The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-20

getting control OF the breath is to
stand erect in well ventilated room
or out Of doors and slowly SNUFF in air
through the nostrils. inhaling In little
puffs. US If you were smelling some
thing.
Take just Il little bit Of air at time
and feel rs If you were filling the very
bottom OF your lungs and also the
back Of your lungs
When you have the sensation Of be-
ing full up to the neck retain the air
for a few seconds ard then very slow.
ly send 1t out in little puffs again.
This Is a splendid exercise, but !
want to warn you not to practice any
breathing exercise to such an extent
that you make your heart beat fast or
feel like strargling.
Overexercising the lungs is as bad
as not exercising them enough, and
the results are often harmful.
Like everything else In singing, you
want to learn this gradually. Never
neglect 1t. because it is the very foun-
dation Of your art But don't try to
develop a diaphragm expansion of FIVE
inches in two weeks.
Indeed. 1t is not the expansion that
you are working for.
l have noticed this one popularity
about young singers-if they have an
enormous development of the dia
phragm they think they should be able
to sing, no matter what happens. A
girl came to see me once whose figure
was really entirely out Of proportion,
the lower part Of the lungs having
been pressed out quite beyond even ar
tistic lines.
You see, madam" she exclaimed, Il
have studied breathing. Why, l have
such n strong diaphragm I can move
the piano with it," And she did go
right up to my piano and, pushing on
this strong diaphragm of hers. moved
the piano a fraction Of an inch from
its place.
Twas quite aghast. 1 had never met
such an athletic singer. When asked
her to let me hear her voice, however.
a tiny stream Of contralto sound is
sued from those powerful lungs.
She had developed her breathing Ca
pacity. but when she sang she held
her breath back.
I have noticed that a great many
people do this, and it Is one of the
things that must be overcome in the
very beginning of the study Of singing.
Certain young singers take in an
enormous breath. stif1ening every mus
Gle In order to hold the air, thus de-
priving their muscles of all elasticity.
They will then shut OF the throat
and let only the smallest fraction Of
air escape. just enough to make 4
sound. Too much inbreathing and too
violent an effort at inhaling will not
help the singer at all.
People have said that they cannot
see when 1 breathe. Well. they GER
tainly cannot say that am ever short
Of breath even If l do try to breathe
invisibly. When I breathe 1 scarcely
draw my diaphragm In at all, but
feel the air fill my lungs, and feel
my upper ribs expand.
In singing l always feel as If were
forcing my breath against my chest.
and. just as in the exercises according
to Delsarte you will find the chest
leads in all physical movements, so in
singing you should feel this firm sup
port of the chest OF the highest as well
as the lowest notes.
I have seen pupils trying to master
the art Of breathing holding them
selves as rigidly as drum majors.
Now. this rightly Of the spinal col.
umn will in no way help you in the
emission Of tone. nor will it increase
the breath control. In fact, I don't
even think it would help you to STANG
up straight. although It would certain
~ give one sti6 appearance and one
far removed from grace.
A singer should stand freely and
easily and should feel as if the chest
were leading, but should not feel con-
strained or stiff in any part Of the ribs
or lungs.
From the minute the singer starts to
emit a tone the supply Of breath must
be emitted steadily from the chamber
Of air in the lungs. 1t must never be
held back once.
The immediate pressure of the air
should be felt more against the chest.
I know Of great many singers who
when they come to very difficult pas.
sages put their hands on their chests.
focusing their attention ON this one
part of the mechanism of singing.
The audience of course thinks the
prima donna's hand Is raised to her
heart, when, as a matter Of fact. the
prima donna, with a difficult bit Of
singing before her. is thinking OF her
technique and the foundation Of that
techniQue-breath control
This feeling Of singing against thu
| chest with the weight Of air pressing
! up against 1t is known as breath sup
port" and in Italian we have even 3
better word. ''apoGgio.'' which is breath
prop. The diaphragm in English may
be called the bellows of the lungs. bu
the aposgio is the deep breath recu
| lated by the diaphragm.
| The attack of the sound must come
| from the apoggio. or breath prop. II
| attacking the very highest notes it Is
/ essential. and no singer can really gel
| the high notes or vocal fie1ibility cl
| strength Of tone without the attach
coming from this seat Of respiration.
In practicing the triil or staccatr
/ 10 20 l..n y, -