The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-09-09
unsympathetA

hard. unmusical. unsympathetie
voices, for physical effort in singinej
developes physical or muscularto ne
When a muscle is set and rigid. WIZ
Their ii be the palate, tongue, lips or
diaphragm. instead of helping the
voice. it is really preventing free
natural production. For when mus
Gle is rigid il is out of action. and
some other muscle is being compelled
TO do double work. Many voices are
ruined by years of hard. muscular
practice. A hard, unmusical voice is
unnatural and unnecessary and by
correct treatment can be made mel
low and beautiful.
The Relaxed School.
Some teachers who have discovered
the evils of the local-effort school
have jumped to the other extreme and
have organized another system known
as the Relaxed School. By means of
complete relaxation they overcome all
muscular tension and rigidity. But
there can never be tonicity without
tension and vitality of muscle, and so
the pupils of the relaxed school lack
energy: their tones are depressed and
breathy. That dull smothered sound,
commonly known as a covered tone
is fair sample of the product of the
relaxed school Now singing is a
form of emotional or self-expression
and requires life. Life is action: il is
vital force aroused; il is God-given
and eternal condition and is a funda-
mental principal of the true art of
song. The world is full now of dead
singers-singers who are dead as far
as vitality and emotional energy are
concerned. And it is rigid, set mus
cles, or relaxed. limp muscles which
have dwarfed and limited in every
way the physical, mental and emo
tional power of these singers.
The Natural School.
The first principal of artistic tone
production is the removal of all re-
straint this means absolute freedom.
not only of form and action. but Of
tone. That tone is the result of GER
tain conditions. demanded by nature.
and it's form and adjustment must be
automatic. This condition can only
be brought about by exercises or de-
vices which are in accordance with
natural and not artificial conditions.
With the singer who hardens the
throat muscles during the act of sing
ing; with the singer who carries a
consciously high chest and a drawn-in
diaphragm; with the singer who takes
conscious full breath and hardens
the diaphragm to hold it the result
is contraction, especially of the throat
muscles, and condition of natural
freedom is impossible.
Abuse brings about reform in art
as well as in other things. And SO
the abuse of natures laws and the
lack of common sense in the training
of the singing voice has led to re-
bellion among the profession against
unnatural methods. We no longer at
tempt to compel tone production but
study the conditions which allow the
phenomena of the voice to occur
naturally and automatically. Matter
or muscle is taught to obey mind or
will spontaneously. The thought be
fore the effort" is the watchword."
The modern natural school teaches
the idealized tone; by the ideal We do
not mean an exaggerated form of
expression, but the truth-the whole
truth. Unmusical, muscular tone
is not the true tone, it
means nothing; ii is merely a noise.
The ideal tone, or the truth in tone is
beautiful; it represents thought, an
emotion: it is the expression of the
higherman; it is self-ex-
preston.