Howtosing10001281.pdf

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SI NG

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MEI NE G E SA NG SKU NS T

L I L LI

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H A RD

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THE

PREFACE T O TH E

REVI SE D E D ITI O N

Object O f the first edition is attained

The book

has

nature

the art

of

opened the eyes Of many

anythin g to say

of or

‘

song

.

All

to

who

those

write must expect

mi sinterpretations "there are just

to

as

.

the

have meet many

ideas and modes Of expressing the same thi ng as

there are listeners and readers

.

I have endeavored in thi s second edition ,

,

to forestall misinterpretations and to express ‘

better

what I had

to

say in the first

I t must

.

not be thought that I lay claim to anythi ng

"

new

But I

do

lay claim

to

having translated

that which has Often been said

and

likewise

misunderstood , into the language Of the singer wh o

can only guide

and learn therefrom

hi mself

.

tone

sen sati ons

.

Only a few are chosen

great artists

by

,

n ot all

can become

But every one who devotes him

vi

PREFAC E TO

TH E REV I SE D ED ITIO N

self earnestly to this vocation shou ld endeavor to attain the

hi ghest

Even though

fi the theatre has experi en ced an incisive reform ci en cy

e

.

and will again and again I do not see why we ,

should not hold ourselves responsible for the technique

Of

the art

Of

song the beauty and the ,

preservation O f the human voice Of which we shall always stand in need Without a thorough .

knowledge Of technique the art is an impossi ,

bility

is in sufficient

or

.

keep

TO

bodies

ou r

supple and healthy we take gymnastic cises

exer

Wh y then should not singers also take

.

daily gymn astic exercises with their vocal organs so as

to

preserve their material

fo r

their

profession Technique is inseparable from art Only by mastering the te chnique O f his material ‘

P

.

is the artist in a condition to mou ld his mental work

of

art and to again give it

sion borrowed from life artists

his posses

to others

intellectually highly

gifted

.

Even remam

crippled without this mastery Of the technique Surely every great artist has now and then ri en ced e p

it himself

.

ex

.

PREFACE TO

THE REVI SED ED ITIO N

vn

Only b ecause I feel myself so small and im

perfect

in

the face Of

ou r

great art O f song

,

only b ecause I see how much there is still left to

learn do I from the b ottom Of my heart

wish I to two

for

an d

hope that others will do it b etter than

W hom

no one will be able to deny at least

thi ngs " seriousness and the highest respect

art and capab ility

.

LI LLI LEH MANN

.

SCHARF LI NG , M O NDS E E , 1 9 14

.

C ONTENTS

MY

PUR P O S E

M Y TIT L E

TO

WR

IT E O N

TH E

AR T

O F S ON G

I

S E C TI O N

P R E L IM I NA RY P R A C TIC E SE C TI O N

OF

THE

B REA

II

TH S E C TI O N I I I

OF

TH E

BRE A

TH

W H I R L ING

A ND

URR E N T S

IV

S E C TI O N TH E S

C

ING E R S PH Y S IO L O G I C A L S TU D I E S ’

S E C TI O N V E Q U A L I z I NG

TH E

V OIC E

FO R M

S E C TI O N V I TH E A

TT A C K

A ND

TH E

V OW ELS

I

.

S E C T O N VI I

NA S A L

NA S A L S I

NGI NG

C O NTENTS

VIII

S E C TI O N TH E

HE A D V O IC E IX

I

S E CT O N

SE

NSA TIO N

A ND

P O S ITI O N O F

TH E

SE C T I O N TH E SE

NSA TIONS O F NS A TIO NS O F

NGU E

X

NO S E

TH E

S E C TI O N TH E S E

TO

XI

PA L A T E

TH E

X II S ONA N C E O F

SE C TI O N TH E S E

NS A TI ON O F

CA V

RE

TH E

ITIE S S E CTI O N

O N V O C A L RE G I S T E R S —

VOC A L

X III RA NG E S

XIV I Z A TI O N

SE C T I O N DE V EL O P ME

WH IT E

VO

T H E O DO R

TH E HI

NT

A ND

EQ UA L

S E C TI O N

XV

SE C TI O N

XV I

S E C TI O N

XV II

ICE S

WA C HT E L

GH E S T

H E A D TO

N

ES

TH E

HEA D

C O NT ENTS

XV III

S E C TI O N TH E TR E M O L O

SE C TIO N

XI X

SE C T I O N

XX

S E CTI O N

XXI

TH E C U R E

TH E T O

NG UE

PR E P A RA TIO N

FOR

SI

N G I NG

.

S EC T I O N

P O S I TI O N O F

TH E

M O UT H S E C TI O N

TH E C O

TH E L

NNE C TI O N O F

XXIII

V OW E L S

S EC TI O N

XXI V

SE C T I O N

XXV

IP S

TH E V O W E L S O U

ND

AH

O F FOR M E R

SE C TIO N

I T A L IA N

A ND

XXVI

G E RM A N

I

SE C T O N

U

XXII

A XI L IA R Y V O W E L S

XXV II

DA Y S

C O NTENTS

XXV I I I

SE C TI O N

RE S O NA

N T C O N S O NA N T S XXI X

S E C TI O N

PR A C TI CA L

E XE R C I S E S

XXX

SE C T I O N TH E G R E A

V E LO C

TR

T

SC A L E

S E C TI O N

XXXI

SE C T I O N

XXX II

ITY

IL L I

XXXIII F W H N P R A C TIS IN G

SE C T O N

How

To

H OL D

O

NE S

SE L

’

I

SEC T O N

P RO N UN C IA TION

CO

NC E R N I N G

E XP

RE SS

FO RE

TH E

PUB L IC

XXXV

I ON

S E C TI O N BE

XXX I V

N S O NA N T S

S E C TI O N

CO

E

XXXV I

C O NT ENTS

iii

x

S E CTI O N

XXXV II

S E C TI O N

XXXV II I

I N T E R P R E T A TI O N

IN CO

NO T E

NC L U S I ON

—A

G OO

D

H O A R S ENE S S

RE M E

DY

F OR

CA

TA R RH

A ND

H O W TO

2 Of

functions

SI NG

the several organs and the fewest

singers are informed

on

the

ubj ect

s

.

Every

serious artist has a sin cere desire to help others reach the goal the goal toward which all singers are striving " t o sing well and beauti fully .

The true art Of song has always been pos sessed and will always be possessed by such individuals as are dowered by nature with all that is needful for it

that is healthy ,

vocal organs uninjured by vicious habits ,

speech ; a good ear a talent

fo r

,

t elligen ce ,

industry and energy ,

singing

,

Of

in

.

In former times eight years were devoted to the study Of singing serv at ory,

for

instance

at the Prague Con .

M ost Of the mis

takes and misunderstandings Of the pupil could be discovered before he secured an

en

ment , and the teacher could spend so

e a g g

much time in correcting them that the pupil learned to pass judgment on himself properly But art to day must be pursued like every thing else by steam Artists are turned ou t in .

-

,

.

P U RPO SE

MY

factories that is in ,

,

SO

-

3

called conservatories

,

or

by teachers who give lessons ten or twelve hours a day tifi cat e

Of

.

In

two

years they receive a cer ’

competence or at least the teacher s ,

diploma Of the factory

The latter especially ,

.

I consider a crime that the state should prohibit ,

All

,

.

the inflexibility and unskilfu lness mis ,

takes and deficiencies

whi ch were formerly

,

dis closed during a long course Of study do ,

n ot

appear now under the factory system ,

until the student s ’

li b c career has begun U p

There can be no question Of correcting them

,

.

,

for there is no time no teacher no critic ; and ,

the

execu

t anh has

,

learned nothing absolutely ,

nothing whereby he could undertake to dis ,

tingu ish

or correct them

.

The incompetence and lack

Of

talent white

washed over by the factory concern lose only t oo

soon their plausible brillian cy

in life is generally the sad end product ; and Of

to

Of

.

A

failure

such a fa ctory

factory methods the whole art

ng is more and more given over as a sa crifice so

.

HO W TO

4

M y artistic

S I NG

ons cience urges me to disclose all that I have learned and that has be come c

clear to me in the course O f my career for the “ ” benefit O f art ; and to give up my secrets ,

,

whi ch seem to be se crets only be cause students so

rarely pursue the path

end

Of

proper study to its

If artist s Often such only in name come ,

,

.

to a realization

Of

their defi cien cies they lack ,

only too frequently the courage to edge them to others

.

No t

ackn owl

until we artists

all rea ch the point when we can take counsel with each other about ci en ci es ,

and di scuss the means for overcoming

them putting our pride in ,

ou r

pockets will

bad singing and inartistic effort be and

ou r

defi

mistakes and

ou r

,

he cked

c

,

noble art Of singing come into its

rights again

.

M Y TITLE TO W R I TE O N TH E A RT O F S O N G

Rarely are so many desirable and sary antecedents united as in my case

n eces

.

The child Of two singers my mother being ,

MY PURPO SE

gifted musically quite out

5

the common

Of

,

and active for many years not only as a dra matic singer but also as a harp V irtuoso I with ,

,

,

my sister M arie received a very careful musical ,

education and later a notable course Of in stru ction in singing from her From my fifth ,

.

year on I listened daily to singing lessons ; from my ninth year I played ac companiments On the pianoforte sang all the missing parts in ,

,

French Italian German and Bohemian ; got ,

,

,

thoroughly familiar with all the operas and ,

very soon knew how to tell good singing from bad

.

Our mother took care too that we should ,

,

hear all the visiting notabilities Of that time in opera as well as in

c

oncert ; and there were

many Of them ever year at the D eutsches Landestheater

in Prague

.

She herself had found a remarkable singing teacher in the Frankfort basso

P Oppel ;

,

and

kept her voice noble beautiful young and ,

strong to the end Of her life her seventy seventh year

,

,

-

,

,

that

is till ,

notwithstanding

enormous demands upon it and many a blow

HO W TO

6 Of

fate

SI NG

She could diagnose a voice

.

bly ; but required a probation

Of

infalli

three to four

months to test talent and power Of making progress .

I have been on the stage since my eighteenth year ; that is

,

fo r

thirty four years

.

I took part eve ry day in operas

plays

and farces

,

In Prague

-

.

operettas Thereafter in D anzig I ,

,

sang from eighteen to twenty times a month in coloratura and soubrette parts ; also in Leipzig and later fifteen years in Berlin ,

.

,

In addition

I sang in very many oratorios and concerts and ,

gave lessons now and then As

.

long as my mother lived she was my

severest critic never satisfied ,

came such

myself

for

.

Finally

.

Now

I

be

fifteen years

more have passed Of which I spent eight very ,

exacting ones as a dramatic singer in

America ,

afterward fulfilling engagements as a star in ,

all languages in Germany ,

,

Austria , Hungary ,

France England and Sweden ,

,

.

Nevertheless

my study Of singing experienced no sion

.

I kept it

Up

ret rogres

more and more zealously by

MY

myself

,

PURPO SE

7

learned Something from everybody

learned to

hear

myself and others

,

.

For many years I have been devoting my self to the important questions relating to singing and believe that I have finally found ,

what I have been seeking

It has been my

.

endeavor to set down as clearly as possible all that I have learned through zealous

,

con sci en

tious study by myself and with others and ,

thereby to Offer to my colleagues something that will bring order into the chaos methods

Of

Of

their

singing ; something based on sci

ence as well as on sensations in singing ; some thing that will bring expressions Often mis understood into clear relation with the exact functions

Of

the vocal organs

.

In what I have just said I wish to give a sketch Of my career only to

S

how what my

voice has endured and why notwithstanding ,

,

the enormous demands I have made upon it it has lasted so well

.

,

O ne who has sung for

a short time and then has lost his voi ce and ,

,

for this reason b ecomes a singing tea cher, has

HO W TO

8

SI N G

never sung consciously ; it has si een an / a ccident and this accident will be repeated for good or for ill in his pdpfls ,

,

.

,

ll the requirements The talent in whi ch E

an artist are united is very rare

.

Of

Real tal

ent will get along even with an inferior teacher ,

,

in some way or another ; while the best teacher cannot produ ce talent where there is none Such a tea cher

however

,

,

will

not begu ile

people with promises that cannot be kept My

hief attention I devote to artists perhaps assist in their

can ,

,

cult but glorious profession ,

,

done

.

c

whom I

with

.

.

,

diffi

O ne is never

learning ; and that is especially

true of singers

.

I earnestly hope that I may

leave them somethi ng in my researches ex ,

n r i ce e e s , p

and studies that will be ,

,

Of

use

.

I

regard it as my duty ; and I confide it to all who are striving earnestly for improvement GRU N E W AL D

,

O ct 3 1, 1900 .

.

.

H O W TO

10

SI NG

O nce when I was acting as substitute for

a teacher in a

c

onservatory the best pupils ,

the institution were promised me those who needed only the finishing touches But of

,

.

when after my first lesson ,

director and complained

I went to the

,

the ignorance

Of

Of

the pupils my mouth was closed with these ,

words

“ ,

things

,

For Heaven

or

tory going

’

s sake don t say such ’

,

we could never keep our conserva H

‘

I had enough and went ,

.

The best way is for pupils to learn pre parato ry books by heart and make drawings ,

.

In this way they will get the best idea of the vocal organs

,

and learn their functions by

sensation as soon as they begin to sing

.

The

pupil should be subj ected to strict examinations In

what

does

arti sti c

si ngi ng

difi

er

.

m f ro

natu ral si ngi n g

In a clear understanding Of all the organs concerned in voice produ ction and their func ,

PRELI M I NARY P RAC TI C E

11

tions singly and together ; in the understand ,

ing O f the sensations in singing cons cientiously studied and scientifically explained ; in a ,

gradually cultivated power Of contracting and relaxing the muscle s power

the vo cal organs that

Of

,

ulminating in the ability to submit

c

them to severe exertions and keep them under c

ontrol

The prescribed tasks must be mas

.

so that they can be done without

tere d

exer

tion with the whole heart and soul and with ,

,

complete understanding H ow

.

is this to be attained ?

Through natural gifts among which I reck on ,

Of

the possession

sound organs and a well

favored body ; through study guided by an excellent teacher

who

can

si ng

well hi mself ,

study that must be kept up for at least six years without counting the preliminary work ,

O nly singers formed

years

Of

work

,

on

.

su ch a basis after ,

deserve the title Of artist ;

only such have a right to look forward

to

a

lasting future and only tho se equipped with ,

such a knowledge ought to tea ch

.

HO W TO Of what consi sts

SI NG

arti sti c si ngi ng

Of a clear understanding

most

Of

,

?

first and fore breathing in and ou t ; Of an u n ,

,

derst an ding

Of the form through which the

breath has to flow

,

prepared by a proper

position Of the larynx the tongue and the ,

palate

.

,

Of a knowledge and understanding

Of the functions

Of

the muscles Of the abdo

men and diaphragm which regu late the breath ,

pressure ; then Of the chest muscle tension

,

against which the breath is forced and whence

,

-

,

,

under the control Of the singer after passing ,

through the vocal cords it beats against the ,

resonating surfa ces and vibrates in the cavities Of the head Of a highly cultivated skill and .

flexibility in adjusting all the vocal organs and in putting them into minutely graduated movements without inducing changes through ,

the pronunciation Of words or the execution

Of

musical figures that shall be injurious to the tonal beauty or the artistic expression Of the song

.

Of an immense muscu lar power in the

b reathi ng apparatus and all the vocal organs

,

PRELI M I NARY P RACTI C E

13

the strengthening Of whi ch to endure sustained exertion cannot be begun too long in advance ; and the exercising

Of

which as long as ,

in public must never be remitted ,

day

on e

for

sings

a single

.

As

of

beauty and stability

depend upon excessive

re r e s su p

tone do

n ot

Of the breath

,

so the muscular power of the organs used in singing does not depend

on

convulsive rigid

ity but in that snakelike power Of contracting 1 and loosening which a singermust consciously ,

,

have under perfect control The study needed entire lifetime ;

n ot

.

fo r

this occupies an

only because the singer

must perfect himself more and more in the rOles

Of

hi s

repertory

even after he has

been performing them year in and year but b ecause he must continually strive progress

,

ou

t,

f or

setting himself tasks that require

physiol ogy when the mu scl es resu me their normal st at e they are sai d t o b e relaxed B u t as I wi sh t o avoi d gi vi ng a fal se concepti on in ou r vocal sensati ons I prefer ” “ to u se the word l ooseni ng 1

In ,

.

,

.

H OW TO

14

SI NG

greater and greater mastery and strength and thereby demand fresh study

,

.

He who stands sti ll, goes backward

.

Nevertheless ,

there are fortunately gifted

geniuses in whom are already united all the qualities needed to attain greatness and per fecti on and whose circumstances in life are ,

equally fortu n ate ; who can reach the goal earlier without devoting their whole lives ,

to

it

Thus

.

,

f or

instance in ,

Adelina

Patti

everything was united the splendid voice paired with great talent for singing and the ,

,

,

long oversight Of her studies by her distin guished teacher that did

rOles

,

n ot

Strakosch

.

She never sang

suit her voice ; in her earlier

years she sang only arias and duets

single

or

solos never taking part in ensembles ‘

,

.

She

never sang even her limited repertory when she was indisposed

.

She never attended

re

but came to the theatre in the evening and sang triumphantly without ever having

hearsals,

,

s

een the persons who sang and acted with her

.

P RELI M I NARY P RACTI C E

She spared herself rehears als which

,

15

on

the day

the performance or the day b efore exhaust

Of

,

,

all singers because Of the excitement Of all ,

kinds attending them and which contribute ,

neither to the freshness O f the voice

to

n or

the

j oy Of the profession Al though she was a Spaniard by birth and .

an Am erican by early adoption she was so ,

,

speak the greatest Italian singer ,

All

Of

to

my time

was absolutely good correct and flawless ,

,

.

,

the voice like a bell that you seemed to hear long after its singing had ceased

.

Yet she could give no explanation art

,

and answered all her colleagues

tions concerning it with an rien

“

Ah ,

j

e

of

her

ques

’

’

n en sais

” l

She possessed unconsciously as a gift Of ,

nature a union ,

,

Of

all those qualities that

all other singers must attain and possess con sci ou s ly

Her

vocal organs stood in the most favorable relations to each other Her .

.

talent and her remarkably trained ear main ,

tai ned

,

control over the beauty O f her singing

H O W TO

16

S I NG

and Of her voice The fortunate circumstances Of her life preserved her from all injury The .

.

purity and

fl awlessn ess

Of

her tone the beauti ,

ful equalization Of her whole voice constituted ,

the magic by which she held her listeners tranced

M oreover

.

,

she

gracious in appearance The accent

Of

was

en

beautiful and

.

great dramatic power she

did not possess ; yet I ascribe this more

to

her intellectual indolence than to her lack Of ability

.

R ed

li

n es

d

t di i i h i gh

en o e

v s o n of er

t h e b re a

middl e

th i g

r an

n

e

.

the

mi ddl e

r an

g

e an d

R es o n an of

t he

c

e

c av

ity o f t he f o re e a

h d

R ed

li

.

n es

d

t di i i f t h b th i h d c viti hi gh g

eno e

v s on o

ea

a

e

es ,

the

n

re a

r an

e

.

c

r es o n an e o f

th e

SECTI O N II O F TH E B RE A TH

TH E

b reath b ecomes voice through the

operation Of the will and the ,

instru rnent ality ‘

Of the vocal organs TO regulate the breath to prepare a pas .

,

sage

Of

the proper form through which it shall

flow circulate develop itself and reach the ,

,

,

necessary resonating chamb ers must be our ,

chi ef task Concerning the breath and much more .

besides there is so much that is excellent O scar G u tt mann

’

s

“

in

Gymnastik der Stimme

that I can do no better than to refer

to

”

it

and recommend it strongly to the attention of all

earnest students

.

H ow do I breathe ? Very

short Of b reath by nature my mother ,

had to keep me as a little child almost sitting 23

HO W TO

24

upright in bed

After

.

SI NG

I had outgrown that

and as a big girl cou ld run arou nd and play well enough I still had much trouble with ,

shortness Of breath in the beginning Of my sing ing lessons

For years I practised breathing

.

exercises every day without singing and still ,

do so with especial pleasure now that every thing that relates to the breath and the voice ,

has become clear t o me

.

Soon I had got so far

that I could hold a swelling and diminishing tone from fifteen to eighteen seconds

.

I had learned this " to draw in the abdomen

and diaphragm raise the chest and hold the ,

breath in it by the aid ou

t

To

the b reath

ra a ll d u g y

do everyt hing

gerated it all

of

the

rib s ; in letting

to relax the abdomen

thorou ghly

I doubtless

But since for twenty

-

.

fi ve

.

exag

years

I have b reathed in this way almost exclu sively

,

with the utmost care I have naturally attained great dexterity in it ; and my abdominal and ,

'

chest muscles and my diaphragm have been strengthened to a remarkable degree was not satisfied

.

.

Yet I

H O W TO

26

SI NG

trained whose performan ces naturally are likely to give art a black eye ,

.

Undoubtedly I took in too much air in breath

ing cramped various muscles thereby

depri v

,

,

ing my breathing organs and muscles their elasticity

.

Of

I Often had with all care ,

and preparation for inhalation

,

t oo

little breath

,

and sometimes when not giving special thought ,

to it more than enough ,

.

I felt

,

t oo ,

after

excessive inhalation as if I must emit a certain amount

Of

air before I began to sing

Finally

.

I abandoned all superfluous drawing in

the

Of

abdomen and diaphragm inhaled but little ,

,

and began to pay spe cial attention to emitting the

smallest possible amount Of b reath which ,

I found very serviceable

.

How do I breathe now ?

The diaphragm I draw in

,

my abdomen

just a little only immediately to relax it ,

.

I

never raise the chest but I distend the upper ,

ribs and support them with the lower ones like pillars under them

.

In this manner I prepare

OF

TH E B REAT

H

27

the form for my singin g the supply chamber ,

for the breath exactly as I had learned it from ,

my mother which however I had exaggerated ,

,

At

.

the same time I raise my palate high and

p revent the escape Of breath through the nose

The diaphragm beneath reacts elas

.

tically against it and furnishes pressure from ,

the abdomen

Chest diaphragm the closed

.

,

,

epiglottis and the raised palate all form a sup ply chamber for the breath

.

O nly when I have begun to sing

especially

when singing long cantilena like phrases -

do

I push the breath against the chest thereby ,

setting the chest muscles in action

.

These

combined with the elastically stretched dia h r m a and p g

abdominal muscles

the abdomen

,

is always brought back to its natural position during singing

,

exert a pressure in the f orm

,

which as we have already learned is the supply ,

,

chamber and bed Of the breath

.

This press

ure enables us to control the breath while Singing .

From this supply chamber the breath must

H OW TO

28

SI NG

very sparingly and gently pass between the vocal cords which regulate it and over the ,

epiglottis

.

,

The vowel a lifts the epiglottis ;

it must always be again and again kept in mind always be placed and pronounced anew when other vowels are to be enunciated

.

—

,

even Then

the singer only experiences the sensation O f the — inflated well closed form Of the supply chamber ,

which he must be heedful

,

especially when

carefully pronouncing the consonants not to impair The longer the form remains flexible ,

.

and unimpaired the less breath escapes and ,

the longer it may flow from the form This form pressure

,

supply chamber the breath

or

which

.

,

includes abdomen

and chest muscles is Often named ,

,

di aphragm

At emst au

en

”

“

z r r i n i o breath restraint and law S t au ( ( ) p p principle Of restraint) which terms carry in ,

,

themselves the danger Of inducing the pupil to make the diaphragm rigid to ,

h Old

‘

back the

breath and to stiff en the entire vocal organs instead of making him realize that only from an eternally alive form with elastic muscu lar

OF

THE B REATH

29

action can the breath flow the tone reso ,

nate The more flexibly the breath pressure is .

exerted against the chest o n e has the feeling in this Of singing the tone against the chest ,

.

from whence it must be gently and flexibly pushed

ou

the less the breath flows through

t,

the vocal cords and the less consequently ,

are they directly burdened operation

of

The strong

.

,

co

chest muscles and diaphragmatic

pressure prevents the overburdening directly participating vocal organs

Of

all the

.

In this way under control the breath reaches ,

,

the tone form prepared above by the tongue ; it reaches the resonance chambers prepared for it by the raising and lowering Of the soft palate and those in the head cavities

.

Here

it forms

whirling currents O f tone which now fill all attainable resonating cavities necessary for ,

tone perfection

.

Not

until the last note Of a

phrase has passed the

“

bell

”

or

cup shaped -

cavity Of mouth and lips may the breath b e allowed to

flow

unimpeded may the form or ,

HO W TO

30

SI NG

supply chamber b e relaxed which ,

less ,

must quickly prepare itself

phrase

for

the next

.

Observe and keep under control these

TO

many functions singly ,

the ceaseless delight tain

,

n everthe

Of

song study

or

Of

in conjunction forms ,

the never failing foun

.

In preparing the form for the flow Of breath tone fl all the organs abdomen diaphragm o w ) ( upper ribs larynx tongue palate nose lungs

,

bronchial tubes abdominal and chest cavities

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

and their muscles participate ,

,

These organs

.

can to a certain degree be relatively placed at ,

,

will and we singers are in duty bound to acquire the necessary technical skill to perform ,

any task as nearly perfectly as possible

.

The

vocal cords which we can best imagine as ,

inner lips

,

we do not have under control

either as beginners or as artists feel them

.

.

We do not

We first become conscious O f them

through the controlling apparatus Of the breath

,

which teaches us to spare them by emitting ,

breath through them in the least possible

quantity and du cing

all is

H

OF

THE B REAT

of

even pressure thereby

31

,

a steady tone

I even maintain that

.

if we regard them directly as b reath

won

regu lators and relieve them ,

Of

all overwork

through the controlling apparatus muscle tension b ecomes

r o p

ou r

.

Of

the chest

With the tongue whose back ,

breath and pitch rudder we are ,

enabled to direct the breath to those

reason an ce

surfaces which are necessary for the pitch Of every tone all voices

.

This rule remains the same

for

.

If for the b reath there is created in the mouth an elastic form in which the currents ,

may circulate unhindered by any pressure undue contraction

or

practically unlimited solution

.

or

expansion it becomes ,

That is the simple

the paradox that without taking

Of

a deep breath

on e

may Often have very much

breath and Often after elaborate preparations none at all

.

Generally the chief attention is

directed to inhalation instead Of to the elastic ,

forming and agility

of

the organs for the breath

It is only due to the ignorance Of the causes

.

,

H OW TO

32

SI NG

to the absence Of the form to the pressure and ,

to the convulsive tightening O f the muscles that ,

the singer is unable

sing in one breath all

to

that is included in the musical or speech phrase As

soon as the breath leaves the larynx

.

,

Previously in inhalation a ( similar thing happens ; but this does not it is divided

.

,

,

concern us immediately and I prefer to direct ,

the singer s chief attention to the second ’

currence ) .

oc

One part may press toward the

palate the other toward the cavities Of the ,

head

.

The division

the breath occurs

Of

regularly from the deepest bass to the highest ,

tenor

soprano step

or

,

for

step vibration ,

for

vibration without regard to sex or individuality ,

.

Only the differing size or strength Of the vocal

organs through whi ch the breath flows the ,

breathing apparatus

,

or

the Skill with which

they are used are different in diff erent individ ,

u als

.

The seat

Of

the breath the law Of its ,

division as well as the resonating surfaces ,

,

are always the same and are diff erentiated at most through difference

of

habit

.

H O W TO

34

SI NG

by it These should only be made elastic and mobile for further demands t o be put upon .

them

In thi s way the breath can be reg

.

u l at ed

and be made use

sparingly

Of

.

The column Of breath coming in an ru

t e d p

u n int er

stream from the larynx must as soon

as it flows into the form prepared

fo r

it accord

ing to the required tone by the tongue and ,

palate

,

fi ll

this form soaring through all ,

corners with its vibrations ing currents

,

i ts

It makes whirl

.

which circulate in the elastic

form surrounding it and it must remain there ,

till the tone is high enough strong enough and ,

,

sustained enough to satisfy the judgment Of the singer as well as the ear

of

the listener

Should there be lacking the least element pitch strength ,

fect

,

or

of

du ration the tone 1s I mper ,

and does not meet the requirement

Learning

.

.

and teaching to hear is the first

task Of both pupil and teacher sible without the other

.

It

.

Is

O ne is impos

the most dif

fi cu lt

as well as the most grateful task and it is the only way to reach perfection ,

.

B REAT

H

WH I RLI NG

AND

C U RRENT S

Even if the pupil unconsciously

35

hould

S

’

produce a flawless tone it is the teacher s ,

duty to acquaint him clearly with the Of it

It is not enough

.

also know how

to

sing well ;

does it

on e

cau ses

on e

must

The teacher

.

must tell the pupil constantly making him ,

describ e clearly his sensations in singing

,

and understand fully the physiological fac tors that

to produce them

coOperat e

.

The sensations in singing must coincide with mine as here described if they are to ,

be considered as correct ; logically

.

are based

physiological causes and corre

precisely with the Operation

spon d

causes

on

for mine

M oreover

,

Of

these

all my pupils tell me

Often to be sure not till many months h ave ,

,

passed

how exact my explanations are ;

how accurately

,

on

they have learned processes

.

the strength Of them to

feel the physiological

They have learned slowly to be

sure to become conscious ,

,

of

,

their errors

false impressions ; for it is very diffit “

,

an d

to

ascertain such mistakes and false adjust

H OW TO

36

ments

of

the organs

SI NG

Fal se

.

s

ensations in

singing and disregarded or false ideas Of physi ological processes cannot immediately be stamped

ou

t

A

.

long time is needed

fo r

the

min d to be able to form a clear image Of those processes and not t ill then can knowledge and ,

improvement be expected

The teacher must

.

repeatedly explain the physiological processes

,

the pupil repeatedly disclose every confusion an d

uncertainty he feels

,

until the perfect

consciousness Of his sensations in singing is irrevocably impressed upon his memory that ,

is has b ecome a habit Am ong a hundred singers hardly .

,

can

one

b e found whose single tones meet every ment

r u i e q

.

An d

re

among a thousand listen

ers even among teachers

an d

among artists

,

hardly one hears it I admit that such perfect tones sometimes

,

,

,

.

generally quite unconsciously are heard from ,

young ners,

The

ingers

S

,

and especially from b egin

and never fail to make an impression teacher hears that they are good so .

,

B REAT H AND

does the public

WH I RLI NG

C URRENT S

why,

Only a ve ry few know

.

37

even among singers because only a very few ,

know the laws governing perfect tone duction

Their talent

.

,

their

ro p

perchance

car

,

tell them the truth ; b ut the causes they neither know

n or

look

O n such

managers t akenly

,

“

f or

.

unconscious singing

and even conductors

their greatest hopes

what is lacking

or

,

directors b uild mi s

,

NO

.

one

hears

what will soon b e lacking

and all are surprised when ers protest against it

,

,

xperienced Sing

e

.

They b ecome enthusiasti c

,

properly

over

,

b eautiful voic es but pursue quite the wrong ,

path in training them

for

greater tasks

As

.

soon as such persons are ob tained they

are

,

immediately b undled into hardly time to learn

all rOles

o ne

rOle

;

they have

b y heart

,

to

say nothing Of comprehending it and work ing it up artistically i mmedi ately

But

.

The stars must shi ne

with

what

resources ?

With the fresh voice alone ? Who is there ’

to

teach them

to

u se

their resources

on

the

HOW TO

38

SI NG

stage ? Who to husband them for the future ? The manager ? the director ? Not at all When the day comes that they can no longer .

perform what not they themselves but the Of

directors expected to

one

them

,

they are put

side and if they do not possess great ,

energy and strength Often entirely succumb ,

.

They could not meet the demands made upon them because they did ,

their resources

know how to use

n ot

.

I shall be told that tones well sung even ,

unconsciously are enough ,

true

But that is

.

The least un favorable

.

overexertion

indisposition

,

,

ou

,

s

cious

badly rance

One s light ’

,

t

the

“

at least make it

u n con

fli cker

Of any self help when there is igno

.

,

all the fundamentals there can be

of

no

,

.

Any

help is grasped at

Then

ap

called (but false) individual under whose mask so much that is bad

pears the ity

,

-

question ”

,

or

circumstance

an unaccustomed

situation anything can blow ”

n ot

-

so

presents itself to art and before the public This is not remarkable in V iew Of the ,

co

m

.

B REAT

H

AND

W HI RLI NG C U RRENTS

Of the phenomena Of song

l x i t e y p

.

39

Few

teachers concern themselves with the funda mental studies ; they Often do

sing at

n ot

all

themselves or they sing quite wrongly ; and ,

co nsequently can neither describe the vocal sensations

n or

test them in others

alone is Of no value whatever

.

.

Theory With Old

singers the case is Often quite the contrary so both seize whatever help they can lay hold

Of

.

SECTI O N IV PHYS I O LOG I CAL

’

S I NG E R S

THE

UDIE S

ST

S C I E NCE has explained all the proce sses of th e vocal organs in their chief functions and ,

of

many methods

singing have b een b ased

upon physiology physics and phonetics ,

,

certain ext ent

a

s

as

To

cientific explanations are

b solutely necessary

a

.

to

the singer

as long

they are confined to the sensations in sing

ing,

foster understanding Of the phenomenon

,

and summon an intelligible picture for the hitherto unexplained voice sensati ons -

the “

full

,

or

for

ordinarily misunderstood expressions Of ”

“

,

forward

,

bright etc

.

” ,

“

dark

” ,

“

nasa

” ,

“

singing

They are quite meanin gless

without the practical teachings O f the sensa tions O f such singers as have directed their attention t o them with a knowledge Of the end in V iew and are competent to correlate them ,

with the facts

Of

science 40

.

HO W TO

42

SI NG

This is all that physiology means for the vocal organs Sin ce these things all operate t o .

gether one without the others can accomplish ,

nothi ng ; if the least is lacking singing is quite ,

impossible or is entirely bad ,

.

Physiology is concerned also with muscles nerves

,

sinews ligaments ,

,

and cartilage

,

,

all

Of which are used in singing but all Of which ,

we cannot feel vocal cords

.

We cannot even feel the

.

Certain ly much depends for the

singer upon their proper condition and whether as voice producers

or

breath regulators we ,

all have good reason always to spare them as much as possible and never to overburden ,

them Though we cannot feel the vocal cords we .

,

can nevertheless hear by Observing whether ,

,

the tone is even

,

in the emission

,

breath under control

,

.

O verbu

dening them through the pressure of The irritation

Of

the

whether they are per

forming their functions properly trolled breath results

Of

in

r

u n con

weakening them

.

severe coughing thoughtless ,

o r eh e ad ,

high

D i d dl e ran

ce,

g

lo w ra n

e

g

s

s

.

e

.

R ed

li n d es

t

en o e

the

c

reso n an e

.

PHYSIO LOGI CAL

THE S I NG ER S ’

talki ng

or

ST UD I ES

45

shouting immediately after singing of

may also set up serious congestion

the vocal

cords which can be remedied only through ,

slow gymnastics

the tongue and laryngeal

of

mu scles by the pronunciation Of vowels in ,

conjunction

with

consonants

Inactivity O f

.

the vocal organs will not cure it till after the lapse Of

n ot

ears y

,

perhaps

or

See exercise (

.

d o a e o h y , y , y , y , '

A

good singer can

tal agitation

or

n ever

lose his voice

or

,

who

M en

severe colds can for a time

deprive the singer Of the use gan s

.

of

seriously impair them

have b een singing

his vocal

or

Only those

.

wi thout

consciously

correct use Of their organs can become dis heartened over it ; those who know better will with more ,

or

less difficu lty cure them ,

selves and by the use ,

of

vocal gymnastics

bring their vocal organs into condition again F or

this reason

hould seek

S

of

their

own

to

if

,

no other

,

singers

acquire ac curate knowledge

organs as well as Of their func ,

tions that they may ,

for

.

not

let themselves b e

HO W TO

46

burnt

cut

,

physicians

,

.

SI NG

and cauterized by unscrupulous Leave

the larynx and all con

with it alone ; strengthen the organs

n ect ed

by daily vocal gymnasti cs and a healthy mode

sober

Of

life ; beware

Of

,

catching cold

after singing; do not sit and talk in restan rants .

Students O f singing Should use the early morning hours and fill their days with the ,

various branches day only c an

SO

Of

their study

.

Sing every

much that on the next day you ,

pra ctise again feeling fresh and ready for ,

work as

study requires Better one hour every day than ten to— day and none regu

,

to morrow

lar

.

-

.

The public singer shou l d also do his pra e ti sing

early in the day that he may have ,

himself well in hand by evening on e

,

.

H ow

feels indisposed in the morning

Often

"

Any

physical reason is sufficient to make singing difficult

,

or

even impossible ; it need not be

connected ne cessarily with the vo cal organs ; in fact I believe it very rarely is For thi s ,

.

P H YSIO LOGI CAL

THE SI NG ER S ’

reason

ST U D I ES

47

in two hou rs everything may have

,

changed I remember a .

York

Niemann ,

Albert

.

harming incident in New

c

who was to sing

heroic tenor

,

in the evening

,

ou r

Lohen gri n

complained to me in the morning of severe hoarseness

give up a

TO

.

rOle

in

America

costs the singer as well as the director much ,

,

money

M y advice was to wait

.

Ni emann

What do

.

u o y

do ,

.

then when ,

o u y

are hoarse ? I

Oh I practise and see whether it still

.

,

troubles me

.

Ni em

Indeed ; and what do Long slow scales

o u y

.

I

.

,

Ni em

.

I

try it

.

Even

if

you are hoarse ?

Yes ; if I want to sing

.

practise

,

have

or

t o,

I

.

Ni em

.

Well

The great

,

what are they

scale,

the i nf alli ble

Show me

.

cu re

.

I showed them t o him ; he sang them with words Of abuse in the meantime ; but grad ,

H OW

48

T O SI NG

his hoarseness grew better

u ally

H e did

.

not send word Of his inability to appear in the evening but sang and b etter than ever ,

,

with enormous success

,

.

I myself had to sing Norma in

Vienna

some

years ago and got up in the morning quite ,

hoarse

By nine O clock I tried my infallible ’

.

remedy

but could not sing above

,

A

flat

,

though in the evening I should have to reach high D flat and E flat

.

I was

the point

on

Of giving up because the case seemed to me ,

so desperate

Nevertheless ,

.

I practised till

’

eleven O clock half an hour at a time and ,

noticed that I

,

was

gradually getting better

.

I n the evening I had my D flat and E flat at

my command and was in brilliant form

P

.

eo

ple said they had seldom heard me sing so well

.

,

I could give numberless instances all going ,

to Show that you never can tell early in the day how you are going to feel in the evening I much prefer for instance ,

,

n ot

to feel

SO

.

very

well early in the day because it may easily ,

happen that the opposite may be the case

SECTI O N E Q U A LI Z I N G

TH E

V

V O I CE

.

F O RM

IN

the lowest range O f female and male voices with the latter it occurs in nearly the entire c ompass O f the voice

the passage to

the resonance Of the head cavities is well nigh -

cut

O ff,

the pillars

Of

the fauces being stretched

over the pharynx and drawn back to the wall Of the throat

,

thus confining tonal sound

almost exclusively to palatal and chest res on an ce

.

The larynx is to be thought Of as

being placed flexibly against the palate tension between

6, d ,

00

.

The

is very little rather ,

horizontal than perpendi cular ; the vocal cords are tensed but little

.

The covering for the

tone created by the 00 is felt in velvet like softness at the nose and while singing like a -

,

,

b ig arch e xtending along the palate towards the b ack

.

It is united to all other vowels and 50

Q

E UALI

Z I NG

organs by means

Of

THE

VOI CE

y

,

Of

all ranges

the gramophone reproductions Of

51

Thi s we call the chest

.

voice the most powerful tinctly

FO RM

.

ou y

,

.

From ( can dis

hear how much more sonorous the voices

men who sing exclusively with chest voice

sound than those Of the female whose chest ,

,

notes are the exception ) By raising the soft palate behind the nose .

sensation is like a mild elastic cold in the nose ) ( raising the back of the tongue placing the

,

,

larynx closer by means Of a and by tensing ,

O cords by means of e upward and 00 downward the pillars Of the fauces are drawn together thus freeing a passage for the breath or tone toward the head cavities the resonance of which it n ow puts to good account This is the head tone the highest range Of all voices the falsetto the thinnest range whose characteristic quality however is the great est degree O f carrying power Between these two extreme functions Of the vocal organs the deepest chest and the high est purest head voice O r falsetto lie all grades the

v cal

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

HO W TO

52

SI NG

Of the lower and higher middle range as well ,

as the mixed chest and head voice the ,

mixte

” ,

voix

eve rything which may be secured

through the adjustment Of the muscles of the vocal organs that is through the fit adjust ,

,

'

ment Of the vocal organs in vowel mixin g

.

See plates ( ) The palatal sensation which is here indi .

by black lines is naturally only a sen

cat ed

sation

.

It is accounted for in the tension Of

another muscle that begins above the palate

,

divides in two parts and extends along and ,

down the back Of the throat

.

It is a stretch

ing muscle which as soon as the pillars Of the ,

fauces are raised puts in its appearance and ,

creates the sensation as if the pillars Of the fauces extended in a wide curve directly from the nose down to the diaphragm

.

As

a matter

Of fact the pillars Of the fauces draw more and more together toward the top the higher we ascend with the tones

.

increases through this wards .

The sensation though ,

cou nt ert ensi on

down

,

Red

li d ne

t

e n o e s s e n sa

ti

on

f or t h e p r o

p g ti a

a

on

f o rm

.

E

QUALI Z I NG

THE

V OI C E

.

F O RM

59

Though as I have said in the foregoing the ,

,

passage to the head cavities is almost cut

O ff

b y the stretching O f the

pillars Of the fauces over

A

Y

E “

the throat yet a branch ,

stream Of breath however small must penetrate ,

,

b ehind and above the pillars with ,

6 through

the

nose and later to the forehead and head cavities ,

.

This creates overtones (head tones) which must vibrate in all tones even in the lowest These .

,

overtones lead from the purest chest tones slowly ,

,

wi th a const antly changing mixture

Of b oth kinds Of resonance first to ,

the high tones Of bass and baritone

,

the low tones Of tenor the middle ,

tones Of alto and soprano finally ,

t o the purest

head tones the highest tones Of the

tenor (falsetto)

,

,

or

soprano

.

(See the plates ) .

H O W TO

60

SI NG

The ext remely delic ate gradation scale

of

the

increase Of the resonan ce Of the head

Of

cavities in ascending passages and of increase ,

Of palatal resonance in descending depends ,

upon the skill to make palate tongue and ,

,

larynx act elastically and to let the breath ,

under control

Of

,

the abdominal and chest press

ure flow uninterruptedly in a gentle stream ,

into the closely conne cted resonating cham bers

.

T hrough

the larynx

an d

the previous preparation

of

tongue it must reach its reso ,

nating surfaces as though passing through a cylinder and must circulate ,

vi ou sly

in

the form pre

prepared for it proper for ea ch tone ,

and vowel sound gently but firmly

.

.

This form surrounds it The supply Of air remains

continuously the same rather i n creasi ng than di mi ni shi ng notwithstanding the fact that ,

,

the quantity which the abdominal pressure has furnished the vocal cords from the supply chamber is a very small one That it may not .

hinder further progression the form must remain elastic and sensitive to the most delicate ,

E

QUALI Z I NG

modification

TH E

V OI C E

FO RM

.

the vowel sound

of

61

If the tone

.

is to have life it must always be able to con form t o any vowel sound The least dis ,

.

placement

Of

the form or interruption Of the

breath breaks up the whirling currents and vibrations and consequently affects the tone ,

its vibrancy its strength and its duration ,

,

,

.

In singing a continuous passage upward the form becomes higher by means pliant by means Of

00

;

of

e and more

the most pliable place

See Plate A ( ) When I sing a single tone I can give it much

on

the palate is drawn upward

more power

,

.

.

mu ch more palatal

,

chest

,

or

nasal resonance than I could give in a series ,

Of ascending tones mu st I

attach

the lowest n ote i n

easi ly reach

can

fore give ,

In a musical figure I

.

it

the hi ghest

.

su ch a

way that

I must there ,

much more head tone than the

ingle tone requires (Very important ) When advancing farther I have the feeling on the

S

.

.

,

palate above and behind the nose toward the ,

cavities

,

of

the head

,

Of

a strong but very

elastic rubber b all which I fill like a balloon ,

HOW TO

62

SI NG

with my b reath streaming up far back Of it An d this fi lling keeps on in even measure That is

the bran ch stream Of the breath

,

.

.

,

which flows toward resonances Of the head cavities must be free to flow from the mouth ,

See Plate B ( ) I can increase the size Of this ball above

without hindrance

.

.

,

to a pear shape as soon as I think Of sin ging ,

higher ; and indeed I heighten the form by ,

,

making it supple before I just sung placing it ,

,

to

SC

from the tone

n O o g

speak higher and ,

,

keep in thi s way the form that is the ,

agati o n

form

” ,

,

“

prop

ready for the next higher tone

,

whi ch I can now rea ch easily as long as no inter ruption in the stream Of breath against the mucous membrane can take place reason the breath must

n ever

be

.

For this

held back,

but

must always b e emitted in a more and more powerful stream The higher the tone the .

,

more numerous are the rapidly the whirling the more

on e

ular tone

or

v

ibrations the more ,

urrents

c

has the sensation

Of

c

breath form

.

irculate , and a

n i r e e d c p p

Catarrh Often dries

EQ UALI Z I N G THE

V OI C E

FO RM

63

up the mucous membrane ; then the tones are inclined to break

O ff

At

.

su ch times

on e

must

ing with pe cu liar circumspe ction and with an

S

,

especially powerfu l stream

Of

breath behind the

tone "it is better to take breath frequently In a descending scale or figure I must

on

,

.

the

contrary preserve very carefully the form taken ,

for the highest tone must think it higher ,

u

nder no circumstances

lower

,

,

but must

apparently keep the same height and imagine that I am striking the same tone again

The

.

form may gradually be a little modified at the upper end ; that is the soft palate is lowered ,

the nose " k eeping

very carefu lly toward

almost always to the form employed highest tone sing the figure ,

the nose with the help ,

auxiliary vowel

00

Of

to

fo r

the

its end toward

the vowel

,

00

.

This

means nothing more than

that the larynx is slowly lowered in position

,

whi ch act must be renewed at every change Of tone

or

letter

.

When this happens

head cavities

is

,

the resonance Of the

diminished that Of the palate ,

HO W TO

64

SI NG

and little by little that Of the chest increased ; for the soft palate sinks and the pillars ,

Of

the

fauces are inflated more and more Yet the head tone must not be entirely free from .

palatal resonance

.

B oth

remain to the last

breath united mutually supporting each other in ,

ascending and descending passages and alter ,

n at ely

but inaudibly in creasing and diminishing

.

These things go to make up the form The raising and lowering Of the soft palate

,

and the corresponding lowering and raising Of the pillars T he

rests

Of

the fauces

proper position

on

of

.

the tongue "the tip

the lower front teeth

low as the roots

of

the teeth

mine even as

.

The back Of the tongue must stand high and free from the throat ready for ,

ment

move y

an

mu st be f ormed i n the

f which is least prominent in the lowest tones .

A

u rrow

tongu

e, ,

and in direct head tones may even completely disappear

.

As

soon as the tone demands the

palatal resonance the furrow must be made prominent and kept so In my case it can ,

.

HO W TO

66

SI NG

at pleasure having thus perfect mastery over ,

them

this incessant practice is required

F or

.

,

increasing control Of the b reath through the sense Of hearing and the breath pressure

first a very strong will power is needed

At to

.

hold the muscles tense without pressure ;

that is

,

let the tone

to

,

through the throat mouth ,

as it were cavities

or

,

soar

,

the

of

head The stronger the improper pressure in the .

production

of

the tone the more difficult it ,

Of

is to get rid other words

,

The result is

.

a strain

.

simply in ,

The contraction Of

the muscles must go only so far that they can be slowly relaxed ; that is can return ,

their normal position

easi ly

.

Never must the

neck be swelled up or the veins in it stand ,

Every

con vu

lsi ve

or

a i n u p

f

to

l feeli ng i s wrong

.

ou

t

.

Re

d li

ne

d

t

e no e s se n s a

ti

o n of

t h e f o rm i n s lo

wp

r o ge s s i on o f

to n

es .

SECTI O N THE

VI

ATTA C K A ND TH E V O

ear perceives sounds

O UR

.

WE LS

A

single tone

as ordinarily held in the conception O f singer and listener does not really exist

.

TO

the

musician each separate tone holds component parts that give height strength and depth ,

,

As soon

.

as the singer realizes this very important

point he will comprehend the difficulties O f the ,

vocal art and will learn to overcome them TH E

.

ATTA C K

In the attack the breath must b e directed to a focal point the tone height

on

-

.

the palate which lies u nder

An d

n ow,

unitn

with it

strength and depth it is made t o resonate in this ,

strongly concentrated space formed relative position Of the vocal organs To

by

the

.

this end are necessary a knowledge 69

H O W TO

70

SI NG

Of all vowel functions and a well trained -

,

ear

sensitive to all perfect vowels used in singing ; no t

those that have become habit through

the uncontrolled speech

Of

the untrained but

Of

those which the noble art

song demands

.

Often great misunderstandings if not indeed ,

,

,

ill effects are brought about when teachers in ,

the begin ni ng

their instruction demand Of

Of

their pupils pure sounding vowels for pure '

,

vowels in the strict sense Of tonal art cannot unless the pupil is unusually favored produced at all

be

.

The pure singing or tone vowel is pure in the ordinary sense Of the word

n ot

O n the

“

contrary because

of

,

at all

.

the tone form necessary it

is rather complicated

,

.

It even becomes more

complicated through the different tone color ings which it is compelled to adopt according to register pitch interval syllable and word ,

,

,

,

combination usage Of speech or tonal art ,

,

is possible to sing twenty different ’

00 s

which in their

own

6,

a

,

‘

.

ah,

It 6,

nature already mixed ,

sound pure and intelligible in the word

.

,

The

TH E ATTACK AND TH E

VOW ELS

71

vocal organs must adjust themselves simul to the speech usage and art

taneou sly to

aid

d egree

on e

of

song

in striving towards the highest

Of beauty and ability

.

The teacher must while the pupil s sing

,

,

b egin to explain the tone form how the vowel -

,

is really made with the aid O f other vowels ; and draw their attention to the

co Operati on O f

the different vowels on each tone while they are vocalizing

.

They must learn to unite

vowel with another by the aid vowel

y

.

Of

on e

the semi

Then they must be taught

to

com

bine two and three and gradually be made enunciate them artistically

A

.

perfect tone

can only b e made by the skilful blending several vowels ; and

on

to

of

the other hand well

sounding vowels Of carrying quality can only be created in a perfect tone

In the

.

tion Of the complicated process eral vowel forms to make

on e

Of

recogni

uniting sev

lies the secret

Of

the true attack the foundation pile and con ,

cepti on of

If

one

whi ch we are now ready

to

consider

.

has tabulated the vowels for the

H O W TO

72

physiological processes

SI N G of

the vocal organs

and accustomed oneself to think in these vowels musically it is not difficult to set the ,

correct form for the attack provided ,

on e

has

through practice fu lly mastered the work O f each separate vowel Above

ou

t

the

called pure vowel

-

so

since it is the root Of all evil

ah

eliminate tone

all strike

.

.

frOm

the memory that it is a single

Even though the vowel

combinations sounds like standing

in

and also

ah,

ah

in various

it has

n ot with

,

its fundamental feature Of vowel

blending necessary to its tone form nothing ,

in common with the accustomed vowel as it is ordinarily spoken for the vowel

ah

and

O ur musical table

.

for

ah

the attack presents

itself as follows Vowel

e

tone height tone carrier head voice

a

strength

-

,

,

,

b rightness

mi ning vowel

,

place deter

,

note line upon

which the tone soars = o o

.

tone depth flexibility covering eu -

,

,

,

phony chest resonance ,

.

.

H O W TO

74

SI NG

palate draws upward toward the nose and the vowel form remains prepared for ea ch succeed ing vowel

.

It is best to imagine the

y

hinge formed with tongue and palate binds all letters with

another

on e

the back by the union a flexible

of

the nose by means

O penI ng

Of e

the chin by means O f 00

.

It

.

Shut in

palate and back

Of

tongue and also the pillars allows

.

as a

Of

Of

the fauces it ,

upward toward

and downward toward The

e and

00,

though

,

are fastened to the hinge as if by rubb er bands The ordinary .

as practically pronounced

ah,

by every layman

and so Often demanded

,

by many teachers

Of

their pupils

is an

,

absurdity as the tongue is usually pressed ,

'

down

not only by false habit but Often

m

a

2

y 7 77

pressed down artificially with

”

i n s t r uments

This leads to flat ordinary defective singing if not Often to the ruin O f the voice itself ,

e

.

g, .

,

begin to pronounce from

y

.

.

,

,

VO WELS

THE ATTAC K AND TH E

In pronouncing the vowel and muscles into activity pillars

Of

Of

all the tendons

the nose and cheeks are drawn The nostrils and

.

75

the fauces distend

with

them the

.

i h a we place the larynx closer under the t W L

nose and connect both vowels so that when we say a we mix it with 5

e

and when we

we mix it energetically with a

say

.

The a position is the first and chief action for

the attack for all singing and pronunciation

and must under all conditions rower or

Or

wider darker ,

entirely toned down

or

whether nar

brighter stronger ,

b e always retained

because through this position only the breath finds its attack

the hard palate

on

.

The a

gives the tone concentrated strength ; it opens the epiglottis pupils

,

.

It frequently happens that

even singers

,

do not set the larynx

in place at all ; the tone lacks strength and energy and wavers to and fro port

.

Such

a

without

sup

fault can only be remedied if

the pupil or singer energetically sets a before every tone or letter in doing which he must ,

HO W T O SI NG

76

have the sensation

Of

pushing the larynx

dire ctly under the nose into the chin Af ter h aving

secured the first position set

ting the larynx with a we with ,

dwelling

,

ou r

thoughts

place the broad ba ck Of the

e,

on

.

flexible tongue against the entire palate whi ch sinks toward it

The nose dilates still wider

.

and we reach

as if drawn by rubber bands

the e whi ch vibrates above the nose by which ,

action the larynx fixes itself still closer all pressure

Of

the tongue

.

Avoid

From this second

position we pass to the third as soon as we have assured ourselves thoughts

on

00

the

of

y

hinge

.

With our

we then draw back quickly

the point Of the tongue from under the lower teeth and let everything that lies under the tongue drop flexibly and with 00

.

pronounce

n ow,

the lips pushed forward the vowel By means Of y it remains j oined to e ,

,

and cannot and must

n ot

be lost in any vowel

.

Through this tongue and larynx action the soft palate has separated itself from the back

of

the

tongue leans toward the nose and so covers ,

,

TH E ATTAC K AND THE

the tone theless

Of

But the back

.

lies in the

as possible

V O WELS

77

the tongue never

position as high and supple y

By means Of the tongue thus

.

raised the closely but flexibly held larynx ,

,

and the free and slightly covered nose the two ,

bright vowels partially remain and combine ,

with them the dark vowel thus making a ,

complete singing tone

that is the requisite ,

triple vowel sound which sounds like -

-

ah

but

’

which isn t it in the usual comprehension I n the gently concentrated

a

and

e

.

form a

minute space between the fore part Of the tongue and the palate is created by the above mentioned change which space gives place to ,

the tone that is now mixed with chest resonance By setting the larynx low

,

or

better by making

it supple the chest resonance is introduced ,

By

means

Of

the

.

.

form which is closed toward y -

,

the back Of the mouth the tone is kept forwar d ; ,

and this kind

singing

Of

there is only

on e

really good kind which varies in each indi ,

vidual according to the size Of the voice and the skill

is called singing toward the front

.

H OW TO

78

SI NG

The sensation created by the relative posi tion Of the triple vowel sound stret ches from -

-

the nose over the palate over the back and root ,

Of tongue larynx chest ribs down to the dia m h r The higher we wish to sing the a g p ,

,

,

,

.

,

more positive and elastic we have to regard — the d line as the centre Of each tone and attack

.

The higher and more flexibly the nose and tongue function with e and a operates so much ,

deeper down to the diaphragm the tension with in

“'

e

larly n ot

extends which then seems to ring out

00

and beyond it as if it were a ,

stretched string

.

C ramp

n r e i e d cu p p

or pressure is

allowable but a very strong energy is ,

necessary to preserve the muscular tension in spite O f its firmness elastic well ,

balanced

,

and still keep united the various

muscles put in play With the vowel

.

ah

we must especially see

that the tongue accustomed to wrong usage ,

under no condition returns to its but that it is always directed by position

.

Old

y

,

position

to its true

If in the beginning the vowel

ah

THE ATTAC K AND THE

V O WELS

79

created on the triple vowel basis sounds at -

times more like a or

e

or

00,

we must not

be

come disconcerted for through conscious pra e ,

tice the tongue will notwithstanding b ecome ,

,

accustomed to its work road to perfection

.

If the diffi culties up Of

Old

There is no other

.

Of

the

ah

lie in the giving

habits and in the readjustment

on

the triple vowel basis then the a vowel brings -

,

others with it ing

Of

.

As

I have said before in speak

the attack in order to make the vowel ,

sound a the larynx is with energy brought ,

in closer relation with the

n

ose

By raising

.

the nostrils a preparation is made

.

The sen

sation is then as if the larynx were under the nose in the chin

.

If we then sing a

en ergeti

cally we soon become conscious Of an inherent strength which is created partially by the energetic opening Of the epiglottis in the nu n ci at i on

r O p

Of a and partially by the position

Of the larynx which makes possible the attack Of the breath

on

the hard palate

This

a

strength must be inherent in every tone indeed ,

H OW TO

80

in every letter

.

S I NG

Wisely to use it , to distribute

it apply it flexibly ,

to overstrain it in the

n ot

,

o nor lose it in the a n o is an art m i f p in itself and moreover a great part Of the art Of

orti ssi

singing

.

For me it is the note line on which as

on

-

,

a

b alance I measure my tone po wer weighing ,

it as if

,

on

downward

.

a scale balancing it upward and ,

It is the kernel

Of

every tone

the binding medium between strong and weak It is a power that we must continually

,

.

econ o

mize and yet again lavishly but wisely ex pend SO

.

many singers are “

,

fo r

this reas on

,

n ot

”

to outline a composition ( by accenting cert ain notes) because they let able to

markieren

go Of this elastic but energetic strength Of the ”

(t

position and have nothing left but a dis

-

united e which su ffi ces for the loose head tones Of

the higher range but is inadequate when the

singer wishes to TO

sing mez z a

“

markieren

voce

”

in a lower range

.

does not mean to destroy

the relative position Of the vocal organs

,

n or

H OW TO

86

SI NG

colorless without the help Of it

.

Both vowels are

closely united and are dependent e receives

on

each other

strengt h from a ; a lightness and tone

height from

Think them united as if with

6

.

a rubber band

In continual change closely

.

,

united they meet first at one and then at

an

,

other end O f their course be sung

.

or

spoken alone

tion and the a

fo r

,

hollow and weak

Neither

.

must

oo

It retains the

.

”

(t

ever

posi

-

without it it would sound

Generally it needs in addition

.

the help of e which opens the much covered nose ,

We have

n ow

sufficient proof that

on e

.

vowel

can never b e sung alone as tonal perfection ,

and the art

of

song make other demands

.

Not

until all vowel positions have b ecome hab it the quickly acting memory and dare we speak

of

we able to rely

to

the muscles

to

,

technical artistic skill and are

on ou r

knowledge

.

Then only

can we speak Of a musically trained car when all ,

V OWELS

THE ATTAC K AND THE

the demands that art has a right b ecome clear

exact have

to

This is n ot all in addition to the

.

mixing Of vowels we must think of enunciating ,

them which is Of the greatest importance t o the ,

word which is to b e pronounced and ,

thi nk Of the necessary tone color and letter

o

is uncomf ortable in asmuch ,

is easily tempted to exaggerate the

sary enlargement Of the form

‘

.

helping vowels like

than with other letters

as

n eces

We must hold

the enlarged form round and cut all

each word

.

The vowel one

f or

only

n ot

O ff

and make

still more flexible

e, a , 00 .

I n order to comprehend all Of thi s , we must at

first exaggerate everything also the vowel color -

,

ing

.

But as soon as we led by good teachers ,

come sure Of

ou r c ar

b e ,

and judgment we b egin to ,

see how the smallest nuances change the tone and how

fine the effect is

.

The more delicately they

are applied in the various degrees Of strength the ,

richer the color the nobler and more vital they ,

will be able to harmonize tone word and senti ,

,

ment which the sou l of the artist desires express .

to

SECTI O N NA SA L

NA SA L

.

TH E N O S E

.

S I NG I N G

TO W A RD

S I NG I N G

.

C O V E R I N G TH E TO N E

TE R DA N S LE MA S Q U E

BY

VII

C HA N

.

NA SA L TW A N G

.

raising the back Of the tongue toward the

soft palate and lowering the soft palate toward the tongue we produ ce a nasal sound such as ,

,

is heard in the pronunciation Of the word “

hanger

”

fo r

instance

The air is then chiefly

.

expelled through the nose as the fore part Of ,

the mouth is cut

O ff

from the throat by

The nasal sound can be exaggerated thi ng that very rarely happens ; neglected pens a

.

it

y

.

some

can be

much

something that very Often hap

Certain it is that it is not nearly enough

vailed Of The Germans have only small opportu nity .

to make the acquaintance

Of

the nasal sound ;

they know it in only a few words " Engel

”

“

88

,

H O W TO

90

TO

SI NG

’

fix the pupil s attention on the nasal tone

and the elasticity Of the palate he shou l d Often ,

b e given exercises with French words

.

toward the nose (n ot to b e “ ” confounded with nasal twang which is pro Singing nasal

or

,

du ced

by a high larynx and by pinching the

tongue utilized

a) cannot be enough studied and

on

.

O n account Of its tonal effect its ,

noble timbre it should be amply employed ,

on

all kinds Of voices

connection

Of

.

By it is effected the

tones with each other from the ,

lowest chest

to the highest head voice ; all -

the beauty Of the cantilena lies in the con scious application

Of

it

This is all that singers

.

mean when they speak Of

“

nasal singing

really only singing toward the nose

”

Palate

.

and b ack Of tongue laid one toward the other ,

,

create a covering for the tone which is called “

covering the tone

dan s le masqu

How

”

;

in French

“ ,

chan ter

e

.

little the teachers speak O f it is shown

by the fact that many singers are quite igno

rant

Of

what nasal singing means and when by

R ed

li n

es

d

t

en o e

mo vemen t

of

t he

o

l tone

n as a

t ngu

.

e an d

p l t

a a e

fo r t h e

H O W TO

94

S I NG

Blind voices are caused by the exaggerated ‘

practice Of the

nasal singing

”

which the

singers concerned do not sufficiently diminish in the head voice drawing the pillars ,

fauces

the

far toward the wall Of the throat

t oo

and so closing cavities

of

O ff

the passage toward the head

.

M any singers persist in the b ad habit here

described as long as nature can endure it ; ,

in the course Of time however even with the ,

,

most powerful physiques they will begin to ,

S

ing noticeably flat ; in the case Of the less

powerfu l

,

the fatal tremolo will make its

appearance which results in the ,

many singers

ru

in Of so

.

H ow Often have I heard young singers say

,

I no longer have the power to respond to the demands made upon me

” ,

whereas the trouble

lies only in the insufficient use Of the resonance Of the head cavities

.

It should never be for

gotten that as the posture O f the voice changes the position same

.

Of

,

the organs cannot remain the

SECTI O N

VI I I

TH E H EA D V O I C E

TH E

head tone signifies

fo r

,

all voices from ,

the deepest b ass to the highest soprano

,

leaving out Of question the fact that it furnishes the overtones vocal gamut brancy

is an

freshness

,

fo r

each single tone Of the whole

youth

,

old

voice

A

.

.

voice without vi

The magic Of youth

,

is given by the overtones that

sound with every tone ness Of the voice

.

a and

Height ,

youth fresh ,

e .

to utilize the head voice (resonance O f the head cavities) that every tone shall be SO

able

carry

to

”

and shall remain high enough

to reach higher tones easily is a difficult art ,

without which

,

however

,

the singer cannot

,

reckon upon the durability Of

hi s

voice

.

Often

employed unconsciously it is lost through heed ,

lessness mistaken method ,

95

,

or

ignorance ; and

H OW TO

96

SI NG

it can hardly ever be regained or if at all

,

o nly through the greatest sacrifice Of time

,

,

,

trouble and patience ,

head voice (the third register) account O f the thinness that it has by

The is

,

.

re u p

on

nature the neglected step child Of almost all -

,

ingers

s

male and female ; its step parents -

,

in the worst significance Of the word

are

,

most singing teachers male and female ,

,

.

It

is produced by the complete lowering Of the pillars Of the fauces while the softest point ,

Of the

alate p

behind the nose

up very high

,

seemingly

head ; in

the

thinking

above the head

e

The back

,

the

almost into

highest position

Of

is thrown

,

still higher

,

.

the tongue stands high but ,

is formed into a furrow in order that the ,

mass Of the tongue may not be in the way either in the throat

or

in the mouth

.

,

In

the very highest falsetto and head t On es the furrow is pretty well filled

ou

t,

and then

no more breath at all reaches the p alatal and chest resonance

.

H O W TO

98

SI NG

the words) than in the brilliant fireworks Of former times ing

Of

a composition especially ,

Of

.

The head voice too must not be regarded as ,

,

a definite register heard alone or

Of

its own

I mean disconnected with chest

palatal resonance

ceding tones

If it is suddenly

.

after forcing the pre

the higher mid dle range it is

Of

,

Of course noticeably thin and stands

ou

t

to its

disadvantage like any sharply defined regis ter) from the middle tones mation Of the voice or

no

I

.

register

n

the for

should exist

be created ; the voi ce must be made even

throughout its entire range .

.

I do not mean

by this that I should sing neither tones

with head tones

n or

.

with

chest

O n the contrary

,

the practised artist Should have at his com mand all manner

Of

different means

Of

ex

pression that he may be able to use his single ,

tones

,

according to the expression required

with widely diverse qualities Of resonance This too must be ,

,

c

ared for in his studies

,

.

.

But these studies because they must fit each ,

individual case

,

according to the genius

or

R ed

li n d es

t

en o e v o

c l a

s en s a

ti

o ns o f so

p

ra no an d

t

i g

en o r S n

ers .

THE

H EAD V OI C E

1 03

talent O f the individual can be imparted and ,

directed only by a good teacher

.

The head voice when its value is properly ,

appreciated is the most valuable possession ,

Of all singers n ot

male and female

,

.

It should

b e treated as a Cinderella or as a last ,

resort

as is Often done too late

,

without results

,

and so

,

because too much time is

needed to regain it when once lost ,

,

— but

should be cherished and cultivated as a guar dian angel and guide like no other ,

ou

t

With

.

its aid all voices lack brilliancy and carry

ing power ; they are like a head without a b rain

.

O nly b y constantly summoning it to

the aid Of all other registers is the singer able to

keep his voice fresh and youthful

.

O nly

by a careful application Of it do we gain that

power

of

endurance which enables us to meet

the most fatiguing demands

.

By it alone can

we effect a complete equalization Of the whole compass Of all voices and extend that compass ,

This is the great secret who keep their voices

of

.

those singers

oun till the reach g y y

H OW TO

1 04

S I NG

an advanced age Without it all vorces Of whi ch great exertions are demanded infallibly .

meet disaster

.

Therefore the motto must be ,

always pra cti ce and again practice to keep ,

,

,

,

one s power uninjured ; practice brings fresh ’

ness to the voice

strengthens the mus cles

,

,

and is for the singer far more interesting ,

,

than any musical composition

.

If in my explanations I frequently repeat myself

it is done

,

n ot

deliberately because

of

,

unintentionally

the difficulty Of the

subj ect as well as Of the ,

negligence

,

but

su

r fi i i l t e c a p y

and

many singers who after once

o f so

,

hastily glancing through such a treatise

if

,

they consider it worth their while at all to inform themselves

on

the subj ect

they have done enough with it O ne

must read

st antly

c

think

,

.

ontinually

,

study

con

by one s self to gain even a faint ’

,

idea Of the difficulty Of the art

Of

singing Of

managing the voice and even

Of

one s

,

,

’

own

’

organs and mistakes which are one s second ,

self

.

The phenomenon

Of

the voice is an

H O W TO

106

SIN G

Of the larynx Of the tongue and Of the palate ,

,

,

and finally to the sensation Of the resonan ce ,

the head cavities

of

The perfect tone results

.

from the combined operations

all these

Of

functions the sensations Of which I under ,

take to explain and the control Of which the ,

ear alone can undertake

.

This is the reason why it is to a

’

learn to hear one s self and ,

so

to

important

sing in such

way that one can do so at all times

.

Even in the greatest stress Of emotion the ,

power

of

self control must never be lost ; -

o u y

must never allow yourself to sing in a slovenly that

I s,

,

In

a heedless way ,

,

or

to

exceed your powers or even to reach their ,

extreme limit

That would be synonymous

.

with roughness

,

which should be exclud ed

from every art especially in the art Of song ,

.

The listener must gain a pleasing impres sion from every tone

,

every expre ssion

Of

the singer ; and the feeling that much more may be given if desired Strength must

n ot

.

be

confounded with

H EAD V OIC E

THE

roughness ; and the two must in hand together

1 07 n ot

go hand

Phenomenal beings may

.

perhaps be permitted to go beyond the strength Of others ; but to the others this must remain forbidden

It cannot become a regular

.

r a c p

tice and is best limited to the single phe ,

no

men on

We should otherwise soon reach

.

the point Of c rudest realism from which at ,

b est we are not far removed

.

Roughness will

never attain artistic justification not even in ,

the case cause

it

the greatest individual singers

Of

is an Offence

,

be

.

The public should witness from interpreta tive art only what is good and noble to

form its taste ; there

crude

or

on

which

hould be nothing

S

commonplace put before it which ,

it might consider itself justified in taking an example

as

.

Of the breath sensation I have already

spoken at length

.

I must add that it is Often

very desirable in singing to breathe through the nose with the mouth closed ;

although

when this is done the raising Of the palate ,

H OW TO

108

SI NG

becomes less certain as it happens somewhat ,

later than when the breath is taken with the mouth open

It has however this

.

,

,

di sadv an

tage that neither cold air nor dust is drawn into ,

the larynx and air passages doing it very Often

.

At

.

I take pleasure in

all events the singer ,

should Often avail himself Of it

.

We feel the larynx when the epiglottis Springs

up and when we pronoun ce a by whi ch we ,

can

judge whether the epiglottis springs up quickly enough and if the breath strikes the hard palate which gives the tone its strength

,

The low

.

position of the larynx can easily be secured by pronouncing the vowel n ou n ci ng

00

;

the vowels a and

thinking Of one

or

the high by ,

e .

r o p

Often merely

the other is enough to put

the larynx tongue and palate in the right rela ,

,

tion to each other

.

Whenever I sing in a high

vocal range I can plainly feel the larynx rise ,

and take a diagonal position by means O f the tongue which though only signifies a closer “

,

union a

Of

,

,

the organs one with the other and

higher position Of the back

Of

the tongue

SECTI O N I X S E N SA TI O N A ND

PO S ITI O N

OF

TH E

TO N G

UE

WE feel the placing Of its tip against or b eneath the front teeth ; I place the tip very

so that it really curves over in front

low,

.

See plate ) ( Its hinder part must be drawn back toward .

the palate

,

in the pronunciation Of every

letter Furthermore by looking in the mirror we .

,

can

see

that the sides

Of

the tongue are raised

as soon as we wish to form a furrow in it ; that is as we mu st do to produce the pala ,

tal resonance ou

t

.

n O ly in the head tone with (

the added palatal

or

the tongue no furrow ;

chest resonance it must

,

h as

however

,

lie very high since otherwise its mass when ,

it lies flat

,

,

presses against the larynx and

produces pinched or otherwise disagreeable tones ) .

PO SI TIO N

OF

TO NGUE

111

The best way is to get the mass Of the tongue

ou

in it

In high notes when the larynx must

Of

t

the way by forming the furrow ,

.

stand as closely as possible the back Of the ,

tongue also must stand very high ; but since there is a limit

this we are compelled to

to

,

make the larynx take a lower position in the assistance Of the vowel

C o rre

ao

ct

,

to

call

.

In

c

o rre

ct

The correct position Of the tongue prepar ,

at ory

to

sound

singing is gained by saying the vowel ,

aou

,

as if about to yawn

The tongue must its tip

As

.

n ot

and

z,

turn over upward with

soon as the tip has been employed

in the pronunciation t,

.

Of

the consonants

l,

n , s,

in which its service is very short and

sharp it must return to its former position ,

and keep to it

,

.

It is best to watch the movements Of the

H O W TO

1 12

SI NG

tongue in the mirror until we have formed the correct habit permanently

The more elastic

.

the tongue is in preparing the form

fo r

the

breath t o pass through the stiller will it appear ,

the stiller will it feel

to

us

.

,

It is well how ,

ever for a considerable time to watch in a ,

mirror all functions b e seen ;

Of

the organs that can the expression O f the face the position ,

Of the tongue the position Of the mouth and ,

,

the movement

Of

the lips

.

H OW TO

1 14

it as for example ,

,

n ou n ced

,

in singing

S I NG

which must be pro

n

an d

thus renewing the

nose functions three times in

on e

letter not ,

to speak Of the very delicate wavelike nuances which have to b e produced in the n sound itself -

All thi s on

is to make the letter resonant

this subj ect later

.

more

Nose and tongue func

tion should be practised first

.

.

SECT I O N XI

sensati ons

TH E

PA LATE

S E N S A TI O N S O F TH E

TH E

of

the palate are best made

clear to us by raising the softest part behind the nose

This part is situated very far back

.

Try touching it carefully with the finger is

Of

.

.

It

immeasurable importance to the singer

.

By raising it the entire resonance Of the head cavities is brought into play the head tones are produced

consequently

When it is raised

.

the surface Of the pillars Of the fauces is du

ced

in size

.

re

In its normal position it allows

the pillars to be distended and

to

close

O ff

the head cavities from the throat in order to ,

produce the chest tones ; that is to permit the ,

breath on an ce

to .

make fullest use Of the palatal res

As

soon as the soft palate is lowered

under the nose it makes a point

Of

resonance

for the middle range O f voice by permitting the ,

1 15

H OW TO

1 16

S I NG

overtones to resound at the same time in the See plate middle range ( ) Thus the palate performs the whole work

nose

.

,

so far as

c

.

oncerns the different resonances

which can be

u

must

work together i n

always

f

o

always

nited and separated by it but ,

bou nd together i n

voi ces

all

close

ton es, i n

relati on , all

highest head t wo

ki nds

.

The lowest chest tones Of the bass the

,

t On es

Of

th e

,

the

soprano are thus ,

poles between which the entire gamut

Of all voices can be formed

.

From this it

can be perceived that with a certain degree skill and

willingness

of

to work every voice will

be capable Of great extension

,

.

li

d

te mi ddl

R ed n es en o I n th e G erman

e r an

g

mes of t h e

na

e o f so

t

p

ran o ,

n o e s , it r e

p

c t lt nt b i n t h

re se

o n ra s

o , an d e

t

e n or .

li h

E ng

s

.

R ed

li n d es

t d i vi i

e no e

s on of

th i

t h e b re a

n

t he

mi ddle

r an

ge

.

Red

li n d e

t

en o es voc al se nsa

ti

on of so

p

r an o an

d

t

e n or

.

H O W TO

13 0

S I NG

In singing very high head tones I have a feeling as if they lay high above the head as if I were ,

setting them H ere , in

too

O ff Is

,

into the air

See plate ) ( the explanation Of singing .

.

The breath in all high tones

the n eck

.

,

which are much mixed with head tones

or

which use them entirely passes very far back ,

directly from the throat into the cavities

,

of

the head and thereby and through the Oblique ,

,

position Of the larynx gives rise to the sensa ,

tions just described

A

.

singer who inhales

and exhales carefu lly that is with knowledge ,

,

Of the physiological processes will always have ,

a certain feeling

Of

pleasure an attenuation in ,

the throat as if it were stretching itself upward The bulging

ou

t

Of

vei ns m the neck that ,

so Often be seen in singers is as wrong ,

swelling up

of

as

.

can

the

the neck looks very ugly and is ,

,

not without danger from congestion

.

With rapid scales one has the feeling Of great

firmness

Of

the throat muscles with trills Of a ,

See ( the latter this way

certain stiffness Of the larynx An

unsteady movement

Of

.

,

RESO NANC E

OF

THE

H EAD

C AV ITI E S

13 1

and that would be disadvantageous to the trill ,

to

rapid scales as well ,

F or

to the

as

c

,

antilena

.

this reason b ecause the changing move ,

ments of the organs must go on quite i m perceptibly and inaudibly it must be more ,

like a shifting than a movement scales the lowest tone must be

“

In rapid

.

placed

with

a view to the production Of the highest and in ,

descending the greatest care must be

exer

,

cised

that the tones sh all not tumble over

each other single but shall produce the sen ,

sation O f closely connected sounds through ,

being b ound to the high tone position and pressed toward the nose

.

In this all the participating vocal organs must be able t o keep up a muscular contraction Often very rigid the form remain tensed ,

organ

to

another

An d

.

in this tension

,

,

on e

on e

or

the other vocal organ as larynx tongue dia ,

m h r a g , p

palate

,

or

,

,

nose must act with especial ,

elasticity or especial strength according to the ,

necessity

of

accent

cal condition

Of

or

according to the physi

the singer

.

O nly gradually

H O W TO

1 32

through long years

SI NG

Of

c

study is it to be achieved is Of no

Use

in this

gent practice ; course Of time Never

.

areful and regu lar Excessive practice

only regular and

intelli

and success comes only in

.

should the muscular contractions

become convu lsive and produce pressure whi ch the muscles cannot endure for a long time

.

They must respond to all necessary demands upon thei r strength yet remain elastic in order ,

that easily relaxing or again contracting they ,

,

may promptly adapt themselves to every nuance in tone and accent desired by the singer A

.

singer can become and continue to be

master

Of

hi s

voice and means of expression

only as long as he practises daily conscious vocal gymnastics

.

In

this way alone can

he Obtain unconditional mastery over his muscles

,

and

,

through them

controlling apparatus voice

.

fi nest

Of the beauty Of

as well as Of the art

,

whole

,

,

Of the Of

hi s

song as a

SECTI O N X III O N V O CA L RE G I S TE RS

V O CA L RAN G E S

.

WHAT is a vocal register ? A

series Of tones sung in a certain way

which are produced by a certain position vocal organs

larynx

tongu e

,

,

,

.

the

and palate

Every voice in cludes three registers middle and head

Of

,

hest

c

.

,

But all are not employed

in every class of voice

.

Two O f them are O ften found connected to

a certain extent in begin ners ; the third

is usually much weaker at all

.

does not exist Only very rarely is a voice found ,

or

naturally equalized over its whole compass DO

registers exist by nature ? NO

.

.

It may

b e said that they are created through long

years Of speaking in the vocal range that is easiest to the person

,

or

in

on e

adopted by

imitation which then becomes a fixed habit ,

1 34

.

ON

VO CAL

REGI ST E RS

13 5

If this is coupled with a natural and proper working

the muscles of the vo cal organs it

of

,

may become the accustomed range strong in ,

comparison

by it self

d

If

on

,

,

This fact would naturally be

.

re ci at e p

with others and form a register

only by singers

ap

.

the other hand

,

the mus cles are

wrongly employed in speaking not only the ,

range of voice generally used but the whole ,

voice as well may be made to sound badly ,

SO ,

in every voi ce

,

on e

.

or another range may

be stronger or weaker ; and this is in fact ,

,

almost always the case sin ce mankind speaks ,

and sings in the pit ch easiest t omed, without

position

of

or

most accus

giving thought to the proper

the organs in relation

to

each other ;

and people are rarely made to pay attention as children to speaking clearly and in an agree able voice

.

In the most fortunate instances

the range thus practised reaches limits

on

both

sides not so much those Of the person s power ’

,

as those set by his lack Limitations

are put

on

Of

S

kill or practice ,

,

.

the voice through taking

H O W TO

13 6

SI N G

account only Of the easiest and most accus t omed

thing without inquiring into the poten ,

Of

t i aliti es

Now, clu

des,

the organs or the demands

art

Of

suppose such a pecu liarity which

in

,

let us say three

or

,

.

four tones is ex ,

tended to six Or eight then in the course Of ,

,

time in the worst cases a break is produced ,

,

at the outside limits

In the most favorable

.

cases the tones lying next beyond these limits are conspicuously weak and without power compared on e

with

those previously forced

way Of singing

can

This

.

be used no farther ;

another must be taken up only perhaps to ,

,

,

repeat farther the incorrect procedure Three such limits be found and used voice

.

or

.

ways Of singing can

Chest middle ,

an d

,

all three form registers when

,

gerated but they should be shaded ,

melt into each other

.

Of

head

X

e ag

o ff

and

The organs through ,

the skilful training Of the teacher as by the exercise

‘

,

as well

the pupil s talent and ’

industry must be accustomed to taking su ch ,

positions that

on e

register leads into another

I b

d li

Re

n es

d

t c

en o e

ov ere

dt

o n es

f or b ass

an d

b ar

it

o ne

.

H OW

142

T O S I NG

the organs although the difference may be ,

imperceptible if it is to have its proper place ,

the whole

In

.

People cling to the appella

tions of chest middle and head ,

,

founding vocal range

with

ing a hopele ss confusion

,

regi ster ,

con

register and mak ,

from which only

united and very powerful forces can succeed in extricating them As

use

,

.

long as the word

register

is kept in

the registers will not disappear

.

An d

yet the register question must be swept away ,

to give place to another class views

on

conception

,

ideas sounder

Of

,

the part of tea chers and a truer ,

on

the part

Of

singers and pupils

.

li p

Re d ble (S o

nes ar e

d

t

c d up c t lt

for

ran o ,

e

o n ra

gi t

d

i s f orme w h en as man y o n o n e a n d t h e s ame o n o , an d e n or )

e n o e a re

s er

t

.

p i t

t

o n es a s

of

p

o ss

c

i

reso n an e

.

I II

Red

lin d es

t ch g

en o e

an

a

tt ac k

e of a

.

(B as s

an d

it

b ar

on e

)

.

SECT I O N XIV DE VE LO

PME NT

A ND E Q

UA LI Z ATI O N

NATURA LLY a singer can devote more strength

to the development Of

’

on e

or two connected

ranges Of his voi ce than to a voice perfectly equalized in all its accessible ranges this are required many years

Of

For

.

the most

patient study and Ob servation Often a long ,

continued

or

entire sacrifice

of

on e Of

other limit Of a range for the benefit ‘

cent weaker

one

;

Of

the

or

the adj a

the head voice especially

,

which if unmixed sounds uneven and thin in ,

,

comparison with the middle range until by ,

means

Of

practised elasticity Of the organs

endurance Of the throat muscles tension

Of

muscular

,

the organs in relative position a ,

ositive equalization can take place p V oices

,

which contain only

registers are

c

one or two

alled short voices 15 1

.

,

for th eir

H OW TO

15 2

S I NG

availability is as limited as they are them selves .

it

Yet

must be remembered that all voices

alike whether short ,

long even those

or

,

the most skilful singers when age comes

Of on ,

,

are apt to lose their highest ranges if they ,

are

n ot

continually practised throughout their

entire compass with the subtlest use head tones that a

.

the

Of

Thence it is to be concluded

Singer

ought always to extend the

compass Of his voice as far as possible in ,

order

be certain Of possessing the com

to

pass that he needs

.

O n the formation

Of

much Of the character

the organs depends Of

the voice

.

There

are strong weak deep and high voices by ,

,

,

nature ; but every voi ce by means Of proper ,

study can attain a certain degree Of strength ,

flexibility and compass ,

Unfortunately

,

,

.

stubbornness enters largely

into this question and Often works in oppo ,

siti on

to the tea cher

.

M any

,

for instance

,

wish to be altos either because they are afraid ,

H OW TO

15 4 an d

SI NG

effect management Of the breath and ,

,

perfection Of the throat formation must give the power to produce every dynamic gradation and detail cordin gly,

series

of

expression

of

.

Registers are

produced when the singer forces a

tones generally ascending upon ,

,

and the same resonating point

,

on e

ferent

Of

tones

tone can be exactly like another

cause the position for

each

.

one

instead Of

remembering that in a progression no

,

ac

,

be

the organs must be dif

Of

The palate must remain

elastic from the front teeth to its hindmost part mobile and susceptible though imper ,

cept ibly, on

,

to all changes

.

Very

the continuous harmony

Of

much depends action

Of

the

soft palate and nose which must always be ,

in full eviden ce the raising and extension Of the former producing changes in the tone ,

.

If as Often happens when the registers are ,

sharply defined tones fall into a

cu

escape into another register

impossible

,

is

l de

sac,

without a jump whi ch may lead to disaster ,

,

.

With every tone that the singer has to sing

,

D EVE LOP M ENT AND E QUALI Z ATIO N

15 5

he must always have the feeling that he

can

go higher and that the atta ck for different ,

tones must not be forced upon same point

and the

on e

.

The larynx must not be su dden ly pressed down nor j erked up except when this is de ,

sired as

a

spe cial effect

That is when

on e

,

.

wishes to make a transition

,

legato,

chest tone to a tone in the middle

from a or

head

register as the old Italians used to do and as ,

I

,

t oo,

,

learned to do thus " ,

In this case the chest tone is attacked very nasal in order that the connection may ,

re

main to the upper note and the larynx is ,

suddenly j erked up to the high tone

.

This was

called breaking the tone ; it was very much used and gave fine effects when it was well ,

done

I use it to day especially in Italian -

.

,

music where it belongs ,

.

It is an exception

to the rule for imperceptible or inaudible

H OW TO

15 6 of

change

position

shou ld not be made

of

su

S I NG

the organs

,

that it

dden ly

.

The scale proceeds from

semitone to

on e

another ; each is different ; each as you go ,

on ,

requires greater height

,

wherefore the

position Of the organs cannot remain the same

for

several different tones

.

But

,

as

there should never be an abrupt change audi ble in the way Of singing so should there ,

never be an abrupt change felt in the sensa tions Of the singer s throat ’

.

Every tone must

be imperceptibly prepared in an elastic channel that is relaxed placed

and again relaxed

,

and must produce an easy feeling in the singer

,

,

,

as well as an agreeable impression upon the listener The small peak indicated in the illustra .

tion is enormously extensible and can be shifted into infi n ite varieties Of position

.

H owever

unimportant its raising and lowering may appear they are nevertheless ,

of

great impor

tance for the tone and the singer point

Of

.

The focal

the b reath that forms simultaneously ,

H O W TO

15 8

SI NG

I f the singer will control his tone

and

,

in practising he must always do so

he

,

needs only to test it to see whether he can easily make it softer without perceptible change in the position Of the organs and carry it higher ,

toward the nose and the cavities Of the fore head ; that is prepare ,

tion upward

form for its continua

.

I n thi s way he a

a

can

learn how mu ch hei ght

ton e n eeds wi thou t bei n g too hi gh,

mu ch i t of ten lacks i n hei ght sou n d

hi gh

en ou

h g

an d

du

an d

how

rati on

to

.

In this way remarkable faults become evi dent

"The

low

the

so

reason why -

a

tone sounds too

called transition tones from the

lower to the middle range and from this to the higher come up for consideration chiefly is that the pillars tOO

of

the fauces are raised

high toward the back preventing the head ,

tones from sounding at the same time ; or the soft palate is lowered too far under the nose which results in pressing the tone t oo long and

,

too far toward the teeth

.

This fault is met

R ed

li

ne

d

t

e n o es s o

ft t p i t es

o n

on

the

p l t

a a e.

162

H OW

T O SI NG

young voices this can easily happen and can ,

also result from weariness when the bodily ,

strength is not developed sufficiently to endure the fatigue Of practising

.

A

very circumspect

course must then be followed

.

SECTI O N XV W H I TE V O I C E S

THE RE are also singers male and female ,

who use too much head tone through their tire compass ; such voices are called Their use su

en

white

the palatal resonance b eing

Of

ffi cient ,

“

,

” .

in

they are not able to make a deeper

impression because their power

Of

,

is practically nothing

.

expression

In su ch cases it would

be advisable to raise the pillars Of the fau ces a little higher and place the larynx somewhat ,

lower and to mingle judiciously with all the ,

other vowels the vowel sound ,

a lower position would

Of

76 , (

the larynx

.

that requires The voices

become warmer and would sound more

expressive

.

As

create easily

,

soon as the singer is able to inaudibly and ,

c

onsciously on

every tone the correct propagation form for the next tone all questions as to register must ,

1 63

H OW TO

164

disappear

He

.

on regi sters ; on e

an

SI NG

must not however be drilled ,

,

several tones must not be forced on

d the same point

.

Every tone should

be put naturally into its own place ; should receive the pit ch duration and strength it ,

,

needs for its perfection it all

.

An d

on e

master rules

the ear

,

The goal is unfortunately so seldom rea ched ,

,

because it can be rea ched only through the moderation that comes from mastery ; and alas only true masters practise it

,

.

It may be accepted as true that the lower ranges Of the voice have the greatest strength the middle ranges the greatest power pression

,

Of

,

ex

the higher the greatest carrying

power The best mixture .

all three together

may be developed to the highest art by the S

kill Of the individual Often indeed only by a ,

good ear

for

it

.

,

,

Whenever expression Of the

word s significance beauty Of the vocal material ’

,

,

and perfection Of phrasing are found united in the highest degree it is due either to knowl ,

H OW TO

166

tones are a part

Of

SI NG

all female voices

.

They

do not understand how t o make u se O f its assist ance because they Often have no idea ,

e xistence purity

,

Of

its

or know it only in its unmixed that is its thinnest quality ,

Of its

.

proper application that is its necessary ,

,

ad

mixture with chest resonance they have not ,

the remotest co nception e rally

Their singing is gen in keeping with their ignorance .

.

The mixture is present by nature in kinds S

of

all

voices but singers must possess the ,

kill and knowledge to employ it

natural advantage goes for nothing

.

,

else the

SECTI O N XVI TH E O DO R

TH E

W A C HTE L

most perfect singer that I remember

in my Berlin experience was Theodor Wachtel

,

in this respect that with his voice Of rare ,

splendor he united all that vocal art which

,

as it seems is destined quite to disappear ,

from among us coloratura

his

,

.

How

trills

,

b eautiful

were his

simply

flawless '

Phrasing force fulness Of tone and b eauty ,

,

were perfect

musically without a blemish

,

If he did not

,

Arnold ,

outside the range Of

O g

George Brown Stradella Basco the Postilion ,

and

Lionel ,

,

.

,

,

it was prob ably because he felt

that he was not equal to interpreting the Wagnerian spirit As

one

of

.

In this he was very wise

the first

Of

.

vocal artists whose ,

voice was superbly trained and was preser ved to the end Of his life I have had to pay ,

1 67

to

H OW TO

168

Wachtel the tribute

SI NG

the most complete

of

admiration and recognition wh o

many others

in contrast

,

to

thought themselves greater

than he and yet were not worthy ,

the latchet Of his shoes

unloose

to

.

Recently the little Italian tenor won my hearty admiration

for

B on ci

has

his splendidly

equalized voice his perfect art and his knowl ,

,

edge

Of

his resources ; and notwithstanding

the almost ludicrous figure that he cut in serious parts

,

he elicited hearty applause

Cannot German tenors well,

even if they

they n ot learn

,

t oo ,

,

learn to sing

interpret Wagner

do

Will

the sake Of this very master

for

.

,

that it is their du ty not to use their voices re cklessly ? Is it

n ot

disrespectful toward

ou r

greatest

masters that they always have to play hide and seek with the

bet

coloratura ? Not till

can to,

on e

the trill and ,

has fully realized

the difficulties of the art Of song does it really become

of

value and smgifi can ce

.

Not

till then are one s eyes opened to the duty ’

H O W TO

1 70

S I NG

by no other Palatal resonance without ad mixture O f the resonance O f the head cavities .

head tones makes the tone very powerful ) ( when heard near by b ut without vibrancy ,

for of

a large auditorium h ow

.

This is the best proof

greatly every tone needs the proper

admixture

.

SECTI ON XVII TH E H I G H E ST H E A D TO NE S

AS

we have already seen there is almost ,

no limit to the height that can b e reached b y the pure head tone without admixture

Of palatal resonance

Very

.

young voices

,

especially can reach such heights for with ,

ou

t

,

any strain they possess the necessary

adaptability and skill in the adjustment to each other Of the larynx tongue and pillars ,

O f the fauces of

.

A

skill that rests

,

on

ignorance

the true nature Of the phenomenon must

b e called pure chance and thus its disappear ,

ance is as puzzling

to

teacher and listener as

its appearance had been in the first place How

Often is it paired with a total lack

.

Of

ability to produce anything but the highest head tones

"

As

a general rule such voices 17 1

H O W TO

1 72

have a very short lease

SI NG

life because their

Of

,

possessors are exploited as wonders

before

,

they have any conception Of the way to use them

of

,

tone right singing and Of cause and ,

,

effe ct in general

An

.

erroneous pressure Of

the muscles a wrong movement Of the tongue ,

M

raising the tip for instance an ) ( attempt to increase the strength Of the tone ,

,

,

,

all these things extinguish quickly and all time the wonder singer s little light ’

-

We Lehmann children in

ou r

sing to the very highest pitch ing c

for

youth cou ld It was noth

.

4

,

.

Of

seven

.

But since

ou r

ou r

and surroundings were forced to early ,

On

She could have sung in

oices through the circumstances Of ,

line

-

a hundred times in succession and trill

public at the age V

.

my sister M arie to strike the

it for a long time

for

life

exer

tions they lost their remarkable high notes ; ,

yet enough was left to sing the Q u een “ Ni ght (in M ozart s opera D ie with the high f

f

o

’

.

Af ter

I had been compelled to use my lower

H OW TO

174

SI NG

the path clear for the introduction into the cavities

the head

Of

the breath

Of

.

Singers who on the other hand pronounce ,

and

a

too sharply need only introduce an

6

,

admixture Of tion

Of

,

00

;

they thereby lower the posi

the larynx and thus give the vowel ,

and tone a darker color Of

Since the stream

.

breath in the highest

tones produces currents whirling with great apidity the more rapidly the higher the tone

r

,

is the slightest pressure that may injure the ,

form in which they circulate may ruin the evenness itself

.

Of

the tone its pitch perhaps the tone ,

,

Ea ch high tone must

the overtones

soar

t l e n g y,

like

.

The upper limits

Of

a bass and b aritone

voice are

where ,

consequently the tones must be mixed ,

.

Pure head tones that is falsetto are never dem I regard it how a nded higher than this ,

,

.

,

,

Red

li

n es

d

t

en o e v o

cl ti i wit h u t mi t u a

s en s a o

on

x

n

t he

re

.

hi gh t h d t es

ea

o n es

SECTI O N XVIII TH E

BIG

TRE M O LO

voices produced by large strong organs ,

through which the breath can flow in a broad

,

powerful stream are easily disposed to suffer ,

from the tremolo because the outflow ,

Of

b reath against the vocal cords occurs

immediately

.

the t oo

The breath is sent there directly

from the diaphragm instead Of being driven by abdominal pressure forward against the chest the controlling apparatus from whence ,

it in minimal quantity and under control is ,

,

a dmitted to the vocal cords

.

Even the strong

est vocal cords cannot for any length Of time stand the unc ontrolled pressure

of

the breath

that is the direct breath pressure ,

learn

to

.

O ne must

tense them by means Of the various

muscular fu nctions In inhaling the chest shou ld b e raised .

,

1 78

T REM O LO

THE not

cise

at all for

b ut very little

or

1 79

except an

exer

the e xpansion Of the chest is to be

made O f it

Of

The pressure

.

the breath against

the chest must be maintained as long as it is desired to sustain a tone or sing a phrase

.

As

soon as the elastic abdominal and chest press ure ceases the tone and the breath are at ,

an end

.

Not till toward the very end

Of

the

breath that is Of the tone or the phrase ,

,

,

shou ld the pressure be slowly relaxed and the chest slowly sink

.

While I am singing I must press the b reath ,

against the chest evenly for in thi s way alone ,

can it be directed evenly against the vocal cords which action is the chief factor in a ,

steady tone and in the only possible and proper use Of the vocal cords should never cease

.

.

Control Of the b reath O nly in the beginning

Of singing does the chest b reath is pushed

against which the

start to slowly inflate

,

reaching its greatest distention o nly when the breath phrase is ended slowly sinks

.

.

Then the chest

The tone should never be made

H O W TO

18 0

S I NG

too strong or too weak to be kept under control This Shou ld be an inflexible rule

f or

the Singer

.

.

I direct my whole attention to the pressure against the chest whi ch forms the door ,

supply chamber of breath

Vo

c

al

C or

d

the

Thence I admit

.

s

of

.

to the vocal c ords uninterrupte dly only j u st so much a s I wish to admit

.

I must not be

stingy nor yet extravagant with it ,

giving steadiness

,

.

Besides

the pressure against the

chest (the controlling apparatus) establishes the strength and the duration of the tone .

Upon the proper control depends the length of

the breath

,

which

,

without interruption

,

H O W TO

1 82

SI NG

Even the vibrato to which full voices are ,

prone should be nipped in the bud for grad ,

u ally

,

the tremolo and later something even

worse is developed from it

Life

.

can be infused

into the tone by means of vowel mixing a way -

,

that will do no harm Vibrato

.

is the first stage tremolo the second ,

and much more hopeless which shows itself ,

in flat singing the register

.

on

the upper middle tones

of

Referable in the same way to

the overburdening excessive straining

Of

the vocal

Of

c

ords is the

the throat muscles

,

whi ch through c ontinual constriction lose their power of elastic contraction and relaxation because pit ch and duration

of

the tone are

gamed in an incorrect way by forcing ,

.

Neither

should be forced ; pitch should be merely main tai ned

as it were soaring ; strength should not ,

be gained by cramped compression

of

the

throat muscles but by the completest possible filling

with breath of the breath form and the

resonance chambers under the government of

the controlling apparatus

.

TH E

Neglect

paid

for

T REM O LO

1 83

the head tones (overtones) is

of

dearly

.

The more violent exertions are made to force them and to keep them the worse are the ,

,

results

For most

.

of

the unhappy singers who

do this there is but one result "the voice is ,

lost

.

H ow pitiful

"

If the first and second stages are

di ffi c u lt

of

tremolo

to remedy because the causes ,

are rarely understood and the proper meas ures to take for their removal still more rarely the repair Of the last stage

Of

,

the damage is

nothing less than a fight in which only an unspeakable patience can win the victory

.

SECTI O N XIX TH E

C

URE

TH E RE are no magic cures O nly slowly

V

,

soaring

the singer

ibration upon vibration

the true pitch be “

for

won

back

.

can

In the word

.

lies the whole idea Of the work

.

NO more may the breath be allowed to flow

uncontrolled through the wearied vocal cords ; it must b e forced against the chest always ,

as if it were

to

come directly

ou

t

thence

,

The

.

throat muscles must lie fallow until they have lost the habit of cramped contraction ; until the overtones again soar as they should and ,

are kept soaring long

,

though qu ite

a i n o p

.

first this seems qu i te impossible and is indeed very difficult demanding all the pa

At

,

,

energy But it is possible and he can not avoid it for it is the only way to a thor

ti ent

’

s

,

.

,

18 4

H O W TO

1 86

SI NG

ment ; and every new garment at first

fort able

.

t oo ,

,

is

m

u n co

One cannot expect an imme

diate cure either Of himself or Of others ,

If

.

the singer undertakes it with courage and energy he learns to use his voice with ,

scious understanding done in the beginning

,

An d

con

as should have been

.

he must make up his mind to it that ,

even after a good cure the ,

O ld

habits will

reappear like corns in wet weather whenever ,

,

he is n ot in good form physically n ot

.

That should

lead to discouragement ; persistence will

bring success As

.

I have already said singers with dis ,

abled voices like best to try

.

“

magic cures

”

;

and there are teachers and pupils who boast of having effected such magic cures in a few weeks

or

hours

Of them I

.

i v e w ar n i n g g

"and

equ ally,

of

unprincipled physicians who daub around in the larynx burn it cut it and make every ,

thing worse instead

,

of

,

better

.

I cannot comprehend why singers do

n ot

THE C U RE

unite

to

1 87

brand such people publicly and put

an end to their doings once for all

.

There is no other remedy than a slow very ,

carefu l study of the

which

control

cau ses

Of

the trouble

in almost all cases consists in lack of

the stream

vocal cords

and

,

tones that is ,

,

of

of

of

breath through the

in disregard Of the head the overtones ; as well as in

forcing the pitch and power

a wrong resonating point constricting

,

the throat

Of

of

the tone upon

the palate and in ,

muscles

In

.

these

points almost invariably are all mistakes

to

b e looked for ; and in the recognition Of them

the proper means “

already indicated

f or

correcting them are

.

The cure is difficult and tedious an en dless patience

on

the part

It needs

.

of

ferer as well as Of the physician

the suf

that is of ,

the only ( proper physician for this disease) because the nerves of the head are already sufficiently un strung through the consciousness Of their the pupil and the

si ngi ng

teacher

incapacity ; yet they should be able to act

H O W TO

1 88

SI NG

easily and without eff ort in producing the head tones

.

The repairing of a voice requires the great est sympathetic appreciation and tion

on

the part

Of

ci rcu

mspec

the teacher who should ,

inspire the pupil with courage ; and on

the part of the pupil all his tranquillity ,

,

nervous strength and patience in order to ,

,

reach the desired goal

.

Where there i s a wi ll there i s a way

"

H OW TO

1 90

itself to do so

.

F or

SI NG

this reason the b ack

of

the

tongue must be raised high the larynx stand ,

lo w

.

The tongue must generally f orm a furrow

.

With the lowest tones it lies relatively flat

test the tip ,

always

against and b eneath the

front teeth So that it can rise in the middle ,

As of

.

soon as the furrow is formed the mass ,

the tongue is put out

Of

stands high on both sides

the way since it ,

It is almost im

.

possible to make drawings Of this ; it can best be seen in the mirror

As

.

soon as the

larynx is low enough and the tongue set elas tically against the palate and drawn up

be

hind (see plate a) the furrow is formed Of itself In pronouncing the vowel ah (which must always be mixed with 00 and o) it is a ,

.

good idea t o think

of

yawning

.

The furrow must be formed in order

to

allow the b reath to resonate against the hard ‘

palate beneath the nose Without the furrow in the tongue no tone .

,

is perfect in its resonance

.

The only exception

'

THE

TO NGUE

19 1

is the very highest head and falsetto tones

,

which without any palatal resonance and "

(t

-

placement have their place solely in the

head cavities Strong and yet delicate it must be able to fit any letter of the alphabet ; ,

.

that is help form its sound ,

.

It must be Of

the greatest sensitiveness in adapting itself to every tonal change

of

V

ibration it must assist every ,

tone and letter as quick as a flash

and with unerring accuracy ; without changing its position

t oo

soon

or

remaining

t oo

long in

it in the highest range it must b e able almost ,

to speak

ou

t

in the air

.

With all itsstrength and firmness the tongue

must be

of

the utmost sensitiveness toward

the b reath which as I have often said must ,

n ot

,

,

be subj ected to the least pressure above

the larynx

or

in the larynx itself

.

Pressure

must b e limited to the a bdominal and chest muscles ; and this should b etter b e called stress than pressure .

Without hindrance the column Of b reath at

its upper end like diverging rays

of

light

,

,

H O W TO

1 92

SI NG

must fill and expand all the mucous mem branes with its

V

ibrations equally

diffuse

,

itself through the resonance chambers and ,

penetrate the cavi ties of the head

.

When the back Of the tongue can rise

higher

the lary nx must be lowered

,

no

This

.

Often happens in the highest ranges and one ,

needs only

mingle an

to

00

in the vowel to

be sung whi ch must with deep set larynx ,

,

however be felt not forward in the mouth but ,

behi nd the

very too

low,

When the larynx must stand

nose

.

the tongue naturally must not

be

high else it would affect the position of the ,

larynx

.

The mass Of the tongue must then

be disposed tion

of

elsewhere ; that is by the f orma ,

a furrow (see plate) One must learn to feel and hear it To keep the larynx the of

.

,

.

back of the tongue and the palate always in ,

readiness to Off er mutual assistance become a habit As

,

must

.

soon as we have the tongue under

con

trol that is have acquired the habit of forming a furrow we can use it confidently ,

,

,

H O W TO

1 94

pillars

of

SI NG

the fauces contract in order ,

the way for the head tones entirely free

to

to

the head cavities

In doing this the Sides

.

,

tongue are raised high

.

leave

of

the

Every tongue should

occupy only so much space as it can occupy without being a hindrance The bad bad tongue ,

to

the tone

"

on e

is

.

t oo

thick

,

another too thin a third too long a fourth ,

much

t oo

Ladi es the

short an d

f

excu ses o

,

.

men , these

e n t l e g

the laz y

"

are n othi ng

bu t

with t h i p i ti f b th " I t h d i p h gm i l t tch d b ckw d ; I I l g t h c p cit y f th ch t by t h d w i g d w f it fl ; I I I d f m th f pply ch m b fe t h b th ; IV i di c t th p th b th g i n t t h ch s t t n i m cl ; V t h tt c k

Red li n eSd en ot e t h at is se n s b y s re e es

ra

e

su

a

e

rea

a

er

a

s

e ns

a

ar

n

o

n

r

e

re a

e

e

o

e

re a

on o

ra

,

s

e n ar

oor ,

s on

es

,

n

us

e

an

a es

e

a

ra

a

e

,

o

a

e

e a

s

or

so

re ss u re

a

.

e

e

o

HOW

198

TO

SI NG

same time its back being thus raised and ,

elastic ready to meet all the wishes

of

,

singer

that is the needs of the larynx ,

larynx must not be pressed either too tOO

is

high but must work freely ,

the The

.

low

or

The breath

.

enabled to stream forth from it like a column

,

whose form is moulded above the larynx by the base

Of

the tongue

.

When these three functions have been per

formed the three vowels ,

for the attack

a,

e,

00

are placed

This placement is always the

.

same because it is the foundation of each tone no matter what the word is we wish to pro nounce Only after this placement for the .

attack is the word thought placed and sung ,

Now

point

,

.

further care must be given that the

Of

attack

focal point to pressure breath be

of

,

on

the palate

the breath

—be

that is

,

t he

not subj ected

and that the entire supply of n ot

expended upon the palatal

resonance To this end the palate must remain elastic .

for it has a twofold duty to perform

.

,

It must

P REPARATIO N

F O R SI NGI NG

19 9

not only furnish resistance for the focal point of

the breath

head tones

,

except in the very highest

around whi ch it can be diffused ;

,

the same resistance which stands against the ,

stream

of

breath from below must also afford ,

a firm pliant and elastic floor for the overtones ,

,

,

which soaring above the palate shift as is ,

,

,

needed to or above the hard and soft palate ,

or

,

are divided in the nose forehead and head ,

cavities

.

It can easily be seen how any press

ure in singing can be dangerous everywhere and

how

careful the singer is forced

avoid such mistakes

.

to

,

be to

SECTI O N XXII TH E

PO S I TI O N

M O UTH

O F TH E

O F TH E

(

C O NTRA CTI O N

M U SC LE S O F S PE E C H )

WH AT must my sensations be with the

muscles Of speech ? How shall I

Control

them ? The best positi on Of the mouth the means ,

of

S

securing the proper use Of the muscles Of

pee ch and

Of

the vo cal organs is established ,

by pronouncing the vowel a

,

too sharply

n ot

,

in the middle range of the voice and trying ,

to retain the position sound has ceased

of

the muscles after the

.

This cannot be done without a

mi li ng

s

position of the mouth consequently with a strong cont raction of the muscles of the mouth ,

,

tongu e and throat which can be felt to be ,

,

drawn up as far as the ears In doing so the tongue 2 00

.

as far as the tip

H OW TO

2 02

SI NG

I repeat the warning not to force several ,

tones upon the same resonating point to see that upon each tone the form sary for succeeding tones is prepared lect of this will sooner dearly

but

,

n eces

Neg

.

later be paid for

or

.

Notwithstanding

the strong muscular con

traction that the vocal organs must un dergo in pronouncing the vowel a the breath must ,

be able

to

flow gently and without hindrance

through its form in order completely

to

,

up its resonance chambers

.

Again ,

fill

and always

,

attention must be given that in singing and ,

in speaking as well nothing shall be cramped ,

or

held tense except the pressure Of the breath ,

against the chest tance

to

.

It is

of

the utmost impor

m aintain this position for

all

vo w els

,

with the least possible perceptible modifi ca tions

.

How

can this be done

A

and

e

are bright

vowels must be sung with a pleasant almost smiling position of the mouth 00 and 0 ,

,

,

.

,

on the contrary are dark vowels ,

,

for

which

THE

PO SITIO N OF

THE

M OUT H

the lips must be drawn into a sort Look

of

2 03

spout

.

at the position Of the throat in these

vowels "(1) as they are usually sung and spoken ;

as I feel it in singing as I sing ,

,

them and as they must b e sung and felt ,

.

SECTI O N XXI I I CO NNE CTI O N O F V O W E LS

HO W

do I connect them with each other ?

I f I wish to connect closely together two vowels

that lie near to

or

far from each other I must ,

first establish the muscular contractions a

,

fo r

and introduce between the two vowels

whether they lie near together

or

far apart

,

Then (supposing for instance that I want to connect a and e) I must j oin the a closely t o the y and the y a very well

-

defi n ed y

.

,

,

,

closely

to

the

6,

so that there is

n ot

the least

resonating space between the two that is

n ot

filled during the changes in the position

the

of

organs however carefully this is undertaken ,

.

There must be no empty space no useless ,

escape of breath between any two of the sounds ,

At

first only

t wo ,

.

then three and four and ,

2 04

HO W

2 10

placed

.

From

TO S I NG

it is best to

oo y

to

o g

u y

that

,

lies still farther forward and requires of the lips an iron firmness ; then to slightly

on

return to

the

d y ,

e

touching

o y ,

that lies above the

0;

and not till then going to

then

a e h , y -

which must then feel thus e C C -O ah-a . ‘

y

The

is taken under the

y

ah,

that the word

may not slide under ; for usually the thought of

ah

relaxes all the organs " the tongue lies

flat the larynx becomes unsteady is without ,

,

definite position and the palate is not arched ,

and is without firmness

.

In this way

ah

be

comes the most colorless and empty vowel of the whole list

.

With every change Of vowel

,

or

Of any

other letter there are changes in the posi ,

tion

of

the organs since tongue palate and ,

larynx must take diff erent positions ent sounds

,

,

for

differ

.

With a and

e

the lary nx stands higher

,

O F V O WELS

C O NNEC TIO N

closer the palate is sunk ,

position With

or

,

2 11

in its normal

.

00,

o,

and

the larynx stands low

ah

the palate is arched With a e and

,

.

,

,

back With

the lips are drawn

ah

.

0

they are extended far

forward The auxiliary sound

connects them all

00,

o, u

and

,

.

y

with ea ch other so that the transitions are ,

made quite imperceptibly n ou n ced

.

Since it is pro

with the tongue drawn high against

the palate it prevents the base ,

from falling down again

of

the tongue

.

This should be practised very slowly that ,

the sensations may be clearly discerned and ,

that

no

V

ibration that gives the vowel its

pitch and duration may escape attention

.

The muscu lar contraction described com prises the chi ef functions and is as necessary is for the tone

.

for

S

Of

the vocal organs

,

inging as the breath

Year in and year

ou

t

every

singer and pupil must pra ctise it in daily

H O W TO

2 12

S I NG

exercises as much as possible of

the vocal compass

every tone

on

,

.

In the lowest as well as in the highest range the sharpness

of

the

a

is lost as well as the ,

clear definition Of all single vowels be mingled

wi th

00, ah,

and

.

A

should

In the highest

e

.

range the vowels are merged in each other ,

because then the prin cipal thing is vowel but the high sound ,

Even the

thou ght

Of

n ot

the

.

a ; and e,

the latter espe

raises the pitch Of the tone

ci ally,

,

explanation Of this is that a and

e possess

The sym

pathetic sounds above the palate that lead the breath to the resonance Of the head cavi ties

.

F or

this reason tenors Often in high notes

resort to the device

changing words with

Of

dark vowels to words with the bright vowel They could attai n the same end without by simply thi nki ng changing the whole word

e

,

.

,

of an

e

.

Without over exertion the singer can pra e -

,

tise the exercises given above twenty times a

HOW

2 14

TO

SI NG

rehearse single scenes as well as the whole ,

Opera

,

fo r

certainty

hours at a time

That gave me the

.

being mistress

Of

of

my resonances

down to the last note ; and very Often I felt able to begin it all over again SO must it be if one wishes to accomplish anyt hing worth

,

.

while

.

Another

exercise vowels

,

end also is attained by the same the connection

,

,

but Of all letters

and phrases

of

not only syllables

,

the

words

,

,

By this exercise the form for

.

the breath tone and word in which all the ,

,

,

organs are adjusted to each other with per fect

elasticity is gradually established ,

Slowly

.

but surely it assures greatest endurance in all the organs concerned in speaking and singing

,

of

the inseparable connection

the

palatal resonance with the resonance

of

head cavities

r f e e c p

.

In this way is gained

the

tion in the art

of

singing which is based not

chance but

on

knowledge ; and this slow

on

,

,

,

but sure way is the only way to gain it

.

By the ab ove described method all other -

C O NNEC TIO N

OF V O WELS

2 15

alphabetical sounds can be connected

,

and

exercises can be invented to use with it which ,

are best adapted to correct the mistakes pupils at first on ,

on e,

of

then step by step on two

nd three connected tones etc At the same time it is necessary to learn to move the tongue freely and with the u t most quickness by j erking it back after pro n ou n cing consonants as quick as a flash into the position in which it conducts the breath to the resonating chambers for the vowels With all these movements is connected the power of elastically contracting and relaxing the muscles and the larynx a

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

SECTI O N XXIV TH E

OF

LI

PS

special importance for the tone and the

word are the movements O f the lips which ,

are so widely different in the bright and in the dark vowels

These movements cannot

.

be too much exaggerated in practising same strength and elasticity

to

The

.

which we

have to train the muscles of the throat and tongue must be imparted must be as Of iron much of the life

.

of

to

the lips which ,

co Operati on

Upon their

the tone depends and ,

it can be used in many shadings as soon as ,

on e

is able to exert their power consciously

and under the control Of the will

.

Every vowel every word every tone can ,

,

,

b e colored as by magic in all sorts

by the well controlled play -

of

of

ways

the lips ; can

,

as it were be imbued with life as the lips ,

,

2 16

SECTI O N XXV TH E

VO

WE

L

SO

UN D

AH ‘

OF

F O RM E R

DAY S

TH E RE is much discussion as to whether ah 00 or some other vowel is the on e best ,

,

adapted for general practice

.

In former times

practice was entirely on the vowel sound -

The

old

trained

ah

.

Italians taught it ; my mother was and never allowed her pupils to

SO ,

use any other vowel during the first months of their instruction

Later ,

.

to be sure

,

every

letter every word was practised and improved ,

c

,

ontinually till it was corre ct and had i m ,

,

pressed itself upon the meInory as well as the ,

ear of the pupil ,

fo r

all time

.

I explain the matter thus The singer s mouth should always make ’

an agreeable impression ever gri nning

Or

.

Faces that are for

showing fish mouths are dis

gusting and wrong

.

— THE V O WEL SO U ND AH

2 19

The pleasing expression Of the mouth requires the muscular contractions that form the bright vowel

ah

.

M ost people who are

n ot

accustomed to

using their vocal resonance pronounce the

ah

quite flat as if it were the vowel sound lying -

,

lowest of

If it is pronounced

.

the mouth belonging

to

with

the position

the bright vowels

,

it has to seek its resonance in speaking as ,

well as in Singing in the same place as the dark ,

vowels

,

the high arched palate

on

this it must be mingled with ,

rows

in

as with

TO

-

.

permit

The fur

00

.

the tongue must also be formed j ust ,

00

and h only spe cial attention must be ,

given that the back Of the tongue does not fall but remains high as in pronouncing a ,

this way

ah

comes to lie between

In

.

’

’

ao o ah -

,

d y ,

and forms at the same time the connection b etween the bright and the dark vowels and ,

the reverse

.

For this reason it was proper that be preferred

as

ah

should

the pra ctice vowel as soon ,

as it was pla ced properly between the two ex

H ow TO S I NG

no

tremes like

and had satisfied all demands

,

to

I

.

teach it because its use makes all mis ,

takes most clearly recognizable difficult vowel

It is the most

.

If it is well pronounced

.

or

,

sung it produces the necessary muscular con ,

tractions with a pleasing expression

the

of

mouth and makes certain a fine tone color ,

by its connection with

00

and

If the

0

.

equally well formed in all ranges a chief difficulty is mastered

ah

the voice

of

i nto

bad ways

,

h a e a y y y , -

etc

.

,

S

,

or

should practise

the vocal exercise I have given -

,

.

Those who have been badly taught have fallen

is

lowly listening ,

a

to

bove ,

with

themselves

carefu lly Good results cannot fail ; it is an infallible means o f improvement .

.

Italians who sing well never speak

the vowel sound

ah

and only the neglect

of

or

sing

othe rwi se than mixed

,

this mixture could have

brought about the decadence Of the Italian teachi ng is paid Italian s

of

to of

it

s .

ong

.

The

I n Germany ah,

no

attention

as sung Often by most

the present day quite flat sounds ,

,

H O W TO

2 22

voice used to toss

O ff

,

beginning

on

SI NG

great coloratura pieces

the vowel sound -

going up and down on a time I could

n ot

cavities

and then

ah,

au oah

.

At

the

understand why she did it ;

now I know perfe ctly for her

,

cc,

,

,

be cause it was easier

The breath is impelled against the

.

the head the head tones are set into

of

,

action Behind the a position there must be as .

much room provided as is needed for all the vowels with such modifications as each on e requires for itself The matter of chief i m ,

.

portance is the position of the tongue i n the throat that it shall not be in the way of the ,

and p

larynx which must be able to move

u

down

without

,

,

even though very slightly

,

hindrance All vowels must be able to flow into each .

other ; the singer must be able to pass from on e

to another without perceptible alteration

and back again

.

,

SECTI O N XXVI ITA L IA N A ND G E RMA N

HO W

easy it is for the Italians who have ,

of

by nature through the characteristics ,

their

native language all these things which others

"

,

must gain by long years

A

practice

of

single syllable often unites three vowels ; instance “

“ ,

mu oj a,

tuoi

”

u t (

oyé

)

“ ,

for

m ea é ( y y)

miei

”

etc The Italian s mingle all their vowels .

They

.

rub them into and color them with each other This includes a great portion song which in every language ,

,

.

the art Of

of

with

due regard

to its peculiar characteristics must be learned ,

by practice To

.

n l ive o y a single ex mple a g

of

culty of the German words with the ,

the

diffi

everlast

ing consonant endings to the syllables take ,

the recitative at the entrance Of Norma 223

H O W TO

2 24

S I NG

Wer l asst hier Au fru hrstimmen

ruf

wollt Ihr die

ert Onen ,

Eurem Wahnwitz

zu

Kriegs

,

G Ott er

z wingen

Wer wagt

frOhnen

vermessen gleich der Prophetin der

u

kunft

G Ott er

Plan

Z

,

Nacht

zu

lichten wollt Ihr der ,

vorschnell vernichten KOnnen

alzar

Si

Nicht M enschenkraft Landes

die Wirren dieses

Twelve endings “ Sediziosi voci

,

schlichten

.

on n

voci di guerra

,

,

avoi chi V ha ’

’

attenta presso all ara del D io

presume dett ar responsi alla vegente Norma e di Roma affrett ar il fato arcano chi

.

,

Ei

n on

dipende no non dipende da p otere ,

,

umano From the Italians we can learn the connec tion of

the vowels fr om the French the use

of

,

the nasal tone

.

The Germans surp ass the

others in their power

Of

expressiveness

.

But

he who would have the right to call himself an artist must unite all these things ; the can to,

that is beautiful ,

bel

I might say good

singing and all the means of expression whi ch ,

we cultivated people need to interpret master

H OW TO

22 6

muscles

which

,

state Of

,

of

appear to me like

,

daily

flexi

which I can demand everyt hi ng

b ecause never erci se

though feeling always in a

relaxabi lity,

ble steel

S I NG

much

t oo

,

and which I ex

Even in the entr actes Of grand ’

.

operas I go through with such exercises ; for they refresh instead

of

The unconstrained

exhausting me co Operati on

.

Of all the

organs as well as their individual functions ,

must or

o g

on

,

elastically without any pressure

cramped action

Their interplay must b e

.

powerfu l yet supple that the breath which ,

produces the tone may be diffused as it flows from one to another Of the manifold and com plicated organs (such as the ventricles of M or gagni) supporting itself on others being caught ,

,

in still others and finding all in such a state ,

of

readiness as is required in each range for

each tone

.

Everything must be combined in

the right way as a matter of habit The voice is equalized by the proper rami .

fi cati on

tion

of

Of the breath and the proper connec the different resonances

.

ITALI AN

AND

G ERMAN

2 27

The tone is colored by the proper mixture of vowels ;

and

o,

oo,

ah

demanding more

palatal resonance and a lower position of the larynx a and

more resonance of the head

C

,

cavities and a higher position o f the larynx With

u,

00, o,

and ah the palate is

arch e

.

d higher

the tong e forming a furrow than with u ) ( a and e where the tongue lies high and flat ,

.

,

There are singers who pla ce the larynx too low,

and arching the palate too high sing too ,

,

much toward dark

,

Such voices sound very

00

.

perhaps even hollow ; they lack the

interposition

of

the

is placed too low

a,

that is the larynx ,

.

O n the other hand there are others who ,

press it upward too high ; their a position is a permanent one

.

Such voices are marked by

a very bright sharp quality of tone Often like a goat s bleating ,

,

’

.

Both are alike wrong and disagreeable

.

The proper medium between them must be gained by sensitive training Of the ear and a taste formed by the teacher through examples ,

H O W TO

22 8

drawn from his

S I NG

singing and that

own

of

others If we wish to give a noble expression to .

the tone and the word we must mingle its ,

vocal sound if it is not

00,

,

with

0 or 00

.

If

we wish to give the word merely an agree able expression we mingle ,

e .

it

with

a and

ah,

,

That is we must use all the qualities of ,

tonal resonance

and thus produce colors

,

whi ch shall benefit the tone and thereby the word and its expression Thus a single tone may be taken or .

in many diff erent ways connection

,

c

Su

ng

In every varying

.

onsequently the singer must be ,

able to change it a ccording to the exp ression desired But as soon as it is a question a mu si cal phrase in which several tones .

,

words

,

or

of

or

tones alone are conne cted the law ,

,

Of progression must remain in force ; expres sion must be sacrificed partly at least to the ,

,

beauty of the musical passage

.

If he is skilful enough the singer can im ,

part a certain expression Of feeling to even the

SECTI O N XXVI I A UXI L I A RY V O W E L S

the auxiliary verbs

LI KE

a

,

and

e,

00

c

selves

will perhaps

It

and

are auxiliary vowels

aid we are .

will

,

have

Of

,

who se

onstantly compelled to avail our sound exaggerated

when I present an example Of this but as a ,

matter

fact pronunciation is consummated in this way ; only it must not become notice of

,

able

The method seems

.

Singular ,

Obj ect is to prevent the leaving

but its

O f any

empty

resonance spa ce and to obviate any interrup ,

tions that could affect the perfection of the tone

.

F or

example when I wish to sing the word ,

Fraulein

” ,

I must first and before all else

think of the pitch

,

of

,

the tone before I attack ,

the f With the f the tone must be there already bef ore I have pronoun ced it ; to pass ,

.

,

23 0

AUXI LI ARY

from the f to the

r

the auxiliary vowel

V OWELS

23 1

I must summon to my aid oo,

in order

to

prevent the

formation Of any unvocalized interstices in

the sound

.

The

r

O ff ,

must not now drop

must in turn be j oined

to

the

while the

00,

tongue should not drop down behi nd but should complete the V ibrations thus See plate ) ( It is very interesting to note

in a straight line

but

,

,

.

.

how

much

a word can gai n or lose in fulness and beauty of

tone

.

Without the use

no connection

of

Of

auxiliary vowels

the resonance in words can

be effected ; there is then no beautiful tone in singing only a kind Of hacking ,

.

Since it

must be quite imperceptible the use of aux ,

ili ary

vowels must be very artistically man

aged and is best practised in the beginning ,

,

very slowly on single tones and words then ,

roceedin with great care to p g

two

tones two ,

H O W TO

232

syllables and so on ,

.

S I NG

In this way the pupil

learns to hear But he must learn to hear very slowly and for a long time until there .

,

is no failure of V ibration in the tone and word

,

and it is all so impressed upon his memory that it can never be lost vowels must

.

The auxiliary

be present but the lis ,

tener should be able to hear from the assist ,

ance of the

00,

only the warmth and nobility

Of the tone from the a and

é

,

ing power and brilliancy of it

.

only the carry

H OW TO

2 34

S I NG

sible the lips closed and a pause being made ,

,

between the two syllables ;

till then is

n ot

the second syllable pronounced with a new ,

formation An d

ling

of

the second consonant

thi s is done

of on e

,

n ot

only in case

instance

bind

-

en

;

of

a doub

consonant but whenever two ,

sonants come together for

.

win ter

,

close the syllable ;

to

dring

-

,

co n

-

kling

en ,

-

en ,

in these the nasal sound plays a

specially important part

.

The tediousness Of singing without proper separation of the syllables is not appreciated till it has been learned how sonants

.

to

divide the

con

The nasal close Of itself brings a

new color into the singing which must be ,

taken into account ; and moreover the word ,

is much more clearly intelligible especially in ,

large auditoriums where an appre ciable length ,

time is needed for it to rea ch the listener By the nasal close also an uninterrupted

of

.

,

,

connection is assured between the consonant and the tone even if the latter has to cease ,

apparently f or an instant ,

.

,

RES O NANT C O NS O NANTS

I teach all my pupils thus

2 35

But since

.

most of them consider it somethi ng unheard Of to be forced

to

pronounce in this way they ,

very rarely b ri ng it to the artistic perfection which alone

can

make it effective

.

Except

from Betz I have never heard it from any ,

on e

.

After

me no

on e

will teach it any more

I shall probably b e the last

one

.

A

pity

.

SECTI O N XXIX PRA CTI CA L TH E

E XE RC I S E S

practical study Of singing is best begun

with single sustained tones and wi th prepa ,

ration

On

and

00

o

the sound of A

.

yawn helps

ah

alone mingled

with

,

po sition as if one were about to

the

tongue

In order not

to

lie in the right place

weary young voi ces

to

.

t oo

much it is best to begin in the middle range

,

going upward first by semitones and then

,

,

,

,

starting again with the same tone downward

.

,

going

other exercises begin in the

All

lower range and go upward

.

The pupil must first be able to make a single tone good and judge it correctly before ,

,

he should be allowed to proceed to a second Later,

single syllables

as exercises for this The position

of

or

.

words can be used

.

the mouth and tongue must 23 6

H OW TO

238

S I NG

b e cramp ed but should be allowed ,

form their functions elastically

to

per

.

The contraction of the mus cles should never ex ceed

their power to relax

b e sung whether strong

A

tone must always

soft with an easy Further before all things

,

conscious power

.

or

,

,

.

sing always with due regard to the pitch In this way the control of the ear is

,

,

.

exer

over the pit ch strength and duration

ci sed

,

,

the tone and over the singer s strength

of

’

,

and weakness of whi ch we are Often forced ,

make a virtue

to

.

In short

learns

on e

,

recognize and to produce a perfect tone

to

.

In all exercises go as low and as high as the voice will allow without straining

,

and

always make little pauses to rest between them even if you are not tired in Order to ,

be

,

all the fresher ‘

certain amount

of

fo r

the next

on e

.

With a

skill and steady purpose

the voice increases its compass and takes the ,

proper range easiest to it by nature ,

.

The

pupil can see then how greatly the compass Of

a voice can be extended

.

F or

amateurs it

A

tt ck a

.

lin d n t t h t wi t h t h i i i bly t tch d b c kw c h t by t h d w n d w upply ch mb f t h b th g i n t t h ch t t b

Red

es

e

o e

s sen s

s re

es

e

s

a

r ea

a

a

e

s

o

or e

e

es

n o

rea

on o

ra

ar

a

ra

er

p i ti f b t h l t h d ; I I l g th c p d f it fl ; III t h ; I V i d ic t t h p i mu cl ; V t h tt

e ns

a

ens o n

e n ar

,

s

rea

z

es

e

o or

n

,

s

,

a es

es

,

e

,

a

an e

e a

di p h gm city f t h f m th u f th ck a

o

a

so

re ss

a

ra

or

s

re o .

e e

e

SECTI O N XXX TH E

G RE A T SCA LE

TH I S is the most necessary exercise for

all kinds of voices

It was taught to my

.

mother ; she taught it to all her pupils and to us

.

But I am probably the only

them all who practises it faithfully n ot

trust the others

.

AS

practise it twice a day singer at least once

,

a pupil

one

Of

"I do

on e

must

as a professional

.

The breath must be well prepared the expira ,

tion still better

f r the o ,

duration of these five and

four long tones is greater than would be supposed

.

The first tone is positively attacked and by the relaxation Of the diaphragm immediately

after the attack is ,

diminshed,

that is it is ,

made supple as the b reath is then decreased ,

2 42

.

TH E

All

G REAT

SC ALE

24 3

the other vocal organs take up thi s relaxa

tion and

so

b ecome elastic

.

The so controlled

breath may now completely fill up its tone form as long and as strong as make the tone

.

on e

wishes to

Yet an excessive

crescen do

is ugly and inartistic

.

It is due to the trans

formed energy into elasticity which the attack Of

requires that a pushing ,

the breath and a

rigid contraction of the organs need n ot be feared any longer But on e must always .

remember to make the organ as nose palate ,

tongue

,

larynx

,

and diaphragm

,

,

,

after every

energetic attack pliable and elastic by relaxing ,

the diaphragm

Then without particularly

.

swelling the tone that is making a crescendo ,

,

the singer must try in order ,

to

progress

mentally shape the propagation form next tone

.

for

,

,

to

the

The thought must precede the

act a long time

.

Af ter

having fixed the pitch

,

the diaphragm and with it all the other organs are a gain relaxed and so forced to b e pliable Without altering the form

.

which insures to

the sustained tone its existence

to the last

H OW TO

2 44

— moment

S I NG

lift nose palate tongue ,

thoughts dwelling

,

on

e an

,

,

,

a

the

d a and push the

new form already mentally changed energetic but elastic

wi th

position

of

with

,

an

the larynx

in a place created for the next tone If the pitch whi ch unites E and a i s se cured then .

,

the larynx places itself immediately under the tongue on

00 ;

that is it be comes pliable ,

for new and elastic pro cesses

the

.

Now

only can

second tone also become perfect

.

Before

and after every change of tone and letter all the

mentioned pro cesses are renewed

Every first phrase with

of

.

the great scale ends

nasal res onan ce in the middle range that ,

is covered The se cond higher phrase is covered too but towards the forehead and ,

.

,

H OW TO

24 6

centre

S I NG

But this focal point must in an elastic

.

,

state be of service to every form movement -

,

and may in cases where the nose palate tongue ,

or

,

,

diaphragm operate less a ctively be made use ,

Of more energetically than would otherwise be necessary in a normal state

It would mean to

.

give stronger expression to a than to

6

or

00

.

There are many singers who produce velocity solely with a with a wabbling larynx which ,

acts alone disunited to nose palate or dia ,

,

h r m a g p

.

n ect ed

Their tones instead

one

,

being con

of

with the other as with a band ,

tumble out singly

This sort

.

coloratura

of

which we used to j okingly call

clu ckeratu ra,

,

,

”

is wretched and has nothing in common with the art of song When 00 a and .

,

need

n ot

,

e are

auxiliary vowels they ,

be plainly pronounced

an exception in the diphthongs “

Leiiid,

”

“

Lau

u u ne,

”

“

.

They form ( “

,

Feu yer,

Trau

uu

etc ) .

m,

”

As

auxiliary vowels they are only means to an end a bridge a connection from one thing to ,

,

another

.

They can be taken anywhere with

TH E

G REAT

SC ALE

24 7

any other sound ; and thence it may b e seen how elastic the organs can be when they are skilfully managed

.

of

The chief Object

the great scale is to

secure the pliant form and the sustained use of the b reath precision in the preparation of the ,

propagation form the proper mixture

Of

,

the

vowels which aid in placing the organs in the right position for the tone to b e changed for ,

every diff erent tone although imperceptibly ; ,

further the intelligent use

Of

,

the resonance of

the palate and head cavities especially the ,

latter whose tones soaring above everything ,

,

else form ,

the connection

for the whole scale

with the nasal quality

.

The s cale must be practised without strenuous exertion but

n ot

,

t oo

without energy

,

gradually extending over the en tire compass of

the voice ; and that is if it is

fect ,

,

over a compass of two octaves

two octaves

will

be per

to

These

.

have been covered when

,

advancing the starting point by semitones

,

‘

,

-

the scale has been carried up through an

H O W TO

24 8

entire octave

.

SO

finally accomplish

much every voice can even if the high notes

,

must be very feeble The great scale

S I NG

,

.

properly elaborated in

practice accomplishes wonders "it equalizes ,

the voice makes it flexible and noble gives ,

,

strength to all weak pla ces operates to repair ,

all faults and breaks that exist and controls ,

the voice to the very heart capes it

.

Nothi ng

es

.

By it ability as well as inability is brought to

light

something that is extremely

pleasant to those without ability

.

u n

In my

Opinion it is the ideal ex ercise but the most ,

difficu lt one I know

By devoting forty

.

minutes to it every day a ,

c

onsciousness of

certainty and strength will be gained that ten hours a day of any other exercise cannot give This should be the chief test in all at ori es

.

If I were at the head

of

.

co nserv on e,

the

pupils should be allowed for the first three years to sing at t he e xaminations only dij i cu lt exer cises like this great s cale before they ,

,

H OW TO

250

SI NG

proper way if I wished always to b e able to rely on them ,

.

Pra ctice and especially the practice of the ,

great Slow scale is the only cure for all ,

,

in

juries and at the same time the most excel ,

lent means exertion

fortifi cation against all over

Of

I sing it every day Often twice

.

,

even if I have to sing in the evening

on e O f

the greatest roles

I can rely absolutely

.

,

on

its

assistance If I had imparted nothing else to my pupils .

but the ability to sing this one great exercise well they would possess a capital fund of ,

knowledge whi ch must inf allibly bring them a rich return on their voices I Often take fifty minutes to go through it only once for .

,

I let no tone pass that is lacking in in

pit ch power and duration ,

vibration

,

of

,

or

the propagation form

.

any

’

degree

in a single

SECTI O N XXXI V E L O C I TY

S I N G E RS male and female who are lacking ,

,

velocity and the power Of trilling seem to me ,

l ike

horses without tails

Both of these things

.

belong to the art of song and are inseparable ,

from it

.

It is a matter of indifference whether

the singer has to use them or not ; he must be able to

.

The teacher who neither teaches nor

can teach them to his pupils is a the pupil warnings c

wh o , of

bad teacher ;

notwithstanding the urgent

his teacher

,

neglects the

ex er

ises that can help him to acquire them and ,

fails to perfect himself in them is a ,

There is no excuse for it but lack

of

bu ngler

talent

,

.

or

laziness ; and neither has any place in the higher walks Of art

.

To give the voice velocity practise first ,

lowly then faster and faster figures

S

,

,

25 1

of

five

,

H OW TO

25 2

S I NG

'

six seven and eight notes etc ,

,

downward If

,

.

upward and

,

.

has well mastered the great slow scale with the nasal connection skill in sing on e

,

,

,

ing rapid passages will be developed quite of

itself because they both rest

on

,

f oundation ,

the same

and without the preliminary pra e

tice can never be understood

.

Put the palate into the nasal position the ,

larynx upon

attack the lowest tone

ae ;

of

the

figure with the thought Of the highest ; force the breath as it streams very vigorously forth ,

from the larynx toward the nose but allow ,

,

the head current entire freedom without ,

ti rely

en

doing away with the nasal quality ; and

then run up the scale with great firmness In descending keep the form of ,

est tone even ,

if

t he

.

high

there should be eight to

twelve tones in the passage adjusting ,

e

and a

very close to each other so that the scale ,

slides down not a pair of stairs but a smooth ,

track the highest tone aff ord ing as it were ,

,

a guarantee that

on

,

the way there shall be

H O W TO

25 4

the movement

SI NG

larynx and tongue and they

of

,

cannot rise higher and higher with a figure that often reaches to an immense height the ,

singer must resort to the aid vowel

Of

the auxiliary

in order to lower the larynx and

oo,

so make room for the breath

A

run

any other figure must never sound

or

thus

-

0

ah

ha

ha

ha

ha

b ut must be nasally modified above

,

and

tied ; and because the breath must flow out unceasingly in a powerfu l stream from the vocal cords an ,

h

can o nly be put in beneath

whi ch makes us sure

Of

,

this powerful stream

ing ou t of the breath and helps only the bran ch stream Of breath into the cavities Of ,

the head

.

Often singers hold the b reath

,

V ELO C ITY

25 5

concentrated on the nasal form

firmly

,

the lowest tone of a figure and without ,

,

this nasal form

t erru pting

or

,

on

in

the head tones

,

that is the b reath V ib rating in the head cavi ,

ties finish the figure alone ,

Of

the muscular contractions and palate are very strong L

o i s elet

C

’

.

h pi o

The turn of

necti on

quality the

55

,

,

When thi s happens

.

,

,

.

n-Vi ard o t

t oo,

based on the consistent

con

the tonal figure with the nasal whi ch is Obtained by pronouncing

toward the nose by means ,

larynx is made pliable

.

The

connection O f all vowels to the mobile hinge ,

of

descending

(70

.

one

y

of

which the

insures the

another ; it is

the closed form

vowel is ready to help e, for

the throat tongue

,

—for

.

Every

ascending a and

In the closed form they

H O W TO

25 6

ccomplish the change

SI NG Of

a

form quickly and

elastically without ever relaxi ng it entirely With

the

combined strength of

co Op erati on

on e

,

.

especially with

or the other organ

,

numberless nuances may be attained through conscious practice ; in the in mez z a

di

voce,

in the velocity breath

on e

in the f orte in darker or lighter coloring i a n o , p

,

,

or

breadth of the form with ,

In such manner every

.

one

can

attain velo city and if he is apt apply it in ,

,

serious song How

etc

.

.

often have I heard the

ha-ha— ha-haa ,

a wretched tumbling down of different

,

tones instead of a smooth decoration Of the ,

cantilena

.

cause no

Singers generally disregard it on e

,

be

can do it any more and yet .

,

even to day it is of the greatest importance T r t a See i s n u n d I s o d e l ) ( -

.

.

The situation is quite the same in regard to the appoggiatura

.

In this the resonance is

made nasal and the flexibility whi ch

,

of

the larynx

without changing the resonance

moves quickly up and down

,

,

accomplishes

SECTI O N XXXII TRI LL

TH E RE still remains the trill which is b est ,

practised in the beginning as follows from the upper note to the lower one

.

A

and e are placed very closely against each other nearly pinching and held tight ; the a

,

,

larynx kept as stiff as possible and placed high as

Both tones are connected as closely

.

heavily

downward again

,

is

as on

possible

the larynx

upward

,

for

,

admirably suited

‘

.

nasally

which the

,

,

y,

They must be

attacked as high as possible and very strongly ,

25 8

T RI LL

conn ected with the chest

.

25 9

The trill exercise

must be practised almost as a scream

accen ted

upper note must always be strongly The

exercrse 1

The

.

s practised with an even strength

.

,

without decrescendo to the end ; the breath pressure acts more and more strongly unin ,

t erru ptedly

to the

fi n ish

.

Trill exercises must be perf ormed with great energy on the whole compass ,

voice

of

the

They form an exception to the rule

.

in so far that in them more is given throat to do control

of

always

the chest

,

to

the

however under the ,

than in other exercises

That relates however to the muscles ,

,

The breath vibrates

above

.

.

the larynx but ,

does not stick in it consequently this is not ,

dangerous for

.

It is really a gymnastic exercise

the muscles

.

The exercise is practised first then

on

two whole tones ,

of

on

two half

,

the same key

(as g iven above) advancing by semitones twice a day on the entire compass of the voice It is exhausting because it requi res ,

”

.

,

2 60

H OW TO

S I NG

great energy ;

but

the same reason it

gives strength

fo r

Practise it first as slowly

.

and vigorously as the strength

the throat

of

allows then faster and faster till ,

on e

,

the trill unexpe ctedly appears

day

With some

.

energy and industry good results should be rea ched in from six to eight weeks and the ,

larynx should take on the habit Of perform ing its function by itself gradually becomes a habit as if only

on e

,

This function

.

so

that it

s

eems

tone were atta cked and held

and as if the second tone simply

,

ibrated

v

with it As a matter of fact the larynx will have been so practised in the minute ,

.

upward and downward motion that the singer ,

is aware only Of the vibrations Of the breath that lie above it while he remains mindful ,

all the time only note

Of

the pitch of the upper

.

One has the feeling then as

of

singing

or

tone (which must be laced very high while the upper vibrates o n e ) p with it simply through the habitude of the holding only the

lo wer

,

H O W TO

262

SI NG

If the larynx has acquired the habit properly the trill

,

be carried on into a pi an o and i o and prolonged almost without end i a n ss i m p with

can

crescendi

and

descrescen di ,

Italians used to do and as ,

have learned anything

.

all

as the

G ermans

do

old

who

SECTI O N XXX III H o w To

H O LD

’

O NE S

SE LF

WH E N PRA CTI S I NG

practising the singer should always

IN

stand if possible before a large mirror in ,

,

,

order to be able to watch himself closely He

should stand upright

.

quietly but not

,

stiffly and avoid everything that looks like ,

restlessness

.

The hands should hang quietly

rest lightly

or

something

on

,

,

without tak

ing part as yet in the interpretation of the expression The first thing needed is to bring .

the body under control that is to remain ,

quiet so that later ,

do

,

,

mg mg, the singer can

In s

everything intentionally

.

The pupil must always stand in such a way that the teacher can watch his face as well as his whole body ,

permissible

.

Continual move

.

ments of the fingers hands

,

,

or

feet are

n ot

H OW TO

2 64

SI NG

The body must serve the singer s purposes ’

freely and must acquire

bad habits

no

The

.

singer s self possession is reflected in a feel ’

ing

-

satisfaction

of

on

the part

The quieter the singer

of

artist

or

the listener

.

the more

,

significant is every expression he gives ; the fewer motions he they have enough of

makes the more importance ,

So he can scarcely be quiet

.

O nly there must be a certain accent

.

expression in this quietude

,

which can

not be represented by indiff erence

The

.

quietude Of the artist is a reassurance for the public tainty his

,

of

fo r

it can come only from the cer

power and the full command of

task through study and preparation and

perfe ct knowledge Of the work to be pre sented

.

An

artist whose art is based

on

power cannot appear other than self possessed -

and certain

of

himself

.

An

evident

mess

u n eas

is always inartistic and hence does not belong ,

where art is to be embodied upon tricks

of

.

A

Al l

dependence

habit creates nervousness and

lack of flexibility

.

H OW TO

266

S I NG

It is enough for a musical person to strike a single note on the piano when he practises alone

or

,

perhaps a common chord

after

,

which the body and hands should return to their quiet natural position ,

.

O nly in a

standing posture can a free deep breath be ,

drawn and mind and body be properly pre ,

pared for the exercise

or

the song to follow

.

It is also well for pupils to form sentences with the proper number of syllables upon which to sing their exercises so that even ,

such exercises shall gradually gain a certain amount

Of

expressiveness

.

Thus the

exer

cises will form pictures which must be con n e ct e d

as

with the play of the features as well

with

,

an inner feeling and thus will not ,

be come desultory and soulless and given over to indifference

Of course not till the mere

.

tone itself is brought under complete control and uncertainty the horizon

Of

without danger Only when

Is

no longer possible

the pupil be thus

,

,

can

widened

.

a

scene re quires that a vocal

P O SI TI O N

passage be sung

WH I LE P RACTI SI NG kneeling

2 67

or sitting mus t

the singer pra ctise it in his room long

be

fore the performance and at all rehearsals

,

in accordance with dramatic requirements Of the situation always

S TA ND

.

.

O therwi se the

si nger

shou

ld

We must also look out for

unaccustomed garments that may be required on the stage and rehearse in them ; for ,

stance hat helmet hood ,

ou

t

,

,

loak etc

c

,

,

.

With

becoming accustomed to them by practice

the singer may easily make himself lous

in

the stage

on

surdity

a

of

H ence

.

Lohengri n who

ri di cu

comes the

ab

cannot sing with

a helmet another who cannot with a Shield ,

a third who cannot

with

,

,

gauntlets ; a Wan

derer who cannot with the big hat another ,

who cannot with the spear a ,

not with the helmet etc ,

.

J ose

All

who can

these things

must be practised before a mirror un til the requirements Of a part a habit

.

or

its costume become

To attain this the singer must be ,

completely master movements

.

of

his body and all his

H OW TO

268

S I NG

It must be precisely the same with the voice of

The singer must be quite independent

.

bad habits in order consciously

to

exact

from it what the proper interpretation

of

the work to be performed requires He should practise only so long as can .

b e done without weariness

cise he should take a rest next

on e

.

Af ter

,

Af ter

.

every

exer

be fresh for the

to

the great scale he should

rest a t least ten minutes ; and these resting times must be Observed as long as and not b e Long

-

exacted

filled

wi th other tasks

continued of

exertion

one

sings

,

.

shou ld

not

be

the voice at first ; even if the effects

it are n ot immediately felt a damage is done in some way In this matter pupils

of

,

.

themselves are chiefly at fault because they ,

cannot get enough as long as they take pleas ,

ure in it

.

For this reason it is insane folly to try sing important roles on the stage after it may perhaps one or two years of study ;

to

b e endured for

one

or

two

years without

SECTI O N XXX IV PRO NU N C IA TI O N

CO N S O NA NTS

.

WI TH O U T doubt the Italian language with its

wealth

of

vowels is better adapted for smgI ng

than the German language so rich in consonants or

than any other language

.

The organs

,

of

speech and the vocal apparatus in the Italian ,

language are less subjected to violent form ,

modifi cati ons for

The numerous vowels secure

.

the Singer an easy connection

the sounds

of

,

while t he poor pronunciation Of the many hard consonants interrupts every form and tone connection

H owever,

.

every

who

on e

r o p

fesses to be an artist should learn to pronounce

and sing well every current language The mixing and connecting of several vowels in the .

different vowel forms -

in itself

.

it consists

on

single tones is a Study

The most appropriate In

placing a

b efore y

2 70

“

xercise for

e

each vowel and

P RO NUNC I ATIO N

C O NSO NANTS

.

of

renewing it before each followi ng vowel

so that

y

muscles of the vocal apparatus First sing one

or

b reath so as

one

,

becomes a binding medium and at

the same time a gymnastic exercise

in

271

fo r

the

.

two syllables very slowly learn

to

to

,

observe each

vibration and each position Of the tongue and the palate ; then gradually add a third and a fourth syllable

The

.

is so slowly prepared y

by the tongue t hat it seems like a syllable itself

.

If we take into consideration that many German words contain as many consonants

as

vowels whi ch must be pronounced and resonate ,

Sprung, Strauch bringst Herbst schweifst brauchst etc we must acquire great deftness Of the on a single tone ,

,

as for example ,

,

,

,

,

.

vocal apparatus that is with the organs tongue

,

larynx palate lips nose chest and diaphragm

,

,

,

,

so

,

,

,

,

that we can at least approximately meet

H OW TO

2 72

such great demands

SI NG

To

.

begin with

,

we

must

try clearly to understand that every letter demands its own form that every union ,

cal organs from one letter

Vo

the

tone to another

or

must again create a new form

of

.

Perhaps it is

better to say in this instance " a new quality the form

or

tone

.

of

In order to accomplish this

the existing form must in its concentration be resolved into

-

y

falling apart

W hich

prevents the form from

before a change can be made to

a new form that is a new position ,

,

whether a tone vowel or consonant ,

,

word is to be changed

.

Each

of

,

no

or

matter

an entire

the three first

mentioned form modifi cations has its own parti c -

ular quality t aneou sly,

.

If several of them take pla ce simul

the change will be doubly difficult

.

D ark vowels are to be thought of as concave

,

bright vowels as straight and consonants as ,

convex

.

D ark vowels C

,

b ri ght vowels

con

sonants All

vowels

vowels .

A

,

all consonants need auxiliary

vowel by itself with its finest shades

H OW TO

274

S I NG

prevent extreme differences in sounds

To

from bright to dark or vice versa the two forms ,

in the pronunciation

of

the word must be

brought as near together as possible

eg

,

the

.

vowels must be colored or mixed according to the warmth and character of the word sung

AS

.

consonants compress all vowel forms -

and so cut l l e d e p

be

to

off

all tone connection we are -

,

m

co

to look for a means to preserve sound

and tone connection It consists in pron ou n c ing nearly all consonants in the a form and -

.

during the enunciation in alternating the

con

cave and convex positions often so that a ,

kind

wavelike motion is produced in which

of

the consonants may Often resoun d with the vowel as for example ,

The process is particularly noticeable with But

s,

r

.

m l d though pronounced in a different ,

,

,

manner also need all auxiliary vowels ,

.

While

several vowels are always adjusted to sound as one the consonant must during the process of ,

P RO NU NC IATIO N

.

C O NSO NANT S

2 75

articulation be slowly produced by the flexible ,

motion and countermotion and palate in

of

larynx tongue ,

,

D uring their formation and even

.

their preparation they take up considerable

time as they have to perform a twofold work in ,

order to resound

.

It is then the exact Opposite

to that which most singers and pupils under — stand by clear cu t and correct articulation or ,

to that whi ch they are in the habit

of

doing

by giving the consonants a hard quick and ,

,

toneless articulation without preparing them and without making them flexible

.

With most consonants it is a question of the

vowel form -

a

in which they are placed and

articulated as the vowel a must nearly always ,

be pronounced before a word and generally after a word closing with a consonant

I n the

.

latter case it is used as a sort o f after sound for example -

If in addition there

is

a question Of pitch

,

,

then even a the note line (with which I have -

H O W TO

276

SI NG

underlined the word) is not sufficient There must be added to the a an e over the nose that .

,

is the a must be placed higher ,

“

H

Prefixes and

.

su ffixes as in verraten verleugnen ” t rii mmern etc receive a covering of ,

,

.

H

U

,

(I

,

zer

76 or 0

b,

treating them as if they were written without thus

6

V Orrat On O

.

In this way they

come secondary to the main

especially in the recitative

,

be

yllable which

s

cannot be

,

t oo

strongly accented We see how in defian ce to all the opposition .

which the consonants are ever ready to off er the vocal apparatus of the singer or speaker the modified concave vocal form remain s

,

ictorious

v

It remains victorious as long as

.

the distin ctnes s of the consonant is only tained

through the

coresonan ce O f

the bright

vowels a e and Often also through the nance of d o and o ,

,

at

coreso

”

.

All

singing, and especially the consonan ts

,

H OW TO

278

S I NG

cause in the pronunciation of the vowel the breath or attack ,

the preceding

or

,

in

It is not the vowel but

.

,

succeeding consonant that

or

constricts the form and prevents the continu ance of tonal resonance

In time many singers

.

lose their voice through the inflexibility Of the muscles of

Of

the tongue and larynx of

tone is the foundation

.

As

beauty

vocal art it should ,

be the aim Of every singer to alter it as little as possible by means of skilful and flexible nu n ci ati on

ness

of

Not

r o p

without endangering the distin ct

enunciation only the word and syllable whi ch are .

sung in the form Of the dominating vowel

of

the

word but every letter necessitates a form ,

modi fi cation

.

One letter j eopardizes another

,

every letter imperils tone beauty every con -

,

sonant endangers every vowel other in which ,

one

on e

,

form

an

must pronounce or Sing

.

Stability beauty height depth strength and ,

,

suppleness

of

,

,

,

tone and word run eternal dan

ger of b eing altered and thrown from their path

.

In order to equalize the form modifi cations -

P RO NUNC IATIO N

C O NSO NANTS

.

2 79

it is necessary constantly to employ all those auxiliary vowels

especially a and

which

e

have the power to raise the tongue and palate thus raising the pit ch and form

Every vowel

.

may eventually be an auxiliary vowel cording to the demands

of

,

tone beauty

ac

-

.

We

can better see from an illustration what a rev olu

ti on

the change

of

letters in the form

of

a

perfect tone endeavors to bring about ; how the singer must concentrate his entire attention on

the form modifi cat ion s -

or

form preserva -

tion while articulating every letter so that he may remain master of the beauty O f his voice No letter ,

badly

.

.

\

Il O

syllable ought to be pronounced

The teacher should not let a poorly

pronounced syllable pass uncorrected

He must

.

correct over and over again until letter syllable ,

,

and word are connected with each other by good resonance As

.

I have Often mentioned we Shall have to ,

abolish the false designations used in the pedagogics of vocal art as well as those used by the professional singer erroneous appella ,

HOW

2 80

TO

SI NG

tions which produce false comprehension of

the part

the teacher and singer

ample " the false idea

of

For ex

.

the breath

on

on

which

for years nearly the entire attention was di rect ed,

breath

thus diverting it from the form for the The misunderstood idea

.

of

breath

restraint (A tem stau en ) on the part of the pupil corresponds to the idea Of a channel without -

outlet

which the water

In

,

flowing

whereas the breath must continu

O ff

ally issue from the mouth habit

of

cause

fo r

ollects without

c

.

It has become

t he

consideri ng the breath as the only a bad

or

a good tone

This is the

.

the eternal breath pressure with which so many singers produce their tones cause

of

and ruin their voices

Tone and tone strength -

.

may only be produced by muscle stretching -

and by the subtlest tension of the vocal organs To to

.

avoid such an error it would be advisable leave the coaction of the diaphragm out

of

play at firs t directing the entire attention to ,

the form only

that is to the relative position ,

Of no se palate larynx and tongue and finally ,

,

,

,

H O W TO

2 82

SI NG

flexibly and dissolves the connection b etween ,

the di aphragm and the upper organs which then ,

wobble helplessly to and and uncertainty

.

fro,

produ cing tremolo

I have seen a single such tone

breath left formless ruin the entire even ) ( ing for the singer Because he was suddenly .

robbed Of all support

,

he thought himself

suddenly indisposed and was unable to sing to the end Art

Unfortunate ignorance

" .

"Wretched

The weakest as well as the strongest tone which the singer is able to give depends on the energy

the experienced artist

of

lesser or greater tension

of

,

all the muscles

the vocal organs in themselves and other

.

upon the on e

of

to the

This tension extends from the nose

the temples over the larynx and ,

,

muscles d own to the diaphragm

.

t he

At

,

chest

certain

heights the nose and the diaphragm are the poles from which the tension from

on e

to the

other seems like the tensed string of a harp Without this tension a steady tone is an im po ssibility

.

It

.

naturally becomes we aker and

H OW TO

2 84

SI NG

more flexible the lower we descend and more tensed the higher we wish to sing .

In this form whose ends ,

or

poles are tensed

against each other everything takes place which ,

the intervening organs as larynx and tongue ,

which must likewise be in exact tension with them

have to execute in articulating

,

or

whi ch they have to execute in the progression of

the tone toward the height

or

depth

.

he whose ear is so acutely trained that

Only he

can

hear that each tone interruption is produced by the poor action of larynx and tongue or by

the tightening or

the diaphragm

of

or

soft palate

by muscular laxn ess has any idea ,

deli cacy idea

of

of

of

,

the

the work ; and only he has any

it who through years ,

of

work has tried

to produce tone binding in such a manner that -

the tone will continue edly

in spite

of

to

resonate uninterrupt

the difficulties Offered by the

language he is using habits Of speech

.

,

or

by bad and careless

That wou l d mean to be

moderate ; to hold together all organs flexibly but still energetically not to allow the action ,

H OW TO

2 86

SI NG

To some extent we here see what resources ,

are at

ou r

disposal and that only by the

scious knowledge Of the adjustment vocal organs

which must be

on e

of

con ou r

with ou r ear

r hearing may a permanent art a lasting o ) ( voice (within human limits) be secured The .

co operation of all muscles ligaments tendons ,

,

,

and nerves with each other and the action within themselves must be Secured to produce a mobile supple movable and indestructible ,

,

,

form for the breath fi ed

.

The form may be modi

but never destroyed

natural gifts

.

.

Some singers have

The true artist though has ,

,

worked over them and dire cted them into artistic paths

.

We need only to have observed

J oseph Kainz

(a noted German actor) whose muscular tension and elasticity were admirable and from whose technique of breathing every singer could learn Su ch wonderful technique united with su ch a wonderful soul as in this ca se gave the li stener the keenest enj oyment An d surely he could only have a cquired this te chnique through very earnest study and per ,

,

.

,

.

,

P RO NU NC I ATIO N

C O NSONANT S

.

287

haps through the knowledge that a lasting art impossible without technique

.

Also

is

in listening

to the concert singer M eschaert you can very well hear the striking elasticity of larynx and palate which so charmed me in ,

singing

his

wonderful

.

C onsciously or unconsciously used technique ,

remains a necessity

to

art and to the artist

himself as without it there is no art ,

Is it

.

’

not a magnificent task to secure for one s self a privileged po sition in the world of art by acqu iring conscious ability ? By gaining for

"

one s self a beautifu l voi ce ’

or ,

if such a

on e

naturally exists by preserving it to the end

of

one s life ’

Singers have acquired the habit

of

n r n o o u c p

ing words in the same direction as they written that ,

to back n u n ciat i on

i s,

are

from left to right from front ,

this also gives a false idea in vocal art

.

of

pro

W ords to be sung

artistically are not sung as the maj ority are in

the habit Of pronouncing ordinarily ; not

in a straight line but in accordance with note

H O W TO

28 8

SI NG

height and depth beginning almost at the ,

pharynx and placing before the last pronounced letter letter for letter ,

.

O nly a few artists

have a clear and conscious idea of thi s H ow rarely does any on e speak sonorously and to

S

peak thus would signify

words constantly forms

"

,

on e

.

,

j oin

to

to the other in vowel

With many German singers and speakers the

back and root

of

the tongue remain rigid in

the throat while pronouncing consonants l ec i l a p y on e,

the end consonants of a word

,

.

es

No

unless he naturally speaks flexi bly thinks ,

Of relaxing the form before and after each con sonant and Of

c

reating new vowel forms

for the additional auxiliary vowels which aid in renderi ng the consonant sonorous an d t elligible

.

F or

Naturally the

in

example

auxiliary vowel is only a prolonga

tion of sonority and is

n ot

an articulated syl

H OW TO

2 90

SI NG

strength are in such instances so compressed ,

that they make everything them immovable of

An d

.

c

onnected with

especially the strength

a tone whi ch comes into existence by the placement of the larynx (in the e and 00 ten sion) by means of the vowel a whose coworkers are the cricoid and thyroid cartilages (esp ecially ,

,

in the higher

-

a nd

highest

voi x

-

mi me tones) ,

must only be produced in an elastic manner

.

The cartilages must be drawn together as if by a magnet ; they must then be held together

elastically and then be elastically relaxed As

soon as the tongue and root

through stiffness action

of

or

of

tongue

contraction hinder the

the cartilages all the muscles ,

larynx become cramped and the singer is lost

.

for

of

the

the moment

.

I can only compare the sensation

of

this

elasti c magnetic force to that Of two fine mag netic needles in a machine

to two slowly movi ng bolts whi ch are drawn toward each or

other to a c ertain point but can never touch each other

,

and which notwithstanding the

P RO NUNC IATIO N force

C O NSO NANTS

.

attraction tend

of

to

retract

.

29 1

So the

placement of the vowel a with the larynx which now takes a position between two agnetic poles m

of

creates a balance

strength

upon which the tone must soaringly be main t ained

.

F or example

Pronunciation that is

too

distinct partie ,

u larly of

consonants

,

d e s t r o y s all tone connection and the tone

and

i form a o n t g

But

r o a p p

.

singing

pends chiefly

ou

de the

connection Of tones

.

Every single tone in a

scale for example may ,

n ecti on

,

be

right but the

con

from one tone to another very wrong

.

The error arises from the fact that the form of the tone just completed was not entirely relaxed

,

and the tension of the organs one to the other was not dissolved before the form was prepared fo r

the next tone

.

The refined

inger must

s

H O W TO

2 92

SI NG

learn to hear this work dissolution

connection

complete two tones

TO

.

of

,

and

then

,

there are necessary four different though connected forms The transition form from .

tone to another must naturally n ot be heard and yet the two tones of a scale would on e

lack an important factor if this transition form were not present whi ch ,

hear but

of

,

for

example I not only ,

which I also have a distinct sensa

tion (when hearing others) The connecting form then is an intermediate form for a mute .

intermediate sound ferent

tones

or

.

It lies b etween two dif

letters and is eff ected principally

by the relaxat ion Of the diaphragm and larynx

,

whi ch relaxation extends over the entire form and diminishes the current

Of

breath

.

It is

only when this process (whi ch corresp onds t o the dissolution O f the form) is perfectly accom I

that the entire vocal organs (tensed in thems elves and one to the other which action

i h l e d s p

,

makes the vo cal apparatus) are shi fted the

entire length top

for

t he

second tone toward the ,

for height and toward the bottom for

H O W TO

2 94

SI NG

The voiceless consonants

k, p, t

are pre

pared silently but with flexibility The labials like f and w the sibilants s sch 2 the aspirates .

,

,

,

,

h German v German whether r o ) ( ( ) p p n ou n ced with lips upper teeth root of tongue

like

oh

,

,

,

,

,

and palate with tip ,

un

tongue and protruding

of

derlip or in any other manner must accord ,

,

ing to their peculiarity be intonated

very

slowly

though we can hardly say they are rendered (

quite sonorous) intonated in the

.

Nearly a form

all

of

them

are

-

.

( ) serves as well for distinct utterance as for preparation the consonant in question , as k ry distinctly and must be pronounced ve t p quickly Every letter vowel or consonant requires then not only its own distinct form transition form and adjustment in regard to tone height by adjustment in regard to tone height is meant After

each

T

consonant pause -

,

,

,

which

,

.

,

,

,

,

-

-

PRO NUNC I ATIO N "

the

(t

line

-

fies its

of

C O NSO NANTS

.

concentrated force

29 5

but it modi

form continually by calling into

own

play other vowels which tend to make the form flexible to place it higher to spread it ,

,

,

to

make

it narrower in short everythi ng which tends ,

,

to change the tonal quality Accordi ng of

.

to tone height and the demands -

the word the modified form moves from ,

letter

on e

to

another without alterin g the

note line a the pit ch and purity Of the tone -

,

.

Every tone can lay claim to various heights accordi ng to the harmony

to

whi ch it belongs

.

To render the necessary form modifi cati ons -

as comf ortable as possible for the vocal appara tus to adapt them advantageously for the tone ,

height and to use them in such a mann er that ,

the ear Of the listener is insensible to the changes is the great feat of vocal art

.

He

rapid progress during the study

who exp ects of

this mos t

difficult task will never master the art

of

song

.

There are endless difficulties to overcome

,

there are so many words in all languages

,

there exi st so many complications in the

H OW TO

2 96

S I NG

sentence arrangement that it becomes a life long study .

The ignorant the unskilful ,

or

,

the careless

will easily cramp his organs in making the rapid mo di fications of the form

.

If thi s

be

comes habit the singer is to b e pitied for as ,

,

,

grand as his profession could be it now becomes ,

a torture

To prevent thi s he must become

.

,

acquainted with

hi s

vocal apparatus with the

fullest consciousness must learn to use it and ,

must secure skilfulness in its use through scious study

.

con

In the beginning the best way ,

to become acquainted

wi th

the

u

naccustomed

functions is through very great exaggeration which must after knowledge and technique ,

are gained be diminished and changed into ,

flexible action and tension

of

the mus cles so ,

that finally these are united in a machi ne like -

harmonious whole

.

The apparatus must be

supple elastic in every movement and cou nter ,

movement and obey with energy that which ,

governs it

.

Ever since Wagner made his influence felt

,

H O W TO

2 98

SI NG

manner of causes without b eing able t o discover the true

one

.

An d

this is because the real

cause precedes the eff ect a long time

It is

.

necessary to see that the tongue is put in a soft pliable state ,

Of

preparation a long time

b efore the consonant is even thought and is

kept soft and pliable during pronunciation even though the consonant is hard

.

It takes a very finely trained ear to discover the cramped and hard pronunciation of the con s

onants in others ,

or

in himself

.

Bu t as soon

we have discovered the origin (the tongue) ou r eyes are opened and we may confidently

as

,

begin a new and long lasting study which is justified in taking up

ou r

entire attention

.

TH E A R IA O F D O NNA ANN A A NAL

Y SIS

Largh etto

O O RG A N S

O F TH E M V E M E NTS

O CA L

l l es b l eib st du t h eu er Th e red l etters denot e t he fo ret h ou gh t Very su ppl e an d cl ose p o sit i on of l aryn x on a an d 00 Th e 6 over t he n ose toward t he h ead cavit i es is contin u all y ren ew ed t h e 00 1s d i ssolved an d re n ewe d wi t h each l ett er .

Ub er

O F TH E V

a

.

.

.

,

.

P RO NUNC IATIO N

C O NSO NANT S

.

2 99

n se h o n s t e e o r e n o w y i e p gp — s c r e e u s s o t e h e e s l y r a i s i g l tt i r n x t h a e fi x es d p h eigh t for the t on gu e note line gives strength

h ead

i

-

c arr

v o ce

-

.

,

,

-

hi h hi i n t s c w ( i

a so ar n g oo

c

h est

vers

co

high

mann er)

i

V o ce

the

t on e

,

,

pos

iti on mu st

fore

i l ent

be

u sed

t

a a a l l p

t, k, p ,

in

d ept h

reson an ce

di sso lves t he

form

flexibi l ity

.

b efore do u b l e conson ants an d be Upon w hi ch fo ll ows s h ort cl ear cu t

pau se

-

,

i i conn ect ing medi u m an d t en si on

n t c a n u n o r o p

y

y

.

makes the l arynx pl i ab l e s

on l

.

.

SECTI O N XXXV P

CO N C E RNI NG E X RE S S I O N

WH E N we wish

study a role

to

or

a song

we have first to master the intellectual tent

Of

the work

.

Not

ourselves a clear picture

,

con

till we have made of

the

whole should

we proceed to elaborate the details through ,

which however the impression ,

,

of

should never b e allowed to su ff er l e e t p

picture should always shine

A

I f it is

.

the whole The

.

ou

t

m

co

through

much b roken into details

t oo

,

Shreds and pat ches So petty accessories must be avoided that the larger outline of the whole picture shall not suffer The complete picture must ever claim the chief interest ; details should not distract attention from it In art subordination of the parts to the whole is an art of itself Every it becomes a thing

of

.

,

.

.

,

.

3 00

SECTI O N XXXVI PU B L I C

B E F O RE TH E

IN to

the wide reaches Of the theatre it is needful

give an exaggeration to the expression

,

whi ch in the concert hall where the forms Of ,

society rule An d

,

must be entirely abandoned .

yet the picture must be presented by the

artist to the public from the very first word the very first note ; the mood must b e felt advance ing

.

of

.

,

In

This depends partly upon the bear

the singer and the expression

of

coun

t en an ce

he has during the prelude whereby

interest

in what is coming is

,

roused and is ’

a

directed upon the music as well as upon the poem The picture is complete in itself I have only .

to vivify its colors during the performance

.

Upon the management of the body upon the ,

electric current which should flow between the 302

BEFO RE THE

artist and the public streams forth at is

n ot

his

,

ve ry appearance but Often ,

to be established at all

impress upon

ou r

3 03

a cu rrent that Often

of

glow and effectiveness N0

PUB LI C

picture

depend the

,

the color which

we

.

artist should be b eguiled b y this into

giving forth more than artistic propriety per mits either ,

enhance the enthusiasm

to

or

to

intensify the mood ; for the electric connection cannot be f orced

.

Often a tranquillizing feel

ing is very soon manifest

on

both sides the ,

eff ect of which is quite as great even though ,

less stimu lating

Often

.

t oo,

,

a calm still under ,

standing between singer and public exercises a fascination upon both that can o nly

be

attained through a complete devotion to the task in hand and renunciation Of ,

to gain noisy applause To

me it is a matter

any

attempt

.

of

indiff erence whether

the public goes frantic or listens quietly and reflecti vely,

for I give

undertaken to

.

ou

t

only what I have

If I have put my individu

ality my powers my love for the work into ,

,

,

H OW TO

3 04

S I NG

a rOle or a song that is applauded by the pub lic I decline all thanks for it t o myself per ,

and consider the applause as belong

sonally,

ing to the master whose work I am interpreting

.

If I have succeeded in making him intelligible to the public

,

t he

reward therefor is contained

in that fact itself and I ask for nothing more ,

.

Of what is implied in the intelligent inter i n r e t o a t p

Of a work

of

art as to talent and ,

h as

study the public ,

no conception

O nly

.

they can understand it whose lives have been devoted to the same ideals standing

of

such

,

or

.

The lasting under

even of a part

lic is worth more than all the storm ,

of

the pub

of

applause

that is given t o so many All the applause in the world cannot repay .

me

for

the sacrifices I have made for art and ,

no applause in the world is able to beguile me from the dissatisfaction I feel over the failure of

a single tone

or

attempted exp ression

.

What seems to me b ad because I demand ,

the greatest things

of

myself is to b e sure

good enough f or many others

,

.

,

,

I am however, ,

H OW TO

3 06

S I NG

be sufficiently censured

n ot

going

ou

t

In the same way

.

before the end at ,

u n fi t t i ng

times

,

,

and the use of fans in such a way as to disturb artists and those sitting near should be avoided by cultivated people

Artists

.

con cen

their whole nature upon realizing an

t rati ng

"which they wi h

idea

who are

to

s

,

interpret with the

most perfect exp ression should not be dis ,

tu rbed

or disquieted

.

O n the other hand operatic performances ,

an d

c

,

oncerts especially should be limited in ,

duration and in the number sented

.

It

Is

of

pieces pre

better to Offer the public a

single symphony

or

a short list of songs

or

pianoforte pie ces which it can listen to with ,

attention and really absorb than to provide ,

two

or

three hours Of difficult music that

neither the public can listen

t o with

sufficient

attention nor the artist perform with sufficient concentration

.

SECT I O N XXXVII P

I NTE R RE TATI O N

LE T

us return

to

the subj ect O f E xpression

and examine a song ; for example Der Nu

ssbau

m

,

by S chu mann

”

,

,

.

The prevailing mood through it is one Of quiet gayety consequently one demanding ,

a pleasant expression song picture must story

.

of

countenance

.

The

ustle by us lik e a fairy

r

The pi cture shows us the fragrant

nut tree putting forth its leaves in the spring under it a maiden lost in revery who finally ,

falls asleep happy in her thoughts ,

youth and fragrance a ,

ture

Of them should stand

is

harming little pic

c

whose colors must harmonize

,

All

.

ou

t

.

None

from the frame

.

O nly one Single word rises above the rustling ,

of the tree and this must be brought plainly ,

to the hearing of the listening maiden 307

and

H OW TO

3 08

hence also ,

year

the public

the second

n ext

The whole song finds its point in that

.

word

on e

,

of

S I NG

.

The nut tree before the house

puts forth its r n a c e g

reen leaves and sheds its fra g

its blossoms are lovingly embraced by

;

the so ft breezes whispering to each other two ,

by

t wo ,

and Offer their heads to b e kissed

,

nodding and bowing ; the song must be sung with an equal fragrance each mu srcal phrase ,

in one breath that is

,

with

six inaudible breath

ings without ritenuto They whisper of a maiden who night and .

,

day is thinking self

.

,

“

Between

sh e

knows not of what her

selber

”

“

and

ni cht was

a

slight separation of the words can be made by breaking

O ff

the

r

“

in

selber

,

nasally ;

and holding the tone nasally without taking ,

a fresh breath atta cking the

“

,

of

In thi s way an expression But

n ow

anew

un certainty is

.

all becomes quite mysteri ous

They whisper

,

they whisper

”

.

one must

bend one s thoughts to hear it ; who can under ’

.

”

“

lent to the words nicht was

nicht

H O W TO

3 10

S I NG

tones that seem t o enhance the peace far from the haunts of men

nature

of

,

.

As

tranquil as are the clouds that pass by

as peaceful as is the mood ri ou s

Of

,

nature as luxu ,

as are the flowers that spread their fra

gran ee so tranqui l and calm must be the b reathing of the singer which draws the long ,

,

phrases

of

the song over the

hords

the

of

c

accompaniment and brings b efore us in words ,

and tones the picture

of

the warm peace of sum

mer in nature and the radiant b eing

of

,

dis solved within it

.

I mark the breathing places with liege

still im hohen

lange meinen Bli ck co mfortably “

c

,

Gras

V

nach oben

V

r n n ii e g

"

V

almly nach oben

Grillen rings

V on

a man

u

V

Ich

.

"

und sende and again

.

mschw armt

V

Ohn

’

Unterlass V von Himmelsblau e wu ndersam

umwoben u

mwoben

von Himmelsblau e '

V

V wu ndersam

.

Each tone each letter is connected closely ,

,

with the preceding and following ; the expres sion of the eyes and of the soul should be

I NT ERPRETATIO N

appropriate to that nature and

3 11

the glori fied peace

of ’

the soul s happiness

of

.

of

The last

phr ase should soar tenderly saturated with a ,

warm and soulful coloring “

V

Die

" "

durch s

ment wie self wie

"

Blau

ti ef e

s chOn e,

s chOn e

’

weissen W olken zieh n dahin

s chOn en ’

.

stille Traums Trau me

stille

" "

gaze at it for a mo

V, I

l osing one s

V

V

.

’

A

"" "

feeling

dissolution takes away every thought

of

living and being l angst

V

M ir ist V als

gestorben bin

ob

V

of

ich

The whole being

"

is dissolved in the ether ; the end comes with outstretched

wings

soaring above the earth

und ziehe seli g mit

"

und ziehe selig mit Dissolution

of

durch

V V

ew

durch

e g

ew

’

e g

R aume

V .

"

the soul in the universe must

sound forth from the singer s tone ’

“

Raume

’

The E rlki ng,

”

.

by S chu bert

.

For him who is familiar with

ou r

native

legends and tales the willows and alders in ,

the fields

and

by the

hidden beings tret ch out

s

,

brooks are peopled with

fairies

,

and witches

.

They

m hostl ar s as their veils wave g y ,

H OW TO

3 12

S I NG

over their loose hair they bow cower rais e ,

,

,

themselves become as big as giants or as lit ,

tle as dwarfs the weak to ,

They seem to lie in wait for

.

fill

them with fright

.

The father however who rides with his ,

,

child through the night and the wind is a ,

man no ghost ; and his faithf u l steed that ,

,

carries both no phantom ,

The picture is pre

.

sented to us vividly ; we can follow the group for long of

The feeling is of haste but

.

,

ghostliness

.

The prelude shou l d

quently sound simply fast but ,

The first phrases

of

n ot

conse

overdrawn

.

the singer shou ld be con

with it as a plain narrative

nect ed

n ot

.

Suddenly the child hugs the father more closely and buries his face in terror in his bosom u q

.

Lovi ngly

i etly he

the father bends over him ;

asks him the cause

of

hi s

Frightened the child looks to ,

asks

,

in disconnected phrases

father does

n ot

fear

on e

.

side and ,

hi s

whether

,

see the Erlking the Erlking ,

with his crown and train They had just rid den by a clump of willows Still quietly the .

.

,

H OW TO

3 14

voice comes b ack again

SI NG

.

In a low whisper

sounds and words are distinguished hi s

invites the boy to play with

Erlking

.

daughters

,

who shall dance with him and rock him and sing to him

.

of

I n the heat

fever the boy implores his

father to look for the Erlkings daughters ’

.

The father sees only an Old gray willow ; but hi s

voice is no longer calm

Anxiety for

.

his

sick child makes his manly tones break ; the comforting words contain already a longing quickly quickly must

for the j ourney s end ’

he reach it Erlking has

,

,

.

ish fancy

Of

completely

n ow

the child

he possesses himself is vain

of

.

filled

the fever

With ruthless power

the boy

all oppositi on

the silver cord is loosened

' .

Once

more he cries out in fear to his father then his ,

eyes are closed

.

strains every nerve

The man hi s

beside himself

,

’

own and his horse s ;

his haste is like a wild flight

The j ourney s ’

.

end is reached ; breathless they stop race

was

in vain

.

,

but the

I NTERP RETATIO N A

3 15

cold shudder runs through even

th e

nar

rator ; his whole being is strained and tense he must force “

hi s

mouth to utter the last words

D er Spi elmann,

”

by S chu mann

,

.

.

If the critics were to study as eagerly as the finished artist there would be enough material ,

on hand for stimulating discussions from which the public at large would profit .

Thus lying before me is a letter on music wherein one of my last concerts but more especially Schumann s Spielmann is the ,

’

,

theme

of

discussion

.

Would it

n ot

be interest

ing to the public to learn how such songs find interpretation in the artist ? This song had long claimed my attention The text is constructed on

.

idea in which

on e

the fate of three human beings is decided in cruel shortness of time me

.

This appealed to

an interesting picture and a well adapted -

composition A small rural wedding with music and dance ; .

the pale bride the ,

“

Spielmann

the bridegroom b ut who plays

”

fo r

who is

n ot

the dance

,

H O W TO

3 16

SI NG

pressing the fiddle so strongly against his heart that it breaks in a thori sand pieces a compassionate spectator to whom it is pain ful to see so young a heart which craves for “ ” happiness perish The Spielmann s sud ,

’

.

,

den outburst meditation

of

A

.

insanity puts an end to his “

poor

M usikant

”

lowers his

frightened glance and prays to God to save

him from such a terrible end The whole song is over

In

.

a flash

One only

.

begins to comprehend it at the outburst insanity and before ,

the poor

“

M usikant

on e ”

of

has fu lly realized all

,

has finished his prayer

and then very softly as from a great distance a ,

,

faint strain ear

of

,

the dance melody reaches -

.

It is seen how everyt hing concentrates self

On

it

the insane outburst ; and yet to this

phrase like all others composed ,

of

ou r

on

three notes

the middle range accents Of expression can ,

not be given But I attempt it The song is mine I possess it absolutely and in my in .

.

.

most soul know how it ought

to

sound

.

I must

H OW TO

3 18

SI NG

and the end is attained then I have made it mine ,

The given music

n ow

.

facilitates matters and ,

I follow the composer s restrictions not too high ’

,

not

t oo

low only the e xact tone appropriate ,

to a tormented sou l in a song of modest limits Now

,

devoting a couple

.

weeks to diligent

of

’

study I am able to do justice to Schumann s ,

composition NO I am no friend .

,

extremes

Of

Every

.

thing has its limits and art especially must ,

ever be mindful

of

it

.

Neither

in grief nor in

happiness in gentleness nor in brutality may ,

,

we indulge in exaggeration go beyond the line

of

We must never

.

beauty

.

In only a few

cases may genius be allowed to overstep

t he

bounds but this exaggeration is only produced ,

through sublimity

of

expression

,

n ot

through

brutality I am reminded of the answer given me by a .

celebrated Shakespearean actress upon being asked if she acted the part act

Juliet

Of

J u li et

" I ll

until I am a grandmother

response is significant

of

“

’

n ot

"The ”

the respect which

I NTERP RETATIO N

3 19

certain rOles inspire in great artists

.

They lab or

over them a lifetime never thinking them fit ,

for presentation In a small way I too can furnish an example .

of

these scruples

.

As

a young girl I sang with ’

great pleasure Schumann s Leben

Later

.

“

I let it alone

Frauenliebe und

.

I realized more

and more how deep how great certain ones ,

,

are

such a world

Of

feeling

is it really

possible to sing them ? It seemed to me that I was

t oo

weak for the task and yet how gladly

I would sing them ec o f t p

"las "There is no pros ,

A

my ever b ecomin g grandmother

.

SEC TI O N XXXVIII I N CO N C LU S I O N

class of voice is dependent upon the I nborn characteristics of the vocal organs TH E

.

But the development else that appertains

of

to

all

the voice and

can,

the art of song

providing talent is not lacking through industry and energy

,

be learned

.

If every singer cannot b ecome a f amou s artist every singer is at least in duty bound ,

to

have learned somethi ng worth whi le and ,

to do hi s

best according to his powers as soon ,

as he has to appear before an artist he should ,

n ot

any

public

.

aff ord this public

merely a cheap amusement but should ,

quaint of

it

As

ao

with the most perfect embodiments

that art whose sole task properly is

ennoble the taste

of

to

mankind and to bestow ,

happiness ; to raise it above the miseries 3 20

of

NO TE A G ood Remedy f or Catarrh

H oarseness

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ou r

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.

,

.

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.

my exerci ses the great scal e passages et c an d all t he vo we l s i n t o i t an d so fo rce t he ho t steam t o a ct u p o n t he l u n g s b ron chi al t u b es an d espe ci all y on t he mu co u s memb ran es whi l e I am b re at hi n g i n Aft er t hi s h as b een an d ou t t h rou gh t h e sp on g e kep t u p for t en or fi ft een mi n u t es was h t he face in co l d wat er Thi s can be rep eat ed fo u r t o six The sp o n g e s h ou l d be fu ll of wat er t i mes a day b u t mu st be q u i te sq u e ez e d o u t Thi s has h el ped me great l y an d I can re commend it hi g hl y I t can B u t aft er b reat h d o n o in j u ry b ecau se i t i s n at u ral i n g in t he hot s t eam d o n ot go o u t i mmed i at el y i n t o the co l d air I

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