Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-01-31

you?' said the housekeeper at
musical Mountain Home home
well, you'll find a few cords in
the woodshed. Suppose you favor
me with an obligato.' Pardon
the pronunciation, madam" re-
piled Peripatetic Padroosky, "but,
Chopin is not popular with me-"
A little book, recently published
in Vienna, is devoted to a method
of vocal culture, and also health
culture, that has stood the test of
practical experience in numerous
cases, but is not as we'll known
as it deserves to be. 1t is based
upon the vocal method of the con-
cert singer Josephine Richter, the
mother of the celebrated orchestra
leader, Hans Richter, and consists
essentially of peculiar movements of
the jaws which ultimately give the
pupil an astonishing command over
the soft palate, besides strengthen
ing the muscles of the face, neck
and chest. Herr LAM, the author
of the book, quotes letter writ en-
to Nine. Richter by the late Prof.
Helmholtz in which that famous
physicist says: 81 can readily I'M
derstand, from thcorci ical consider
atoms, that the flabbiness of the
soft palate and the back of the
mouth must act as a damper upon
the voice and an obstacle to pre-
cision of attack and utterancc.
Hence if the command of the pail
ate, tongue and larynx which you
possess can be acquired by your
method of exercising the muscles of
the face and throat, as your own
example appears to prove, the fact
is clearly of great Importance. 1t
is physiological probable that such
exercises would have that effect. -
That the exercises do have that
effect is proved by an examination
of an average unframed throat and
the throat of singer trained by the
new method. In the former the
soft palate and its conical extension,
the uvula, hang limp and construct
the vocal passage, which is further
narrowed by the prominent tonsil
at each side. In a mouth so en-
numbered, as in room filled with
furniture, it is impossible for the
voice to ring loud and clear. The
tonsils and soft palate of the trained
singer, on the other hand, are re-
tracted and hardened and the pen
dent uvula has entirely disappeared,
giving the voice a clear and wide
passage with firm walls, and con-
sequently increasing its volume ano
improving its quality. The method
is recommended for the cultivation
of the speaking as we'll as the sing
ing voice and for the prevention anc
alienation of various diseases o.
the throat. 1T gives astonishing
relief in catarrh of the throat anc
suggests new possibilities in the
treatment of enlarged tonsils.
Now these exercises consist essen
TALLY of yawning, which has re-
Gently been recommended. independ
emily, as a valuable exercise fo
the respiratory organs. According
to DR.. Naegli of the University o
Luettich, yawning brings all thu
respiratory muscles of the chest ant
throat into action and is therefor
the best and most natural means o
strengthening them. He advise
everybody to yawn as deeply as pos
siblc, with arms outstretChed, II
order to change completely the al
in the lungs and stimulate respira
ton. In many cases he has tour'
the practice to relieve the difficult.
in swallowing and disturbance o
the sense of hearing that accom-
pany catarrh of the throat. Tn
patient is induced to va wn through
suggestion, imitation or prelimi
nary exercise in deep breathing
Each treatment consists OF iron
six to eight yawns, each followe
by the operation of swallowing
1t should be added, however, tina
it is quite possible for deep breath
ing to be overdone, particularly b
persons with weak hearts, and
is at least open to questio
whether the obstacles to free res
piration which the yawning cur
is alleged to remove are not use
full in preventing the entrance
germs and other foreign bodies. =
Scientific American.
ii
When Schumann-Heink sang /
Boise, a quaint little Dutchma
who lived on his farm in that see
ton of the country read OF ne
wonderful voice and decided to &