The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-13
! any Persons of Note I'm the Musical
World Had Their Origin
i'm This City.
|ALK WITH AN OLD TEACHER
|ATURAL METHODS SHOULD BE USED
IN TEACHING.
tIimate of the Middle States Has an
Effect on the yoice-Other
Matters OF Interest.


one its share toward contributing talent to
be musical world" said Edward Nell. a
eacher OF voice culture and director Of the
philharmonic Club and the First Presby-
erian Church choir. recently. II don't
now OF city that is more musically in
lined than this one, and yet the prices
aid here for talent are very limited when
Is compared with other places. and this
particularly true of church singing. One
hing that helps TO make indianapolis mu-
teal Is that IL is near Chicago. and this
bffers advantages that II otherwise would
ot have. You see. there are singers from
his city who have reached a very high
mark Of distinction. both in operatic sing
ng and I'm teaching. Among the most
boted are Miss Lenore Snider. Miss Sadie
Walker Black. Charles Holman-Black, Miss
Helen Bertram. formerly Lulu Burt, who is
BOW appearing in London; Byron Over
treet, who is now in New York. Mrs.
beguin Wallace, Miss Marguerite Lennon
md quite a number Of others whom L do
'ot now recall The people of indianapolis
ire becoming more musical all the time.
Rnd II is just as I told a prominent pro-
lessor some years ago when he left this city
10 go TO New York. He said the principal
teason for his leaving was that the ma
ferial here was wearing out. I remarked
10 him at the time that / thought he was
wrong I'm this. because there would be
young generation growing up. and it would
certainly have some good voices in il. What
said has proved true. There are more
people studying voice culture this season
than at any time since have been teach
ing. and want TO also add that there is
fine lot OF young voices coming on in
this city.
ut is getting so at the present time
that we seldom hear a good tenor voice.
I'm my opinion this is the rarest voice there
Is Sut the baritone is becoming popular
aow. and. in fact. Il is replacing the tenor.
IT will be found upon investigation that
nearly all OF the late operas and oratorios
are so written that the baritones have the
principal roles The reason no doubt for
the passing away Of the tenor singers is the
climate. Now. in Europe tenors are not as
scarce as in this country, and this can
even be said of England, although there
are fewer in that country than any of
the other foreign countries. and the eli
|r''s.ee 7s.asisal,E v- much like the
climate OF America.
THE SOPRANO VOICE.
ssThe soprano voice is OF course, always
given the lead I'm an opera. and everyone
gsnerally likes the soprano voice better
THAN any other When it comes to sopranos,
however. America can hold it's own with
ANY country Marches, the noted French
3feacher once said that the American girls
have the voices and the money, but that
they lack application and capacity for
work and what they could not do in a little
while they would not undertake at all. No
doubt the reason that she said this was
that most OF her pupils from the
richer class of people, and they usually
want to attain proficiency with as little
work as possible. They simply study music
as an accomplishment, not because they
have any particular love for 1t. but just be-
cause II is something that they ought to
know. II is ths poor person, who. every
time he pays out two or three dollars for a
lesson feels that he is almost depriving
himself OF the necessities of life. that
makes a success of it, With him his music
becomes a rengion-he cannot live without
H. He puts his whole soul into it and
works TO get all out OF IT there is in it. He
studies with the object in view OF making
a success OF 1t because he feels that he
. must earn back some OF the money that he
has thus expended. And il he is persistent
cause in musical circles the profession
seeks the man rather than the man the
| work 1t seems that most all prominent
| people who make music profession dallied
| with il for a number of years before taking
| Il up as livelihood. and then they could
. not tell how they came to enter it,"
Mr.. Nell was asked at what age one
| should begin 10 cultivate the voice. and re-
piled:
THAT depends 10 a great extent upon
the growth of the vocal organs. Now a
girl should begin to train her voice between
the ages of twelve and sixteen, because her
voice has generally matured by the time
this period OF her life is reached. But very
often you find a girl twelve years old who
Is small for her age but who has a voice
that resembles a woman's in depth and
tone, while on the other hand you will
ofteE find girl eighteen twenty years
old and large for her age with the most
childish voice imaginable The difference
is that the vocal organs In one have grown
much faster than in the other. But with
boys 1t is different because their voices
change absolutely when they glide from
boyhood into manhood. The change is from
soprano to tenor. baritone or bass and, in
fact. the voice drops a whole octave Dur
ing this change II is very dangerous for
them 20 sing. But after their voices have
become settled then they should begin.
training them. The change in a boys voice
generally takes place between the thir-
teenth and seventeenth years. You under
stand what brings about this change OF
voice IS that the vocal chords incrC ase in
length. A mans vocal organs are very
much longer than = womans. and this
gives him the depth OF voice that a woman
I has not
SINGING VOICES.
ut Is not very well-known fact. but II
IFS nevertheless true that there are few peo-
pie who do not possess singing voices
There is no reason why q person cannot
sing unless he has some deformity OF the
vocal organs. and as long these are per-
fec:Iy natural he will. with the right kind OF
training. have as good voice as any one
There are some people. OF course. who are
50 fortunate as 20 have a great amount
% voice both IN quality and volume. while
others are not so fortunate as 10 possess
either OF these characteristics, but have
strength OF voice. which is very necessary
20 make a good singer. Then there is an
other class who have none OF the qualities
j have mentioned. but have talent TO apply
what little singing voice they have. Now,