Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-07-16
Conversational Tones.

A correct adoption OF the voice to dis
tances Is what We need, to prove agree
able aud musical takers. The pitch Of
the voice, and the volume Of tone, should
be such as tender the person speaking aud
IDLE, without any undue straining Of the
llstner's attention-and nothing more than
this. An excess of conversational tone in
voice too high-pitehed, is excessively
dlsagreeable, particularly in society. 1t
draws embarrassingly the attention Of sur
rounding persons; the agreeable privacy Of
conversation ceases, and you become a
declaimer to small audience. The first
effect Of this is almost inevitably to silence
Your companion-p particularly if that com
panion be a lady, and of ordinary ladylike
sensbility. There is an extreme Of all
this, however, which is equally to be depre-
Gated. 1t is pitching the voice so low and
using SO little tone, that remarks have tire
somely to be repeated; moreover impalt-
me thereby 10 the conversation confden-
tial character, which, when combined with
certain bending, or leaning, toward the
person with whom you are conversing,
we have seen ladies, before now, excessive
| " and justly annoyed by. 1t should be
remembered that clear articulation will
always take the place Of great volume Of
tone. Better, far BETTER low tone, with
thick and blurred articulation. The pre-
dominating tone OF speech, then, should be
calm, quiet, low. The low tones Of most
voices are the richest. We have heard
women occasionally converse in deep, mel
low, contralto tones, the effect OF which
was exceedingly musical and rich The
voices Of our American women are apt to
be far too high-pitched and screamy. AS
the voice always Las tendency TO rise in
conversation, we should at Last begin low
1t is, moreover, a great relief to the ear,
and pleasant shade to the light Of con
sersation, to drop the voice occasionally
from high aud animated pitch, and re-
gain the cooi, quiet keynote originally
struck. < < III point of senti-
ment the clear tone expresses gayety and
light heaFtedness. We hear it in merry
children at play. In its excess this toae
becomes disagreeably acrid and pointed.
The voices Of termaganls and scolds Illus
trate this. On the other hand, the shaded
or somber tone expresses quiet, repose, calm.
In its deeper shades, sadness and melan-
choly. In its extremes, horror and despair
1t is the indispensable tone Of high trad
egy. Now the conversational foice is only
heard in perfection when both these shades
oftone are brought into play. Persons
who faithfully use but one, command but
half The resources Of the speaking voice
Such is the case with most Americans. We
use as a nation, chiefly the bard piercing
quality Of tone-we talk with contracted
rather than expanded throats. This con
traction is not that moderate one, which
produces the agreeably clear tone described
but it IS that excessive contraction, which
produces certa:s acridty and pointedness
Americans thiuk, and speak, and act in
tensely-hence this intensity ntheir voices,
we suppose. But for all pleasant, CONVEX
sationaI purposes, We should do better to
allow the throat generously to expand, and
suffer the tones to come out, as they then
vii. do, rich and musical Particularly
would our American women gain greatly
in attractiyeness, if they. would drop this
sharp, Xantippic, quality of tone SO often
heard, and allow the quiet, reposelul mu-
sic to steal out, which to every ear IS ,apti-
yaLing.-- Once Month.