The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-09-09
NUMBER IS.



There is no instrument capable Of prcdnc-
ing tone a ell comparable with that Of The
human voics, and the glory OF all oiher in
sirumsnss consists In the neafness of their
approach 10 iis marvellous perfection. Not
that II were desirable that oil instruments
should exactly resembls The voice in quality
or toae--ihe individuality Of each instrument
and the vsfisty Of tone in the oscheslra con-
s,ituiing lie peculiar richness. Bnt there are
many characteristics Of the voice which were
desirable in all instruments, such a. ease in
the production of tone---lhe fscilty Of pas
sage from one lone to ano.her--lhe purity OF
q lone, whatever lie quality, may be--aud
sympashe.ic power in the expression Of the
,emotions.
The instruments which most closely re-
semble the human voice arc the violonceIo,
the alto, the violin. The instrument which
comes next after the. voice, however, in
power and comprshensivsness, (alihough not
so nsaf resembling il in quality of tone,) is
the organ. Inits grandeur Of expression and
in it's marvellous resources, combining, as il
does more or less, all other mechanical in
s.rumenis in itself, Il is king among instfu.
ments Of human construction. The voice,
however, though possessing 50 peculiar
quslits, 10 yet capable 10 remarkable degree,
Of initiating other instruments; for not only,
by cultivation can il produce tlls actual tones
Of many instruments, but ii can initiate ai-
almos, all sounds with which the ear is a.
quaused.
Let US turn, then, TO the mechanical siruc.
lufe OF this instrument f1s
A, tho basis OF the vocal apparatus, like the
bellows of an organ, lie the human bellows
1.-The lungs. The office Of thesei Is 10 furnish
air for the musical ins.rumsa, located above.
The air is forced by the lungs through wha,
are called bronchial tubes, which extending
from either lung up toward the throat, grad.
ualiy converge until thsy are resolved into
one tube-the windpipe. A.the upper point
OF the windpipe is little bundle of mechsn-
ism called the larynT. tits compesedo of four
pieces which have the power of playing into
each other, or Of moving together. Through
the centre of the larynx is q hollow passage
or continuation of tine air tube. This tube
terminates in wide opening, which opening
is formed by the vocal cords, is of triangle
shape, and is called the gloiiis. Above this
opening is valve oaiied the epiglotis. The
epielot,is covers the air tube and protscts IN
the act of swallowing, the food passing down
behind the back of the throat, Above the
epiglottis is q continuation OF the opening,
(leading both into the mouth and nose) cali
the pharymz. The walls Of the pharsnx have
the power OF contracting or acting upon The
columns Of air, thus modifying the tone.
1t will be understood then, that The lungs
furnish the ait and send i, up TO the isrynx.
(Adam's spple,) ct which point The tone 10
produced; the tone then passes mp into ahs
pharynx and back part Of the threat, where
|. is modified ai will, aud then arrives Of the
mouth and lips, where the organs OF ar.ieula.
tion shape the tone, when necessary, into 0
word. Is, --g. gss .ls.
], may be remarked that there are cavities
10 The frontal bone between and over the
eyes and in The cheek bones, which are in
connection with ths back part of The throat os
phsfyRx, and which serve as a kind of sound.
log board for the tone. So that when q per-
con has cold, and the membrane which
covers 81. these csviies is swollen and the
space of the cavity diminished, and The sides
Of the cavities changed as to hardness or con-
siaency generally, the voice shows Il imms.
disiely, and 10 changed from its usual resonant
qualify.
A similar change is effected in the reso-
nance Of the voice by any unnatural cavities
in the lungs, as in the case Of the spaces pro.
duced by iuburcuist soflening. Consump-
tive persons, therefore, experience a change
in the voice, the tone growing deep and hoi.
low.
In mechanism there are three kinds of mo-
sical instruments :-lsi, the reed family, in
which the tone 10 preducsd by The vibration
of The reeds, OF tongues fastened II one end.
Cd, the string family, in which the tone is
produced by the vibration Of cords fastened
at both ends. sd, the flute family, Ia which
the tone is produced by The vibration Of Q
column of air in fixed tube.
Now, Carpenter, in his celebrated work on
human physiology, considers the human q
reed instrument, although in some subse-
quent remarks he concludes tha. what are
called Jalsstto tones more resemble the flute
family.
But 1 cannet resist The conviction that The
voice 10 an admirable compound Of all three
mechanisms, and for this reason. II is nos
reed alone--because voice can slide from
one tone to another (Iike sliding finger up
violiG or guitar string) In manner impos-
sibls TO reed instrument. Besides, In :
reed instrument, the reed or tongue is fasten-
ed al one end only whereas, The vocol cords
Gin their perpendicular extension throughthe
larynx) are fastsaed a, both. I'd. The voice
is mol stringed instrument alone, because in
the production Of false..o tones (so cslied)the
strings cease to vibra,e. 3D.. II is not flute
instrumen, slone, because only . portion OF
the tones are produced BY the vibration Of .
column OF air in . fixed tube.
The voice, therefore, | caEnot but think,
wonderfully combines The advantages Of the
reed. the string a1d flute mechanism--fno