New-York tribune., 1886-05-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
,oDrs ,poT-T THO SINGING VOICE.

ROCKS ABOUT The SINGING VOICE.
Tho most ambitious of recent publications con-
cerning the voice and its muscal training IL DooK
entitled 4" The Ply sioOgv of Artistic Singing
written ard published by john Howard, formerly
of this CITY but now Of Bosom In 334 large pages.
making twenty-seven CHAPTERS aud containing
eichty-four diagrams Mr. Howar | makes an effort
not on V 10 restate all that has been determined
here o.ore touching vocal physiology. bat to add
oDssrSat aud conclusions of his own. ME-
Howard is plainly mach in earnest, and though
we would hesitate to say that ne mas
made out case in behalf of the
theories that receive his advocacy. there is no
DENYING that the student of the scientific element
in singing will find much to occupy him IN his DooK.
II is not a co,ciliatory work but provides new
veapons and new causcs to tn, war of "m,thods
which has becn waged ever since singing rs an ti'
entered upon its decadence. The beiieVers /" tne
theory that vocaists like those of the Olden tme
can be produced by a scientific method Will hnd en-
couraeement in Mr. Howards book espscia lily the
norton which rests upon the observations OF Dr.
Bennati who fifty years ago was physician to the
Roya italian Opera of Paris, and who gave to the
Royal Academy OF Sciences the results
of his examinations of the throats
o. Sontag Catalani. Rubini, Tosi, Donzelli aud
other famous singers whom he Numbered among his
friends and patients In a general way the results
of his researches which are the foundation OF Mr.
Uoward's theories are that in artistic delivery the
muscles of the tongue are excrted so powerfully
that they become hard as stone, that the upper
throat is gradually closed. the tongue raised, ana
the soft palate lowered as the pitch ascends Inc
book is a phy sioogy and not a method: this Is
plainly stated by Mr. Howard, who speaks as fol-
lows concerning his preparatory studies:
For twenty years the writer has spent some hours or
day, Gev
contracting the musces OF the throat ana the eepI
parts in order that movement might be accredited to
The right muscles and soon the Suspicion arose onai
ply sologists had neglected important polnte feIsoha
dissection parts many times repeated toge'her
with experiments upon specially PREPARED snpee,s. t To-
ycat extraordinary oversight especially the allure 10
sce the office which the spine. directly behind
the rynx. undoubtedly performs IN 1ne SecsS
;rg the quality OF the tone by the laws OF consonanGe
larynx from the body subectlng to dissection
or experiment. study Of acoustic laws was ahsolntey
rinth OF blind ideas which writer's OF all natlons ana
ages had constructed 10 explain the Phenomena VI
voice. -
Ii will he observed from this extract that Mr.
Howard does no! permit depreciation of his own
Abilities or spect for the determinations OF others
to interfere with dogmatc utterance.
In a paragraph or two on pages 324 and so ME-
Howard disposes of question to which Dr. Lehhox
Browne of Lon loa, devotes book OF l19 small
pages {" Voice Use and Stimulants." Chicago: A.
n MARQUIS a. Co.. Tne CONCLUSION In bofn cases
is that the use of spirituous liquors Is harmful 10
the voice. DIR. Browne gives practical tone 10 MS
work by printing statistics secured by sending cir
cuiar letters of inquiry to $50 slngers IN 0reat
Britain. The value of such testimony Is not
obyious owing to the conflict which the
induIies called up between mere sclentlhc
observation and individual tastes and habits. But
n recaptulation can be made from which the
reader NAV derive such information as he can. 10
the question +" Are you IN the habit of taxing alco-
holIc stimulants :" 5G.O5 per cent replied " Yes,
2G5s pcr cent mo I'VE omit the answers which
have no significance. such as occasionally,
.'rarelyn OF 279 non-abstaners 31.5 per cent
take matt liquors. 20 per cent all kinds, 14.3 malt
and wine, 1873 malt and spirits, SO spirits ia
WINE. GA wine and spirits, 1925 per cent take
stimulants at meals only. The answer to the ques-
ton " Do you take any stimulant either inlmedi-
atcy before during use of the voice as an ald to
lis exercise :" was thus: 70 per cent OF all
the correspondents. :" No." 1874 per cent Yes"
81 per cent occasionally, 1.5 Z" before use only"
90 lat an interval only 1t is DIR. Brownies
opinion that tobacco-smoking influences the
throat of the voice-user i'll many respects as does
alcohol. though naturally the constitutional re-
suits are as different as is the nature OF the
poison"
ANYBODY having any theory with regard to the
voices of children can find evidence in its favor IN
the monograph 1.-The ChilTs Voice." by Emil
Echnke and Lennox Browne, reprinted i'll Chicago
uniformly with the work last discussed. In TINS
little book the answers of 200 correspondents to
usesticns touching the cultivation OF youthful
voices are given.