The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-07

of tight clothes around the waist be-
comes unendurab BILE.
So much for the direct benefits from
the fundamental exercises of voice cuI-
ture which are to singing what five
finger exercises are to the playing of
the piano. They continue from the
time the singing lessons begin until
| long after the opera or concert singer
steps into public notice with a finished
voice.
Indirectly the benefit of the exercises
are legion, chief among them to a girl
being the acquisition of a calm, digni-
| fed bearing. Some of the idea of the
/ truth of this may be obtained in a very
/ simple way. When you feel particu-
1 larry nervous in someone's presence or
at the prospect of meeting a new per-
/ son, take a long, deep breath and ex-
! hale slowly by use of the diaphragm
| muscle. Your uneasiness will give way
| almost Immediately to a feeling of
| surety and self-conhdence. This sell
dom fails and its constant practice in
singing soon makes a certain assur-
! ance as well as a calm control of the
body, habitual
Not all the physical value of voice
culture, however, is secured from
+, proper use of the diaphragm. Singing
! also cultivates the use of the mouth
and in bringing the tones of the voice
/ forward. relieves all tension at the
back of the throat and the vocal
chords
Just here is where incompetent
teaching displays its bad effects. The
voice which is hard, the voice which
" on the head and the voice which
has to screech to be heard all belong
in the same class. All are due to the
same cause and in the end produce
equally injurious results.
When a singing tone is directed from
| the diaphragm muscle, the breath
rushes over the vocal chords straight
| to the front of the mouth. 1t stands to
fhoHAfn7-a 70 f,.e4
| begins to sing, the power of the dia-
/ phragm is limited and the tone should
be small. a noisy tone at first means
that some other agent has stepped in
to help. This is usually the back of
the throat which contracts and forces
| out the tone, eventually hardening the
muscles and causing all sorts of trou-
Bile with the larynx and the other vo-
cal organs.
On the other hand, a tone which
comes straight from the diaphragm
grows gradually stronger as the lever
muscle acquires power The breath
passing over vocal chords which are
not strained by contraction of the
throat strengthens all the delicate or
gans and renders any one who sings
moderately almost proof against colds.
The sounding board for the tone is
the roof OF the mouth and the lips.
When it strikes this board properly it
should vibrate so that the very gen
TEST note can be heard throughout 4
room A weak singing voice usually
indicates that the tone does not strike
the sounding board as it should. II
the tongue is held in position for
yawning the tone has a perfectly free
sweep and vibrates with full force.
The upper lip determines the shape
of the tone; that is, the sound of the
! consonant and vowel which forms the
word that is sung This is part OF
the face which has little consideration
from the average girl, while if she did
! farzf I~r7~ he on of h
most important factors in a pleasant
| happy expression. A singing exercise
for the upper lip is to exaggerate the
position which it takes on the different
vowels. For intsance, after inhalins
deeply, sing on one note aa, e, j. o and
90 AA requires the mouth to be wei
open. A has the corners Slightly
| drawn back, but the upper lip quite
free from the teeth. E pulls the liz
up and out. o pushes both lips for
ward and 90 has them well puclxere6
out into trumpet shape
Such an exercise, of course, is only
to timber the upper lip These exag-
gerated movements are not at all nee
essary to correct sweet singing, butt ey
greatly improve the appearance of {
girls mouth and enable her to keep i
from an uncomely display of the upper
teeth.
This concludes the Fundamental
principles of voice culture, and while
the exercises given are very rudimen
tarV they are the basis for all others
The girl who would study singing ser
iously must go much deeper into voice
culture than this short article permits
The few rules set down give an idea O.
the scope of the singing voice In it
perfection it requires the concentrates
forces of the entire physical being, tn
lever of which is the diaphragm. ans
the girl who would have pOise anS
self-possession summed in the on
word charm must master hrst IN
art of singing.
SALLY CHAMBERLIN.