The San Francisco call., 1904-02-12

IlCrErlEnf- 1905. nN Joseph 3 bOAles-a
Having learned 10 breathe properly.
The next step for the student Of the
voice viii be the proper production of
tone.
" nat is the sensation when singing
tone properly? In the first place. with
The lungs well filed and with freedom
from any contraction Of the throat
muscles the tone should seek as a focus
the frontal bones of the face But this
is easier said than done. There are
hundred and fifty odd muscles in the
throat. and we all know what small
thing il takes TO disturb the production
of a perfect tone. A slight chip on
violin OF a small thread on a piano
string may absolutely mar the beauty
II its tone. and so. with the voice
slight contraction Of any Of those l5O
muscles which is not needed in the pro-
ductiOn Of tone may destroy its
beauty.
The singers throat. so far as the
singer himself is concerned. in the
production Of q tone should play no
part at all. II is entirely passive. The
ideal 10 be obtained is a complete re-
throat and the absolute lack Of any
pressure which may disturb the natural
vibrations Of tone. II is a good plan al
ways 10 think Of the throat as IL it were
wide open. Let one yawn, or perhaps
make q movement as If he expected 10
drink. and he viii have the sensation Of
an open throat Above all things. those
who are troubled with throatiness in
singing should confine themselves to a
few tones which are easy and lie in the
natural speaking voice. and perfect
these tones. gradually enlarging the
range around them until the habit Of a
loose throat is established. A frequent
cause Of a hard and throaty quality Of
tone is found in the fact that the chin
and the lower jaw are stiff
There are number Of exercises which
may be used with benefit by those who
have a tendency TO stiffen the jaw. 1t
is difficult TO describe just how vocal
exercise should he carried out. but one
Of the simplest for this defect is to use
the tone ma" four or five times in sue
cession. In enunciating the m press
the lips together and then let the "a
follow quickly and in an almost explo-
sive way. taking care that the lower
Jaw drops down and back quickly.
English-speaking people are troubled
most Of all by this defect, because their
language calls for very few tones where
the mouth is really open. One of the
best cures for throatiness is to see that
the jaw is open in relaxed manner
and yet that il falls back toward the
neck The lower teeth should always be
teeth.
In the stiffening and hardening of
the throat the tongue is one Of the
worst foes 10 freedom. Unfortunately
with this unruly member the more it
is discussed with the student the worse
IL behaves itself. The tongue should
also be a passive factor in the produc-
ton OF tone. II should maintain its
normal position in the mouth and be
allowed fun liberty for its work in
enunciating words and changing vowel
sounds. In trying 10 overcome the de-
fecJs OF tongue and jaw there is no
better remedy than constant daily
practice before the mirror.
So much for the muscular difficult
ties which every young singer viii en-
counter. NOW as 10 the production Of
tone, We shall concern ourselves with
It's proper placement
Nature has made for the singer q
fine sound board in the roof Of. his
mouth. Besides this, in the large
nasai and head cavities as well
as in the walls OF the jaw
and teeth he has reinforce
ments which give the voice sorority
and power. The control OF the breath
after il has been converted into tone so
that it fills all OF these resonance
chambers. thus producing beauty and
power Of tone. with the least possible
physical effort. is the object Of voice
placing.
The external sensation Of a tone
thus brought forward should be felt
through the front OF the face. Exer-
cises for the accomplishment of this
object are numberless. Among the
most important is the use of the soft
nasal hum. Many teachers do not use
this because il is difficult to acquire
always the proper mode of humming.
However. think there is little danger
II it is done softly and confined at first
10 the range OF the speaking voice.
A good way 10 bring this hum to its
proper focus is TO sing softly mum
mum-mum" and watch the tickling
sensation on the lips. This is an exer-
else which n. Jean de Reszke and
Nine. Emma Eames use constantly
Behind the scenes one may frequently
hear five or six work-renowned sing
ers tuning up" as X were, with this
simple exercise.
After practicing this exercise until
the student is sure that the vibrations
are front let him open the mouth and
sing the tone ''Aw," striving to keep
the tone where the hum was. In this
way he will discover a number of tones
in the middle voice, which are more
or less perfectly placed. It should
then be his endeavor to perfect these
few tones easily within his reach, and
from the experience thas gained he