The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-13
FOR CONVERSATIONAL vOICE-roNEs.
One Lecturer Thinks They Should be Used
Winch More Than Thev Are.

New York. March 1.-THE CONVEX
satiCnal Voice and its Possibilities
was the subject of an entertaining
/ lecture given by Mrs. Nilward Adams
OF Chicago, tonight.
Mrs. Adams is a woman of most fas-
cinating personality. Her own voice
is exquisite in tone, and her gestures are
grace perSonified.
Her opening remark was full of in
tereSt. our voices" she said Should
be as mobile and capable of expressing
our every emotion as are our features
Th quality OF our voice is our own but
the form of its expression is external
and can be improved by culture.
Every perfect voice Possesses the
full musical scale, and each register
is Capa bic. if properly used. of express
ing a different phase of character, and
a different variety of emotion. The first
six tones are those in most common
usage, although few voices are suffi-
GENTLY cultivated to employ more than
five, and in America the average is but
four.
My classification of the various
tones is as follows: The first or lowest
tone expresses power. insiStance and
force: the second. self-pity and diff
dence; the third. sweetness. kindness.
what is called the human tone fourth
aspiration; fifth, bTilliancy. self-poSSeS-
sion. the great world tone and sixth
ConUentment. peace and happiness.
The American voice owes its mOnOt-
onous quality 10 the fact that 1t seems
limited to the use of the lower tones
in the scale: indeed. many American
voices employ only the first and second
tones. with the first in predominance
This gives also to our national voice
those qualities of inSiStenCe harsh &C
centuatiOn ana tiresomeness for which
We are criticised on both sides Of the
Atlantic.
The centre voice which includes
both the fourth and fifth tones. is The
best for common household Use for two
reasons. 1t does not tire the voice and
has the power Of easily projecting it
self.
The difference between the Ameri-
can and English voice lies mainly in
the different register used. the English
woman using the upper tones and ris-
ing cadence. which Is more musical in
effect while the American voice drops
from the centre tone down. eNhausting
the vocal chords and producing strid-
ent effect.
Many American voices" Mrs. Ad-
ans continued. ARE ruined in our pub
lie schools. The rooms are large. there
is apt to he a great deal Of confusion
and in either reCitinE or speaking the
children are constantly admoniShed TO
speak louder without being taught
the scientific method for increas sing the
volume Of their voices. Thus the vocal
organs. which are delicate in the eN-
IRENE, are overS;rained and the music
OF the voice forever destroyed
The first thing 10 do in any sffnr-
10 improve the voice IS to understand
the quality Of the voice. just as one
would in beginning vocal instruction
1t Is necessary to know II the quail
ity is high soprano. mezzo-SopraDo.
conJralto or alto: then after having
found out what the natural voice Is,
cultivate that both up and down the
scale. but always remembering that
the keynote must he the real voice ana
never an artificial one Technique =
necessary for freedom Of utteTanC- and
no perfect expression can be achieved
without thoughtful study"