Cañon City record., 1908-04-09
Music al Messages
Edited by L. D. Eiehhorn

time to the human voice and its mu-
sic. Richard Wagner the great
said: THE human voice Is
really the foundation Of all music: and
whatever development OF the art,
whatever the boldest combination Of
q composer, or the most brilliant ex-
ecution of a virtuoso, in the end they
must always return to the standard
set by vocal music"
It was the intention OF the editor
to write today on recent vocal per-
formances In our city. such a. the
singing of the artists with the orches-
ira and the tenor and basso with the
Dunbars, but he has changed his mind.
Musical criticism has interest and
value for a comparatively small num-
ber OF people. All people, however,
have voice, and use 1t much and for
the most part, use it very badly. Re-
ference is not had here to singing, but
to that other, more common use OF
voice called speech. Before song can
be, speech is. Let us therefore take
up first, the human voice in speech.
In the "Autocrat of the Breakfast
table," DR.. Holmes speaks OF the
echoes of certain voices" and Of their
effect upon him. He says: "Our peo-
pie have not generally agreeable
voices. Common among US are voices
at once thin and strenuous; acidulous
enough to produce effervescence with
alkalis and stridulous enough to sing
duets with katydids. I think our con-
versational soprano, as sometimes
in loud, strident speech,
would not be among the allurements
the old enemy would put In requisi-
ton were he getting up q new tempta-
tion."
Recall the speaking voices Of your
friends and include your own in the
and think how they are.
Are they thin and strenuous?"
Hard and sharp enough to
"sing duets with katydids?" Loud
and stridgent?"
OF Annie Laurie, the poet said.
Like winds in summer signing. her
voice is low and sweet"
Shakespeare. describing the voice OF
a woman, said: "It was ever soft,
gentle and low, an excellent thing in
woman"
DR.. Holmes said: Il never heard
but two voices in my life that fright
ened me by their sweetness. They
made me feel as II there might be
constituted a creature with such II
chord in her voice to some string in
another's soul, that, II she but spoke.
we would leave all and follow her.
though it were into the jaws of Ere
bus"
The two voices DR.. Holmes referred
to as frightening him by their sweet
ness were those Of German women.
He declares that such a voice could
not have come from any Americanized
human being" Gan exaggeration,
surelyD
Sharp business habits, a lean soil,
enterprise and east
winds are not the best things for the
larynx. Still you hear NOBLE VOICES
among us; but ask the first person |
you meet a question, and ten to one. |
there is a sharp, metallic matter-of-
business clink In the accents OF the |
answer"
OF Widow vaughn's daughter Polly.
the author of Darrell says 1t was
in her voice that had first !
appealed to Trove."
or Darrell, the old clock tinker. It
was said, HE read the poems, his
- hn IL - NkA
lines"
Longfellow required the same Of
the readers:
Then read from the treasured volume
The poem Of thy choice: +
And lend to the rhyme Of the poet
The beauty Of thy voice"
-(The Day 10 Dons.)
Irving speaks Of voices in speech - ,
melting" chin and piping" "exqui- ,
site," frigid."
The voice that like q bell ~" I
Rang thrilling with q music sweat |
and wild
And joyous ~ the life of a child"
-(Cslia Thaxter's Gwendolen.)
Gone 10 the beautiful beloved |
voice that spake that blessing in the
vanished years; yet still she
hears the tender tones that made her |
heart rejoice" (Benediction. same
poet.)
How dear your voice that's low
and clear" Her sonnet, Sweet"
The three following from Bryant's
IAN Indian Story, Hunters 9erenade
and Damsel Of Peru. respectively:
"A song Of his maid Of the woods
and rocks. with her bright black eyes
and her long black locks. and voice |