The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-07-30
CULTIVATlNG VOICES.
METHODS or THE EUROPEAN TRAM
ING SCHOOLS.

hansen Dramatic Force aud style IN
on. Place. ruriiy of Tone In Another.
Modsrn Methods Of "scroaminr."
Onc often hears n singer say, al wish !
knew the correct way Of producing the
voice" STUDENTS wander from ono teacher
b. another and find that each has his own
theories and methods and each calls his
own the only correct and proper way.
Teachers abroad complain Of the major
W Of American girls, saying that they
yome for few lessons, expect wonders
aud are very naturally disappointed at the
meager results. Nor does this disappoint-
ment end with themselves, for fond par
ents and interested friends expect some
thing grand ms the result and often say
the singer had no voice or ability when
snch Is not the case With mediocre abil-
ity, time and perseverance, will enable any
one 10 sing.
Through the influence of pupil of Frau
knula had the pleasure Of attending two
OF her afternoon classes and one concert OF
her picked voices was electrified and
amazed at the rich dramatic quality Of
voice which her pupils, almost without
exception, possessed Although middle
high c, the voices were elastic, and the
soft tones were very satisfactory. Only in
few cases did the method seem tax on
the voice, and these cases were those of
girls In delicate health. At Frau kaula
concert the style ms well IA the rich, ring
ing quality OF the voices made thew seem
more than amateurs and gave promise of
great things.
Frau Enula said good health was abso.
lutely necessary for success In voice train.
ing. Often voices We're said to be broken
or gone when such was not the case at all,
AS was later proved by the perfect condi
ton of the voice when health returned.
As to the safety of allowing the loud,
strong, middle tones to run so high, she
said pupils came to her for dramatic, stage
| and concert singing, and that this WAS
the only way German opera and the ma
jority of modern songs could be rendered
with effect. She believed that the old
| Italian method was utterly inadequate
| to fill the wants of the present style of
music. All voices, however, could not
stand dramatic Training, and some must
be contented with parlor and salon singing
Another interesting school which we
visited was in Frankfort on the Main,
where Professor Stockhausen, the former
great oratorio and liedersnger of Ger
many, now lives, engaged in training
voices for concert and stage. Our letters
| were sufficient to secure II very pleasant
interview. The professor expressed him
self as opposed to tie modern methods Of
screaming" MS he called it, and could
not understand show mcisters could EN-
gage such voices" His tenors and bari
tones were mellow and clear and without
| In many tenors. His sopranos were clear
and sweet, but none seemed very high or
very dramatic. One or two mczzos were
| especially delicious and satisfactory, and
there was an exquisite quality in nearly
all the voices that was lacking in the
voices of Kaula's pupils In conversation
with girl pupil it was remarked that
| Stockhausen's voices all seemed small
Yes, she replied, that they We're not big
voices, but wonderfully pure and sweet
1t IL certain that the most delicate girl
could sing in this method with no detri-
ment to voice or physique. and the effect
In parlor would be very beautiful, but
unless she possessed phenomenal voice
| she would never makca startling or thrill
ing concert or stage singer.
Chance favored us in Paris. A liter
AIRY woman appeared one afternoon at the
| hotel and said: Come, we will call this
afternoon on Nine, Marchcsi II she is
amiable, we will have II most charming
time: If she il not we may leave as sud
| denly az we came"
Once across tho charming little Pare
| Marceau, II few turns brought us to the
madame's house, II plain, two story, white
stone structure. with the entrance Mt one
| side
Madame was in an amiable mood. She
left mt once the bevy Of pretty girls who
were standing around the piano in the
back parlor, and with arms outstretched
came toward my friend. A kindly face
smiled from under the iron gray hair, and
the tall figure, straight as an arrow. bent
to greet us with winning grace
III will speak English, since your friend
is American" said madame. "Ahi you
have just visited Professor Stockhausen
and want to talk about my school aud
methodist Then am interested PROBES
sor Stockhausen and were born in the
same city, Frankfort-on-the-Ma Main, both
Of German parents. We came to Paris ut
the same time to study vocal culture. As
chance had it we went to the same grand
| old master, Manuel Garcia. Professor
Stockhausen trained for n tenor and for
Dut lONc perlnun songs
and oratorio music led him to leave the
beaten road indicated by the great mas
ter, and he appeared later as n baritone
singer, what was then considered an infe-
rior voice, the tenor, like the high so
prano, being mt that time the favorite
voice. But Europe went wild over him
The fire and passion Of his excitable Ger
man temperament gave n charm before
unknown in the world of lieder, and his
audiences were mad with enthusiasm. He
found after Il time that he could no long
er produce the very high notes. Then he
came back to Garcia to find out what was
the matter. The end of their interview
was that the professor said that II either
breadth or quality had to be sacrificed
for few fancy and worthless high notes
he preferred TO lose the high notes"
Madame said that Professor Stockhaus
ems greatest successes had been with mez
EOS and contraltos. This was, however,
one OF the first steps in the direction of a
classical and substantial style OF singing
In place of the old, fiorid Italian school.
Nine. Marchesi clings to the old meth
cd Of making marked breaks between the
| registers and never allows u middle tone
above E. When we know that the old
Italian system allowed no middle tones
whatever-only bend and chest tones we
can see that 20 years ago Mime. Marchesi
must have been very daring TO admit the
singing of middle tones even up TO F.
Cor. San francisco Chronicle.