Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-28
FOCAL GYMNASTICS.

The ingenious Mr.. Barnum insists we be-
neve, sbat every pnene performance. no matter
merely "a show and that people 90 to all slch
lerfoI nlanCeS only TO satisfy a gaping curiosity
love OF the strange and the wonderful III
must be admitted that the opera-hOuse and the
c. nceTt-ToCn giSe much support 10 the great
shoWman'S theory. For that which draws
crowds TO those places and brings down thun-
deTS OF applause is too often not an expression
OF emotion, not even that of beauty, but per-
Romance which aStoniSheS by its exhibition OF
agility or Of force. \ melody sung by voice
OF beautiful quality, with feeling and a perfect
expression OF its beauty. viii receive only
laDguid acknowledgment of pleasure; but
let the singer 90 something difficult, intricate,
astonishing, or let there be a display of a high
note. or low note, or cry that is separated
py very little difference from yell. and the
mouse comes down" with its applause. Audi
eIceS, or large proportion OF the average
audience go to the opera, it would seem, for the
purpose of hearing merely particular passage
or two sung by this or that celebrated artist.
entity, and be Indifferent to the rest OF the per
Torrance. And these passages viii NOT be
CT ednd r Z. d, beauty, but. as we have
agility or of force, or it may be of the
possession OF a tone, or a half a tone
beyond the usual limit Of the class of voice
Possessed by the singer. To many persons
a fat or c in the chest voice. from tenor is
the great attraction in an operate performance
They will sit the whole evening through for the
SAKE OF that note. They talk about it as if il
were the highest exhibition OF art OF vocaliza-
t!o1. A great tenor is TO them a tenor with a {
OF b Hat In his chest voice. He may sing like a
en- mcey-sweep, as Wachtel did mostly. bit IT.
NIen Tie supreme moment comes. he can throw
BACK ms head and deliver q c straight from his
che st-We had almost said from The shoulder
WIN force that goes near to take the roof of
the mouse, they are In eCStaSieS OF delight
Now, this is very diSc0uTaTing to the real art
fst; II tends TO the deterioration Of the beautiful
arr CT vocalZation which is acquired with 50
Biucl difficulty. \ Hat or c from the chest il
GpSpiCph or,d in
certain scenes OF great excitement, such a cTy
Is leg timately effective: but 10 run after tenor
win high notes, and TO applaud him when he
screams and talk about his 3 or his C. is simply
10 MAKE OF him sort OF musical gymnaSt and
70 reduce the art Of music TO the level OF an eX-
hlDlt!on OF vocal ground and lofty tUmbIing
Moreover, TINS demand for high notes is destroy
Ing voices. That excellent artist Sic. CanlDa-
nm, being asked the reason OF that qGvering
or "Wobbiing" Of the voices CT many singers
wren they should utter firm. steady note re
pied that 1t was due partly to a bad method of
V0calHatfon, but chiefly TO the strain that is
luI upon the voice to meet the demands OF the
public for loud high notes, which. In mis- opn-
ION, was false taste, but which an artist who
lives by the favor CT the public cannot dtsre-
gard. or the correctness OF this view there can
be no doubt on the part OF any person who
ellhcf from natural taste or 10y cultivation has
Just appreciation or the finer gracnS OF yoc1i-
zatlon Those graceS all lie, Or chiefly lie. in
what is known as tie n3ezza-roce or the rI,Illaj
(aithoush fFeel delivery OF the voice To sing
megzG-rtce Is also much more dilcult than 10
give chest c.. For if a singer has the note in
his voice, an that he has to do is
70 hcid up his head. open his mouth, ana
let the note come: whereas 30 sing pas
sage 7Hezzc-uoee well requires the most
conSummate skill OF the voca! art The
highest function Of the singer is to deliver the
composers music with FIJI expression OF its
beauty. To do this, every phase of the music
must be studied, its character appreciated and
tie best method adopted to impress that char
acter upon the nearer. A shade more or less OF
force, change or infection hardly eXpressible
by words, the play of vocal light and SbaGe. the
passing from diStinctneSS TO flowing grace. from
earEeStneSS and fervOrto tenderness and calm
these and other like varieties of execution are
the higher resources OF vOcaliZation, those which
Ch&rm the lover OF the grand style of Singing
AS 10 TIE vocal gymnastics that frequently win
so much applause at the oper2, their ,nora
approximate place would be the circus-ring-
". \. Times.