The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-06
EVERY ONE SHOULD SING.
An Ingenious Story Concerning the
Training of Voices.


In fairy days when the fox wished to
make his voice sweet he went to the mil
Ter and asked for chalk. This he ate with
s-ch satisfactory results that his next call
Was made without any of the unlucky
effects generally produced by his natural
ly harsh voice. 1t Is very evident from
all that one hears and reaos nowadays
that this end OF the century is expecting
to be told of some royal road to voice inn
provement. Why should not such road
be foundr In these days of Roentgen
rays and consumption cures, why should
not the art of music advance tremen'
dously?
The human voice is used for two pur-
oses-by every one u speak with, by many
TO sing with. That many wish to sing but
find themselves unable to do so is, unhap-
PLY, true. That all these could learn to
sing is also true, though this is not with
out question in many minds
Much has been written lately in criti-
cism OF the disagreeabie qualities of the
speaking voice, especially the harshness
OF the voices of American women. Little
has been suggested, however, to remedy
the defects. AS for the singing voice. it
has lately been steted that ''of all branch
es of musical study the most discourag
ing, perhaps, Is the cultivation OF the
voice.
Here is something which interests thou
sands of persons, and when we include
in our subject the improvement of the
speaking voice IL is one which should in
terest millions. People are scarce who
really care nothing about music; they are
scarcer still who do not carry musical
instrument about with them wherever
they go. The singer Is at no trouble or
expense TO procure an instrument upon
which to perform; all he needs to do is
to open his mouth aud ii is ready. More
over, this instrument, rightly treated,
needs far less practice than any piano or
violin; and there is a methodd of right
treatment which can be described to
"out-of-the-way students" This method
consists of just two things-relax the
throat, tegin all practice at the top OF the
voice.
In order to gain a relaxed throat sim
ply try TO stretch the throat open as In
yawning, and to sing as low down in the
any tones proceed from or go to the top
of the head; but think that they all start
from point low in the throat, and must
come directly out OF the mouth, toward
the front teeth. A contracted throat pro-
duces rough rasping or nasal voice; an
open relaxed throat produces round,
smooth, clear voice.
The second injunction, begin all prac-
tice at the top of the voice, is most i'm
portant More harm has been done by
the training of voices upward than the
world has yet any idea, and 1t is marvel
Gus that we have not learned this fact
before the end of the nineteenth century.
Scales should never be sung upward by
beginners, because this tends to empha-
size, instead of to bridge over, any breaks
that the voice may have. BY alw VS.
training the voice downward the diff
culties with regard TO breaks and regis
ters are overcome without any theorizing
ff,x<~ ha art hn
student. An exercise which can be
practiced with immense benefit by every
student Is to begin at the high hest tone
that the singer can take easily and sing
each successive tone downward to the syl-
liable "ha" low down in the throat as pos
sible, using great deal OF breath for
each syllable, and taking fresh breath for
each one. The extra breath helps to re-
lax the throat.
Besides the question how best to i'm
prove the singing voice, persons are seek
ing answers to two other questions-how
can we improve our speaking voices and
can we all learn to sing?
The speak ting voice can be made pleas
ant and agreeable in the same way that
the singing voice is improved. 1t is most
emphatically true that many persons
speak habitually in tones that are uni eces-
sarily shrill and rasping. This is caused
by throat contraction, which squeezes the
tone anu Tenuers ~ TouBH. 10 IeidA thc
throat by stretching 1t open as in yawn-
ing and to speak low In the throat allows
the tone to be smooth, round and clear.
A very unwise injnction Is often given in
this connection-viZ. "Do not speak in
such a high KEY" The very opposite CT
this should be inculcated. Voices are
never shrill because they are high; they
only sound shrilly because the throat is
apt to be contracted more on high tones.
This weakens the high tones and the
effort to sepak loudly causes forcing of
the voice. IL people would relax tho
throat and then strengthen the high tones
by their free and proper use they would
soon notice a vast improvement in tone
quality.
"Can every one learn to sing?" On
questonably, yes. Every one who can
speak can also learn to sing, If he will take
a little trouble, for the very same instru-
ment, the larynx, furnishes the voice
for both speech and song. The only
difference between the speaking voice
and the singing voice is that the former
uses the lower and medium tones and the
latter uses chiefly the higher and medium
tones. IL person thinks he cannot sing,
let him, in the first place, be satisfied to
begin at the beginning, instead OF at the
end. Let him not be discouraged because
he cannot at once sing whole tune cor
rectly, but let him believe that, IL. as
must be the case, he can form any single
tone or two tones correctly, he can inn
prove upon this ability, just as any one who
can add two and ,wo can also add three
and three snd then four ard four. The
main thing to understand Is that inability
to sing Is not generally caused, rs Is so
often supposed, by want of voice or want
OF ear, but simply by lack OF hexlbility
of yoice-that is weakness of the muscles