The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-15
VOCAL CULTURE.
Subject Of Discussion at Maine
Ae ademy Of Medicine.
DIR. FILLEBROWN's SCHOLARLY
PAPER ON THE VOCAL ORGANS.

Others who Participated in the Discussion
of the Subject-what the School Com
of Vocal Culture in the Curriculum of
the Public Schools.
The monthly meeting of the Maine
Academy of Medicine last night was one
of the best attended and most interesting
of any which has been held for some
time.
DR.. NJ. G. Wedgewood of Lewiston the
president of the academy was present and
presided. The following gentlemen were
elected as fellows of the Academy: D. j.
f. Randall of Old Orchard, DR.. Edwin
A. Porter of Pittsfeld, DR.. Harry S..
Emery of Deering, DR.. John o. Lincoln
of Bath, E. P. Wentworth, superintendent
of the State Reform school, DIR. Alfred
Walton of New York was elected as q
corresponding fellow. Rev. J. W. Barker
of Waterville, Col.ES. Il. Allen, governor
| of the Eastern Branch of the National
Togus Home were elected to honorary fell
| lowship.
The paper of the evening was presented
by DR.. Thomas Fillebrown of Portland,
professor of operative dentistry and oral
surgery of Harvard University. The SUBJ
jeot was, "'The Physiology of Vocalism, -
land it proved to be one of the most inter
esting subjects ever presented before the
Maine Academy of Medicine. DR.. File
browns paper in substance was as fol-
lows:
"About 1880 commenced vocal train
ing under the instruction Of Mr.. W. 81.
Stookbridge. I very soon discovered that
the vocal physiology as described in the
current literature was altogether wrong.
This led me to study of the subject.
The organs used in vocalization and
articulation are the muscles of the thorax
and abdomen, the lungs, the vocal cords
contained in the larynx, the epiglottis
the gradually charging pharynx the soft
palate and the uvula, also the bones OF
the nose and head and the passages and
cavities formed by them. The special
organs of articulation are the lips and
tongue.
"The action of the soft palate has. per-
lhnps, greater influence upon the tone of
1.-THE voice than that of any other organ.
IL have consulted many treatises on both
singing and speaking and nearly every
writer has entirely misconceived the
action of the velum. Some Psychologists
have described the action Of the soft
palate as observed bysthem but in wrong
Ily educated SUBJECTS"
DR.. Fillebrown quoted several authori-
ties at variance with the facts as verified
by his own experience.
"The true office of the soft palate is not
to close, but to modify the opening into
the mares, and thus attune the resonant
cavities to the pitch and note given by
The vocal cords, throat and pharynx. A
sound confin to the throat and mouth
is harsh, weak and without penetrating
power, but aided by the reinforcing vibra
voice become soft. strong and far reaching
and agreeable to the ear Of the listener.
The organs which constitute the human
voice constitute musical instrument OF
great range and power. Every truly
musical instrument has in it three ele-
ments-a power, a vibrator and reson-
ator. The violin has the bow for power,
the stringsfor..the vibrator and hollow
body with it's contained air for reson
ator. Other instruments have the same
elements In all of them the quality and
power of the tone depends. upon the
presence of these three parts and theil
perfection of construction and proper re-
lation as regards each other as to size and
position and much depends also on the
perfect use Of eachfpart.
The human voice has these three ele
ments and each element variable accord
ing to the will or feeling of the player
This constitutes modifying power
which gives,a variety of quality possible in
no other instrument. To these elements
is added another, the organs OF artioula
ton. In this human instrument the
lungs give the power, the vocal cords the
vibrator, the nasal and head cavities are
the resonator and the lips ara the articu
lator. The modification OF these parts
produced by the feelings of the singer o.
speaker gives qualities of tone expressive
of any emotion person may feel, as pair