The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-05-21
FOCAL CULTURE.

H
The human voice is the most wonderful of
all Instruments and is free gift from Hea-
ven AN inimitable power with which we can de-
fine the finer emotions of the soul, and join
even with the angels in their divine work Of
praise and thanksgiving.
The voice in its natural state Is generally
without color capricious, and varying ii, eyesy
individual IL therefore requires more study
to become an artist IN singing than to acquire
a knowledge OF any musical Instrument.
II, these days q steam and lshtning=rxo-
gress, the voice with its wonderful capacity
for improvement, is most sadly neglected. and
the art Of singing ia a fearful state Of decline
as compared with the history Of The past, both
in reference to quality Of voice and number Of
artists. In these days we seem almost lost to
purity of tone and cultivated delivery impure
execution being as common as the applause Of
an audience over some high note screamed
out, 1t being the ambition of large portion
OF singers to produce some startling effect,
without regard to purity or richness Of tone.
The present mode of teaching is but a per-
version of the old Italian school, the first ex-
ercises being the swell scale, which is consid-
cred by good artists as the browning ami
finishing task then follow few scales and
solfe.gios on one vowel only the teacher half
the time drowning the voice with the piano.
leaving all defects, be they throat, nasal, or
cultural, to take care OF themselves; and
thus ends the hour, the pupils knowing as little
of any sound principle or theory, which could
be put into practice in the production of tone,
as if they had never taken a lesson.
by study, we mean first knowledge of the
registers of the voice, which preserves it for
life time This being understood, the teach
er should guide the mind of the pupil to a
correct touch of the voice, by the practice of
distinctly ennnciated combinations of consoii-
ant and vowel tones, and in the requirement Of
this by the careful management of the breath,
power invariably will come, and where there
Is genius to throw into the voice eae's SOUL
those who have listened to Janauscheck
Parepa, Nilsson, Lind and others, can testify
to the truth of these remarks.
The deficiencies among large proportion
of singers and speakers in respect to vocal
culture, are deplorable, and many are taken
from the stage of action, by partial or total
loss of voice, from ncglecting this most inn
portant study.
But how can we blame people for not know
ing their own deflcicneiesp We do blame the
intelligent among our musicians for standing
still and not investigating the matter moro
thoroughly before denouncing what seems
new in art as not true. Happily few have
risen in our midst, who after years of careful
study, have brought to us their carefulrescarch
es after knowledge, and have made the patti
SO plain and SO easy for those who wish tt
bring up the standard Of vocal music, that to
remain ignorant is but q crime. In a word
to enumerate the beneficial results of proper
vocal culture, is but to increase ones health
and spirits, and happiness and social relations.
And how sacred is this work, to open up
avenues to vocal elevation, developing the God
given talents, and see fruits gathered in from
such sowing. 30
A 7