For Boys only. 
 
 (2) For Men only. 
 
 (3) Full. 
 
 198. The course of study at the first may be as follows. 
 Commence with a series of vocal exercises, as described; then 
 take the Hymns ; after they are finished, return to vocal exercises 
 for a few minutes. Then proceed with the Psalms ; following 
 with Services, Anthems, and other work ; but between each 
 division insert some vocal exercise of short duration. When 
 properly taught, boys can sing for an immense time without 
 fatigue. The length of the practice will depend to a great 
 extent on the time at the disposal of the choirmaster, but from 
 an hour to an hour and a half can be well filled in as a rule. 
 Keep the boys lively, but do not allow chatting or inattention. 
 Ask questions frequently. Let them see that you depend on 
 their intelligence, and that without brains no singing is of any 
 use. Whenever anything goes wrong, ask a boy to explain the 
 error, and only when the answer fails in accuracy correct it 
 yourself. It is remarkable how many boys will be found to 
 possess the sense of absolute pitch. Test this frequently during 
 the singing of vocal exercises. At any particular moment pause 
 and ask what was the last note sung. Very often the answer 
 will be quite correct, and the habit of being thus on the alert to 
 name any sound will be of great importance in acquiring those 
 powers which are the essence of sight reading: seeing with the 
 ear and hearing with the eye. 
 
 199. For Men only. — Practise all the music just as with the 
 boys. Do not omit small things. Give most attention to the 
 Hymns and Psalms, remembering that no choir able to render 
 these really well is likely to do badly with an Anthem. With a 
 weak choir, try each part separately ; with an efficient one this 
 will not always be necessary; but in any C£ise, whenever an 
 
52 
 
 uncertainty occurs, practise each part alone. Sometimes it is a 
 help to add one part after another, thus — 
 
 (i) Bass alone. 
 
 (2) Bass and Tenor. 
 
 (3) Bass, Tenor, and Alto. 
 
 At the men's practice, make all the music note-perfect. 
 Questions of expression may be sometimes left for the full 
 practice, but it should not then be needful to learn the notes. 
 
 200. Full Practices. — As already stated, these should be 
 regarded as a summing up of the others. It should not be 
 necessary to learn any parts at the full practice ; the points to 
 consider should be balance of tone, leads, beginnings, endings, 
 and expression generally. The full practice should Le held in 
 Church, with the choir in their places and the choirmaster in the 
 centre of the Chancel, with or without a pianoforte. Voice- 
 training exercises will now be out of place. The choir should 
 wear their cassocks. Nothing in the shape of joking or 
 irreverence should be allowed, as the practice should be regarded 
 as the actual preparation for smgmg a service. 
 
By the Same Author. 
 
 (I 
 
 VOICE PRODUCTION 
 
 IN 
 
 CHOIR TRAINING." 
 
 A PAPER READ IN THE ALBERT HALL AT THE 
 CHURCH CONGRESS, 1899. 
 
 PJ!/C£ SIXPENCE. 
 
 To be obtained of — 
 
 The Dean's Verger, S. Saviour's Collegiate Church, S.E. 
 
 ALSO 
 
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 PRICE ONE SHILLING. 
 
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 . BERNERS STREET, W. 
 
HARMONY : 
 
 DIATONIC AND CHROMATIC, 
 
 CHARLES VINCENT, Mus. Doc, Oxon. 
 
 Bound in Cloth, price js. net. 
 
 The Author bases his System on the Diatonic, Chromatic and 
 Enhai-monic Scales, and discards altogether the so called ' ' Root 
 Theory," his definition of " Jioot " being " The Scale interval 
 
 upon which the identity of a chord depends." 
 
 The student is here taught to compose his own basses and 
 harmonize simple diatonic melodies from the very first. 
 
 Elementary form is also considered, and much practical infor- 
 mation given on the subjects treated. 
 
 There are Thirty Chapters : — 
 
 I. Chords of the Major Scale. 
 Writing a Bass Part. 
 Progression of Parts. 
 Adding a Treble Part to a given Bass. 
 Adding Inner Parts. 
 Sequences. 
 
 Writing in Four Parts. 
 Accents, Rhythm, Cadences, and Elementary 
 
 Form. 
 Chords from the Minor Scale. 
 Ilaimonization of Diatonic Melodies. 
 Suspensions. 
 Passing Notes. 
 Inversions. 
 
 Chords of the Seventh. 
 Chromatic Chords. 
 Chord of the Dominant Ninth. 
 Modulation. 
 
 Chords of the Diminished Seventh. 
 Free Resolution of Discords. 
 Pedal Point. 
 
 Harmonization of Melodies, and the Addition 
 of Simple Accompaniments. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
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 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 London : 
 THE VINCENT MUSIC CO. Ltd.,6o,BERNERS STREET, W 
 
Radiments of Musical Knowledge, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES W. PEARCE, 
 
 Mus. D., Cantab., F.R.C.O. 
 
 Bound in Cloth, price if net. 
 
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 HIS Primer is a text book of the rudiments of musical 
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 students in practical and theoretical music. 
 
 The language is clear and concise, and the information 
 contained is thoroughly modern. 
 
 It will be found most valuable for those who may be pre- 
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 being able to answer fluently the viva voce questions put by 
 the examiners in practical subjects, such as pianoforte and 
 violin playing, singing, &c. 
 
 A separate chapter is devoted to the complete consideration 
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 places, sharps and flats, rests, time-duration, scales, &c., &e., 
 instead of grading and combining these different subjects into 
 so many progressive lessons. A teacher will know quite easily 
 how much of any particular chapter can be omitted' at first, 
 and be afterwards studied as the need for this knowledge 
 makes itself felt. 
 
 At the end of the book are 150 Questions and Exercises, 
 arranged in chapters to correspond with the chapters in the 
 book, these will be found most valuable. 
 
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 60. BKRNERS STREET. W. 
 
CQusiG ©Bxm Bodies. 
 
 Elementary Ear-Training ... Dr. Fred. G. Shinn 
 
 Tonality and Roots Dr. A. J. Greenish 
 
 Students' Counterpoint Dr. Charles W. Pearce 
 
 Composers' Counterpoint ._ ,, „ 
 
 Hints to Singers R. White, Mus. Doc. 
 
 Scoring for an Orchestra ... Dr. Charles Vincent 
 The Reading of Music ... M. E. P. Zeper 
 
 Musical Memory and its 
 
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 On Organ Playing ... Arthur Page, F.R. CO. 
 
 Voice Culture (juido Porpora 
 
 Combined Rhythms ._ R. 1. Rowe 
 
 Manual of Sight-Singing ... Dr. F. J. Sawyer 
 
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 New-Century Pianoforte Method Dr. C. Viiuent 
 
 Form in Music y. Humfrey Anger 
 
 Harmony, Diaionic and Chromatic Dr. C. Vituent 
 Rudiments of Music for Choirs and 
 
 Schools Harvey Lohr 
 
 Rudiments of Musical Knowledge Dr. C. IV. Pearce 
 Handbook of the Technique and the 
 
 Study of Pianoforte Playing Lillie Wagstaff 
 On Mendelssohn's Organ Sonatas, Dr. C. IV. Pearce 
 How WE Hear, a Treatise on Sound F. C. Baker 
 
 Scales and Arpeggios 5'. Midgley 
 
 The Art of Violin Bowing Paul Stoeving 
 
 Choi II Training based on Voice 
 
 Production A. Madeley Richardson 
 
 A Method of Teaching Harmony, based upon 
 
 systematic Ear-Training ... Dr. Fred. G. Shinn 
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