872 •96 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF 1S91 ^■ .4JZg.?.^ MUSIQ /MLol..q..... 35I3-I Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924021787647 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS BY LOUIS ARTHUR RUSSELL AUTHOR OF THE EMB^LISHMENTS OF MUSIC ; THE ESSENTIAL PRACTICE MATERIAL FOR SINGERS ; THE COMMON- PLACES OF VOCAL ART ; THE SINGER's BODY AND BREATH; THE RUSSELL VOICE BOOKLETS; ETC., ETC. BOSTON OLIVER DITSON COMPANY New York Chicago Philadelphia CHAS. H. DITSON & CO. LYON & HEALY J. E. DITSON & CO. COPYKIGHT, MCMV, BY OlIVEK DITSON COMPANY Inscribed by the Author to his friend Dr. carl a.. DuFFT. PREFACE. While this book is put forth by the author especially for the guidance of singers, it is also intended to meet the needs of public speakers, and, in fact, all who pretend to refined or artistic use of the English language. No one who listens to the average singer and public speaker can doubt the need of more careful culture in the art of enuncia- tion ; for the concert platform, the lyceum, and the pulpit are con- stantly giving evidence of a pitiful lack of appreciation of the orthoepic beauty and strength of our language. I.t is to the discredit of Americans that of all people pretending to art and literature, we are the most careless in our speech. If our American singers, to say nothing of public speakers, would realize the beauty of correct "speech," and study English diction as faithfully as they do their Italian, French, or German, it would not be long before a justifiable pride in our beautiful, varied, elastic, and powerful language would ensue, and a new era in vocal art be established here. To enter into a discussion of diction for singers and public speakers is a serious thing, and the author is well aware that no written treatment of the subject will prove sufficient for the student; the proper study of diction really requiring a personal in- structor who is an expert orthoepist, as well as a singer. If then, in this essay a clear course be shown the student, that he can pursue his study of " language in song " with a better understand- ing of its many-sided difficulties, and with a true method of practice, the book will accomplish all that may be hoped for it. The purpose of this little book is not so much the study of iv PREFACE. " expressive" use of words as that of the correct "sounding" of them, and the manner of use of the oral apparatus, that the words may be accurately set forth by the singer and speaker and as ac- curately received by the listener, thus insuring the sense of the words while also including all possible tonal beauty, inherent in this correct sound. However, the thought of . expressive values in the sounds of words is not entirely neglected in the following studies of diction, for, in fact, we cannot make a thorough inquiry into correct speech without including somewhat of the thought of the deeper emo- tional content of the phrase and its words and syllables. This will unfold itself as we progress in the more didactic discussion of our subject.^ For more explicit directions as to the physical processes in ar- tistic speech and song, the author refers the reader to his essay, " The Commonplaces of Vocal Art," and the brochure, " Is there a Vocal Science ? " Since, in the use of language, we at once include vowels, diph- thongs, and consonants, there is no one of these elements which may be exclusively taught in language study. The arrangement, therefore, in the following pages, which introduces the study of vowels and diphthongs first and leaves the consonants for the last consideration, is purely arbitrary. During the study of any section of this work, the other parts may be in constant use for reference. The author would advise a broad reading of the entire work before entering into the more close practice of the three parts, — Vowels, Diphthongs, and Consonants. Public acknowledgment in thanks are due Mr. Edgar S. Werner, who has kindly allowed the use of much matter in this work, which matter was previously contributed by the author to "Werner's Magazine." L. A. R. ' The author refers the reader, with pleasure, to the excellent Essay of H. G. Hawn, " Diction for Singers," for some seed-thoughts on expressive diction. CONTENTS. PAGE Introductory Thoughts (Pronunciation) i General Outline of the Subject lo The Practical Study of Diction (Vovitels) 14 Diphthongs and Diphthongal Vowels 33 Consonants ' 48 Practical Work 65 TOPICAL INDEX. A, Less Usual Colors of, 25. A, Italian, 4. Accent or Stress upon the last part of a Syllable, 41. Accents (Misfit), 63. Articulations, 65. Articulation and Enumeration Exercises, 56, 65. • Artistic Shading, 16. Aspirate, SS- Borrowed Sounds, 20, 34. C, Q, and X, 54- Ch, German, 55. Chants, 74, 75. Chromatic Vowel Scale, The, 24. Close and Wide-mouth Vowel-practice, 22. Closer Vowel Shades (Borrowed Color), 23- Closing of SyUables, The, 58. Color, 15. Common Errors, A Few, 61. Conscious and Sub-Conscious Control, 7. Consonants, 12, 48, 52. Consonantal Explosions, 13, 51- Contact (Articulations)' of Similar Ele- ments, 69. Diction, Practical Study of, 12, 14. Diagrams, Use of, 7. Digraphs, 53. Diphthongs, 12, 18, 33, 35, 36, 38, 44. Double Diphthongs, The, 42. E, A, O, (Vanishing), 46. E, I, U, preceeding /, m, n and r, 27. Elegance and Expression, 16. Expressional or Emotional Color, 16. Forceful Declamation, 71. Glide, The, 40, 44. Good Rules Repeated, A Few, 80. Guttural, 55. H, 55, 61. "Hissing" S, The, 61. I, e, o, u (Secondary Sounds), 45. Iambic Foot, 64. Incorrect Pronunciations, Some, 41. Involuntary Action, 7. , lo, ie, ia, ie (Double Diphthongs), 42. Ion, The Final, 28, 29, 31. Joints of Speech, 48. L, m, r, n and v (Finals), 59, Laryngeal Consonant, 55. Legato Articulations (Final Syllables), 27. Legato, Difiiculties of, 51, 59. TOPICAL INDEX. Liquids, 54. Local Control in Singing or Speaking, 6, 7. Mind Culture, 9. Miracle of Speech, The, 8. Mouth (at the hps). The, 81. Mouth Shaping, The error of, 9. Nasals, 52. Orals, 52. Original Vowel System, The, 19. Phonetic Tests, The, 6. Placement, 54. Placement of Vowels, Studies in, 31. Practical Phrases, 75. Primes, 17. Pronunciation, i, 41, 57, 58. Pronunciation of at, am, ask, etc., 23. Public Speakers v. Singers, 6. R, 61. R, Consonant, 25. R, Final, 42. R, Untrilled, 61. Recapitulation,v33, 44. References to Special Letters, etc., (fi), W. W. (0). («). 20. 5, 61. Shape of Words, 48. "Shaping" at the Lips, g, 22, 31. Soft Closing Consonants, 59. Soft Consonants (Sonants), 69. Sound Elements in Words, 12. Some Rules Repeated, 44, 80. Speech in Song, 50. Syllables, Final, 27, 28, 29, 77. Syncopated Accent in Song, 62. Texture, 48, 49. Th, 54. The and A before. Consonants, 43. Timbre, T.e,. Tone-color, 15. Triphthongs, 14. Trigraphs, 14. Trochee, 64. U, Mute, 45. U, in use, etc., 31. U, Vowel followed by r, 27. Vanishing Element in our Vowels, 20, 42, 46. Voiced (sonant), 52- Voiceless (surd), 52. Vowel, The Natural, 4. Vowel Circle, 21. Vowel Color, 2, 12. Vowel Contact, 30. Vowels and Consonants, 10, 14. Vowel Making Exercises, 21. Vowel Primes, 17. Vowel Scheme, The, 3. Vowel Sounds, 3, 14, 19, 33, 43. 45- Vowel Varieties, 12. Vowels (English), 16-20. Vowels and Consonants, 10. W, Final, 30. W, German, 55. W and Y, 29, 30, 41, 61. W, Explosive, 30. Wh, 29, 61. Wh, Digraph, 29. Whisper, 75. Words and the Alphabet, 10. Word Shapes and Textures, 10. Y, Final Sound of, 30. Y, Semi Vowel, 54. Y or W, 30. Y, Initial Sound of, 30. Z, zh, and dh, (Finals), 59- ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS. PRONUNCIATION. The English language has passed through too many formative changes, and these changes have been, in too few cases, universally accepted by the English-speaking people, to warrant anyone at this time in the history of our language, attempting to determine the correct pronunciation of words which have been in discussion between authorities of different sections for many years. The man from Yorkshire or from Lancashire will not use the same accent as a Londoner, and a Scotchman's English varies widely from his Irish or Welsh brother's. Indeed, who of us Americans has ever been able to disguise his nationality in the presence of a London shop-keeper, or what Englishman fails to tell, by his accent, his nationality, to an American.'' Not alone to national lines is this difference in English speech confined. Here in America we also find really intelligent people, whose newspaper or book is, of course, the same throughout the land, who possess a distinct sectional accent, which marks them at once as from the South, West, or East. If the student be in doubt as to the varieties of elegant pronunciation, let him consult Webster, the authority of the North ; Worcester, that of the South; Stormonth and Smart, high English authorities ; or Walker, Ellis, Bell, and the later lexicographers that are claiming public favor. 1 2 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. After comparing such English dictionaries, he will almost doubt the existence of a national language, or of true English even for men of letters. All of this leaves out of the question the vulgar idiom of the illiterate Briton or American. Happily these variations in English pronunciation are mainly matters of what we call "vowel-color "; and as this does not shape the word, its general contour is not materially altered by these sec- tional differences of pronunciation; consequently, we can generally understand each other, though either, eether, or aythei: of us, in conversation, comes from England, America, or Ireland. If English pronunciation is difficult in its ordinary use, it be- comes still more so when applied to song ; for in the latter there is no opportunity for slighting, indifferent utterance, which in speech is sufficient, if it " carries the thought." The singer must master pronunciation completely, for his language must not only express clearly the thought of the word or the phrase, by plain, intelligi- ble articulation and enunciation, through exacting musical figures which are often, in their melodic construction, rhythmically opposed to the normal utterance of the thought expressed, — not only this stern requirement falls upon the singer, but he is also called upon to express this thought with elegance of diction. So also the pub- lic speaker must express himself " elegantly," as we say. Dr. Isaac K. Funk, in the "Standard Dictionary," very truly says : " Pronunciation is really a work of art, one of the Fine Arts." A critical review, say of "Webster's International," the "Standard," the "Century," the "New Oxford," or "Murray," with a close study of the Scientific Alphabet of the American Philological Association, will reveal the fact that our alphabet is a very complex affair, which in itself indicates very little of the sounds of letters in words. This is particularly true of the vowels, and, in many cases, of the consonants. The marvel is that foreigners ever learn to speak the English language intelligibly ; for in no European language is the alphabet so vaguely expressive of the sounds of letters in words. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. S A vocabulary of vowel-sounds in Italian, Spanish, German, or even French, will, in each case, or one might almost say, alto- gether, scarcely equal the various " shades " of color that Webster,, for example, gives to our first letter a. A vowel in a word should at once indicate its pronunciation, and, for the most part, in Euro- pean languages this is so. In English, however, neither the letter's "name-sound," nor any simple or general rule of position or of ac- cent, will give it a positive sound until we have learned the sound of the word in which it appears and the word's meaning. This Fine Art of pronunciation, then, requires deep study; and since English is a particularly complex language, its mastery is especially difficult, even for colloquial use. The singer, whose use of language should be peculiarly excellent, will, therefore, find it one of the severest items in his studies. Let it be borne in mind, however, that the English language offers no particular physical difficulties. It has no sounds that are in themselves more difficult to sing than those of other languages. It is, however, the many sounds, the closely allied vowel-colors, the finer shades, with which our language abounds, that serve to make it a difficult study. In studying Italian, we acquire a few of the sounds used in English.. From French and from German we gain several more EnglisL sounds, with two or three not in our own language. Even after we have thus mastered the three great "music-languages" (to coin the term) of Europe, there yet remain several shades or tints of vowel-color in English which they do not possess. It is no wonder,, then, that the foreign singing-teachers who have come to America with less than a dozen vowel-sounds at their command should look with horror upon our multi-colored vowel-system, and proclaim our language "unsingable," for, indeed, it appears to them to be truly "unspeakable." The Vowel Scheme. — Prime vowel-sounds may be said to be alike the world over, from uh, — the most unmusical of all our sounds, the mere animal grunt of the voice, sound-centered quite back in the mouth, — to ih, a less harsh though still brutally dull 4 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. tone, which is sound-centered fairly at the teeth. Between these two extremes all language travels, and, in most cases, the rich and full, though somewhat abrupt, a/t is reached as a culmination of breadth and of fullness of vowel-tone. This ak sound (called, for some occult reason, Italian a) has eften been spoken of as the " natural vowel," which, as usually applied, it certainly is not ! On the contrary, it is the most finished, the most complete, of prime vowel-sounds, requiring for its full resonance the entire vocal sounding-chamber, and the most particular "position" and "condi- tion." Tke natural vowel is uh, the guttural grunt, which shares primitive honors with the, let us say, more delicate ih, the animal squeak. The former is the easier for man, because the sound stays closer to the place of making (the larynx) ; and the less effort or thought given to "putting" the tone somewhere, the more natural is its doing. Critical notice of the everyday speech of one's friends and of singers or speakers, will prove the naturalness and the ease with which words slip down into the "grunt." In such words as "eter- nity," "entrance," we will likely hear "eternuty," "entrunce," "ufface" for "efface," etc. Compare this dullest of vowel-sounds (uh) with the dignity of a purely pronounced ah, and one will at once realize the two extremes of vowel-sounds, — one the thought- less, expressionless, merely animal sound, the other representing thought, dignity, force, a sound only at man's command. This is subject to proof with but little difficulty. There are many sounds in the range of vowel-color between these extremes. The language which uses the greater variety of these sounds is richer, more expressive, because of them. The singer whose, speech is cultivated to formal perfection and tonal elegance will, therefore, find his art aided by a language which includes a variety of singable vowels, offering, therewith, Ifess restriction of expressional or expressive sounds. If, then, we who call ourselves singers find the English lan- guage fuller of expression-material than European languages, shall ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 5 we say that it is less or more adapted to song ? The answer will be : The English language is better adapted to the requirements of expression, especially in the finer and more sensitive lines, than the other languages. That such a language taxes the student or the artist more severely than other languages, that it is more difficult to master, should add to our pride in its mastery ; and, instead of calling the difficulties impossibilities, it should be one of the measures of artistic status, that these difficulties are over- come. The singer who has mastered English may well laugh at him who can sing only in a simpler language, like Italian. How very few Italian, Fxench, or German artists learn to sing English well. Aside from our obscure spelling, which we must ac- knowledge is barbaric, the chief difficulty with these foreign artists is in that they are very poor linguists, and that the various vowel- sounds are not clear to them, and therefore they do not succeed in attaining finish in English speech. The average English- speaking artist, like ^Charles Santley, Sims Reeves, Nellie Jllelba, Lillian Nordica, or Lillian Blauvelt, is able to sing in one, two, or three of the music-languages mentioned above, and use a pure diction, though they may have no conversational power in any of them. As I recollect the "great" German, Italian, and French singers, that I have heard in this country and in England in at- tempts at English song and oratorio, I can only say that the effect of their vocalizing in English has been, almost without exception, ridiculous, even though th^se artists have had a good conversa- tional English vocabulary and a fair idea of English grammar. From such exhibitions as these, has come the theory that English is unsingable. Of the four languages, English, French, German, Italian, ours is the better for song, and these foreign artists have yet to learn the richest of the four languages ; though the mastery of its difficulties is within the reach only of those whose ears are the acutest ; forwhile English offers no great technical difficulties, calls for the production of no sounds particularly troublesome physically, nor contains language-forms especially mechanical and, 6 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. therefore, ill adapted to musical tone, yet its variety of vowel- sounds requires close study and a clear idea of phonetics. To the American-born student, or to him who has listened to correct Eng- lish from childhood, the language is, of course, colloquially easy. Even these, however, will require long and close study, if they hope to speak or to sing the language in all its varieties of strength and of beauty. The result is worth the effort. There are few who accomplish it, because the cruder way appears super- ficially sufficient, and the mass of worthy and intelligent folk care only for matter, leaving manner out of consideration. The singer, preacher, or platform speaker, has no right to present his matter to an audience except in a proper, finished manner ; and aside from this duty of the public man, in social and business life, correct, even elegant, speech should be required among all cultured men and women. The Phonetic Tests. — The true test of enunciation is in the sound of a word or a part of a word as it is sustained. A severer test is when the sound is sustained on a musical tone ; and a still severer test of word-color is found when a single sound is carried over a range of tones of varying pitch, as in a melody. In ordinary speech, many faulty habits are admitted, even among intelligent people ; but the singer must conquer all such bad habits of diction. Public Speaker vs. Singer. — The public speaker, the pulpit orator, the elocutionist, will require much careful management of his words ; but the singer, to be really artistic, must give every vowel-sound its full value, must sustain its color without variation till the musical tone or phrase is finished, and in every way must show the meaning of the word as he beautifies it with a tone or a series of tones. For this reason, the singer's study of language will need to be the most exhaustive. There is no opportunity for him to slight any part of a word, everything must be clear-cut, perfect. Local Control in Singing or Speaking. — It is a truth in vocal culture, both in the matter of diction and of singing tone-pro- ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 7 duction, that local mouth effort, instead of aiding, hinders us. To attempt to learn to enunciate clearly through the use of diagrams showing forms of mouth, has always appeared to me a folly. This method is in favor, especially with elocutionists ; but, for reasons which I will try to make plain, I believe the principle false. Nature supplies the machinery for voice-production and for language or speech ; and this machinery is, in the main, so subtle as to be, so to speak, out of reach of our direct control ; this machinery is, of course, muscle power, and the action is what we call involuntary. This theory apparently places the organs of speech nearly on a plane, physiologically, with the vital organs, but such a classifying of vocal organs goes too far ; for, unlike the action of the heart, that of the vocal apparatus is subject to our will, not as to local muscular contraction, but in a broad, sweep- ing demand for combined operation of the delicate muscular tissue concerned, in order that a result in full be attained, this result to realize a mental concept in tone or in word. Conscious and Sub-Conscious '' Control. — It is not easy to explain how these parts are subject to our will, and yet not subject to direct local control. We know that we can make " shapes " with our mouth ; we know that we can open and close the throat ; that we can make our larynx rise, or pull it down ; that our tongue IS in many ways subject to our control, etc., through a long list of voluntary doings within the mouth and the throat ; but in the matter of voice and of word-making (particularly vowel- making), we cannot or need not guide the individual muscles concerned in these operations, for they are too small, too subtle or obscure, in their movements, and our~attempts to control many of these delicate muscular movements result in contractions of entirely extrinsic tissue, which inevitably interfere with the truer requirements of the delicate intrinsic muscles. This interference of the will, this voluntary action of disinterested or extrinsic muscles, is what has grown to be known as "local effort," a true conception of which is essential for the student. 8 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. In enunciation for singing and for speaking, we have little to do with local control of muscle; but, in the main, and particularly in those items which refer directly to the vocal apparatus, i. e., the throat and the mouth, the culture is a mental one, a training in the direction of correct sound-concepts, and a full realization of what nature can do with what we call involuntary processes, if the wDl make a proper demand, and does not, at the same time, order ex- traneous assistance. It becomes the task, then, of the student to discover what processes in voice-making and in speech are involun- tary and what are voluntary ; when or where involuntary action ends and local effort begins ; how far he is to go with voluntary action and with local control. Having determined the class and the amount of voluntary action, culture will bring about a com- plete mastery of automatic control. This part of the singer's education is simple, compared with the mental culture, which educates the involuntary processes ; for it must be borne in mind that though we name these processes involuntary (some say "natural"), they are, in fact, only nominally, or, I will say, locally so, for they are as positively responsive to the will as those muscular actions which are visible to the eye, but in their complex and subtle nature can be induced only by order of the will, not differentiating the many small muscles' actions, but commanding them to combine in action to produce a result, — a word or a tone, or both together. The Miracle of Speech. — Who can fully explain the subtlety of speech, even in its cruder forms t How is it that words spring without apparent effort from our lips .' We do not really make them by a definite muscular action ; they come as quickly and as mysteriously as thought ; in fact, they seem to be the embodi- ment of thought — ideas made tangible through the sense of hearing. The child's education in speech is not local, not directed to mouth-action, but is entirely a mental process, a culture in sounds. The involuntary muscular actions prove sufficient for the simpler grades of speech, at least, and we appeal to the mind only ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 9 through the ear. If the teacher (usually a parent) has a pure voice and uses refined language, the child's voice and language will probably grow to be like the model. If the teaching voice, however, be harsh and the language vulgar, the child will respond in kihd. This is an important hint as to mind culture in voice-education, and it may be seen that in all branches of voice-culture one of the first requirements is that our guide or model be reliable and accurate. The Error of Mouth-Shaping. — We should" never place any confidence in opinions on vowel-sounds as expressed on paper, especially with diagrams showing how the vowel .appears to the eye. Theorists who shape their vowels and make us "fit" our mouths to them have been the bane of English diction. The theory of shaping for speech is misleading because it glibly and (let us confess it) so often truthfully refers back to science. It is taken for granted that because we can make a machine which, being of a certain shape, can be made to produce a certain vowel- sound, it becomes necessary for us, in talking, to endeavor to make our mouth assume this shape by voluntary muscular action. With- out any real thought in the matter, a large class of students and of teachers accept the doctrine, and put themselves or their students through a rigid course of mouth-gymnastics tending to shape the "vowels." The plan of study herein is quite apart from this theory. GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE SUBJECT. Words and the Alphabet. — Words are constructed by combin- ing symbols called letters. The rotation of these letters is known as spelling, or orthography. The letters used in the orthography of a language are called its alphabet. It would appear logical to say that written and spoken words are alike, that the symbols or letters of a language should at once suggest, through their own in- dividual significance, their sound and, therefore, the sound of the word in which these symbols are combined. If this be true, we have, naturally, to learn only the significance of the symbol, i.e., the sound which it represents, to be able to quickly answer the ■eye with the voice and to speak the sound. This is the case with Herr Schleyer's artificial language, Volapiik, and measurably so with some European languages, especially the so-called Roman sys- tem of Latin pronunciation, now in general use. In English, this logical, rational condition obtains perhaps the least of all written languages, and herein lies the first difficulty of the student in English speech. Word Shapes and Textures. — Before discussing the intricacies of English orthography, let us study a few principles of speech- sounds in general. Words are divided into syllables. A word may be of one or many syllables. A syllable is formed by any combination of letters which can be articulated with one impulse, or, we may say, as one sound. This brings us back to the elements of speech and their symbols or letters. There are two elements of speech, — vowels and consonants. Vowels are the more positive sounding-parts of speech, and are particularly the elements upon which singing-tone is sustained. (10) ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 11 Vowels are produced by vibrations of the vocal cords caused by the breath issuing from the lungs. Consonants are the articulating elements of speech. Through them the word or the syllable assumes what I will call form. They always appear with vowels, whose sound they either precede or follow, thus completing the syllable. Vowels are the texture of language ; consonants are the joints which shape and characterize that texture. Consonants are formed by the more or less sudden (not to say violent) explosion of air suppressed by closing some part of the mouth (from the lips to the soft palate), which sup- pressed air is released by relieving the pressure of the parts causing the closure. The elementary consonant sound is but an explosive, puffing, or hissing noise of breath released from this restraining closure. In parts of Africa and the South Sea Islands, these noises enter some- what into regular speech ; but in the civilized world the noise of consonantal explosion is coupled with, and in elegant speech over- come by, vowel-sounds. Some consonants, as we shall see, partake of vowel character, just as some few vowels have, at times, an ex- plosive, articulating action which gives them a sort of consonantal effect. Hence we have semi-vowels and semi-consonants. It be- comes the singer's task to cultivate a consonantal delivery, which, while fulfilling the essential articulating function of the letter, will least interfere with the vowel texture. Vowels offer no interfer- ence to the flow of tone, and a series of vowel-sounds can be sung without interrupting the vocal stream, through any reasonable melodic figure. Consonants, however, are essential to intelligible utterance; and we are called upon to sing with a seeming perfect flow of tone (legato), with alternating vowels and consonants, not- withstanding the tendency of consonants to break the continuity of song. Some of these consonants, it is true, lend themselves readily to the tone-stream, being somewhat vowel-like in character ; but others remain rigidly mute, and require the greatest possible care in their 12 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. delivery, else the diction will be jerky and inartistic. This, then, ig the task of the singer, and of all who pretend to elegant speech ; to display all possible vowel-like characteristics in consonants, and to reduce to a mimimum the fricative and the explosive tendencies of these letters, that they may interfere as little as possible with the voivel-flow, yet serve their formative, syllable-shaping purpose. Sound Elements in "Words. — Vowels, spoken or sung, have a variety of sounds produced by delicate changes of the membranous surfaces within the mouth, so subtle and so limited in degree when correctly made, as to be imperceptible to the eye (except as to the tongue, and on one or two sounds a slight closure of the lips). The tone which carries these various vowels to our ears is in all cases made in the larynx by the vibration of the vocal cords. Vowel Varieties. — Vowels are of two varieties, simple and diph- thongal. Simple vowels are of one sound only, as oo. A diphthong has two sounds^ as i {ah-e) . In our alphabet we h£Cve five vowels, a, e, i, 0, u ; in speech we have many more vowel-sounds, through the fact that all vowels have primary and secondary sounds. In English, vowels also borrow each other's sounds, as the word "cough" borrows from «as in "caw." Vowels are also somewhat colored from their neighboring letters, particularly those which im- mediately follow. (Wa.ndy are really vowels.) There are two classes of color belonging to each vowel-sound, i.e., that which bespeaks its identity, and that which is known as the expressional color ; this latter quality has not alone to do with emphasis or inflection, but refers to vocal timbre or tone-color. Two of the greatest tests of diction are in sustaining correct vowel quality with all varieties of emotional color, and the ability to sustain a given emotional color throughout a phrase including a variety of vowels. This art is rarely exhibited in the English lan- guage among singers of to-day. Consonantal Characteristics. — Consonants are the articulations, the joints of speech. They are made by retaining the breath or the voice behind some parts of the mouth, e.g., the lips, held to- ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 13 gether for an instant, and finally exploding through the hinderin"g parts. Consonantal explosions are not made farther back in the mouth than the back line of the soft palate, where the palate meets the tongue in making k and g (hard). From this place we advance with several stopping-points to the tip of the tongue, which mem- ber finally makes consonantal explosions in contact with the upper teeth, the most forward consonants being made by the contact and the explosive separation of the lips in b and/. The explosive element, the click or puff, the breath rush or tick of consonant making, is not musical, therefore it becomes the task of the singer and the intellectual talker to avoid all noise in con- sonant emission, and to give the articulating effect of these mechanical parts of words without destroying the legato flow to which the vowels lend such kindly service. What we have now to consider is a definite plan of work for estabhshing an easy flow of language, which will be correct as to enunciation and articulation, and fitted properly to song. I will not pretend to exhaust the matter of " speech in song " in this little brochure, but will hope to make the study clear and definite, and to display at least the " ground-plan " for correct culture in this important branch of the singer's and the public speaker's culture. THE PRACTICAL STUDY OF DICTION. VOWELS. The English alphabet contains twenty-three essential letters. C, q, and x represent sounds duplicated in these twenty-three. There are nearly twice this number of sounds in English, therefore our alphabet lacks the first essential of a true alphabet, i.e., a symbol for each sound in the language. Vowel-Sounds. — There are, after all, very few prime sounds in language. Those languages, as English, which contain a large variety, gain it by combining prime sounds, and by a close shading or altering of the sounds so as to produce intermediate colors, a fair parallel being found in those variations of tone in the musical scale which are less than a semi-tone. Vowel and Consonantal Quantities or Values We are gener- ally taught to call the vowel-sounds long, if their sound in a word is the same as their alphabetic name. Thus a is that sound of a in "day"; e as heard in "be ''; i in "lie"; ova "go"; u in "tool," or perhaps the real u sound is seen in "duty" (^" de-ooty") or in "beauty." By short sounds we have learned to know e as in "red"; i as in "did," etc. Long vowels are often diphthongal or made up of two sounds, as i (ah-e), etc. There are triphthongs in our language, combining three con- secutive vowels in one syllable, as "lieu" "beau," etc. These, however, in pronunciation are scarcely longer in vowel-quantity than a diphthong, two of the vowels usually controlling the syl- lable's sound, the others being silent (the better name for this combination is trigraph). From the above examples, the student will realize what is; usually known as vowel-quantity, a term much abused and littl(i understood. So-called quantity must lose its importance as a (14) ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 15 matter of relative measurement of the time consumed in delivering various vowels, when, as in singing, we may be required, in the same phrase, or even in the same word, to sing a so-named long vowel on a short note, or a short vowel on a long note, or perhaps sustained over a number of notes in a melodic phrase. As this fact destroys the invariability of each vowel-sound's quantity, we must find some other method of expression or definition in describ- ing vowel-variety. *In some language-study, ^.^., the so-called Roman pronunciation of Latin, the vowels have very little variety, 'except in this char- acteristic 'known as quantity, short and long vowels being only shorter or longer moments of the same sound. This, therefore, makes quantity largely a matter of accent or the determination of the prominence or the length of the syllable. In singing, the measurement, and therefore the effect of quantity, is controlled by the length of the musical tone. Therefore, vowel-quantity is generally lost sight of in Latin song, and the so-called long vowel practically always prevails. To explain the application of the thought of vowel-quantity (which is a much discussed one) to song,, we will use another system of classification, not considering dura- tion or quantity, but what we call color. Color. — Timbre (French), Klangfarbe (German), and Tone- color (English), are words much used nowadays to express what we may call quality of sound or tone. " Timbre " bespeaks the substance, the make-up, the general effect of a tone-producing body and its product. We know the male from the female voice, the violin from the flute, the trumpet from the oboe, because of their individual characteristic tone-color or timbre. This is the broadest distinc- tion of tim.bre, for it tells the class of instrument. " Timbre,'' therefore, is no longer useful in our present classification, for it broadly names a character of tone, regardless of possible varieties of tone from one source. In borrowing from another art the term " color " for use in 16 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. musical or tonal analysis, we admit a poverty in descriptive epithet directly pertaining to our subject. Since color stands for so much, we will have to call into use several qualifying adjectives so that we may differentiate our component qualities or characteristics. Referring, then, directly to our subject, " Language in Song," we have first, vowel-color, which distinguishes one vowel from another, as a, e, o, etc. To sound a vowel is to proclaim its color (some will say " its shape," but I prefer to speak of it as color, for we can thus carry this analysis through without calling upon otKer terminology, and also refrain from names suggestive of shape, a condition which the ear, at least, does not recognize in vowels). The color of a vowel, with proper conditions of production, will remain the same whatever the timbre of the voice delivering it. Two voices of the same quality and range (timbre) may pro- nounce a vowel exactly alike with respect to vowel-color, yet give entirely different meanings to the vowel or its syllable, through . 'what we call expressional or emotional color. To these three classes of color let us add a fourth, which, how- ever, may seem like straining the color scheme, as it is already im- plied in the previous names. This fourth class of color we name artistic shading, in which the vowels in delivery pass through a developing process of finish or polish to perfection in elegance and expression. By timbre, then, we will know the class of voice ; by vowel-color we will know the surface meaning of the word ; by emotional color the word is expressed to us subjectively, portraying its spirit ; and by artistic color we will know the culture, the degree of refinement of the possessor of the voice. English Vowels. — The vowels of the English language are very badly mixed, three of the five alphabetical vowels having lost their original sounds, and all of them being without definite sound, which can be stated as invariably the proper pronouncing color in words. Before discussing individual vowels, let us study a few principles of vowel-color, irrespective of our alphabet. All voice-sounds are made in the throat by the vibration of the ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 17 vocal cords. At this point, the sound is crude and colorless. Passing from the larynx through a wide, unrestrained throat, into the mouth, the tone finds a focus point in response to our will, and by subtle indescribable adjustments of the tissue of the inner mouth and the tongue, the tone or crude sound is made into characteristic vowels. These vowel-sounds are variously named large and small, open and closed, all of which indicate the degree of fullness with which they seem to occupy the mouth cavity. These vowel-sounds are also known as dark and bright, or broad and thin, which refer to their relative quality. The vowels focused near the front of the mouth, and requiring the least opening, are small. These forward or small vowels may be bright or somber (dark), though, for the most part, small vowels tend to brightness of color. Large vowels (broad) require deeper filling of the mouth (more resonance space), and though they may be "tinted," yet they are generally somber. Large vowels, in brightening, are apt to be made too open (too wide a separation of the jaws), which destroys their fullness or richness. The following table of vowel-sounds has nothing to do with alphabetical order, and I offer it as a study in phonetics rather than as a final statement of the English alphabet. Let us call those vowel-sounds that are elementary and have but one color, primes, and all other vowel-sounds, compounds. Primes. — We will divide the primes into abrupt and vanish- ing. There are really but two vanishing primes, one somber, the other bright, and both focusing near the lips. They are oo as in " boot" and e as in " be." These vanishing primes are scarcely single elements, and classifying them as primes may appear somewhat irregular ; but in all vowel-compounds (not diphthongs) the oo and the e sounds are simple and single, and as they are the vanish- ing second elements in all of these compounds, they will readily fall into our category as vanishing primes. In the following series of abrupt primes (the real prime 18 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. elements), I will work from the most natural, forward, small sound, to the guttural grunt mentioned before, i.e., from lA as t in "did" to uh as u in " but." Let us make two series, one bright, the other somber ; both leading us from the front mouth back to the complete vowel ah, which requires all possible resonance. Bright, Thin, or Small. 1. ih as i in "did!' 2. eh as e in " bed." 3. « as « in "bat." leading to leading to 4. ah as a in "father." Somber, or Large. 1. ^^ as in " boot!' 2. as in "go!' "flow!' 3. aw as a in " law!' 4. as in "god," "pod," "log!' 5. aA as « in "father" ; and finally to 6. uh as u in "but!' "cut!' There are intermediate shades of color which tend to elegance of pronunciation, but these will suffice for our purpose, at present. These examples must be practiced aloud and thoughtfully. No mere silent reading will suffice. Diphthongal Vowels . — By adding the vanish element e or 00, we leave elementary sounds and find ourselves at once in the English alphabet ; thus, ih-e = e, the second vowel of the English alphabet ; eh-e — a, the first vowel ; ah-e = i, the third ; ^ as in "go " and 00 = o, the fourth ; ih and 00 = u, the fifth ; ah and 00 = diphthong ou, as in "house" ; o as in "go!' and e — diphthong oi, as in " boil," "coil," "boy!' Some of these sounds are only approximate. A as in "bat!' and 00, are aowoi the Yankee "■tmow" or " haouse!' ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 19' Provincial illiterate speech produces many peculiar combinations, which are often very attractive, and, at worst, show the possibilities of shading of vowel-color ; into which we will not now enter. Initial Vowel-Soxinds . — The foregoing will show that the abrupt primes are initial elements of speech, although, in our language, they are usually reckoned as secondary sounds of vowels, called "short." It is also a matter for thought that many of these sounds are misplaced in our mixed orthography, so that i is " ih " as in "did," while in truth it is the initial or short e. So, also, e is eA, the initial of a as in "day." In all such cases, our orthog- raphy is simply arbitrary in its laws, and we accept a really im- proper pronunciation of the vowel. The original vowel-system was: A as in "car''; ^ as am. "day"; i ■as, e va. " bee" ; o as m " go" ; u as oo in "fool." This system was or is phonetically correct, and is the one now found in most European languages. The short or initial sounds (secondary sounds) here fall where they belong. Thus : A or aA is a. full, complete sound ; e ox eh as in "day," "den " ; i or ih as in " be" "bid"; <7 practically the same as in English; u as oo (not diph- thongal). In English the abrupt vowel-sound is not much used, except when the vowel precedes a consonant ; but in other European languages, this abrupt class of sound is employed considerably as a final syllable. (We use in English the abrupt vowel-sound in the articles the and a before words beginning with consonants.) The Italians, for example, use the blunter prime sound very largely throughout the word. In German we have Hebe pronounced lee-beh, not with any stress upon the eh, yet with a short, non-vanish- ing vowel. So, the Italians pronounce the tones of the scale, doah (not do-uh by any means, but a quickly pronounced word without the 00 vanish of the o ; the color is nearly the same as daw, yet having somewhat more of the prime o color). Re also loses its vanish, and we hear a tone almost as abrupt as reh. The tendency in English is diphthongal ; we are fond of the vanishes e and oo. 20 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. The older, Continental languages have less variety and are more abrupt in vowel-color. Aside from the spelling or the reading of English, the foreigner's difficulty in its study is largely to control the vanishing element in our vowels, and to understand the various uses of the digraph, /k. With us the reverse is the case. We find it distasteful to drop our musical e and oo. The abrupt final or intermediate vowel appears to lack finish. Let the student watch closely the vowels of such foreigners as one may hear in conversation or song," and learn also to correctly hear and distinguish color-values in the speech and the song of Americans. It is a delightful study, and for singers a positive necessity. Here follows a table of vowels as we know and use them in English. There are five real vowels in English : a, e, i, o, u. In our orthography practically any of these letters may stand for a sound which belongs to others of the series. Hence, the appearance of a vowel in a word or a syllable does not indicate a sound for that syllable which will surely conform to the accepted, .original sound of the vowel. Thus, e in "prey" is identical with « in "pray," etc. To give a list of all these borrowed sounds would be to write an English dictionary. So, leaving these borrowed or interchange- able sounds of vowels in English, the following is a table of the commonly accepted vowel-varieties. 13 3 A has four common sounds, as found in "lay" "lass" "lark" " law" 1 2 E has two common sounds, as in " be " and in " bed." 112 2 /"also has two sounds, as in "lie" or "die"; in "lid" or "did." 1 2 2 O has three sounds, ist as in "^o," and 2d as in "sod," "rod," 3 etc., with a third not commonly appreciated, as in " shone " and "only." ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 21 1 U and 00 each have two. The u sounds are seen in " use," 1 2< 2 "pure," and in "but," "bud." The oo sounds are displayed in 1 1 2 2 2 "moon," "boot, "good," "foot," "full" (the real initial prime of oo). There are conditions of pronunciation here which require special writing. (See later on.) Let there be careful practice of every sound indicated, not only with the few words giyen, but also with other similar words. Be sure to realize perfectly the sound (color) of the neutral vowel primes ill and uh, for they will enter largely into our future study. Study, also, to realize the nature of the vanishing e and oo. In practicing vowels, a study should be made of their position in the mouth. All vowels must find a central point of placement or poise, in the front mouth ; the differences in color will then be due to the extent they fill back into the mouth cavity, and the condition of the buccal tissues. Behnke and Pearce have used a very excellent vowel-series for 3 1. practice, viz., oo, o, a, a, e. This is a vowel-circle. Let the chin drop easily, thus opening the front mouth to a fair width (about one-quarter to half an inch) ; feel this floating or hanging chin sen- sation quite back into the throat, as if the throat were loosely hung in the neck. Now, without appreciable force of breath, easily yet firmly repeat the above vowel-circle, without the slightest face- grimace, the lips making no change of width of closure even for oo or for 0. Fix the will upon the front of the mouth, directly at the teeth or hard palate, forgetting, for the moment, that the throat has any function in the matter. Exercises in Vowel-Making. — When perfect ease, lack of breathiness, and complete freedom from stiffness anywhere in or about the throat and the mouth prevail, the vowels will appear as if beginning extremely forward on oo, filling deeper for o, and com- 3 pletely filling the mouth (back as far as the soft palate only) for a. Then with a flatter, broader sensation along the tongue-surface 22 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 1 (though the tongue rises somewhat), a comes forward and- e seems almost, if not quite, at the focus where oo began the series. If at the outset of this practice (always before a mirror) one finds the mouth awkwardly " shaping " at t"he lips, puckering for oo and o, opening very widely for a, and spreadmg mto a grimace for a and for e, let it cause no alarm at first, for many reputable' singers do this not only at first, but all through their misguided experience. When, however, these " shapings " are noticed, we work still more for a /im/>, hanging jaw, and endeavor to get a full sound of each vowel, with the least possible muscular effoft and action. I have always maintained, that although some vowels require less opening of the mouth than others, yet the vowels are never perfectly under a singer's control for all possible emotional shading, until they can all be made pure and true in color, with a loosely and fairly wide- opened mouth. Therefore, when these vowels (the circle) are in control with normal separation of jaws, it will be well to give a little practice to " wide mouth " pronunciation of the same sounds, not, by any means, a stiffly yawning mouth, but yet wide enough to prove that the control of color is not through lip-contractions. This wide-mouth vowel-practice is a great test of breath control, for it requires a fine sense of restraint of breath if any satisfactory results are to be attained. I also frequently use an exactly oppo- site method in vowel practice, causing the mouth to be closed firmly i>ut never stiffly, and with lips -easily separated (teeth to- gether) ; repeat the same circle of vowels with absolutely no lip- motion whatever. This close-mouth position is helpful also with rapid or with slow recitation, or singing of phrases, or counting a series of numbers, the lips moving only for the labial consonants. In neither of these extreme practices is the slightest stiffness to be tolerated, and neither is to be practiced to any great extent, as they are extreme measures (say experimental), proving the com- pleteness of our mental control over the tissue which colors the vowel-sounds of the voice, of which, in fact, the tongue is the most active factor. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 23 The finer shades of vowel-color which mark distinct elegance of speech, and the still more subtle, emotional color, in the study of which we learn how to preserve vowel-identity while expressing the delicate varieties of emotion, — these and the manner of diph- thong delivery are for our next consideration, after which will follow a discussion of consonants. The foregoing is intended to give a clear conception of vowel-character, and to show broadly wherein English differs from European pronunciation. A close reading of thisiiwith practical experiments cannot fail to place the singer or public speaker on a plane of thought with refer- ence to English speech or song, which will make for thoughtful diction, though the study be carried no further. Closer Vowel-Shades (Borrowed Color). — Our discussion, thus far, has carried us, through a broad consideration of vowel-sounds in general, to those sounds peculiar to Enghsh speech. If the reader have followed closely the statements made, he will find this section a simpler task, for the chief difficulty in studying language lies in an appreciation of the fine distinctions of elementary or primary sounds, and their combinations in diphthongal use. There are a few vowel-sounds which, while somewhat in dispute, are not in common use at all. The singer must know them, and if he hope for artistic distinction he will need to practice most thought- fully these closer, finer classifications of vowel-sounds. The Pronunciation of at, am, ask, etc. — As we borrow the com- plete soimds of vowels in our orthography, thus making, practi- cally, all vowels stand in various Words for all other vowels, so, in a still more subtle way, vowels borrow color from one another, the brighter vowels being shaded by the colors of the darker sounds, and these in turn tinted with borrowed tone-color. There is a special color given to a that causes much discussion. It is found in such words as "ask," "graft," '^ path," "chant," " commands Lexicographers, as a rule, make a distinction between the a in these words and the a in "am," "allude," etc. In common 24 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. American speech, very few will make any distinction in the a in pronouncing "am," "at," or "ask." The English custom, fol- lowed largely by American elocutionists, is, in most of such words, to broaden or to darken the vowel into a full ah. As this causes considerable confusion, and has become a sort of affectation with many whose speech is not thoughtfully or intelligently ele- gant in other respects, it has always appeared to me undesirable, and I have contended against the full ah in such words as are usually pronounced with a as in "am." ' We are frequently told that this a (in " am ") is flat, thin, and unmusical ; some even thinking it nasal. All of these bad quali- ties, this disputed a can have, but should never have, except for some especial emotional effect. If we will study closely the prin- ciple of borrowed vowel-color, a fine musical color and correct effect will readily respond. We borrow color in this way. Re- peat the phrase, "at last you are here." Hiss it out with a Yan- kee snarl, and you will have the thin, bright color we call unmusical. This is the true vowel-color or shape. We want to retain it, but we want, as well, to make it dark, tragic, and perhaps musical. Fix the mind upon ah for the word "last." The mouth will quickly respond, and if we go no further in the mental orders, the effect will be, "at lahst you are here" ; but before we have uttered 2 the phrase, a complementary thought insists on the a sound (as in "am "); and with the mouth, so to speak, tuned or keyed for dark- ah, it yet responds to the other command and gives us the a sound, richly colored from ah, yet holding its own characteristic vowel-color. To do this, it has encroached on the mouth-space which, per- haps, more positively belongs to ah; it has " filled back " and be- come larger ; though by some subtle process, it has retained the same vowel characteristic as the sniall and thin vowel we snarled out a moment before. The Chromatic Vowel-Scale. — This process of thinking one vowel-color as we make another vowel may appear almost vision- ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 25 ary, and quite impossible, but it is the way all emotional coloring ought to be first practiced, until we have fixed a variety of emo- tional colors alongside of every vowel-sound, and find the chro- matic-emotional scale of vowel-sounds which defies all possible written description, but possessing which, our speech and song will have a charm impossible with one whose idea of emotional color is limited to such sounds as are represented alone by the alphabet. Another vowel-sound that singers, as a rule, refuse to accept, is a color of o which approaches ah. The common pronunciation of "god" is "gawd." So in "shone," in the attempt to take away o, we hear it variously pronounced " shawn," or "shun." This somewhat delicate shade or tint of a requires a borrowed color from the series of primes, that will give us a sound between ak and aw, the dominant color being that of ah. One of our women's colleges requires this o sound to be pro- nounced as in "wholly," not as in "holly," but young ladies pre- paring for this college will be careful not to pronounce the word "whole-ly " ; and as a rational opening from o is through aw to ak, the choice would appear to be " whaw-ly," which, of course, is wrong. This leaves only the making of a color not in our alpha- bet-series, a sort of mixing or borrowing, in this case as before, with a leaning toward the full and rich ah. Thus, shone becomes skoahn, the oak being quickly delivered as a prime sound. The consonant r exercises considerable influence over vowels, especially some that it often follows. This is so much the case as to require special treatment for certain words in which r follows a, e, i, y. This consonant also has a peculiar effect upon u similarly placed. Thus the vowel-sound (the texture) of the following words is alike; the sound is delicate and not common. I may term its proper pronunciation elegant and at once a mark of orthoepic in- telligence. Thus: a in "fare," "pare" ; e in "fern " ; i in "firm " ; y in " myrrk," etc. It is difficult to fully explain in words the delicate 26 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. color of such vowel-sounds ; but if the reader will carefully follow the explanations and repeat aloud each example, listening closely, he will shortly acquire the true sound. It will be found that the common pronunciation of this class of "words is as follows, largely as if spelled with u. Thus : "earn " as "urn," " bird" ■AS, " btird," "fern" as "furn" "fir" as "fur" "mercy" zs, " murcy," " her" a.a " hur." Orthoepists agree that this is wrong. The initial vowel-sound in all words like these is ek, not uk. The glide from this eh is another prime sound ih (not the vanishing e). The following r possesses a vanishing char- acteristic almost vowel-like, and closes the singing elements of the syllable perfectly and delicately. Study carefully the pronuncia- tion of "ferry" dwelling for a moment (as if singing) upon the first syllable. We will find the long syllable to be feh, which, when we conclude to finish the word, glides rapidly through ih to ry (but one ^receiving attention). Compare "ferry " with "fairy." Here we will hold the first syllable with/aj' {feh-e). So we have the same initial prime, eh, as. before, but our glide' is the vanish e, not ih (mute), the word closing as before with ry. Let us now take "furry." Here we sing "fuh-r-y" ; the prime uh has no per- ceptible vanish or glide except such as is supplied by the un- trilled r. These three words serve to show the special treatment we are discussing, the first of the three having the peculiar vowel-sound mentioned. "Compare" would receive the same pronunciation ■on the last syllable; thus, " com-peh-ih-r" ; "bird" would be " beh-ird." In all cases the glide «7^ occupies no realtime. It glides immediately into the r. Some do not distinguish this glide at all, but it is surely there, and should be earnestly sought. "Ferry" is excellent for practice, as it is usually correctly pro- nounced, as also "dare," "care," "rare." In singing these words on passages or long tones, the sustained vowel-element is always eh. Artists will, however, reach the r through the glide ih quickly enough to allow a bit of tone to dwell ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 27 upon the musical consonant r, a practice which, if rightly indulged in, greatly enhances the emotional warmth of the word. This thought of consonantal tone will be explained later on. The vowel u followed by r requires especial thought, as too pronounced singing of uh on long tones and passages will result in a harshness of pronunciation not altogether agreeable. It is well in this case to glide as quickly as possible, with due regard to the word's sound, on to the initial of r, which will be found to soften the word and anticipate the full meaning in a very artistic way. Practice upon such words as "burn," "bairn," "urn," "earn," etc. Another class of vowels that requires especial thought is found in secondary (principally final) syllables, particularly e, i, and u, preceding /, m, n, and r. The first tendency is to run into the ^mute tih, sometimes ih, till at last, and generally with better artistic effect, the vowel is quite elided, and the following is the result: "spok'n," "gold'n," " lev'l," " ev'r," "lov'r," "prud'nt," " pris'n " {o elided). This is legitimate, and, when done with a proper attention to the musical quality of the consonantal final, is a means of artistic effect. Legato Articulations (Final Syllables). — It must be remembered that in singing such words, the vowel-sounds of the preceding syllable must be retained till the reaching of the tone for the second or final syllable, upon which it as closely presses as is com- patible with correct articulation, thus : Spo k'n — (Spoken) Go Id'n — ( Golden ) This thought of holding the vowel of a syllable the entire length (singing duration) of the tone or tones to which it is set, articulat- ing the consonant so quickly at the end as to in no appreciable sense take any time from the singing element, is of great im- 28 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. portance. The final consonant leans closely upon the following syllable's initial sound, never crowding it nor depriving it of its full enunciation and value, thus : He did not go, — He did not return. 1) , J) i^ w la i p i— • -^—*- E^B He di dno - tgo. He di dno - tre-turn. It is fine art to thus carry the final consonant of a word so close to the following word, giving all possible length to the vowel to be sung, then quickly and positively to articulate the final consonant without interfering in the least with the initial consonant or vowel of the next syllable. To do this aright is to sing legato and to enunciate intelligibly. However, we also have at times to give longer duration to these secondary syllables, as en in spoken, or oti va. prison, in which case the general rule for secondary vowels will prevail, thus: m ^- -«rf- i Pris - on bars, (on) Spok • en there, (en) Gold en hours, (en) Lev el place, (el) Ev er true. (er) Prud - ent man, (ent) Sail or boy, (or) never substituting any sound of any other vowel than that in the word. It will be seen, that even in such cases (they are of frequent occurrence), the consonant following the vowel of the final syllable appears to take its sound from the vowel, thus, on, en, el, er, or, and thus the final syllable becomes a seeming vari- colored r, I, or n, as the syllable requires. The final ion is practically always yon or eon, as million {yon). The finals ate, in prelate, al, in medal, final, etc., are open to ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 29 discussion. Of course such words as mandate, indicate, etc., call for a as in ate ; but in such words as given above and all of their class, where no particular accent or duration value is required, the a is so shortened as to really sound but the initial element eh. This would make the pronunciation practically /r^/-^^, etc. In some cases, however, a quickly sung or spoken at will not be inelegant. As practically always these final syllables are without accent, the shortening of them leads properly to eh, i. e., prelet, medel, etc. If, however, a long tone be sung on these finals, the pronunci- 1 ^tion will approach a (never uh). Some final syllables are peculiarly difficult for the singer ; these are, ble, pie, die, tie, gle, etc., in such words as able, avible, apple, handle, title, and gurgle. Very few orthoepists offer satisfactory rules for such syllables. The commonest explanation is through the elision of the vowel, making the / sound complete the syllable ; thus, appl, handl, gurgl, etc. If we accept this, we must admit that the sound is el, — thus, ambel, appel, — for that is the real sound of /unaffected by other letters. This pronunciation is the most elegant and the most truthful. Mr. Shakespeare of London, how- ever, advises the use of u as the vowel sound, or rather oo as in. wood. The eh appears preferable. Of course on- very short tones the mere consonantal tone / suffices. W and y are really vowel-sounds, the y often a diphthong. The practical sound of w is oo quickly pronounced and leading on to the following vowel or consonant; thus, went = oo-ent ; will = oo-ill, etc. The digraph wh is more consonantal in effect (see consonants). The practice of rounding the lips for the initial sound w {oo), and suddenly opening them to the following vowel, is inartistic and wrong, leading to explosive tone, destroying that even quality which is so necessary in refined speech and in song. The action of the lips is so slight as to be imperceptible to the eye ; the changes in oo-en, oo-ah, oo-ay, etc., are made by most delicate and 30 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. (with the artist) involuntary manipulations of the tissue of the inner mouth and tongue, the lips remaining loosely separated and never interfering with the easy enunciation of the vowels by the proper parts. A very objectionable habit obtains with many singers and speakers in the use of explosive w between two vowels, as in the phrases "do it," "go at it," etc., making this effect, "do-wit," and " go-wat-it." This error is more usual with singers, and re- sults from a drawing of the lips into service for the oo and o sounds (the same fault as shown in the enunciation of w), the sudden opening of the lips for the succeeding vowel making the abrupt explosive sound of w. All of this is avoided when th% vowels are made inside the mouth, without interfering puckerings of the lips. As a final letter, w is also oo if it be pronounced, thus, kow^ hah-oo ; now = nah-oo ; few =fee-oo;sew = so-oo. In saw, law, and the like, the w is mute. Y is sounded as ee {ih) or i. As an initial, it is a short e, zs,yes {ee-s), you {ee-oo), etc. This e is nearly as short as ih. There is no sudden, opening of the mouth for the change from the opening vowel-sound to the second sound; the inner tis- sue does the work, the jaw hanging loosely and never interfering, as is its wont, which interference is sure to destroy the evenness of the voice-stream. In singing, the initial sound of y {ih or ee) is quickly left, the singing element being the following vowel-sound ; thus, in yes there are three sounds, ee, eh, and s; if sung upon a tone or phrase of any length, the sustained element is eh (see diphthongs). As a final letter, y is either e or i according to the pronunciation of the \ .... 1 word ; thus, in by it is i, in lay it is a (eh-e), etc. A Common Error in Vowel Use. — The contact of two dis- similar vowels in connecting syllables leads to a common error, i. e., the adding of a consonantal y or w; thus the passing from the 1 • 1 2 3 4 1 dark vowels oo or ^ to a brighter vowel oo-e, i, a, a, a, or a makes possible the habit of adding a w, leading to such pronunciation as do-wevil for do-evil. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 31 go-wafter for go-after, go-wout for go-out etc. In the other case, the passing from the brighter to the darker vowels, the added sound is that of y, thus : I-yalways for I-always. he-yopens for he-opens, we-yought for we-ought. they-yare for they-are. This error is the result of a sudden change of shape of mouth by an abrupt dropping of the chin. This is all avoided by a care- ful non-interference on the part of the chin. U vcl use, cure, pure, etc., is asj)/ (the ik sound of y), thus, ih-ooz, kih-oor, pih-oor; etc. In all of these the first sound is without stress or appreciable time, as is the case with e in the diphthong eit in duty, feud, etc. (e-oo). Ion (final) requires great care that the "sk" sound be not enforced too much, as in action, nation, etc. Studies in the Placement of Vowels.* — The following show the variety of colors leading from the most forward oo (vanish) 2 14 2 3 through 00 to o, to a {aw) o, to a {ah). Recite on monotone, noting closely each vowel-color, as each in turn places itself farther back in mouth : 1 Fool, tool, school, yule (eu), rule. 2 Food, wood, stood, good, foot, full, look. 1 Fore, owe, coal, stole, roll, dough. 4 Fawn, lawn, dawn, bawl, shawl, jaw, law. * The writer has no faith in vowel-making by eye, and much prefers to do no shaping of vowels on the lips so that the sound " may be seen " ; depending, rather, upon acute ear and perfectly free lips and mouth, with a properly trained tongue. (See the Training of the Tongue. Commonplaces of Vocal Art, by the Author of this book.) 32 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 2 Fo£^, dog, god, pop, gloss, boss. 3 Father, far, car, part, start, large. 3 Another sequence, from a {ah), forward to e (vanish), extreme front of mquth at the lips : 3 Ah my love — far, car, par, star. 2 At his work — cat, bat, that, hat, slat. 2 Ever near thee — (eh) bed, led, said, red. 2 It is so dear — (ih) did, rid, mid, quid. 1 E(tse my troubled soul — sneeze, freeze, keys, please. No one who uses the voice for speech alone can realize all that vowel-sounds mean, as can an equally observant and intelligent singer. The most perfect use of language in speech falls short of the requirements for perfect singing ; and the singer who wishes to master his language nee^s to look farther even than Webster or the Standard, for here the standard international guides to speech in English are not complete guides to the singer. Beware of half-digested theories, remembering that many words that sound well from the pulpit or platform will not do for the singer ; and in the still less precise conversational pronunciation, few can claim attention as exemplars of the perfect use of English. Mouth- shapes as pictured with diagrams are both untrue in fact and un- safe in practice. DIPHTHONGS AND DIPHTHONGAL VOWELS. As has been said, of first importance in diction, is vowel-color. To thoroughly understand the vowels of our language is not an easy thing, not because of the thought itself, but because of the variety of pronunciations in different sections of the country. Yet it may be said that the most marked differences in pronunciation are found among the illiterate, and can be called provincialisms. Cultivated Americans throughout the land show very slight vari- ance in pronunciation, especially of vowels. Lexicographers give a great variety of sounds to each vowel in the language, and show where certain peculiar pronunciations obtain. The singer needs no such extensive table of vowel-sounds. ' There are five vowels, viz., a, e, i, o, u (oo). These five vowels have each various sounds : Recapitulation. A has 4 sounds : 1 A as in lay. 2 A as in last. 3 A as in father (ah, Italian a). 4 A as in law. E has 2 sounds : 1 E as in be. 2 E as in bed (eh). I has 2 sounds : 1 I as in die. 2 I as in did (ih). (33) 34 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. O has 3 sounds : 1 O as in go. 2 O as in rod (not ah). 3 O as in shone — only. U has 2 sounds : 1 U as in lute (eu). U as in bud (uh). 00 has 2 sounds : OO — woo, brew, brood. 2 00 — wood, good, full. Some vowels in certain words borrow the sounds of other vowels, especially in our non-phonetie language ; for instance, in the word recover, the o is pronounced as the second sound of u (recuver). A complete list of these borrowed vowel-sounds is not within the scope of this work. A dictionary will supply the examples. There are a number of words in the language, especially those of foreign origin, whose vowels, correctly sounded, show more or less variation from the list given ; but these words are so comparatively unusual, and so uncertain of expression with type, as to put them out of our consideration. Vowels differ not only in their general sound or color, but also in another very important particular. Some of the vowels have only one sound, but most of the name-sounds of our vowels are diphthongal, i.e., with two sounds. Thus, « is a combination of 2 1 . 1 ■ . 3 1 e and e {eh-e) ; i is a combmation of a [ah) and e {ak-e) ; o properly is pronounced with a closing sound of oo. The name-sound of u is also diphthongal, e-oo, as in duty, music. We classify diphthongs as double vowels, with two elements. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 35 one main or sustained element (or sound), and one vanish or glide. All singing effects are made on the sustained or main element, the vanish or glide marking the close of the diphthong quickly and delicately. Vowels with a single element must be artistically and delicately finished without introducing any foreign sound. The 234122231 2 single-sound vowels are a, a, a, e, e, i, o, o, 00, u. These, with the slight variations of sound heard in different parts of the country and in a few foreign words, are the simple vowel-sounds of the language. The English Diphthongs. — A classification of diphthongal sounds shows the following regarding their pronunciation in song. In English there are four principal diphthongs, ei, oi, ou, eii. Ei is the same as i, as in height, eye, isle, sigh. In this combina- 3 tion the first sound is a {ah), which is prolonged in song. The second sound is the vanish or finish. Its sound may vary some- what between i and ih, no hard and fast rule being possible. I prefer the richer e (ee) to the mute i (ih), but in some cases an intermediate sound fulfills the requirement, being not so long as ee^ nor so abrupt as ih. However, the vanish ee, if held for any con- siderable time, produces an effect both disagreeable and inartistic ; the student must study most thoughtfully to gain the 'power of singing a rich ee vanishing tone, practically as short as ih. Notice carefully the pronunciation of such words as isle, tight, and nine, and notice the diphthong in prolonging the word. In every case the vanish of a diphthong must be very short in duration, a mere finishing of the double vowel. When the diphthong is followed by a consonant, the vanish is less prominent than when it ends the word, but in no case should the vanish vowel be prolonged. When followed by a consonant the vanish ee approaches closely to ih. A most important principle regarding the close (in song) of all diphthongs but eu, u, ew, and the like, is that at the very close of the diphthongal sound, at the moment of vanish, the entire double sound is heard, and this, regardless of duration of the tone or tones sung to the main element of the diphthong, thus : 36 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 3 ■ a-ee. i, High — would be sung ha - oy, Boy — " " bo — o-ee. o, Go — " " go — 0-00. (?ic/, Thou — " " dhah — ah-oo. There is no stress upon the close of the diphthong. The main element is held as long as possible, then this prolonged sound glides quickly to the vanish and closes the syllable with or without a final consonant. This manner of delivery allows for no change of vowel-color on the sustained element, however long the tone may be, and the entire diphthong must be heard at the close, thus, in diphthongs ei, i, igh, y. i W^^^i My love is nigh . (correct) My love is nah (incorrect) My love is nah-ee (The singingele- ment is ah, the vanish ee^ ee ( ah-ee ) Oi as in coil, boy, annoy. The first element (prolonged) is o {not aw). The second sound is the same as in ei, a very short but complete e. The perfection of refinement of pronunciation of this diphthong is reached only through the use of o for the first element. The use of aw in such words as soil, coil, join, is in- •elegant. Sing this phrase : ^:S^^=;J: S=i: :t I de - stroy . . . them all ( The Complete ( correct ) de stro - ee them all — {o-ee) diphthong at the (incorrect) de - stro ee . . them all close.) It will be noticed that the o is really not complete, for it finishes with a glide into the vanish e, while in the diphthongal vowel- .soui;id itself, the vanish is oo, thus : ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 37 ah - no . . (correct) ah - no (incorrect) ah - no-oo (Complete diph- 00 — (o-oo) thong at the . . close.) The glide to the vanish in the first word is smoother and re- quires less care than the delicate finish of the second word, for even a slight prolonging of e without immediate diminishing of force will prove offensive to a delicate ear. Ou as in tkoti, now, down. The first element (prolonged) should 3 always be a {ah) the same as in ei. The second element is a more or less complete oo. If the diphthong close the word, a perfect but very quickly finished oo is both correct and musical, allowing, as it does, a delicate diminishing of the vowel force. If the diph- thong be followed by a consonant, the vanish will not require the full 00, but will generally find a natural, pronunciation in the abrupt sound of u as in full. (See note to u^ However, very few words can be found that will not prove musical and correct with the short but complete oo vanishing-sound for this diphthong. Sing this phrase: l\A- ^^ 1^^ And thou . . (Close with Complete ( correct ) And thah -00 diphthong ah-oo.) (incorrect) And thah-oo . Eu as in dew, new, tune. This diphthong differs from the three preceding ones in that the first element is short, and it glides into the prolonged final sound that finishes without a vanishing-point, in the sense applied to the other three. The first sound is i {ih), which is distinctly heard but quickly left with the glide into the second and prolonged sound oo. The first element sometimes ex- presses deeper emotional feeling with the sound of e somewhat more prolonged than the usual ih (i) ; but this is exceptional, and 38 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS not to be indulged in by the young student, explain the diphthong's use in song : This phrase will &=^^^EgE^i2i ( correct ) (incorrect) how how how few . fi-oo . there are there are 00 there are It will be seen that the 'glide from the first to the second element is nearly a well-defined e, a,nd in impassioned singing this glide-sound almost wholly displaces the first element. Eu after r is not sounded as a diphthong, but as the single vowel oo as in rue, drew. In short tones this seeking for the "singing element" is a simpler process, yet we often hear, even on the shortest tones, such badly pronounced diphthongs as tiah-eet for night, rah-oond for round, etc., too much prominence being given to the vanish- sound. Diphthongal vowels have, likewise, two elements, and in singing must be treated the same as the series analyzed above. A is sung 2 . 1 . with e {eh) prolonged, vanishing with c. O is sung with o pro- longed, vanishing with oo. I is sung with ah prolonged, vanishing with ee. Thus, A ^fe5#« 3^ I The day (sung) The deh O ee 1 T is here is here (The close is eh-ee.) ElEiE ^ i a mE&^. 'Twas known be - fore (sung)'Twas kno-oon be - fore (The close is o-oon.) And I . . was there (sung) And Ah - ee was there (The close is ah-ee .) In our mixed system of spelling and pronunciation, there are many double and single vowels that need particular attention, not ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 39 because they call for any sounds different from those given here, but because they do not appear to the eye as they sound. Thus, roar, tore, four, are all pronounced with the same vowel-sound, yet they appear to have different diphthongs. Any complete discussion of the anti-phonetic spelling of English will, however, lead us too far, and I will only urge the seeking of a refined and delicate pro- nunciation; remembering that the full pronunciation of a vowel or a diphthong should be heard at the very close of its duration, ex- cepting the diphthong eit, as in due, new, feud, where the intro- 2 ductory element e or ih (i) glides at once into the prolonged oo. This imfjortant rule suggests the thought that the mind is held waiting during the singing of a prolonged vowel, and the closing moment must give the complete sound, else the listener will fail to realize its sense. A long passage or even a single note of pro- longed duration, with a word, for instance, like "fire" (diphthong ah-e, or possibly, ah-ih), would be ridiculous if sung fah-ee-r (pro- longed ee), the mind being at once directed to the word eer or ear. So on through the list of diphthongs, a bit of practice with wrong prolongations will readily show the ill effects alluded to. In such a case as the above {fire), the liquid final consonant practically serves as the vanish of the diphthong. The singing of the diphthong oi (oy, etc.) is perhaps open to some discussion, and writers have disagreed with me in my pro- cedure ; but a careful study of all the words containing this diph- thong will show that the use of the mute o, the close of which approaches aw (pah), as the prime singing element, will prove more satisfactory than will the use of either ah or aw (in all cases {oi or oy) the vanishing element is, of course, e). For instance, practice the following classes of passage : J- ^^1 ^^m i^^^ An noy - An - noy . . An - noy 40 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. or with these phrases, T/ie boy, Al-loy, De-coy, A-noint, Ap-point, etc. The singing upon mute o as prime element in the diphthong gives greater richness, is easily comprehended by the student, and the result reaches the listener correctly and intelligibly, and altogether is much to be preferred to aw or ah. It must be remembered that at the conclusion of the syllable the whole diphthong is sounded ; thus, in the following phrase, the entire diphthong and the " nt " altogether "oint " must be heard as a closing sound upon the final note's very end. Thus, » ( I ) Ap po - oint (the o carrying over to the finish). (2) Ap pah oint (3) Ap paw oint If either (2) or (3) were the pronunciation, the same thing would occur ; the oint would" finish the phrase, and this necessity for the final use of in oint at the close is sufficient to condemn the use of ah or aw as the prime element. O is correct, ah or aw needs to be changed at the finish of the syllable, and either is but an approach to the correct sound. The Glide of Diphthongs. — An important thing is the manage- ment of the glide that leads from the prolonged singing-element of a diphthong to the vanish, and the duration and power of the vanish itself. The single (prolonged) element must be maintained without change till the very moment of the close of the sound. Then, without break, the first element passes through the glide to the vanish, which is delicately finished, so that the word itself seems to float away, or, if there be a following consonant or other syllable, the vanish will lead into it without a break. This is very difficult to express v/ith a pen, though a single oral demonstration makes it clear. Let us consider the phrases, " The night is drear," and " The day is here." I have said that the phrase should be ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 41 sung, " The nah-eet is drear," and " Tke define is here." , Do not understand this to mean that the phrase is sung thus : (not) ^^^ # X The nah eet is drear. with a strong eet on the last note of the four ; but, on the contrary, the last note, or, in fact, the last possible moment of this note, must carry with it the entire diphthong sound, first element, glide and vanish, thus : (correct) The nah - aheet is drear. forming a continuous sound of ah to the glide and vanish. This is a more delicate thought than any other item in vowel-sounding in song, and requires most careful practice if the singer wishes to be perfect in pronunciation. Some Incorrect Pronimciations. — This leads us to another common error, viz., 'the enforcing of accent or stress upon the last part of a syllable, especially if diphthongal. The stress is often accentuated by a y ; thus, in the word fire we have (wrongly) fi-yer; for here we have he-yer ; ior praise, pray-yese; ior fear, fe-yer. Also, often by the use of w we have such bad English as po-wer for poui^, sho-wer for shore, etc. These habits can readily be overcome by any intelligent student who will observe the following simple rules. Avoid all interpolations of y or zv where not called for in the spelling. In all cases but the exceptions noted below, y ox w when in the word, should be pronounced on the accented syllable, not to be heard in the suffix. In such dis- syllabic cases, only the vowel effect of y and w is required, and this at once puts the pronunciation on a plane with diphthongs ; thus, /ray^r would be pronounced pre-e-er. The prolonged element 42 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 2 is ^re, connected by the glide with the vanish e, which leads at once to the suffix er. The;;/ is, therefore, lost as a consonant, be- coming the vanish to the diphthong sound a or aj/. Likewise the w is nearly lost in words like shower, which would be more ■delicately pronounced shah-oo-er, with prolonged ah, with glide to the vanish oo, and a very slight suffix er. The use of lips from 00 to er requires delicate management to prevent a sud- den explosive w. The change is of vowel-sound from one sylla- ble to another, and this is the work of the tongue, not of the lips. I scarcely need to speak of the vocalizing of the final r, in woi;ds like near, hear, that so often become ne-ah, he-ah. This is not only bad English, but it destroys the musical purpose of the r, which is important. An exception to the rule regarding the use oi y m dissyllabic conjunction is found in such words as annoying and toying. Here, with the suffix ing, it is well to give the y a slight conso- nantal effect, thus, anno-ying, to-ying. This must be delicate, and not .forceful, else it will become a vulgarism. A master of vowel-sounds is able to produce on the prolonged elements of a diphthong a quality of vowel-color that will fairly anticipate the sound of the vanishing element. Thus in a passage, upon the word day the sound eh, upon which the tone or passage is sustained, will be so modified as to suggest the vanish e in such a marked degree as to seem a simple a throughout. This is art, and is reached only through long practice, a very acute ear, and a free mouth. The double diphthongs io as in violin, violet, violent ; ia in via- duct, diatribe or diadem; iu in triune, etc. ; ie in diet, quiet, etc., — all present the same difficulty, ancj are to be treated alike ; i.e., the singing sustained element is ah ; the vanish of the i glides quickly 3 3 to the second vowel, as if with a y (ih or e), thus, va-yolin, va- 3 3 8 yaduct, da-yadem, tra-yune, qua-yet, etc. The treatment is the ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 43 same as for the vowel i {ah-ee). (Thej/ is made by the tongue, not by chin action.) j 2 The use of u for the and a before consonants is not elegant ; ek is far better than uk for these words ; and while but few listeners discriminate between theh boy and tkuk boy, or between eh lady and uh lady, yet the eh sound is certainly more musical than uh, and the use of eh is in conformity with the rule which forbids the ' 2 1 use of uh for any vowel but u. {Eh is the initial sound of a.) No 2 great exception, however, can be taken to the use of a for a before a consonant, though this color of vowel requires great care in its use in such connection, no pronounced stress being allowed. This 2 a is very short. It is also not incorrect to use ih for the short the, thus, thik horse, ih being the initial of e. The long e and a are also often correct. Public speakers are very careless in this matter of con- stant use of uh (u), and many otherwise elegant speakers drop un- consciously into this vulgarism. While perhaps not so offensive to the listener, this careless habit is really quite as wrong in the diction of a speaker as of a singer. The Sustained Vowel-Sound. — A great art in intelligible enun- ciation in more or less long notes or passages upon one syllable, is in the holding of the singing element (the vowel-sound upon which the passage is sung) absolutely true from the first of the tone or passage throughout, and then making the entire syllable complete at the very close ; thus, in such a word as enemies. ESI eI 2 2 2 we would sing it, e . . . en-emies. There is no break in the vowel-sound, but at the very close. 44 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. especially of a long passage, the singer must make sure that the entire syllable is plainly set forth ; and one with good elocutionary culture will in such a passage as the above, give a slight enunciat- ing impulse at the close of the tone with the pause or hold, to make sure of the full sound of en leading to e-mies. A certain class of culture, especially for dramatic singing, makes much of this principle, by the use not only of a special impulse on the note, but by frequently, and often very effectively, adding a sort of appogiatura from below, thus. Sing IJ thus. ^^ ^i^m I love .... thee I love thee the ornamental tone given with considerable stress. Let the student remember that to fulfill the higher requirements of pronunciation, a delicacy of hearing must be cultivated and good models sought. If the mouth be allowed to respond, without stiff- ness, satisfactory results will soon follow. Recapitulation. — In singing diphthongs there are two elements, initial and close, which are connected by a most delicate and scarcely distinguishable sound called the glide. This makes all diphthongs practically threefold, — the initial sound' (usually the prolonged element), the glide, the close or vanish. All diphthongs, except eu (as in feud, etc.) pronounce their entire threefold sound at the very last instant of their duration. The glide receives no especial consideration, it being merely a blending element between the two real vowel-sounds, partaking of the sounding nature of both. In a few cases the glide has distinct vowel-tone, but we direct our mind mainly to the two principal elements, and blend these as smoothly as possible with the shadowy, almost unheard, glide. Some Rules Repeated. — The question of finish in pronunciation is a delicate one, and really requires a sort of notation for the ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 45 proper expressing of its rules. A good rule is, that no vanishing sounds should be delivered with stress, and, regardless of the loud- ness of the tone, the vanish of a diphthong should always be marked with diminishing pronouncing energy, so that the vowel will really vanish. Some students and singers acquire the oppo- site habit, giving special pronouncing impulse to the vanishing element. Thus, in words Y^&fine, die, they are sure to hurry to the last element of the vowel, pronouncing the words fi-een, di-ee, even though they are sung to a very short note. To sing with proper attention to the language, care must be taken of the pro- longed element of the syllable to be sung. This must be sus- tained throughout, practically the entire length of the note or series of notes to which the syllable belongs. The closing consonant or consonants, if there be any, and the vanish of the vowel or the diphthong, are gently glided into from. the prolonged sound which is distinctly heard at the very close of the tone with the vanishing and closing vowel and consonant, which are delivered without stress. Secondary Vowel-Sounds. — Another important thought in vowel- color is the pronunciation of secondary vowel-sounds, especially i, e, o, u. In ordinary, or even in platform speech, very little im- portance is attached to these secondary vowel-sounds when they occur in secondary syllables. This carelessness in speech often leads singers into grave errors of pronunciation. Such words as eternity, simplicity, heavenly, usually are pronounced eternu-ty, simplicu-ty, heavu-nly. In speech this answers fairly, for these syllables are so quickly disposed of as scarcely to be sounded at all as full vowels, the almost mute u being sufficient to lead the ear on to the consonant and the next syllable. But in song, except in rare cases, the tone to be sung to a secondary syllable has dura- tion, which requires an absolute vowel-pronunciation of greater or less length, and this demands purity of color in the vowel repre- sented. A rule for correct pronunciation is, to adhere strictly to the secondary sound of the vowel as found in the word, never sub-. 46 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. stituting u for any Other vowel. This rule is for secondary vowels in secondary syllables, and, of course, will not apply for all accented syllables, since vowels vary so much in English. A few words often wrongly pronounced upon a secondary syllable. Correct. Incorrect. 2 2 Afford, not ufford. 2 2 Allow, not ullow. 2 2 2 2 Affinity, not uffinuty. 2 2 Efface, not ufface. 2 2 Effect, not uffect. 2 _ 2 Efficient, not uificient. 2 2 Eternity, not eternuty. 2 2 2 2 Apparent, not upparunt. 2 2 Pleasant, not pleasunt, etc. The Vanish-Sounds. — The pronunciation of e, a,o, especially in diphthongs, is an item which has called forth much discussion and many different opinions. The abrupt (mute) vowels are practically universal in Continental European languages, and the mastery of the vanishes e and oo are difficult for all foreigners learning English. We Americans, how- ever, are apt to make the vanishes too prominent, and thus lose the strength which comes from the use of more abrupt vowel- sounds. The true artist always finds the middle ground : his diphthongs will close with all the musical effect of the vanishing e otoo, yet he will not make them "too sweetly vanishing," but will borrow some of the sturdiness of the more mute zk or oo (as in wood). There is no symbol by which this intermediate quality may be shown ; but ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 47 the earnest student, through practicing both extremes and com- paring them well, will soon be able to use the mild middle form, which shows all of the required vanishing color without its extremes ; thus, the word my will be, not ma-ee or ma-ih, but will have all the forward position of the ee without appreciable duration. And this is the main item in singing these diphthongs and diph- thongal vowels, that practically all of the time is given to the first element ; the vanish, without the least possible stress, being given just time enough to be heard. For a perfect explanation of this blending of the two principles, an oral demonstration is necessary, but thoughtful practice will develop the art in the intelligent student. The symbols representing this vanish of a diphthong are very misleading, since they appear so prominent and so long as to seem to require much time in their making, which is not a fact ; thus, 3 3 3 3 by^ = ba-ae ; my = ma-ae. Full Length of Tone Vowels, in Articulation . — To make sure of the full length of the vowel of a word closing with a con- sonant, we often resort to the following manner of writing. — Effi W^ eB That man=tha - tman This boy =thi sboy ( Hold the vowel to the Man fred =ma - nfred very end of the first tone.) Love me =lo ve me While this process of writing clearly defines the vowel-length, the singer must use great care, else it will tend to destroy the articulation between the syllables. Practice the above and similar passages. CONSONANTS. Consonants : — It is not easily determined which of the two elements of speech (vowels and consonants) is the more difficult for the singer. I am inclined to think that control of vowels is less difficult to the average student ; and since consonants receive next to no consideration in the usual voice-study, it has been my experience as an observer of singers for many years, that with all the badly pronounced vowels, the chief source of unintelligibility among American singers is in their articulation, or, better expressed, in their lack of articulation, although, it is true, vowel-color is understood by but few singers. An articulation is a joint. — The joints of speech are made with consonants ; hence we say, broadly, that consonants are the articula- tions or joints of speech. I have already ventured a theory that vowels are the texture of language. Carried to its limit, this same theory will name con- sonants the formative element that gives shape to words. Since we have comparatively few vowel-sounds in the great mass of words in a language, variety must be obtained through change of " shape f made possible, almost limitlessly, by the larger number of consonants. The chief differences between the dialects of a language are in texture (vowels). Consequently, with careful hstening, the ^Londoner comprehends his fellow-countryman from Yorkshire, as the New-Yorker does his Southern or Eastern brother, or as we Americans understand the brogue of an Irishman or a Scotchman. This is because the shape of words within a language does not vary greatly with different dialects, and is more definitely expressive than its texture or vowel-sounds. This may appear to some readers not quite true, for the chief (48) ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 49 attention of singers has been directed to vowels, as of greatest im- .portance ; but careful observation of readers, speakers, and singers will prove that mispronunciation of vowels will seldom prevent one's comprehension of a word's meaning, if its shape be properly displayed by correct articulation. For the singer, tonal beauty greatly depends upon the word's texture ; but the thought of the word rests more emphatically upon ,its sliapc. While in no way desiring to create an impression that vowels may be sung indiffer- ently without injury to intelligibility, I still wish to impress the truth that no extreme point of perfection in vowel-enunciation will ever avail, if the words are not properly articulated. Aside from any other argument, the fact that the great mass of words in our language, while having the same vowel-texture, are yet in different shapes, «.f., made with various consonants, proves the great excess, in our words, of shapes, over vowel-colors. This excessive variety of word-forms carries with it a greater opportunity for error on the part of the listener in receiving the impression of the word, and this, again, calls upon the singer to exercise the greatest care that the shape of the word be fully displayed, so that the listener may at once know which of the many words of similar vowel-color he is hearing. Again, the consonants that give the shape of the word and determine its meaning, have, as a rule, no real duration, this item in speech being largely monopolized by the vowels. Sound-duration allows time for thought on the listener's part, and while the singer is sustaining a tone (on the vowel usually) we may decide what it is. The consonants that outline the vowel are given no such opportunity. They are quickly passed, and, unless they be absolutely made, throw us off the trail, and the sense of the word is entirely lost, unless we can make it up with the aid of our imagination, and the context of the phrase. Texture and Shape. — If any doubt remain as to the need of great care in making consonants, because of the greater variety of word-forms, let us take the following random examples. The vowel. color, the texture, the so-called singing element, is the sound, aw. 50 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. Here are a few of the word-shapes in every-day use, the texture of which is the same: "awe," "awl," "bawl," "brawl," "brought,". "bought,""caul," "caw," " caught,"" cough." Many sentences could be made including these words, the sense of which would be entirely lost if either or both the initial and final consonant were of doubt- ful sound. It is in this particular that the majority of singers fail. First, then, in studying language in song, we must become reconciled to the fact of consonants ; then we must recognize their great importance in intelligible interpretation, and if we admit (as of course we must) that it is as much the singer's duty to reveal the text as to display the melody, we will then be able to begin a more particular study of these "noises" that form our words and destroy vocal flow. I say "become reconciled," be- cause many singers rebel against these explosions and puffings, and knowing that the vowels are the beauty-spots of language, to the singer, they refuse to see any graceful outlines, any poetic vocal curves, in the mechanical articulations of the text. All of these devotees to the vowel in song are subjects for con- version ; for whatever they may think of consonants, however low they may esteem them, they must either master them or be un- done by them. The call to-day from all intelligent American and English audiences is for better speech in song, and the singer who refuses to see this will never reach any important status in his art. The public is awake to the fact that it has for generations been " tricked " by singers who sang vowels, and let words go to the winds. This idea was born in that paradox known as Italian sing- ing. The Germans, through Bach, Beethoven, and particularly Schubert, Schumann, and Franz, taught the world a deeper, truer principle. The French have followed close after. But we Enghsh-speaking people have still held on to Italianism, which has vitiated everything vocal in the land, teaching us that our English is fit only for brutes. Our American students have fondly taken this great heresy to heart, with the result of filling our concert- ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 51 rooms with would-be singers, who may warble charmingly, but whose diction, in the main, is imbecile. The evil is lessening every year, thanks to earnest, conscientious, and able native teachers, and the time is surely approaching when fledgelings who have gone no more deeply into their art than is required to gain a little vocal fluency, shall be leveled to their proper plane, the studio, with a capable English-speaking tutor. So the student reader, wishing to be in the procession of real singers in this new, twentieth century, will do well to reckon on a close study of diction. He will do better to read books that treat of elegant English speech, than, to dwell lingeringly upon the pages- of history that tell of the roulades sung upon a vowel by a Pacchiarotti. The Explosive Nature of Consonants. — For our purposes as students in song, I prefer to omit some of the technicalities of orthoepy and use as plain language and as few definitions as pos- sible. We have already studied the mechanical character of con- sonants, finding that they are more or less violent explosions of the breath through parts of the mouth held in momentary closure. The longer the explosion is delayed by the closure of the parts, the more broken (non legato) will be the flow of voice ; and the more violent the explosion be made, the more will it disturb the fluency of the phrase. Since the normal effect in singing and speaking is flueitt legato, we are required to reduce the explosive, percussive, or fricative characteristics of consonants to the least possible degree, without destroying their articulative intent. This, then, is the great item of study, that we show the shap- ing character of the consonant accurately, definitely, with as little as possible of the mechanical operation of the articulation. Some consonants lend themselves readily to flowing song, with a very vowel-like softness. These are readily mastered. Others are either abruptly explosive or accompanied with noisy hissings and whififings, which are not only unmusical but also very disagreeable accompaniments of song or speech. 52 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. Classes of Consonants. — A broad division of consonants will put them first in two classes : (a) momentary (abrupt), and (b) continuous. These are again classified as (i) voiced (sonant); these are soft in effect, and more or less "singable ": (2) voiceless (surd), hard or harsh in effect, and either quite mute or with breath-sounds, (c) A third broad division of consonants separates ;three consonantal elements, m, n, and ng, from all others, calling them "nasals" because in their articulation the air passes through the nose. All others are named orals, because the breath passes through the mouth, in their making. Most consonants in English may be grouped in pairs, sonant and surd, as is shown in the following table, which also indicates the place of explosion in the mouth : — CONSONANT PAIRS. p as in " pea." b as in " bee." t as m "toe." d as in "doe." k as in "keen." ^as in " gain." J as m "Jane." ch as in " chain." s as in " seal." z as in "zeal." yas in "feel." V as in "veal." w as in "weal." wh as in " wheel." y as in "you." yh as in " hew " (heu. sh as in "rush." zh as in " rouge" (roozh). th as in "thin." dh as in " then." /as in "lay." r as in "ray." m as in "sum." n as in "sun." ng^LS, in "sung.' h as in "ha." c z.?, kox s. q as k. g as/. X as ks or s. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 53 i> as in "bee" 1 , , ,. . ,^ „ V made by lips. p as in "pea J ^ ^ d as in " doe " 1 . j. t as in " toe " f *'^ ° tongue and hard-palate near teeth, V as in "veal " 1 /as in " feel " } "PP"'' '""'^ ^"'^ ^"^^"^ "P" p- as in "gain " | ^ k as in " keen" } '°^' P^^^*^ ^"^ '"^'^-^^^^ tongue. mid-tongue and hard-palate. The ex- plosive character of these elements is derived from a partial effect of d and of t as initial sounds. yas in "jew" ch as in "chew" ^ as in "zeal" ) . ^ ^ . , , , , as in "seal" ( f^^t-tongue near tip, and hard-palate. fshght action within the lips; in w as in " weal " <(„,u^=i" • ^ ? n ; "wheel, aspirate h really pre- ■wh as in " wheel " 1 „„ i„ »u ..i ,,^ i ., cedes the w, thus, "hweel. zh as in " rouge " (roozh) ) sh as in "rush" \ "^d-tongue and hard-palate. ds as in "buds " (dz) | tip of tongue and hard-palate, near ts as in "boots " j or upon teeth. th {dh) as in " then " (dhen) 1 tip of tongue and front />^ as in " thin " J upper teeth. n like d\ ,., , \ but, sound passes through nose. ng like g, with preceding resonance of n. Note — These nasal articulations refer here only to the consonant-al element. To prove this classification of the place of making the nasals, notice a speaker with a cold in the head stopping the nasal pas- sages. He will say "dose" for "nose" and "bood" for "moon." A great variety of compounds (digraphs) are found in our language, the placement of which is dual, combining two conso- 54 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. nantal elements; thus, ^/ in " glad" And d in "clad" also ^r in "brim'' and /r in "prim." These digraphs are, for the most part, made with one of the so-called liquids, /, r, n, or m (more usually- one of the first two), combined with a more abrupt element. Liquids are worthy of much study, as they are particularly sonant and singable. Of the semi-vowel "j/ " little need be said. Its consonantal character is made more through an abrupt passing from an initial vowel-sound ik (or very short ee) to the true vowel of the syllable, than by any peculiar fricative element. Thus, in "yes," the pro- nunciation is ih-cs. C, q, and x are superfluous letters in our alphabet, replacing in certain words the phonetic values of k, s, or z. It will be seen that in consonants, as in vowels, we have more sounds than characters. The alphabet, therefore, is incomplete. I will call particular attention to th. Take "that" and "thatch." \n"that" th is soft (sonant); in." thatch" th is surd (voiceless). These two sounds are relatively the same as d and t, and written phonetically would require these signs, dh (as in " then"), th (as in "thin"). It must be understood that in any group or pair of consonants, as shown above, the consonantal element, and the manner of mak- ing, is the same in both, the only difference being in the violence of the closure-pressure and the explosion through it. For this rea- ' son we may call them " soft or mild," and " hard or harsh." Let us study the effect of softening all the consonants in counting the first ten numbers, thus: "One, dwo, dhree, vour, vive, zigs, zeven, eighd, nine, den." This series of words can be sung absolutely legato on one tone or to a melodic passage. The effect in speech is "flabby," like the talk of an intoxicated person. It bespeaks weak- ness, lack of virility. Yet, when we sing thus, the more objection- able impression is missing, for the legato effect is musically normal. This emasculating of text is, however, by no means advised. Placement. — Another exercise for practice is the following series ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 55 of consonantal elements, arranged especially to show a graded de- velopment of articulating points from the lips and the tip of the tongue to the back-tongue and soft palate. It must be remembered that no consonant-making extends back of the uvula. Of course, this does not refer to the laryngeal consonant, the aspirate k, and such digraphs or trigraphs as may combine it in their make-up. The term guttural is often misleading to students, for, except the sounds that are made directly by the vocal chords, no vocal mechanism is heard back of the uvula. The following series should be carefully practiced with as little outward show of effort as possible : Sing ting, tsing, tching, shing, ching (as the German " ich" or " chen" in " madchen "), king. . This series may be made sonant by chang- ing s \.o z, t to d, sh to zh, k to g. The difficulty Americans find in German pronunciation is largely in placement. The German ck, for example, is often made too far back, it being sounded like k, or, on the contrary, too far forward, like sh ; so that the average American pronounces the German personal pronoun " ick " or " is/i," both of which are very funny to a German. A careful study of articulating centers, closely following observation of a correct pattern, will soon show the stu- dent where to make this consonant (German cA), and when he knows where, he will at once discover how. There are possible many close varieties of consonants that the English language does not employ. If a sound is heard to which the oral apparatus does not intuitively respond, we should study the place of the sound -as a sure way out of the dilemma. The degree of consonantal harshness is also an important thing to investigate. Many Americans find much difficulty with the German w, especially in pronouncing the name Wagner. Those who know that the English w is too soft, and pronounce the name with a decided v, " Vagner," show very little phonetic astuteness, for, in fact, the English v, as in "vim," is no nearer correct than w. The German w is a. very soft v, in consonantal force midway between the English v and w. Let us study v more closely. F 56 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. and V are made with the upper teeth and the lower lip. For / (surd) the pressure is greater and the explosion more violent than for V ; in fact, we may relax the pressure gradually from f X.o v until at last the closure is quite relieved and the mouth is open. Let us slowly repeat the following four words, softening the con- sonant from f to V, then with a very soft v with the lip and the teeth barely touching, and last with a w pure and simple. Thus, "Fogner," with a harsh f ; " Vogner," a firm v ; " Vogner," a very soft V ; " Wogner,'' a "w." This sort of practice will not alone teach the pronunciation of Wagner's name, but it will also give a delicate and accurate articulation in English. The following exercises from John Curwen's " Standard Course " are now in order for daily practice : — Exercises in Enunciation and Articulation. Intone Deliberately. Change the Vowels. Also, sing as a Chant. The I lips-pro : duce-with I shut : passage I paa : baa I vaaa '. I sap ; aa\> I aara. : I aap : paa I * The I lips-pro : duce-with I central ; passage I whaa : woa I whaa : waa I etc. The I lips-pro : duce-with 1 central : passage I taa : vaa I taa : yaa I aai. : aay I aat : iaa I aay : yaa I Enunciation Exercises on the Tip-tongue Articulations. The I Tip : tongue-pro I duces : . with 1 shut ; passage I taa : iaa I aaa : I aat : aadi I aan \ I aat '. taa I aai : iaa I The I Tip : tongue-pro I duces : . with I central : passage 1 saa : zaa I saa : etc. The I Tip ; tongue-pro I duces : . with I central : passage I thaa : dhaa I \aa : I aath : aaih I aaV I 3 / aath : thaa I aaih : ihaa 1 etc. — Note aa is a {ah). Enunciation Exercises on the Mid, Back, and Trilled Tip-tongue Articulations. The 1 Mid : tongue-pro I duces ; with 1 central : passage I shaa : zbaa I aash : aazh I ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 57 The I Back : tongue-pro I duces : . with 1 shut : passage I kaa : %aa I ngaa : I aak : aa% I aan% : The I Tip : tongue I trilled : . pro I duces : with I central : passage I xaa : raa I aaxaa : aaraa I Pronunciation of the Lip Articulations. Recite on one tone paying exact attention to the thick letters. This will require close attention to a careful pattern. Where the pro- nunciation varies from the spelling, the proper phonetic letters are in- troduced. The ending articulations and the double articulations are very difficult in singing. They must be delivered very disti?icily but very quickly. Lip Articulations. — Cap, ^ab, p«//, \>ull, cwp, cub, pet, hei, taop, mob, babe, babb/e, b«nip, peep, stopcock, upxa.ost, \eapt, va.ap, va.eTa.ber, _/f/ni, va.iniva.uva., vauvable, triuvaph. When, "Wen, where, Ware, while, wile, whither, wither, whim, whip, whari, wh^/m, whivaper, whiffle, whiffl. ¥ain, vain, iault, "vault, iear, veer, ioist, voiced. Hie, five, seri, serve, safe, save, tauff, puff, vaove, love. Pronunciation of the Tip-tongue Articulations. Tip-tongue. — £et, 6e&, tire, dire, neat, need, tvoll, droll, colt, colA, batch, badge, writer, rider, tight, tied, titilate, tetragon., tzttl^attLf, tan- talize, avidity, oddity, meditate, paint, pained, painless, nap, map, sun^ some, muttn, St^ddn. Moss, moth, /ace, /aith, seal, zeal, ice, eyes, base, baize, sport, store, skope, s^r,?, smile, swear, sue, suit, yzuit, spazms, feasts, fifths, difS^s,, z^st, assassin, sashes. Death, deaf, loth,loaf, thew, few, thrill, frtll, path, padhs, oath, oadhZy mouth, moudhz, lath, ladhs, clodhz, close, ladhe, lave, owez, Wths^^m^, loadheth,fair,fair'er, near, near'er, ^rr, err' ing, fir, mirr'or, br'ide, thrV^, ver'ily, r'^wlr'y, pr'Md charge the mob, < seek the > with them end it all. go! , faithful, and . Notes. — Commit the melodies of the chants to memory, that at- tention may be entirely given to the delivery of the text, enuncia- tion, vowel-color, articulation, and emotional expression. This i§ the art of singing recitative, and, alongside of practice on the declamatory phrases and scale passages, includes the technical points of the elocutionary element of singing, offering also the proper practice for the true legato, which all singers seek. The emotional character of these phrases, and their proper expressive delivery, must be determined by the sense of the text ; it is well, however, to use a variety of expressional devices, thus, //, /, mf, f, ff ; the Crescendo and the Diminuendo, the Marcato, the Ritardando and Accelerando, the Morendo, etc. ; sudden changes of force within a phrase, as ff to /, or p to ff. Some of the pas- sages may be sung staccato, then be repeated legato, and in many cases the Portamento may be used. Seek always, impressive ex- pression, that the full meaning of the phrase may be made clear. Search for special means of expressive accent through the use of the soft consonants, artistic delivery of the diphthongs, etc. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 75 Always study the phrase with the whisper (noting the place- ment); practice with the varieties of emotional speaking voice, before singing. Endeavor first to find the meaning of the phrase, then determine the important words, the words for stress and the class of stress or accent, then, after a complete grasp of the text, ■wed it to the melody. Never slight t\i& unaccented, less important words ; often these words are placed in songs and arias upon long notes or passages. Practice-phrases, to be used as explained above. These may also be used in part or altogether (as they may fit the phrase) to the scales and declamatory passages preceding the chants : — SPECIAL ARTICULATIONS. (Note the Recitatives and the Cadences.) 1ST Recita- tive. 1. She sang with correct articu- lations. The Cadence. Slowly. « 3 3 3 ap, pap pa, She sang, with good enuncia- 2 2 ab, bab 2 mab tion. They sang with smooth legato. 4. We sang dis-, tinctly, smooth- ly and with' beautiful tone. 5. I wish to sing beautifully, in- telligently and expressively. 2 2 ad, dad 2 3 adh, dha azh, zha 4 tha 2D Recita- tive. The mob bun- gled, the jap pined, and all sang. The cub pranced, the tub boun- ced while they sang. The lad determ- ined to thwart this plan, and do aright. Closing Cadence. Slowly. 3 3 am-ma 2 3 ab-ma 2 3 ad-da 3 3 ab-bab ib-bib awd-daw Was she not true in these sweet songs ? Rouge she scorned as she did sing. 2 az-saw bay bye day With this and 2 3 2 3 that to sing that-ta at-tha dhaw with thought. ash-shaw 3 za 76 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 1ST Recita- tive. The Cadence. Slowly. 2D Recita- Closing Cadence. Slowly. 6. Ah, how de- lightful it is to sing as freely as we speak.. 2 2 al, lal or 2 il, HI or ol, lol 3 na 2 ni 1 no I'll linger 'round this hall, lan- guishing, tm, love, you'll let me in. 3 all-love in-love love 7. Be beautiful, 1 Put poverty, par- 1 3 1 1 but be brave boo, bo bah simony and boo-bo ba-ba be betimes. paint on paper. 8. Did daddy dimple dindle determine 1 do this y 1 doo, do dah To toddle to town and to try to tickle the tip of the tongue. 1 bot-to 3 aht-ta 1 te 9. Very vain vo- ters vie with venomous vi- pers. 1 voo, vo 3 va For fair fancy forces free fid- dHng. 1 oof-fo 3 1 fa-fa 1 fa 10. Go, grim 1 3 Call calico candy, 1 3 1 gaunt gorgin. goo, go ga call coal a koo-ko ka-ka kee gather gold I cook. II. Jim jangled and jingled the jeejawof ajay. 1 joo, jo jah Choose Charles for champ- ing chimney chinks. 1 ooch-cho 3 1 cha-ach chee 12. Zounds the zaney, oozy, lazy. 1 ooz, oz 3 az Sounds sane, Sam sing a- gain, lamb. 1 oos-so 3 sa-say see maim, palm. 13. This or that, with or with- 1 ooth, tho 1 dho Thinkers think, truth thoughts, with thistles, sharpness. 1 dhoo-dho 3 1 dha-dha dhee out. 14. Little lisping Laura !Lee, I'll love no lovely one but thee. 1 ool, lo 3 la We'll love, you'll love, all'U love thee. 1 loo-lo 3 all-lay lee 15. Ho I Hoi how high I have hammered. 1 ooh, ho 3 ha He, he, he 1 I hammered high, yo-ho ho, ha, ha, ha 1 1 hoo-ho 3 ha-hay hee ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 77 1ST Recita- The Cadence. 2D Recita- Closi NG Cadence. tive. Slowly. tive. Slowly. l6. 'Round ram- bling rugged 1 3 Ran with ringing 1 3 ridges of rarest oor, ro ra ripples of racy roo-ro ar-ray ree rills and rivu- rozey rumors. lets. 17. When Willie With weeping whets his whis- 1 3 willow's whis- 1 3 tle, what wond- woo-wo wa pering, waving woo-wo wha-whay whee rous whis- withes, whim- tlings come. pering. 18. My merry So lame, maimed making oom- ba-my is mere- 1 moo, mo 3 ma by shameless mingling, 1 oom-mo 2 1 ma-ma 1 me ly moulding. nameless. 19. Now near me nestles neigh- bor Nell. 1 oon-no na Never name an- other nestler. 1 noo-no 3 1 na-na nee A STUDY OF SOME FINAL SYLLABLES. (Note. Put Character into Each Adjective, etc.) 1ST Recita- tive. The Cadi Slowl INCE. If. 2D Recita- tive. The fuming, . stewing, Clo 51NG Cadence. Slowly. I. The lurid, lucid, tim- id, stupid. limpid Stream. warming, drawing, yelling, wrestling, setting, warring. streaming warning one. 2. My name- less [Shame- Is clearer. less, brain- dearer. 1 e s s, a r t- tasteless tea. sweeter. nearer farmer Lee. less, grace- 1 e s s, yet f a i r e r sharper, blameless, 3. The little, brittle,this- tle, rustle, bustle, with mettle speckled bird. Will riddle, fiddle, pad- dle, wad- dle,muddle and dawdle btindle on. in fettle 78 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 1ST Recita- tive. The Cadence. Slowly. 2D Recita- tive. Closing Cadence. Slowly. 4. To mingle, mumble, stumble. Uncle Sam Will meekly, fee bl y, kindly, double dingle jam. wrangle rightly, and grap- ple, razzle quickly Ever, never. 5. Motion,ac- verdu r e. tion, gam- nature, bling, ram- shambling on. measure. diction alvrays sure. bling, ev- m a k i n g. erybody gold'n, spok'n, FAMILIAR SONG AND RECITATIVE PHRASES. Arranged for practice in the same way : N. B. — In the cadence, if there be but one syllable, slur the two notes. Sometimes more than one syllable falls upon one cadence note. I. Before my , , , ■' held eyes be- | 2. O h o vr bright, the 3. The night- ingale and cricket in the silence 4. O Thou, who mak- est Thine 5. Draw near all ye peo- ple, 6. L o v e 1 y May is him, shining. take de- angels come to on the light. spirits. wipg. sleep Yet above yon moun- tains dark- ling, seems a But hark I do my ears hear right- ly, a Thou whose ministers are flam- ing fires. Call him louder The trees awake and stretch their arms, to greet the step I let them for he was my bout to plainly now de- heareth dome of foe. hear. scend, not. heav'n, ENGLISH* DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 79 1ST Regit A- Thb Cadbncb, Slowly. For the love my heart doth | prize, oh charmful eyes, 8. From si- lent woods, from ^had- ow'd way, I broiight, '" one 'mxB, an ' 9. My life a secret owns, my ' heart, a I 10. H a r k I HarkI what I 1 1 . How love- ly is the wood, the fresh, the 12. Evening bells are ringing, ringing 13. Our ship i s lightly bounding, 14. On airy wings the skylark springs to yonder ivy silent tell to bright green soft and Mad-e- spray. yearrang. thee. wood. sweet. line. cloud on high. 2D Recita- tive. Who e'er could woo your gaze, bask in yoursunny rays and When tears and pain are passed for aye, place on my 'Tis a love ever true, tho' Weep not beside the tomb, my spirit wan- ders free, and When joy- ful the horn is re- sounding, hal- Rest, sad heart, for- get thy The sun is shining brigh tly, the waters danci ng lightly, His thanks to God, he flings abroad, and Closing Cadence. Slowly. not a- dore you ? heart, that of a waits till lee, hal- cares, m Mad-e- ivy moment thine shall lo, hal- slumber line, a- spray. bom. loo I blest. line. fills the wide blue sky. 80 ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 1ST Recita- tive., The Cadence. Slowly. 2D Recita- tive. Closing Cadencb Slowly. . E5. Like ;the whispejring Come from thy cloud. ! of a spirit, as from dreamland vows I hear. phan- tom, send but a ray, a ray to ferigbten my skies. your Few as we 16. Sound all are, we'll to arms 1 rouse them Call aU the speak with them. with a peal word is now re- venge | captains, I that shall would shake Rome 1 the 17. It was the The light- wild mid- night, a on the sky. ning gave its light thundjer echoed by. storny was and 18. Risel Fa- Rise and re- [ I thers, rise 1 'tis Rome mands your help. venge her slaughter- all shall share tlieir fate. de- ed citizens, else A Few Good Rules Repeated. — Let us be sure of the correct sound of a syllable, then sing or speak it exactly as we think it. This requires a correct mental concept of a word's sound before sing- ing or speaking. The inner mouth is the place of vowel-making ; the back and mid-back tongue must be free for a variety of positions, therefore must not be held flat, but it, with the entire buccal tissue, must be allowed peffect freedom, that the command of the will may be obeyed. The lips (combined with chin action) are used for making labial consonants ; they have no active service in vowel-making or the sounding of other than labial consonants, therefore these parts must be kept in perfect looseness and freedom, and never allowed to interfere with the action of the other parts of the oral apparatus. ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. 81 Sudden changes of shape of front mouth (by lip and chin action) are to be avoided. Sudden changes from wide-open to closed lips, or the reverse, induce explosive tone, destroy evenness of color, and forbid artistic results. The mouth (at the lips) should show- no marked change of shape during the singing or speaking of ^ phrase, regardless of pitch or intensity. The loosely drooping chin opens the mouth moderately, and this is correct ; a widely opened or a tightly closed mouth is wrong. Consonants should be given all possible vowel-character, but not so softly as to destroy their articulative purpose. For strong dra- matic expression we, of course, give more stress to the surd con- sonants ; this, however, is not for musical effect, but for expressional force in declamation. Common sense is the ruling principle in all correct art work. We work as near to nature as possible, building our art upon na- ture's laws. We seek the easiest, the most rational, method of procedure. Grimaces, protruding, puckering, or simpering lips are all unne- cessary, and, indeed, harmful ; therefore all such distorting meth- ods must be avoided. The singer or orator must have his face free for the expression of the emotion being portrayed. The working efforts must ever be kept from sight. B5-9 Vii^ i 1" . 41' 1 J &. y.. £ ;'- 'f,lT i?/, Wlk ,1% 4^ ■>, "w n M ^ iV ' >' J» i*. i ■ I'rl