The Iola register., 1886-04-23

rect singing is a. much . matter Of
thought as Of muscular action. Indeed
all action in singing is controlled by
the mind, and the muscles need care
full mental direction at every moment.
There is great secret to pure
method. Nearly all teachers, who
claim to have discovered a wonderful
methods great secret-which they
will expound to the long suffering
student at the rate Of six dollars an
hour, are frauds. This is only too well
evidenced by the quantity of new
methods which have arisen within the
last few years, foisted into the eyes
and ears of the public by this or that
person who boasts much but produces
no singers. There is but one thing for
students to do in this degenerate age
Of vocal music. Either take no lessons
at all or find some teacher who has
proved himself a good one and then
stay with that one until they become
singers. Students need not imagine
that in a term or year they are going
to learn how to sing. A fair start may
be made in that time but no singer was
ever made in year. The object Of
vocal instruction, as every teacher will
admit, is to get the voice out of the
throat. To do this some teachers try
to force the voice up into the head, i'm
agining that tone can be located by
using a derrick or a yoke of oxen.
The string usually breaks in the oper-
alton and the victim goes home with
his throat in flannel and his pocket
book empty. Other teachers inform
their pupils that only a thorough
knowledge of the physiology Of the
throat Can produce good singers. Their
pupils therefore learn all the muscles
of the throat, the cartileges, etc., and
their voices stay in their throats to
keep these muscles company. The
strongest evidence that this method is
not good is, that, SO far as the observa-
ton of the writer goes, no singers have
been turned out of. its mill. If the
mind is in the throat the tone will be
throaty. Pupils must keep their
minds where they place the tone. It
would seem far wiser for the singing
master to spend his time teaching his
pupils how to sing than teaching them
physiology.
That registers exist in the voice No
candid teacher can doubt. The teach
er's work is, or should be, to cover up
these breaks SO that they are not notice
able. A register in voice is series
of notes produced by the same mechan-
ical action. When a new action takes
place "break" often occurs that is
very perceptible. 1t is necessary that
all such breaks be covered up and
where register has been forced it is |
the work of many months to repair the
successfully. This can only be
done by placing the voice throughout
the entire compass in the same place.
The place to which the tone must be
is the roof of the mouth. 1t
is this place that gives the maximum
of vibration to the voice. The tone,
should not seem to come from
the throat but from the outside. 1t
should seem as small piece of feather
floating in the air which was being
drawn up to the roof of the mouth.
This idea is hard to get, even with
direction. There is a grow
ing demand ON the part of the public
for better work in vocal music. When
Or how the time will come when the
public will not accept anything but the
best it would be difficult to conjecture.
It seems far in the future. The sing
srs who graduate (?) in Boston or New
York are rarely good singers. The on
y remedy is for the public to demand
better singing and students will re-
main longer at their studies which in
few years will give us better singers.
Il one has mot muchs voice one may
nevertheless learn to sing unless the ,
ar be defective. A voice can be built J
Ip, to certain extent, although it j
axes time, and one who has little
'oice had better, as rule, devote him. j
elf to teaching. The teacher Is not \
lways singer in the sense which l
ave used the term, but he shonld be
BILE to use well what voice he has.
If many are really out of the reach S
f competent instruction they need not j
e deferred from singing Let them q
&c how quietly and easily they can 6
Sc their voices; how plainly they can
ronounce each word and how much l
Expression they can give their singing. Z
hey need not be disturbed because \
ley cannot sing in italian or German. 5