The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-15
lJSICAT:
y :ScSssSSc"'"""o'"o0~

The fact that Melba has just favored
us with another exhibition of her vocal
powers gives vitality to her words of
advice uttered for publication in the
interests of young singers. When ask
ed as to her own methods of study,
the prima donna said: 81 have always
sung. When l went to Marchesi In
Paris without one vocal lesson l sang
as well as l do today, with but one
break in my voice. Marchesi corrected
that at once and posed my voice prop
erly. If this had not been done I
should have totally lost the power of
song. That is the reason why 1 do
earnestly advise young singers to look
after the proper posing of the voice
above all things. They Will know them
selves where the break lies in their
registers, and if one tries to force the
voice over a break, there is sure to be
something wrong. 1t will result prob
ably in permanent ruin of the voice and
the career of many a promising singer
is ruined in the first stages of tuition.
ut is quite possible to sing as an
artist, and yet be an exception to the
ordinary rule as to the place where the
register changes. A natural peculiarly
in this should not be dsregarded. I
myself carry my middle register to f
sharp-half a tone beyond the prescribe
ed limit If 1 were to teach l would
have the whole fraternity abusing me.
l know my own voice, however, and
am a living example that exceptional
register changes may be a success.
MANY critics have done me the
honor to allude to the freshness and
spOntaniety of my singing. There is
no secret about the freshness Of my
voice. l save it all I possibly can, but
l save none of my other muscles cor
respOndingly. l take plenty Of physical
exercise and save my voice for the pub
lie.
The greatest economy Of vocal fresh
NJ SIS is TO phrase carefully upon the
keyboard and commit music to mem
cry hefCre ever attempting to even
hum it over. The great mistake that
young artists often make is to take a
new role to the piano, and instead Of
committing it perfectly to memory
without employing the voice at ALL they
Immediately begin to sing. They hack
and hack their voices, not for the pur-
pose of execution, but simply to mem
oriZe what they might as we'll do with
their fingers on the key board. When
the music is firmly engraved upon ny
mind l use my voice upon it, not be-
fore. When l do sing, with the excep-
ton Of my rehearsals at the theater,
invariably practice pianiSsimo.
strictly deprecate the habit of forte
practiciug, and ! cannot impress too
strongly upon my friends, the young
and ambitious singers, the damage
and the irreVocable damage at that
which accrueS from the unwise, not TO
say criminal habit of LOUD practicing
If you practice forte, you cannot sing
pianissimo afterwards. Always reserve
your forces, sing pianissino in private,
ard the forte will come all right in
public.
There is another point that I would
urge with all the power at my COM
mand. Use the voice less, the general
muscles more. Half the young singers
sit orsstand by an instrument almost
all day, wearing their voices to shreds,
where open air exercise would do in
finitely more for its development, Gre
ating sound body from which alone
q sound voice can proceed. I take album
can't walking exercise. 1 rely on it's
helpfulness q s much as 1 rely on nv
knowledge of voice itself. In eating 1
do not restrict myself, except on the
day l sing, when light dinner at .
with meat, few vegetables and glass
of wine-is the last thing l take before
going to the theater On this day I
also run few scales with full voice in
TIE morning and just before l go .'on. -
try my voice few minutes, Just suf-
1ciently to warm 1t. I think beaten
eggs an excellent tonic for lubricating
the throat
Nothing would induce me to go out
the night before l sing. 1 talk as little
as possible on the day ITSELF On my re-
turn from the theater after perform
ance 1 always have most substantial
supper. consider this absolutely harm
less after my fast through the day and
my exertions in the evening.
One thing in conclusion, and a word
of advice to young singers upon the
subject of tone production. It is, of
course, not naturally given to every
young singer to produce the tones as
was fortunate enough to be able to do.