Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-01
MUSICAL.


Sir:-Permit me to make suggestion to
the general public about a mistake that is
made, which may already have had and
will bring some most serious consequences
if not brought to the general knowledge.
if not brought to the general knowledge.
though it may seem not so important to
of the vocal art. Though l may be misun-
derstood by some, l will speak out what
have observed and what 1 know will prove
fatal and yet can be prevented.
1 have been asked to give vocal lessons
to those of tender age, and have been told
that there are plenty of young girls taking
vocal training at the ages of twelve, thir-
teen and fourteen.
If anyone takes interest in the voice and
health of young people. please do what
you can to keep them from taking vocal
just at that age. 1t is the worst they can
do. Only one out of a thousand may get
through unframed. Not only the voice,
but sometimes the health, too, gets bro
ken. If you wish a girl to have or keep
a good round voice, don't let her be train
ed before some time after maturity, and
make her stop all singing, yelling-in
short, all vocal effort, about a year before.
Until that time she may take instrument
tai lessons. This will help to make the
vocal training so much easier, shorter,
pleasanter. If she be too delicate or, turn
ed against the regular and best conserva-
toric training a light plano playing will
do for the vocalist sufficiently advancing,
though, as to understand her own accom-
paniments. She may as a child sing songs
of a certain small range-little exercises
that tend to strengthen the musical hear
ing, but, by no means a methodical train
ing of the organs before they have their
growth. Another mistake that is fire.
quently made is this: 81 am an Alto" 81
want to be an alto" Real, regular alto
voices are as rare as male sopranos. Most
of them are at their best nothing but
pressed down soprano voices, who present
themselves to the professional like babies
dressed as matrons.
Sometimes the voice kind of settles in
the lower range with age-as a prominent
German vocalist said "Alt list alt" GAIT is
old. But then the worst, sometimes it is
the consumptive and makes the consump-
tive / had an experience once with a pu-
Pill abroad. She was gifted with very
wide range-three octaves She was young
and naturally soprano, she had had les
sons a good while and while l was away
in England she had musical intercourse
with the famous Bungert, who was a
housefriend and guest of her parents. Mu-
sicians will know that Bungert was very
prominent composer whose untimely
death some years ago was very much la
mented in the musical world. Well, liv-
ing in Italy, where fruit and mankind RI
pen at an early stage, he had met young
lady fourteen years old with a rare and
beautiful alto voice! He composed lot o.
beautiful songs for her. he brought them
to Germany, he introduced them to his
friends. Miss WIS voice was pretty well
trained, she could sing from to F. Bun
CERT was a very fine musician, as every
body knows He understood song. no
doubt, but fle did not heed or know, I
might say the physical culture of the vo-
cal art. He said himself, at one occasion,
he wished he had that italian lady here:
the songs would sound quite different He
could not tell what he missed. 1t must be
because they were written for special
voice, somebody remarked and asked why
he did not bring that remarkable voice
with him, the lady was welcome, upon
which he said the lady was too delicate to
leave the country
Miss W. had for several months no 9TH
er chance then TO sing those beautiful but
low songs, which she could sing, because
her low register was just as we'll trained
as the others. presenting all in one per-
feet voice; but ii was an effort, it was I'M
natural TO constantly dwell on those low
sounds she being naturally a high So
prano, with very wide range.
When l came back from England after
half years absence, heard of her hav-
ing hectic spots and being i'll. Her parents
were in great alarm, no one knowing what
to make OF it. BY and by | found the
trouble out, and after quitting the nonsen-
steal alto singing and resting little. Miss
w. got well again in health and voice, and
just in time.
A difference has to be made of course
with what you commonly call alto, or
singing the second soprano, or singing
little now and then alto in a choir. OF
course, that will not hurt you, but if it
should. well. then, quit it, Though l
think that a trained singer who under
stands how to use his notes properly, can
even at times, if necessary, take anoth-
er's part or sing any voice in ehoir-to
help out. for instanee-without injury to
health or voice. but not too often, and
with as little effort as possible; as L say.
you must know how.
BY no means, impose on a teacher to
make an alto of your voice IL you are not
naturally intended to be one-kind Of a
man-woman in health and throat-nothing
delicate. You run the risk that your voice
gets ruined forever, and what is the
worst-life and health broken.
Hoping that my warning will meet the
appreciation Of the general public close
this letter. recommending scientific vocal
instruction as a safeguard against trou-
bles mentioned above.
MRS. LENA ARBENZ
Conservatory of Music Wheeling. ". Va.
The ftttsburg Orchestra. in the four