The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-15
HOW A YOUNG SINGER
SHOULD PROCEED.

| WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
How should a young singer proceed 7
In the first place. he should go to some
competent and honest instructor and learn
| If he has a good voice. II the Instructor
saws no. give UP the idea OF becoming a
great singer; II he Gays yes go to work"
William Wade Hinshaw. singer OF barry
tone parts at Uhrig's Cave. thus began a
conversation with Sunday Republic man
on the question of How q Young Singer
Should Proceed"
81 do not want to be understood as mean
ing that a person who has not a naturally
hno voice cannot be taught to sing. and
sing properly" he continued. THE truth is
almost any one can be taught to sing prop
erIy-to make all the notes. the accents,
the trills. What ] mean Is. that unless the
material is there-the physical capacity for
sweet tones-no one. however carefully and
scientifically trained. can become a great
singer, command a fine salary, and climb
to fame AZ a vocalist. II Is the tone that
does 1T; and the human voice Is like O vio-
lin: its tone depends upon the size and
shape of the cavities IN which the sound
waves vibrate and gain their SERIOUSNESS.
No two violins give forth exactly the same
Tone even though strung with the Same
strings and played with the same bow by
the same man In exactly the same way.
This is because there are no two violins in
which the cavities are exactly the same
shape and size: and II IS In these that the
tones are manufactured The cavities that
the human voice depends upon are In the
chest. throat. mouth, nose and head. In
less these are of the proper size and shape.
a good singing voice can no more be &C.
,quired than good tones can be brought
from n violin that Is ill-shapen and of an
improper size.
Breath Is the foundation Of the human
voice. 1t Is the bow. II We shall make q
comparison with the violin. This breath
passes over the vocal cords in the throat
-the.strings. we may call theni-as the bow
passes over the strings OF the violin. the
wind causing the alternate stretching and
relaxing of the vocal cords. as high or
low notes is wanted. as tho fingers resu-
late the tension of the violin strings. The
vocal cords are set to vibrating. and the
set In motion certain sound waves which
find lodgment in the various cavities In the
chest. throat. mouth. nose and head. and
there acquire their sonorousness or tone
Each sound wave-whcther OF high, low or
intermediate tone-has certain length:
ana 10 SOnOrOuSLeSS II must ctrCu.
Int in a chamber or cavity of sufficient
length to enable It to return and meet each
sound wave as It enters the cavity. When
the cavity IS not of this proper size and
shape. and the sound waves meet uneven
ly in this Passage. they negative each
other--and there is none OF that full vi
bratory tone that gives richness to the
human voice. This principle In tone-mak-
ing is fully recognized IN the manufacture
of pipe organs. There Is a pipe of distinct
size ana shape for every tone that Is to be
produced by the organ. and each of these
pipes. whether II be one of those that ex-
tends for yards in length and from which
roll the heavy bass tones. or the smallest,
almost thinble-length pipe from which
trickle the highest treble tones. the length
Of each is an even multiple of the sound
wave that IL to find its utterance therein.
IL this were not true. all the pipes might -
well be OF the same length
Thus We reduce the human voice to this
Comparison with the violin: Tho breath u
the bow: the vocal cords are tho strings.
and the cavities In chest. throat. mouth.
nose and head are the body OF the violin.
OF course It is necessary to breathe properly
In singing, just as II Is necessary TO draw
the bow properly over the violin strings: II
Is necessary for the vocal cords to be of
the proper size and quality. just as II is for
the strings of the violin to be So and tina
proper stretching Of those cords IL a
necessary a. 10 the proper lingering Of the