§ * learning anb |fabor. 
 
 | LIBRARY 
 
 | University of Illinois. 
 
 CLASS. 
 
 BOOK. 
 
 VOLUME. 
 
 | T^3 CB&s^ 
 
 f 
 
 § 
 
 ^ Accession No. 
 
 
Return this book on or before the 
 Latest Date stamped below. A 
 charge is made on all overdue 
 books. 
 
 U. of I. Library 
 
 NOU 2 2*37 
 JAN -5 '39 
 
 JAN IS'j 
 RPR “2 13 
 
 l. 
 
 PiUG i b I3S 
 
 DEC 1 9 
 
 >983 
 
 I1148-S 
 

 
 
 
MODERN 
 
 SINGING 
 
 METHODS 
 
 ill II 
 
 THEIR 
 
 USE AND ABUSE. 
 
 BY 
 
 j. Prank Bqtumb. 
 
 REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION, 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 OLIVER DITSOIsT COMPANY. 
 
 NEW YORK: CHICAGO: PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 C. H. DITSON & CO. LYON & HEALY. J. E. DITSON & CO. 
 BOSTON : 
 
 JOHN C. HAYNES & CO. 
 
 Copyright, 1885, by Oliver Ditson & Co. 
 Copyright, 1887, by Oliver Ditson <fe Co. 
 Copyright, mdcccxcvi, by Oliver Ditson Company. 
 
7 /*/ 
 
 Inscribed to my friend, 
 
 franklin Sargent, 
 
 DIRECTOR OF THE LYCEUM THEATRE-SCHOOL, 
 as a slight token of my appreciation 
 of his service for 
 
 true art . 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 t* 
 
 r 
 
 1. INTRODUCTORY, 
 
 2. MEANING OF THE WORD “METHOD,” 
 
 3. THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL, . 
 
 4. SOME MODERN METHODS, 
 
 (a.) RESPIRATION, .... 
 
 (b.) USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS, 
 
 (c.) POWER AND RESONANCE, 
 
 (d.) TIMBRE, 
 
 (e.) ARTICULATION, 
 
 5. CONCLUSION, 
 
 APPENDIX TO SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL, .... 
 
 RESPIRATION, 
 
 w USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS, 
 
 POWER AND RESONANCE, . 
 
 * TIMBRE, 
 
 ^ STYLE, 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 3S 
 
 S APPENDIX TO FOURTH EDITION. 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL, .... 
 
 | SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGA- 
 TORS, 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 15 
 
 24 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 34 
 
 36 
 
 37 
 
 40 
 
 42 
 
 45 
 
 46 
 
 98247 
 
I. INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 The most important word in the vocabulary of Modern 
 singing teachers is the word “ Method.” Every teacher 
 now-a»days has his own peculiar method. Any pupil who 
 has enjoyed six months, or even six hours, of instruction, 
 can talk about his “Method” with as much mysterious self- 
 satisfaction as if he had discovered the Key which was 
 bound to unlock every enigma of vocal training. It is an 
 interesting and, perhaps, amusing fact, that these methods 
 are innumerable. It is also to be noticed that each one 
 is different from every other. True : — All teachers agree, 
 that, out of this crowd of ways for reaching vocal salvation, 
 only one is the true and Catholic path, and all the rest are 
 heresies. When, however, they come to the question of 
 which path is the true one, they differ most emphatically, 
 each teacher going his own way and regarding all others 
 with righteous scorn. 
 
 The beginner in the art of singing finds a difficulty in 
 picking out the true faith when all the prophets are 
 equally noisy and equally vituperative ; so he often spends 
 years seeking for the right teacher, staying with each master 
 only long enough to upset what the previous one had taught 
 him, and, too often, coming at last to the conclusion that 
 his own unaided good sense is the best teacher, and all 
 singing masters are either theorists or humbugs. This 
 conclusion is a lame and impotent one. The singing teach* 
 
6 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 er’s profession, like all others, contains a few charlatans* 
 and also is responsible for many whose instruction, though 
 honest and well meant, is more or less injurious to voice 
 and pupil ; but the majority of teachers (in this city, 
 at any rate,) is made up of good and conscientious instruc- 
 tors of both sexes. 
 
 The tendency of teachers to decry one another is, how- 
 ever, a fruitful cause of confusion in the minds of young 
 students. It is the object of the following pages to give 
 a few guiding principles, that will assist the beginner 
 in his effort to distinguish a good method or teacher 
 from a bad one. 
 
 It may be said, to begin with, that no great and startling 
 discovery is contained herein. No method or system has 
 yet been found that will make all persons sing well and 
 cure all vocal faults. The theory is sometimes advanced 
 at the present time that all persons can sing well, if they 
 receive proper instruction. Every one is familiar with the 
 prevalent advertisements of patent medicines, which are 
 therein held out to a despairing world as a sure cure for 
 all the ills that flesh is heir to. It is difficult to see much 
 difference between such advertisements and the claim that 
 “ Correct Method ” is an unfailing specific for all vocal 
 disorders. Such a method is, alas, a figment of the imagin- 
 ation. 
 
 The young student should disabuse himself, at the out- 
 set, of the idea that the best master in the world can make 
 great artists out of all his pupils. It has been truly said 
 ( speaking of a kindred profession to that of the vocalist ) 
 “ Only a few can hope to secure the great prizes of success; 
 
MEANING OF THE WORD METHOD. 7 
 
 many must be satisfied with second or even third rank 
 but work well done is interesting and important in any 
 part, and steady perserverance with fair abilities must in 
 the end lead to success and competency if not to fame.” 
 [ Circular of the Administration of the N. Y. Lyceum 
 Theatre School. July 15, 1884]. 
 
 No teacher can do wonders with all his pupils, nor can 
 any amount of “ Method ” enable one to do in two years 
 that which has taken the greatest teachers of the world 
 from four to seven. No method can make good the 
 absence of natural aptitude or of persistent practice. 
 
 The use of common sense seems to forsake even the bright- 
 est of young men or women when they approach a teacher. 
 They apparently expect that the master is a wizard who 
 will give them some occult and mysterious charm that 
 will work a magic transformation in their voices at once. 
 It cannot be too strongly insisted that the art of singing 
 is not an occult thing. It is very much like the carpen- 
 ter’s trade : one must have some aptitude for it to begin 
 with ; next he must learn how to use the tools of his craft ; 
 finally, he must acquire mechanical dexterity by practice. 
 Intelligent and persistent practice is the key to the prob- 
 lem. 
 
 II. MEANING OF THE WORD “METHOD.” 
 
 The question then arises : “ What practice is intelligent 
 and what is not intelligent”? “ How shall we use our 
 intelligence in developing the voice ” ? Here we come to 
 the question of Method. There is no word more fre- 
 quently used and less understood. “ Method ” means the 
 way in which a thing is done. It is the means to an end; 
 
8 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 it is not the end itself. A singer’s method is not the tone 
 he produces : it is the way in which he uses his vocal appa- 
 ratus to produce that tone. If a teacher says “That tone 
 is harsh, sing more sweetly,” he has given no method to 
 his pupil. He has asked the scholar to change his tone 
 but has not shown him how to do it. If, on the other 
 hand, he directs the pupil to keep back the pressure of the 
 breath, or to change the location of the tone ; if he instructs 
 him in regard to the correct use of his vocal chords, or 
 speaks of the position of his tongue, of his diaphragm, of 
 his mouth etc., he gives him method; for these things are 
 not an end in themselves, but are employed as means. 
 They are the ways in which the teacher desires the pupil 
 to use his or her vocal apparatus, in order that the end, 
 artistic singing, may be reached. 
 
 People often say they like a singer’s method, when they 
 mean that they like his voice. They admire the result, 
 while perfectly ignorant of the way in which it is pro- 
 duced. 
 
 We mean, then, by method, the way in which the voice 
 is produced and controlled, as distinguished from the 
 voice itself. The next step is to find out what is the true 
 method among all these conflicting views regarding the 
 voice. When doctors disagree, who shall decide? 
 
 III. THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 To the wise seeker after truth the teachings of experi* 
 ence are always valuable. We shall be materially aided 
 in our search for the true method by turning for a moment 
 to the past history of the art of singing. 
 
THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 9 
 
 The Italian teachers of the early period of this art had 
 so little method that it can hardly be said to have existed 
 with them. In fact, the word method, as now used, is of 
 comparatively modern origin. The founders of the art of 
 singing aimed at results directly ; the manner of using the 
 vocal apparatus for the purpose of reaching those results 
 troubled them comparatively little. The pupil was told 
 to sustain each note of his voice, beginning pianissimo , 
 and giving the crescendo , and diminuendo . He was also 
 given certain vocal exercises to develop his voice and 
 render it flexible, and at the proper time his training was 
 completed by the singing of elaborate vocalizations and 
 songs. As far as the range of the voice was concerned, 
 he sang at first only those notes which were natural to his 
 voice, and trusted to time and practice to increase its 
 extent. 
 
 The old Italian teacher took the voice as he found it. 
 He began with the simplest and easiest work, and trusted to 
 patient and long continued exercise to develop the vocal 
 apparatus. 
 
 In all this there is no method, as we understand the 
 term. The result is aimed at directly. The manner of 
 getting it is not shown. There is no conscious control of 
 the vocal apparatus for the purpose of effecting a certain 
 result. These old teachers taught no elaborate system of 
 respiration. They had not dissected the “ spinal accesso- 
 ry system.” “ Sympathetic vibrations,” and “over-tones,” 
 were as Greek unto them. 
 
 Nevertheless, the question of how to use the vocal 
 
10 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 apparatus must have arisen. A simple method must Lav e 
 formed a part of the training process of the old masters. 
 
 It is somewhat difficult to find out what this method 
 was ; as the Italian school has always rested almost entirely 
 on traditions passed down orally from teacher to pupil, 
 and rarely written out for publication. Some of the 
 greatest teachers of the old school left not enough in print 
 to cover a good sized page. They left pupils, however, 
 who made them famous. Some modern teachers seem to 
 have succeeded better in making books, than pupils. 
 
 This much we know : The method of the old school 
 was simple. Some of its guiding principles have come 
 down to us. A more extended account of this school, as 
 exemplified by Crescentini, Lablache, Farinelli, Porpora, 
 and other great artists and teachers, is contained in a 
 pamphlet entitled “The Neapolitan School,” by Vincenzo 
 Cirillo, published by Geo. II. Ellis, Boston, Signor 
 Cirillo is one of the few Italian teachers who have visited 
 this country who are entitled to speak with authority on 
 this subject. This pamphlet is now out of print, but 
 Sig. Cirillo has been written to, at Rome, and an endeavor 
 will be made to supply his pamphlet to those desiring it. 
 Application may be made to J. Frank Botume, Boston. 
 
 The rule as to breathing was, in substance : “ Breathe 
 
 naturally, quietly, and without effort ; husband and 
 economize the breath during the emission of the tone.” 
 The shoulders were not to be raised, except for an extra* 
 ordinary effort. It is said of Rubini, that it was impossi- 
 ble to tell when he took a breath. 
 
 The upper tones of the female voice were to be felt in 
 
SOME MODERN METHODS. 
 
 11 
 
 the head, and the lower tones of all voices in the chest. 
 The upper tones of the male voice were of a mixed or 
 medium character, between chest and head. The old 
 school had no such elaborate system of registers as are 
 often used at present. 
 
 These simple rules, and others similar to them, embraced 
 the method of the old “ Maestro,” but his method was not 
 his main reliance. He trusted, above all things, to the 
 power of exercise to develop the voice, just as the gymnast 
 trains himself for feats of strength by attempting first 
 gentle ones and finally those that are more arduous. 
 This exercise was continued for five, six, or seven years, 
 and, at the end of the period of instruction, the pupil was 
 able to execute music, the technical difficulty of which 
 would appal almost ail modern singers. 
 
 IV. SOME MODERN METHODS. 
 
 Gradually this system was changed by the introduction 
 of more brain work. Modern times have been famous for 
 the invention of labor saving appliances. A demand arose 
 for something different from the slow and unintellectual 
 process of the old Italian School. Pupils wanted their 
 course shortened (for the moderns are an impatient race). 
 They were not satisfied with a teacher who iterated and 
 reiterated, month after month, the common sense which 
 they already knew by heart. They cried for some new 
 idea at every lesspn. 
 
 On the other hand, the more intelligent teachers and 
 many scientists felt that there must be in modern processes 
 of scientific investigation a means of acquiring new and 
 
12 
 
 RESPIRATION . 
 
 valuable ideas regarding the production and control of the 
 voice. 
 
 Thus began the holiday of methods. It too often 
 happened that the more mysterious and unintelligible a 
 teacher’s method was, the better the pupil was pleased. 
 Whatever nobody would naturally think of, that must be 
 the great secret. Pupils were taught that the vocal chords 
 had nothing to do with the production of the voice, that 
 the ribs should not be used in breathing, and other equally 
 wonderful things. Such abnormal methods were more in 
 vogue a few years ago than at present. 
 
 The results of scientific investigation have been, on the 
 whole, of great benefit to vocal art. While many vocal 
 problems remain unsolved, the student who should study, 
 or the teacher who should teach, today, without careful 
 consideration of these results, would do so at the peril of 
 finding himself behind the times. These results are main- 
 ly concerned with the following subjects, viz : — ( a ) Respir- 
 ation ; ( b ) Use of the vocal chords ; (c) Power and Reso- 
 nance ; (cl) Timbre ; (e) Articulation. 
 
 It would be beyond our scope, to take a complete view 
 of the investigations into these subjects. A summary of 
 some of the principal results is all that is necessary to our 
 purpose. This will now be given : 
 
 o. RESPIRATION. 
 
 The first thing that a singer does, in preparing to make 
 a tone, is to take a breath. The manner of doing this 
 has always been considered of great importance. Two 
 methods of respiration have been principally taught, 
 
 % 
 
RESPIRATION. 
 
 13 
 
 These are generally distinguished from each other by the 
 terms “ Clavicular” on the one hand, and u Abdominal” 
 (or “ Diaphragmatic w ) on the other. 
 
 The clavicular mode of taking breath consists in throw- 
 ing out the chest, and at the same time drawing in the 
 abdomen. It is said to be taught at the Conservatory at 
 Paris. The abdominal mode consists in an external expan- 
 sion of the abdomen, immediately followed by the expan- 
 sion of the lower ribs, with but little motion in the upper 
 chest, and none at the collar bone. 
 
 But slight knowledge of physiological laws is necessary 
 to show that the clavicular mode is unnatural, and there- 
 fore wrong. In taking a breath, naturally and properly, 
 the diaphragm descends, pressing out the lower ribs, and 
 pushing before itself the contents of the abdomen. A 
 drawing in of the abdomen must interfere with this down- 
 ward motion of the diaphragm, by exerting pressure 
 upwards against it. The lungs are broader at their bases 
 than at their tops, and the lower ribs are looser and more 
 easily expanded than the upper ribs. Hence a normal inspi- 
 ration will expand the chest more at the lower than at the 
 upper part. 
 
 We have the testimony of physicians to the effect that 
 many of the throat ailments of singers may be brought 
 on or exagerated by the strain on the inside of the throat 
 that accompanies singing in the clavicular method. 
 
 It is asserted, with much plausibility, that the abdominal 
 mode follows natural laws. The subject might be dis- 
 missed with an approval of that method, were it not for 
 
14 
 
 RESPIRATION. 
 
 the fact that singers employing it seem to be rather too 
 subject to constipation, dyspepsia, liver troubles, and other 
 disorders of the stomach and abdominal region. It is 
 apparently well settled, that this system of breathing, 
 (at least, as taught by most teachers) has a tendency to 
 cause serious uterine troubles in female singers. This is 
 a well known fact among physicians. For a convincing 
 discussion of this topic, the reader is referred to a pam- 
 phlet by Dr. Clifton E. Wing, of Boston, entitled “ The 
 6 Abdominal Method ’ of Singing and Breathing as a cause 
 of ‘Female Weaknesses.’ ” [A paper read before the 
 Boston Society for Medical Improvement , Nov. 22, 1880, 
 and communicated to the Boston Medical and Surgical 
 Journal']. 
 
 The writer may be permitted to describe here the mode 
 of breathing which his experience has led him to follow. 
 
 Let the pupil stand erect, neither throwing out the chest 
 artificially, nor on the other hand, stooping forward. The 
 breath should then be taken quietly and easily, without 
 any very pronounced lifting of the shoulders and without 
 drawing in the abdomen. The pupil should not endeavor 
 to get a marked expansion of the abdominal region, unless the 
 same comes naturally and without effort, and should allow 
 the ribs to expand freely, laterally, with a moderate and 
 easy expansion forward and upwards. The abdominal 
 muscles should not be used at all in inspiration. They are 
 properly used in expiration, but the pupil should not, 
 habitually, give to the highest tones of the voice an 
 increased support from the abdominal muscles, in order to 
 raise the pitch of the voice by increased pressure of breath. 
 
USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. 15 
 
 \ 
 
 If the vocal chords are properly used, the upper tones 
 require for ordinary work les^ support than the lower ones 
 This will be demonstrated further on. 
 
 Men generally have a more pronounced abdominal 
 expansion than women. Persons of stout habit, or ol 
 compact make-up, often show the descent of the diaphragm 
 by an abdominal expansion to a greater extent than those 
 of thin or loose make-up. 
 
 This difference in external expansion seems to be at 
 least partially owing to the fact that in stout persons, or 
 those of compact tissue, the contents of the abdomen are 
 usually so tightly packed that a very slight displacement 
 of the region immediately beneath the diaphragm will 
 cause a movement, en masse , of the entire contents of the 
 abdomen, and, thus, an expansion of its outside wall. In 
 thin or flabby persons, in whose cases the contents of the 
 abdomen are apt to be loosely packed, a descent of the 
 diaphragm may, at its beginning, merely cause these con- 
 tents to pack more closely together, without pushing out 
 the abdominal walls to any marked extent. In this latter 
 3ase the lateral expansion of the ribs may be felt first, and 
 the expansion of the abdomen follow as the result of 
 deeper inspiration. 
 
 (6.) USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. ~ 
 
 After inspiration, the next thing is to cause the air thus 
 inhaled to set the vocal chords into vibration and thus 
 begin a musical tone. Since the invention of the laryngo- 
 scope, the action of the vocal chords has been carefully 
 and thoroughly investigated by means of this instrument^ 
 
16 
 
 USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 The results thus gained have been of great benefit to the 
 art of singing. 
 
 The celebrated Garcia was the first to make systematic 
 observations of the vocal chords in action. The results 
 gained by him were valuable but incomplete. It was 
 reserved for Madame Emma Seiler, by patient and long- 
 continued observations on herself and others, to discover 
 the normal action of the vocal chords in singing, ( u The 
 Voice in Singing,” by Emma Seiler. Philadelphia, J. B, 
 Lippincott & Co , 1881). Her statements are substantia- 
 ted by a recent English work (“ Voice, Song and Speech,” 
 by Lennox Browne and Emil Behnke. New York, G. P. 
 Putmam’s Sons, 1884), and by others. 
 
 It is impossible to give more than a brief summary of 
 the various movements of the vocal chords in singing. 
 For a more extended discussion the reader is referred to 
 the above mentioned works. 
 
 In taking breath the vocal chords are more or less sepa- 
 rated. In producing tone, the lower or true vocal chords 
 come together, like the blades of a pair of scissors. The 
 upper or false vocal chords never meet in sounding a tone. 
 The lower vocal chords are also called c< Vocal ligaments,” 
 “Vocal bands,” etc. We shall speak of them as “the 
 vocal chords.” 
 
 In singing scales, arpeggios, runs, etc., tL is scissors-like 
 movement of the vocal chords is repeated for each note. 
 It is evident that a strong pressure of breath against the 
 vocal chords would interfere with this movement ; hence, 
 we can see the correctness of the rule, given by our best 
 
USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 17 
 
 teachers, that a correct and facile execution requires the 
 breath to be kept poised. 
 
 The proper manner of starting a tone is to approximate 
 the vocal chords and at the same instant to set them in 
 vibration by a light touch of breath-pressure. This is 
 called by Garcia, the stroke of the glottis. (“ Garcia’s 
 Vocal Method,” p. 11. — Boston, Ditson & Co.) This 
 approximation of the vocal chords is not easily felt by the 
 singer, though it can be observed when one is singing 
 roulades. The easiest and most practical way of acquir- 
 ing this stroke is to make one’s self acquainted with the 
 most common faults in starting the tone, and by striving 
 to avoid them, to acquire the proper touch of the voice. 
 
 These faults are caused, firstly, by a shutting of the vocal 
 chords before the begining of the tone, thus damming up, 
 as it were, the accumulated breath, which, when it finally 
 bursts through the obstruction, causes an explosive tone, 
 like the sound of a pop-gun ; and, secondly, by a sluggish 
 action of the vocal chords which allow the breath to 
 escape before they meet in producing tones, causing 
 thereby a sound resembling the letter “ h.” 
 
 The vocal chords are attached in front to the inside 
 of the projection in the throat, called (in men) the Adam’s 
 apple. Each vocal chord at its back is attached to a little 
 pyramid shaped piece o.^ gristle. These pyramids are 
 called the Arytenoid cartilages, and are fastened in their 
 turn to the back of the larynx. 
 
 The vocal chords are elastic and susceptible of different 
 degrees of tension. This tension has a noticeable effect 
 on a little opening that may be felt in the front of the 
 
18 
 
 USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 neck, between the cartilages of the larynx. This opening 
 may be found by pressing the point of the finger immed- 
 iately under the Adam’s apple in the male larynx, or under 
 the corresponding slight bunch of gristle in the female 
 larynx. There will be found a little space between the 
 Adam’s apple and a ring-shaped piece of gristle immed- 
 iately beneath. This opening gradually closes as the vocal 
 chords become stretched more and more tightly, and finally 
 disappears when the vocal chords are stretched to their 
 utmost extent. 
 
 The result of observations with the laryngoscope, by 
 Madame Seiler, and others, is that we now know that the 
 vocal chords act in five different ways in producing tone. 
 
 First way . The vocal chords vibrate through their 
 entire length and breadth, and the arytenoid cartilages 
 (or pyramids) act with them, closing together at each tone 
 in the scissorsdike manner previously described. 
 
 Second tv ay. The arytenoid cartilages remain closed 
 together and cease to act. The vocal chords vibrate as in 
 the first way. 
 
 Third way. Only the inner edges of the vocal chords 
 vibrate, but the action of the arytenoid cartilages, des- 
 cribed in the first way, is resumed. 
 
 Fourth way. Same as the third way, with the omission 
 of the action of the arytenoid cartilages, which remain 
 closed, as in the second way. 
 
 Fifth way. Not only are the arytenoid cartilages closed 
 together, but the vocal chords themselves are closed firmly 
 together through half their length. This closure extends 
 from the arytenoid cartilages as far as the middle of the 
 
USE OF THE YOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 19 
 
 space between the vocal chords. The remaining space 
 between the vocal chords, forms an oval orifice, and the 
 fine edges of the vocal chords which form this orifice are 
 alone vibrating. (“ Voice in Singing,” passim). 
 
 The changes in action of the vocal chords above des- 
 cribed are not felt directly by the singer. We should 
 waste our time if we attempted to find out, simply by 
 observing the sensations in the larynx, whether, for instance, 
 we were vibrating the entire vocal chords or only their 
 edges. There is, however, an indirect manner of ascer- 
 taining which of the five ways above referred to is going 
 on when we are producing a tone. Each of these ways is 
 accompanied by a slightly different timbre in the voice 
 (which should not be exaggerated), and also by a distinct 
 and peculiar sensation in the body. It is these sensations 
 that are our best guide, and, by following them, we may 
 acquire the proper use of the vocal chords. 
 
 These sensations are as follows: — (“Voice in Singing,” 
 p. 77. See also “ Singing,” by Alberto Randegger, p. 12. 
 Boston, Oliver Ditson & Co.) 
 
 In the first way, “one has the sensation as if the whole 
 body took part in this formation of tone, and as if the 
 tones were drawn from the lowest part of the lungs.” 
 This way of using the vocal chords will be called in this 
 work “ Deep chest register.” 
 
 In the second way, the sensation is as if the tones came 
 from that part of the chest midway between the p:’t of 
 the stomach and the larynx. This we will cail “Mid-chest 
 register,” 
 
20 
 
 USE OF THE YOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 In the third way, the sensation is as if the tones had 
 their origin in the throat. This we will call “Neck 
 register.’’ 
 
 In the fourth way, one feels as if the throat had nothing 
 to do with the tones, — as if they were formed above in 
 the mouth. This we will call “ Mouth register.” 
 
 In the fifth way, the tones seem to come from the fore- 
 head. This we will call “ Head register.” 
 
 The natural limits of these registers when the tone is 
 produced lightly and without effort, are as follows : 
 
 In the female voice (whether Contralto or Soprano), the 
 
 lowest tones of the voice as far up as the note 
 
 i 
 
 Jr 
 
 belong to the deep chest register. 
 
 From 
 
 inclusive, the tones belong to the mid-^hest regis 
 
 fJ 
 
 ter. The vocal chords for the lowest tones of the deep 
 chest register are very loose, and we may notice that the 
 little opening under the Adam’s apple is well open. In the 
 hightest tone of the mid-chest register, the vocal chords 
 are very tightly stretched, and the said opening entirely 
 disappears. 
 
 Observations with the laryngoscope have shown that 
 if we attempt to carry the mid-chest register beyond 
 
 when singing lightly, the vocal chords are 
 
 injured, by the extraordinary tension to which they are 
 
USE OP THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 21 
 
 subjected, and the voice deteriorates in quality, and soon 
 
 decays. If, on the contrary, we change at 
 
 to the neck register, the vocal chords become fairly loose 
 again, the aforesaid opening again appears, and the tone 
 is produced without strain. This neck register continues 
 
 inclusive. The mouth register extends from 
 
 to 
 
 to j — inclusive. The head register be- 
 
 gins at | 
 
 m 
 
 and continues to the end of the compass 
 
 of the voice. 
 
 In the male voice (whether bass, baritone, or tenor), the 
 - or - ^7— ! ■ — (written for 
 
 lower tones up to 
 
 tenors an octave higher) are properly sung in the deep 
 
 M ri- 
 chest register. The mid-chest register begins at 
 
 or -Sf 
 
 -Qt- 
 
 and extends to 
 
 : inclusive. Here we 
 
 may notice that the mid-chest register in all voices, male 
 
 and female, ends at the same note 
 
 
 or 
 
 
 
 (It being always understood that music for the tenor voice 
 is written an octave higher than it is sung. We shall 
 give the limits of the tenor voice in the notation of the 
 bass clef, as it is actually sung.) 
 
22 
 
 tJSF OF THE VOCAL CHOAbS. 
 
 In the male voice, as in the female, there is a percept! 
 ble strain in the effort to carry this register higher, when 
 producing a light tone. The bass voice rarely goes higher 
 
 £ 
 
 than 
 
 but baritone and tenor voices should sing 
 
 all their upper tones, beginning with 
 
 m 
 
 U- 
 
 in the neck-register, except when making an especial effort. 
 This enables the vocal chords to assume again an easy and 
 free position, as is shown by the re-appearance of the little 
 opening under the Adam’s apple. Some light tenors can 
 
 carry this register to its extreme limit £ generally 
 
 written 
 
 at which point the mouth register be- 
 
 gins in male voices. The mouth register is of no value 
 in the male voice. The most robust tenors can, with prac- 
 tice, attain, by using the neck voice, a clear and ringing 
 high b flat and c. 
 
 The neck voice is not that effeminate, pulpy, and use- 
 less tone, commonly called u falsetto ” in this country. 
 The u falsetto ” voice is shown by the laryngoscope to be 
 the me uth register above referred to, brought down to the 
 lowest tones of the neck voice. (“ Voice, Song, and 
 Speech/’ pp. 177, 178, 238.) 
 
USE OP THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 23 
 
 The natural result of carrying down the mechanism of 
 the mouth- voice into the lowest tones of the neck-register is 
 to cause such a relaxed condition of the vocal chords that 
 only a feeble tone is possible. 
 
 The neck voice is the mixed voice of the old Italian 
 School. It should be carefully distinguished from chest, 
 falsetto, and head-tones. The premature decay of almost 
 all modern operatic tenors, is due to their neglect of this 
 beautiful register, in the use of which Rubini, and other 
 famous artists of the past, excelled. 
 
 One more fact remains to be noticed concerning the 
 action of the vocal chords. This is, that the vibrating 
 medium is largest in the deep-chest register, and is smaller 
 and smaller for each succeeding register. For example, 
 in the deep-chest register the vocal chords and arytenoid 
 cartilages are vibrating through their entire length and 
 breadth, while, in the head-register, only the edges of 
 about half the length of the vocal chords are vibrating. 
 It may easily be seen, from this, that each register requires, 
 for the production of tone, less breath-pressure than the 
 preceding one. 
 
 This is particularly noticeable in the transition from 
 mid-chest to neck in all voices, and from mouth to head 
 in female voices. The pernicious habit of habitually giv- 
 ing the upper tones (particularly in tenor and soprano 
 voices) an additional support from the muscles governing 
 respiration, interferes with the proper use of the vocal 
 chords, causes the voice to be shrill and to decay prema- 
 turely, creates a tremolo, and is apt to injure the health of 
 even the toughest pupil. 
 
24 
 
 POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 (c.) POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 The strength of a vocal tone depends partially on the 
 amplitude of the vibrations of the vocal chords. A light 
 pressure of breath will cause the vibrations of the vocal 
 chords to extend through only a small space. A strong 
 pressure will cause these vibrations to be more extensive, 
 with a stronger tone as the result. This is an example of 
 a general law of physics, which need not be explained 
 here. 
 
 It is sufficient for our purpose to know that increased 
 breath-pressure by causing each vibration of the vocal 
 chords to traverse a larger amount of space, increases the 
 strength of the tone. If this increase in strength were 
 the only effect of breath-pressure, our task would be easier 
 than it is. In that case, we should simply have to follow 
 the example of the pianist who gets his full tone by a 
 strong stroke upon the key. 
 
 Our process is complicated by the following fact : Ex- 
 periments u|)on larynxes which have been cut out of the 
 human body, and whose vocal chords have been subjected 
 to the pressure of a column of air, show that increased 
 pressure of breath has a tendency to raise the pitch of the 
 tone, without any increase in the tension of the vocal 
 chords. 
 
 From this it follows that under increased breath-pres- 
 sure, the limits of the registers previously given (pp. 20-22) 
 may be extended upwards without increasing the tension 
 of the vocal chords. How far this can be done without 
 injury to the voice, is still an unsettled question. The 
 singer should always remember that the upward limits of 
 
POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 25 
 
 U(Jf V 1 U:/;j 
 
 the registers, as already given, must never be overstepped 
 in light singing, nor when using moderate power. In 
 fact, these limits should be pretty closely adhered to in 
 all ordinary work. 
 
 But, just as an actor may make a special effort for a 
 particular point in his role, so a vocal artist may, for a 
 climax, or a declamatory passage, or some other special 
 occasion, go beyond the ordinary upward limits of the 
 vocal registers; always remembering that such effort should 
 be preceded by a full, but not extraordinary inspiration, 
 should only be made when he or she is in good condition, 
 and should be followed by the moderate and normal use 
 of the registers, to give the voice its proper rest. The 
 fault of many modern singers is that they make this 
 special effort the basis of their singing method, and are 
 unable to make a tone in the normal and easy manner. 
 
 It goes without saying, that in delicate singing the 
 registers may, and should be brought down below the 
 limits previously given. 
 
 The power of a vocal tone is also increased, or rein- 
 forced, by a proper use of the resonance apparatus. This 
 consists mainly of (1) that part of the larynx that is above 
 the vocal chords, (2) the pharynx and the cavities that 
 communicate with it, and (3) the mouth. 
 
 The action of the resonance apparatus in reinforcing the 
 voice is not yet fully understood. We know, however, 
 from experience, and it is generally agreed among teachers, 
 Jiat the tone is the most resonant when the throat is free 
 ind the column of tone is felt in the forward part of the 
 nouth, against the roots of the upper front teeth. 
 
26 
 
 o 0 
 
 TIMBRE. 
 
 (d.) TIMBRE. 
 
 This subject is a very interesting one and will repay 
 careful and thorough investigation by the student. For 
 our present purpose, it is sufficient to state that each tone 
 in the voice is not, in reality, a single tone but is made 
 up of many single tones. The extreme high notes of the 
 piano are simple (or single) tones, but its middle and lower 
 tones, like the notes in the human voice, are what are 
 called compound tones; i. e., each tone consists of a series 
 of tones, called partial tones, and including : — 
 
 (1.) The prime tone at the bottom which determines 
 the pitch, (2.) a partial tone an octave above the prime, 
 (3.) a partial tone one-twelfth above the prime, and many 
 other partial tones still higher. Some notes have even 
 twenty partial tones. 
 
 The most extreme upper partial tones do not harmonise 
 with the fundamental or prime tone, and, when they are 
 prominent in the voice, its quality is piercing and rough. 
 It is known that extreme pressure of breath on the vocal 
 chords causes these extreme upper inharmonic partials to 
 become unduly prominent. Hence, we again see the 
 necessity of keeping the breath back, when singing. 
 
 Among singers, the timbres of the voice are generally 
 divided into dark or sombre on the one hand, and bright 
 or clear on the other. The difference is accounted for as 
 a difference in the proportions of the various partial 
 tones. Some teachers make a pupil frown in singing a 
 dark tone, and smile in singing a bright one. It is even 
 asserted, and the assertion seems very plausible, that every 
 
ARTICULATION. 
 
 27 
 
 expression of the face has an effect on the color of the 
 voice. 
 
 If this is so, the easiest way for a singer to get the 
 appropriate timbre for any particular phrase, is to assume 
 the facial expression which corresponds to the sentiment 
 of the phrase. 
 
 (e.) ARTICULATION. 
 
 This subject has been very much investigated. There 
 are some treatises on it that display a wealth of learning 
 and research positively appaling. The student need not 
 be alarmed at this, as he is only concerned with the prac- 
 tical result. His object is two-fold : his pronunciation 
 must be correct, even elegantly so, and he must make him- 
 self understood. This is rarely done, however, partly 
 because English is a difficult language to sing distinctly, 
 as many of its so called vowel sounds are dipthongs 
 (or nearly so), also because it is difficult to pronounce 
 accurately in some parts of the singing voice ; but mainly 
 because singers will not practice pronunciation as carefuUy 
 as they do the other departments of their art. 
 
 The main agent in pronunciation is the tongue. Every 
 vowel sound and every consonant requires a certain position 
 of the tongue. These positions are given in the following 
 tables. A convincing and practical discussion of the sub- 
 ject of articulation will be found embodied in a work 
 entitled “ Sounds and their relations” by Alex. Melville 
 Bell, F. E. I. S. etc. Philadelphia, Cowperthwait & Co. ; 
 Salem, Mass., J. P. Burbank, 1881. This book is an 
 invaluable contribution to the subject of articulation, and 
 ought to be at least read by every student of singing. 
 Diagrams illustrating the positions of the tongue in arti- 
 culation are contained in the “ Visible Speech Primer” 
 by the same author. 
 
28 
 
 TABLE O* CONSONANTS. 
 
 Explanation. — “ Vpice’ ’ means a vocal sound in the larynx 
 accompanying the enunciation of the given consonant. In nasal 
 consonants the tone passes through the nose. 
 
 LIP CONSONANTS. 
 
 wh (in what.) Breath compressed between the lips, 
 drawn back from the teeth. 
 
 w (in way.) Same as wh. Voice. 
 f (in fate.) Lower lip on upper front teeth. 
 v (in vase.) Same as f. Voice. 
 p (in pool.) Lips shut together. 
 b (in ball. Same as p. Voice, 
 m (in man.) Same as p. Nasal. Voice. 
 
 Tongue 
 
 BACK CONSONANTS. 
 
 k (in key.) Back of tongue against soft palate, not against 
 uvula. 
 
 g (in go.) Same as k. Voice. 
 ng (in nothing.) Same as k. Nasal. Voice. 
 
 TOP CONSONANTS. 
 
 h (in hue.) Breath compressed between arched top of tongue 
 and palate. ( h in most words is simply an aspirate.) 
 y (in yet.) Same as h in “hue.” Voice. 
 sh (in shoot.) Like h in “hue,” except that the fore part of 
 the tongue rises a little, so as to direct the breath forwards 
 
 POINT CONSONANTS. 
 
 r (in ride. ) Point of the tongue toward the rim of palatal arch. 
 Voice, (r is rolled by flutter of point.) 
 
 s (in soft.) The front of the tongue behind the point be- 
 comes slightly convex, throwing the breath directly forward be- 
 tween the broadened point and the upper gum. 
 z (in zeal.) Same as s. Voice. 
 
 Z (in lamp.) The point of the tongue against the rim of tlio 
 palatal arch. Voice. 
 
 th (in thin.) Edges of tongue all around at teeth, leaving 
 interstitial apertures for the breath over the sides of tip. 
 th (in then.) Same as th in thin. Voice. 
 t (in tone.) Point and edges of the tongue applied to the 
 rim of the palatal arch so as to stop the breath. 
 d (in done.) Same as t. Voice. 
 n (in no.) Same as t. Nasal. Voice. 
 
 Combinations 
 
 •i 
 
 ch (in cheese ) — t sh 
 j (in John.) — d zh 
 
 H x, — ks or gs. 
 qu — kw.. 
 
 ) 
 
TABLE OF VOWELS. 
 
 29 
 
 Explanation. — “ F ront,” “back,” and “oentre” refer to 
 parts of the tongue. “ High,” “low,” and “mid” are the posi- 
 tions of the part of the tongue used. “Wide ” means a relaxed 
 and rather wide position for the tongue. In vowels not marked 
 “wide” the tongue is somewhat narrowed. “Round” means 
 that the lips are rounded. This rounding is very marked in “56,” 
 moderately so in “6,” and slightly so in “aw.” In this table 
 only the main position of the vowel sound is given. The vanish- 
 ishing sound which makes the finish in many vowels can be 
 supplied by the student. 
 
 FRONT VOWELS. 
 
 7 e {meet) high-front. 
 
 I (in) high-front — wide. 
 
 a (fate.) mid-front (and high centre.) 
 
 e (met.) low-front (and high near back.) 
 
 a (hat.) .low-front — wide (and high near back.) 
 
 BACK VOWELS. 
 
 u (ap.) mid-back, (tip at roots of lower teeth.) 
 
 a (pass, path..) .... .mid-back, — wide (tip at roots of lower 
 teeth.) 
 
 a (ah, father, arm. ). . . low-back, — wide (low centre, and front. \ 
 CENTRE VOWELS. 
 
 a (when unaccented; ex., “a dog.”) mid-centre — wide (near- 
 ly natural.) 
 
 e (her.) ) low-centre. 
 
 l (sir) ) 
 
 e (the man.) high-centre — wide. 
 
 ROUND VOWELS.] 
 
 ~l*od (pool.) high-back — round (low front.) 
 
 oo (foot, good.) high-back — wide — round, (low front.) 
 
 — o (hole.) mid-back — round, (tip at roots of lower 
 
 teeth. ) 
 
 6 (door and before, “r,” &c.) mid-back — wide — round, (tip 
 at roots of lower teeth.) 
 
 * — 7 aw low-back— round, (low centre and front.) 
 
 o (on, off, etc.) . . . .low-back — wide — round, (low centre and 
 front.) 
 
 It will be noticed that the unaccented article “a” gives the 
 most natural position of the tongue, and hence is the best vowel 
 sound for the pupil to use in singing vocalizations. 
 
 * When in singing, it is desirable to sing a full, resonant tone on the sylla- 
 ble oo, the tongue may drop to the position of “ aw,” the lips remaining in the 
 oo position. This will give an increase in volume without much change in the 
 distinctness of the vowel sound. 
 
50 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Most singers will find that, in the main, tney already, 
 unconsciously, form most of the vowels and consonants 
 as above directed. But each one will also, probably, find 
 some vowels or consonants which he habitually makes in 
 a faulty manner, and thus injures either the distinctness 
 and correctness of his enunciation or the quality of his 
 Moreover, by using these tables for the purpose of 
 daily practice, the singer will be enabled to exercise the 
 muscles governing pronunciation and will thus acquire the 
 ability to articulate emphatically and distinctly where he 
 now pronounces lazily and inaccurately. There is no 
 people that pronounces its own language so clumsily and 
 stupidly as the English speaking race. Mr Bell’s system 
 renders a distinct and even elegant enunciation possible 
 to all. Nevertheless, the majority will probably continue 
 to swallow its words and talk through its nose after the 
 manner of its fathers. 
 
 5. CONCLUSION. 
 
 The preceeding account of the results of some modern 
 investigations into vocal problems is necessarily short, and 
 therefore incomplete and hasty. Enough has been pre- 
 sented to the reader to enable him to understand the main 
 principles of some of the best modern methods. It is 
 important that we should notice how the science of the 
 present day confirms the empiricism or the old Italian 
 school. For instance: it confirms the instructions of the 
 old “maestro” regarding the existance of the chest, head 
 and mixed voices, the necessity of economizing the breath, 
 the use of the chest voice when singing a full tone on a note 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 ?l 
 
 whose pitch would require the mixed voice for a soft 
 effect, and so forth. Indeed it may be said that science 
 has, so far, only told us definitely and accurately that 
 which we already knew inaccurately and in the rough. 
 
 If modern methods are, in reality, so much like the old 
 school, why is it that we have not produced singers to 
 compare with the old ones? Why is it that Patti, the 
 last surviving example of the great era of singing, is the 
 only modern artist who has a substantially perfect and 
 complete vocal technique ? 
 
 The answer is, that the old school used its method as a 
 means of directing properly the daily practice of the 
 pupil, the modern school uses its method as a fetish which 
 is expected to charm away all vocal evils. The method 
 of the old school was a small part of its process of instruc- 
 tion ; the modern school has nothing but method to give 
 to the pupil, who is taught that method renders unneces- 
 sary years of study, and regular daily, stupid, monotonous 
 practice. 
 
 The teacher of the future will not consider his method 
 the only important thing. He will follow the old process. 
 He will attempt little the first or the second year, and will 
 go gradually, carefully, regularly and, above all, slowly to 
 the end. Method when rightly used is not a “ short-cut ” 
 by which natural laws may be evaded. Nature is a hard 
 task-mistress. What you steal from her to-day, she will 
 exact with compound interest to-morrow. The end of 
 these “short-cuts’’ is, that every quick result which the pupil 
 gains is attended either with some physical weakness or 
 disease, or else with an accompanying fault ; such as a 
 
82 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 tremolo, a tendency to sing “ off the key, 7 ’ a nasal, sharp, 
 foggy, hard or weak tone, a lack of flexibility, a prema- 
 ture decay of the voice, or some other disagreeable thing, 
 which, like Ban quo’s ghost, is apt to pop up at the very 
 moment you wish to display yourself on some festal 
 occasion. 
 
 A correct method is a necessity, but it can only supple- 
 ment good natural gifts and long continued practice. The 
 fault of modern instruction is not in its method, but in the 
 way in which it misuses it. The course of instruction of 
 the future will be a combination of the intellectuality of 
 the present, with the thorough and patient training of the 
 past. Then we may hope to see a generation of singers 
 whose names will mark an era in their art as famous as 
 those signalized by a Farinelli or a Rubini, a Catalani or 
 a Malibran. 
 
33 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Since the first appearance of this pamphlet, three years 
 ago, several important works on vocal problems have 
 been published, and I feel that it is due to the readers 
 of this second edition to refer briefly to these latest 
 “Modern Methods.” Further experience with pupils 
 has moreover convinced me that the practical value of 
 this work will be increased by a more detailed presenta- 
 tion of some of the subjects contained therein. 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 The best original authorities are u Opinioni dd Cantori 
 Antichi e Moderni o sieno Osservazioni sopra il canto 
 figurato ,” by Pietro Francesco Tosi ; English transla- 
 tion by Galliard, in 1742; — and Pensieri e riflessioni 
 pratiche sopra il canto figurato ,” by Giovanni Battista 
 Mancini, [1st Ed. Vienna, 1774, 2d (called 3d) Ed. Milan, 
 1777.] There is a copy of Mancini, and also one of 
 Galliard’s translation of Tosi, in the Public Library 
 of Boston. 
 
 If Tosi had an elaborate method he took care not to 
 publish it. He advises gaining the high notes by degrees 
 and singing them at first softly. He says the voice 
 should come forth neat and clear, neither nasal nor 
 throaty. He speaks of head and chest registers, and 
 
34 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 says the Italian vowels ( i) and ( e ) are the best for the 
 head voice. He objects to tricks and grimaces of head, 
 body or mouth, and to the tremolo. He advises using 
 the u messa di voce ” sparingly, and on the open vowels, 
 and managing the breath so as to always have more 
 than is necessary, 
 
 Mancini divides all voices into two registers, viz : — 
 the natural or chest voice, and the artificial (“ falsetto”) 
 or head voice. The term falsetto is probably used in a 
 sense very different from that in use in this country. 
 Mancini seems to mean that the upper tones cannot 
 usually be produced in the speaking voice, but require 
 some artifice to lessen the effort of singing the higher 
 notes. [Bassini, who was a pupil of Crescentini, (“the 
 last great singer that Italy produced,” Fctis ’ Biographie 
 Universelle , etc.,) and also of Zingarelli, says that the 
 theoretical signification of the word “ falsetto ” is not 
 that voice which imitates the woman’s voice, but “ all are 
 falsetto tones which are not produced from the chestP 
 He includes both head and medium registers under the 
 term falsetto. — Bassini, Art of Singing ; Boston: Dit- 
 son & Co.] Mancini also advocates supporting the tone 
 from the chest, so as to leave the throat free. He insists 
 that the breath should be kept back and economized, 
 that the two registers should be united and equalized ; 
 and that the mouth should be easily opened with a 
 natural smile. He condemns singing with closed mouth 
 or rounded lips. I cannot find any authority for abdomi- 
 nal respiration in his pages. He recommends, above all 
 things, long study and patience, and refers to the fact 
 
RESPIRATION. 
 
 35 
 
 that in his time there were different methods even among 
 the pupils of the same teacher. 
 
 An interesting historical sketch of Mancini’s School is 
 contained in “ The Old Italian School of Singing ,” 
 by Leo Kofler. ( Albany, N. Y., Edgar S. Wer- 
 ner, 1883.) 
 
 RESPIRATION. 
 
 In cases where the ribs are flexible, and have large 
 expansive power, their movement outward and upward 
 necessarily enlarges the circumference of the diaphragm 
 and raises its rim upward to a marked extent. In such 
 cases the centre of the diaphragm may sink relatively to 
 the ribs and lungs and yet exert little or no pressure on 
 the abdominal contents. It even seems possible that 
 when the chest is large in proportion to the abdomen, 
 the full expansion of chest, and the contraction and 
 descent of the diaphragm, may be accompanied by a 
 slight flattening of the abdomen, which, however, should 
 not be drawn in by muscular effort during inspiration. 
 
 “ Voice , Song and Speech? (already cited) advocates 
 extreme abdominal inspiration. “ The Physiology of 
 Artistic Singing? by John Howard, (Boston, 1886, 
 published by the Author), contains a very elaborate and 
 ingenious presentation of the arguments in favor of the 
 extreme clavicular mode. “ The Diaphragm, ? by J. M. 
 W. Kitchen, (Albany, Edgar S. Werner, 1885), express- 
 es a view that seems to me worthy the careful considera- 
 tion of all singers, in the following words: U A har- 
 
36 
 
 USE OP THE VOCAL CHORDS 
 
 monious use of all the parts of the respiratory apparatus 
 is the normal respiratory procedure,” (p. 45.) 
 
 The pupil should accustom himself to take breath 
 without altering the easy and free position of the throat 
 and without lowering the larynx. It is also to be noticed 
 that the ribs have properly an expansion backward as 
 well as sideways, forward and upward. 
 
 USE OF THE VOCAL CHORDS. 
 
 Many laryngoscopists have not been able to agree 
 with the results obtained by the authors already referred 
 to in this work. I have always been able to notice in 
 uncultivated voices changes of timbre sufficiently marked 
 to indicate changes of register at the points referred to 
 by Mad. Seiler. I am satisfied that uncultivated voices, 
 when singing lightly, would be subject to strain if they 
 should overstep the limits laid down by her. I find it 
 best to begin with her registration as a starting point, 
 but beyond that there does not seem to be any rule that 
 will do for all voices. [See pages 37 and 38 of this 
 Appendix.] 
 
 It is also my experience in teaching, that while there 
 is almost always a more or less marked sensation of 
 relief in passing from the mid-chest to the neck register, 
 still I have not been able to notice that the vocal chords 
 became sufficiently relaxed to allow a reappearance of 
 the little opening under the Adam's apple, reterred to on 
 pages 18, 20, 21 and 22 of this work. In view of the 
 unsettled condition of laryngoscopic investigation, it has 
 
POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 37 
 
 seemed best not to remove from this edition the state- 
 ments regarding this opening, but merely to add here 
 the results of my own experience. 
 
 One of the latest works on the voice [ “ Hygiene of 
 the Vocal Organs” by Morell Mackenzie. London, 
 Macmillan & Co., 1886,] contains in a brief space (pages 
 49-91 ) the most comprehensive account of investigations 
 with the laryngoscope that I know of. Dr. Mackenzie 
 also gives in an appendix a table showing the action of 
 the vocal chords as observed by him in the cases of fifty 
 different singers, including Nilsson, Albani, Valleria, 
 Patey, Griswold, Maas, Foli, and others. 
 
 POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 The following practical rules for the extension of 
 registers ( see page 25 of this work ) will be of service 
 to students. 
 
 Sopranos, as a rule, should not carry the chest voice 
 upwards, in fact many may find it advisable to sing even 
 their lower notes in the neck voice. Many fine artists 
 carry the neck and mouth tones upward when singing 
 the full voice. 
 
 Contraltos should beware of forcing the open deep 
 
 chest voice above 
 
 even when singing 
 
 the full voice, for by so doing, the middle tones, which 
 ought to be round and full, are weakened, and the so- 
 called “ break 55 in the voice becomes disagreeably pro- 
 nounced. Such singing may please the crowd, but it is 
 
38 
 
 POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 nevertheless inartistic and unmusical. Contraltos must 
 also be more cautious than Sopranos in extending the 
 neck and mouth tones upward. 
 
 Tenors will find the neck voice useful, even as low 
 
 written 
 
 is 
 
 and there 
 
 is really no necessity, except on extraordinary occasions, 
 
 for carrying the mid-chest register above 
 
 Many tenors can carry the open deep chest voice to 
 
 while others find the mid-chest voice suf- 
 
 ciently effective, and less exhausting, on the notes 
 
 $3E 
 
 =^=i5?= 
 
 Baritones can use the neck voice on 
 
 
 m 
 
 and will find this register less fatiguing than the mid- 
 chest voice. Some baritones, however, seem to have 
 sufficient strength to carry the mid-chest voice even to 
 
 Most baritones and basses can carry the open 
 
 deep chest voice to 
 
 and some voices can 
 
POWER AND RESONANCE. 
 
 39 
 
 carry it to 
 
 I have heard artists try to 
 
 open an E natural and F, but do not think it pays. 
 
 A very important point in the study of registers is to 
 make the voice even, so that there is no sudden change 
 of timbre in passing from bottom to top. This is best 
 done by blending the registers as follows: — In the deep 
 chest voice the tone should fill the mouth, neck and chest 
 with an inclination toward the head. The mid-chest 
 voice is similar, except that the sensation stops at the 
 middle of the chest. The neck voice includes also the 
 mouth and head sensations, but of course has no chest 
 vibration. The mouth voice is also felt in the head. 
 In all registers the tone should be felt at the front teeth 
 and lips. 
 
 The extension of the registers requires skill, care, and 
 good judgment on the part of both teacher and pupil, 
 and no rule will fit all cases. 
 
 In regard to the use of the “ resonance apparatus” 
 ( see page 25 ) I will add that it is the opinion of many 
 fine artists and teachers that the tone is improved when 
 there is a sensation of vibration in the head. This has 
 just been shown to be useful in all registers, though it is 
 more and more noticeable as the voice goes up the scale. 
 My experience tends to show that the head vibration, 
 when united with the proper sensations for each register 
 and with the forward sensation in the mouth, adds round- 
 ness to the voice and assists one in keeping on pitch. If, 
 however, the tone is allowed to slip away from its front 
 
40 
 
 TIMBRE. 
 
 position in the mouth, so that it remains in the head 
 alone, the result is a hollow, dull tone, which may sound 
 enormous in a small place, but lacks carrying power. 
 
 The larynx moves freely in ordinary conversation, but 
 different timbres, vowels and pitches in singing require 
 suoh opposing positions of the larynx, that a stationary 
 and central position, neither raised nor lowered, is the 
 one that will best enable a pupil to sing all vowels and 
 timbres on all pitches. It is claimed ( “ Physiology of 
 Artistic Singing ,” already cited) that a fixed and central 
 position of the larynx brings it into contact with the 
 spine and improves the tone. The stationary position is 
 the one favored by the best singers and teachers of my 
 acquaintance. 
 
 It is a mistake to open the mouth to its utmost, as 
 this tightens the pharynx {Garcia! s Method , already 
 cited, page 10). The chin should neither be protruded 
 nor drawn in. 
 
 TIMBRE. 
 
 Most teachers make more or less use of two opposite 
 timbres, which are called open and closed. Many speak 
 of the sombre or closed timbre as opposed to the open 
 or clear timbre. Here, as in other departments of vocal 
 art, confusion reigns, and it hardly seems possible that 
 different teachers can mean the same thing when using 
 the same word. To prevent misunderstanding, the above 
 mentioned terms will here be used in the following 
 senses : 
 
 An open tone is one that seems to come from an 
 
TIMBRE. 
 
 41 
 
 open throat. A closed tone is the opposite of the open 
 tone, and seems to come through a smaller aperture, 
 although in good singing it does not feel stifled or 
 squeezed. The sombre and bright timbres are, so to 
 speak, the opposing colors of the voice. The bright 
 timbre usually accompanies those healthy, pleasant and 
 joyous emotions which are beneficial to the constitution, 
 though it is sometimes used to express hatred, etc. 
 The sombre timbre is richer and more deeply emotional, 
 and is most used in the expression of passionate love, 
 despair, grandeur, and other feelings that are profound 
 in their character and accompanied with a considerable 
 expenditure of vital resources. These timbres shade into 
 one another, and many tones are of medium coloring. 
 
 Following this classification it may be said that an 
 open tone may be either sombre or bright in coloring, 
 and the same is true of the closed tone. 
 
 It is difficult to lay down definite rules as to just when 
 to use each one of the above timbres and how strong to 
 make the coloring. Much depends on the good sense 
 and refined taste of teacher and pupil. It is pretty 
 generally agreed that the lower part of all voices is open. 
 Methods differ as to the upper part of the voice. My 
 own experience is that the closed timbre is the more 
 beneficial for the upper tones in most cases, though some 
 exceptional voices seem able to sing open tones to the 
 top of their range. 
 
 Mr. John Howard, in his work already quoted, claims 
 that the chain of muscles, beginning with the soft palate 
 and extending down the throat to the tongue bone and 
 
42 
 
 STYLE. 
 
 larynx, and from the larynx to the breast bone is of 
 great assistance in closing the opening between the cartila- 
 ges of the larynx (see page 18 of this work), and thereby 
 stretching the vocal chords. The more these muscles 
 are exerted the smaller will be the opening into the 
 throat. 
 
 The full voice is the more open, the soft voice the 
 more closed on any given note, but the extent of the 
 opening or closing depends on the individual voice and 
 on the pitch of the note. As a rule, low soft tones are 
 not much closed, and very high full tones but little 
 opened. Here again the teacher and pupil need good 
 judgment, for what will help one voice may hurt 
 another. 
 
 The clear timbre is the least wearing on the voice. 
 It should be used in elementary exercises, and should be 
 made the basis of the voice. Let the pupil learn to sing 
 a sweet, pure, bright and healthy tone through the entire 
 voice, and reserve the sombre timbre for appropriate 
 vocalizes and songs. The sombre timbre should never 
 be sung in cold blood. It should not be attempted until 
 the pupil is so far advanced in the mechanical side of the 
 art as to be able to assume the full spirit of the song 
 without risk of strain. 
 
 Most modern operatic artists use the dark, emotional 
 timbre to excess. [See the following remarks on style.] 
 
 STYLE. 
 
 As no two artists have exactly the same style, it may 
 seem at first sight impossible to characterize any particu- 
 
STYLE. 
 
 43 
 
 lar style as belonging to modern methods. There is, 
 however, one marked distinction between the style of 
 the older schools and that of the present day. The old 
 school singer had two objects in view. He displayed his 
 technical skill as a performer on his own vocal instru- 
 ment, as well as his ability as an interpreter of the 
 aesthetic side of the vocal composition. To-day we still 
 have pianists who are allowed to show their technique 
 as well as their expressive power. To-day the violinist, 
 is applauded for his wonderful skill as well as for his 
 emotional and intellectual insight, but the poor singer 
 has degenerated until the music of even fifty years ago 
 is beyond the technical skill of a large majority of our 
 prominent vocalists. 
 
 In place of the skill of the artists of former times, we 
 have now an over-development of the emotional side of 
 singing. It may be rank heresy to say so, but it is never- 
 theless true that most modern singers have too much 
 intensity. What is the result? It is in singing as it is 
 in every day life. The man or woman who is habitually 
 keyed up beyond the normal pitch of healthy emotional 
 action, must finally pay the penalty. The pendulum 
 which has swung too far in one direction must ultimately 
 swing as far on the opposite path. The result with 
 vocalists is early collapse and premature decay of the 
 voice. The evil is sometimes postponed by the use of 
 stimulants, but only for a brief time, with still greater 
 ruin as the result. 
 
 A style, the exact opposite of the above, is quite 
 prevalent in New England. It is quiet, sweet, refined. 
 
44 
 
 STYLE. 
 
 and eminently proper and respectable. It does not 
 injure the voice, but unfortunately it is so cold and 
 colorless that it makes but little effect. Yirility, woman- 
 liness, strength, breadth, fire, animation, impetuosity, 
 dramatic power, — these are not injurious, but necessary. 
 They are really beneficial to the voice, provided the 
 singer keeps within the line that separates true feeling 
 from melodramatic extravagance. 
 
 Another fault is the notion that vocal power is simply 
 the result of the exertion of physical strength. This is 
 screaming and roaring, not singing. The full voice 
 should always have some strong emotional quality blend- 
 ed with it. This is the only way in which a strong tone 
 can be made of good quality. 
 
 It is to be hoped that the coming generation of singers 
 will realize that the voice is a beautiful thing in itself apart 
 from its expressive power, and that a perfect style only 
 exists when great technical skill is united with appropri- 
 ate but unexaggerated emotional expressiveness. 
 
45 
 
 APPENDIX II. 
 
 THE OLD ITALIAN SCHOOL. 
 
 Giulio Caccini was one of the founders of solo singing 
 with instrumental accompaniment. The preface to his 
 “ JV'uove Musiche ” (Florence, 1601-2) contains a few di- 
 rections regarding the use and training of the singing 
 voice. There is a copy of this work in the Public Library 
 of Boston. 
 
 Caccini advocates the use of all vowels, but prefers the 
 open ones. He makes a distinction between the full, 
 natural voice and feigned or counterfeited voices or tones 
 (“le voci finte”), and apparently advises all singers 
 ( except probably the male falsettists, who in his day sang 
 treble and alto songs) to shun the feigned voice. This 
 was an easy thing to do, as the music for soprano and 
 
 tenor voices did not go above 
 
 time. According to Caccini the singers who used the 
 natural voice did not have to pay much attention to the 
 respiration, except in preparing for long phrases ; but those 
 who employed “ le voci finte ” were especially in need of 
 breath. This covers about all he has to say about 
 method, except that he directs the production of the trill 
 by a stroke in the throat. 
 
 After Caccini there was no celebrated teacher until 
 Pistocchi who established a school at Bologna about 1700. 
 
46 SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. , 
 
 He is said to have been the first to teach methodically the 
 placing and emission of the voice, the correct articulation 
 of running passages as well as phrasing and dramatic ex- 
 pression. ( u Biographie Universelle des Musiciens ” by 
 Fetis, articles on u Pistocchi” and u Bernacchi”). 
 
 The greatest teacher of the time immediately following 
 Pistocchi, in fact the greatest the world has had, was 
 Porpora (1686-1767) . He left no written account of 
 his method, but it is known that he kept his pupils for 
 years on technical exercises. His “ Solfeggi fugati ” 
 have been published by Breitkopf and Hartel, Leipsic, 
 
 Porpora’s greatest contemporary among teachers was 
 Bernacchi (1690-1756), a pupil of Pistocchi and a cele- 
 brated singer as well. Mancini was Bernacehi’s pupil • 
 hence the work of Mancini already quoted ( pages 38 and 
 34 ) probably gives a fair idea of the method of Pistocchi 
 and Bernacchi. 
 
 SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTI- 
 GATORS. 
 
 The connecting link between the old schools and modern 
 methods was the Spaniard, Manuel Garcia (1775-1832) 
 ( called “ the first ” or “ the elder ”) who studied the Italian 
 styles and traditions in Italy, especially with the celebrated 
 tenor Ansani. In the opera of Garcia’s day the upward 
 range of music written for the tenor voice, and the range 
 downwards of music written for the female voice was 
 greater than it is to-day. Hence Garcia employed the old 
 falsetto a great deal with his tenors, and developed the 
 chest voice to such an extent in the lower part of female 
 voices as to sometimes create in the middle of the voice a 
 gap of several dead, unsatisfactory tones. The result was 
 not perfect art, but the singer was able to produce extra- 
 
SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 47 
 
 ordinary effects of contrast between brilliant high tones 
 and powerful low ones. 
 
 The man who revolutionized the art of tenor singing was 
 a Frenchman, Duprez (1806-18- ). He brought two 
 things into enduring popularity. One was the frequent use 
 of the sombre voice, the other was the “ ut de poitrine ” or 
 “ chest high C.” The tenors of the old schools used dark 
 tones, but only rarely. ( “ Memoir e sur une nouvelle espece 
 de voix chantee ,” by Diday and Petrequin. In the Bos- 
 ton Public Library. ) They also employed the chest voice 
 on the high notes, but only for effects, and not above 
 
 
 ( “ Etudes Eiographiques , etc . ” by 
 
 Mm. Escudier Freres. Paris, 1840, pages 64 and 74.) 
 
 Duprez’s innovations were immensely stirring, but they 
 have since wrecked many a voice, through over use. 
 
 A Parisian physician, Dr. Bennati, one of the leading 
 throat specialists of his day, in a work entitled “ llecher- 
 ches sur le mecanisme de la voix humaine” ( Paris, 1882 ), 
 a copy of which is in the library of the Boston Athenaeum, 
 gave the results of observations made on the back of the 
 mouth and palatal region during the act of singing. As sub- 
 jects he had the greatest artists of his time, in other words 
 some of the greatest singers that ever lived. Among them 
 were Sontag, Catalani, Lablache, Pisaroni, Rubini, and 
 Donzelli. He found that the lower register in all kinds of 
 voices was accompanied by an open position of the back 
 of the mouth, caused by a rising and enlarging of the arch of 
 the soft palate ; while with the pure head voice in sopranos 
 and the falsetto in tenors the back of the mouth was al- 
 most closed by a lowering and contraction of this arch. 
 In cases where the upper tones were sung in the lower 
 register, for robust effects, the back of the mouth was ap- 
 
48 SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 
 
 parently somewhat less open than in the lower part of the 
 voice, but not nearly so closed as in the head and falsetto 
 tones. 
 
 The “second” Manuel Garcia, (1805 — ) carried out 
 his father’s method into great minuteness of detail and 
 with important original additions. His invention of the 
 laryngoscope and his work (“ Garcia's Method ”) have 
 already been noted ( pp . 16 , ly and 40 ). He departs from 
 the registration of the old school by dividing the old upper 
 register ( falsetto or head voice) into two registers. The 
 lower of the two he calls falsetto, the upper head register . 
 I 11 other words, with him falsetto means a medium tone, 
 between head and chest. He uses all three registers (head, 
 falsetto and chest ) in the female voice, but objects to the 
 use of the head voice by men, except very sparingly. 
 His registration changes somewhat for each class of voices. 
 Roughly speaking, it may be said that in female voices he 
 
 # 
 
 carries the chest register to 
 
 uses the falsetto in 
 
 
 the 
 
 range ^ 
 
 g 
 
 above 
 
 =#2: 
 
 
 
 , and places all tones 
 
 jiizjizi ^ ie h ea d. I n treating the male 
 
 voice he allows basses and baritones to carry the chest reg- 
 
 Gl- 
 
 ister to 
 
 
 tenors to — ! t — , and with all 
 
 male voices places the falsetto from 
 
 He began by using chest expansion with flattened abdo- 
 men for both inspiration and support. In later editions 
 of his work he has advocated raising the chest and lower- 
 
SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 49 
 
 in g the diaphragm in inspiration, and reversing the process 
 in expiration. In his latest work ( <c Hints on Singing , " 
 Schuberth & Co., N. Y.) he again advises raising the ribs 
 and drawing in the stomach in inspiration. He uses all 
 timbres, open and closed, bright and dark, and lays espe- 
 cial stress on the development of a vigorous stroke of the 
 glottis in starting the tone. 
 
 The elder Lamperti ( 1813-18- ) revived the prac- 
 tice of those Italian teachers of earlier eras who insisted 
 that the foundation of good singing was a proper breath 
 support. ( “ A Treatise on the Art of Singing ” by 
 Francesco Lamperti. Schuberth & Co., FT. Y.) But 
 unlike the school of Bernacchi, Lamperti avoided the 
 use of the upper chest in breathing and in tone support, 
 and placed his main reliance on the diaphragm and 
 abdominal muscles alone. ( u Dietionary of Music and 
 Musicians ,” by Grove, article on Lamperti.) Like Gar- 
 cia he used three registers in the female voice and two 
 in the male, but instead of the term “falsetto,” he used 
 the term u mixed voice,” and thus avoided the confusion 
 inseparable from the use of the former term. His regis- 
 tration is as follows : — 
 
 Female Voice. Male Voice. 
 
 ( It goes without saying that notes written in the treble 
 clef are sung in the male voice an octave lower than they 
 are written.) 
 
 He placed the voice on the open Italian a, formed in 
 the bottom of the throat, and advised u drinking in ” the 
 tone. 
 
50 SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 
 
 Madame Marche si is a German living in Paris. She 
 studied under Nicolai and the second Garcia Musik- Lex- 
 ikon” by Riemann). She has trained the female voice 
 only. In her U Art de Chant , op . 21 (Collection Litolff ), 
 she advocates diaphragmatic ( or abdominal ) inspiration, 
 and condemns both clavicular and lateral breathing; but 
 does not speak of supporting the voice by the breath. 
 She produces the tone with a natural stroke of the glottis, 
 using the vowel a ( Italian ) slightly sombered. She car- 
 
 ries the chest voice to 
 
 register to 
 
 
 and the medium 
 
 ( The tones above this limit are 
 
 sung, of course, in the head register.) 
 
 The most celebrated teacher now doing active work is 
 Sbriglia. He has published a set of technical studies, but 
 no printed “ Method.” The following points concerning 
 his system are summarized from notes of instruction re- 
 ceived by the author personally and of lessons received by 
 others in his presence. 
 
 Sbriglia follows the old school in making the breath sup- 
 port the foundation of all vocal development, and agrees 
 with Mancini in making the chest the important factor. 
 
 In placing the voice he usually avoids the subject of 
 registers, insisting that if the pupil will direct all tones 
 toward the region embracing the forehead, the bridge of 
 the nose, the cheeks, the roof of the mouth and the lips, 
 and will properly support the voice, the registers will take 
 care of themselves. He uses the sounds mi-ra and tu-ro 
 ( Italian pronunciation, except the u which has the French 
 sound ) and employs both open and closed tones. Some- 
 times he advises the smiling position of the mouth, at 
 others the protrusion of the lips, thus gaining both bright 
 and dark colors. 
 
SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 51 
 
 He makes the head voice, or falsetto, produced with the 
 closed position of the back of the mouth already noted in 
 the paragraph on Bennati, and properly supported , the 
 root of the voice. By this he does not mean the com- 
 monly used, lifeless falsetto, for the chest support makes 
 the tone firm and ringing, and capable of development 
 into great power. 
 
 Among modern scientific investigators, two demand es- 
 pecial mention, viz.: Drs. Mackenzie and Joal. 
 
 Dr. Mackenzie, in his work already quoted ( on page 
 37 of this work), gives an account of observations made 
 by him on the degree of opening of the glottis in the 
 production of different registers. According to him the 
 glottis is usually open in the lower part of the voice, but 
 in the head voice of women and the falsetto of men the 
 bases of the arytenoid cartilages and the rear portions of 
 the vocal chords themselves are usually tightly closed 
 together. When the upper tones are sung in the lower 
 register the bases of the arytenoid cartilages close, but 
 no parts of the vocal chords are in contact. In other 
 words the glottis is usually open during the production of 
 the lower tones, almost closed during the production of 
 the head voice and falsetto, and moderately open during 
 the production of high tones in the lower register. 
 
 The reader is advised to compare Mackenzie’s conclu- 
 sions with those of Bennati. 
 
 Dr. Joal in an article entitled “ The Mechanism of 
 Breathing among /Singers ” (to be found in Werner's 
 Magazineior June, July and August, 1893,) gives the fol- 
 lowing table, which summarizes his observations on the 
 leading singers of our day in Paris, ( including Albani, 
 Fursch-Madi, Richard, Capoul, Gayarre, Lassalle, Jean and 
 Edouard de Reszke.) 
 
 Of the 23 women 
 
 ( 9 used the clavicular method. 
 { 14 used the costal method. 
 
52 SOME MODERN TEACHERS AND INVESTIGATORS. 
 
 ! 11 used the clavicular method. 
 
 19 used the abdominal method. 
 
 32 used the costal method. 
 
 None of the women used the abdominal method . 
 
 By the costal method he means a marked expansion of 
 the chest, especially at the level of the lower ribs, accom- 
 panied by total immobility of the collar bone, and often 
 by a moderate flattening of the abdomen. Dr. Joal 
 advises this method, which he says is employed by the 
 best artists. 
 
 The author has endeavored to show a w'ay of reconcil- 
 ing the apparent contradictions of the various systems of 
 registration and respiration one with another in his 
 u Vocal Technique ” ( Boston, Miles and Thompson, 
 
 1895.) 
 
 \ 
 
 Professional singing is to-day in better condition than 
 when this little book was first published. Such artists as 
 Lehmann, Melba, Jean and Edouard de Reszke, Plar^on 
 and Lassalle have recreated vocal art. 
 
 Much of the future depends upon the artists of our own 
 nationality who are evidently destined to make the United 
 States an important factor in the world’s artistic progress. 
 
* 
 
 
 A A 
 
,1' y. : 
 
 
lil « 5 “ r ’- ui - wPPiilS 
 
 P 5^S;dr:;I 
 
 •' : - : 
 
 t« if; i-_, _ 
 
 hMh^p 
 
 . 
 
 A 
 
 ■ ■ 
 
 ■*- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■ v- : .: ; ■•'•• ;: - 
 
 ■ 
 
 ■ 
 
 : ; '•••• " •■ 
 
 i?tb H:. i»miHi«i URi 
 
 ilpflfissa 
 
 MMM 
 
 ySaagik 
 
 " >■ ..•■:• 
 ■