The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-02-26
alks ON Singing
I.---Breath Control The Foundation
of Singing.
BY LUISA TETRAZZINI
COPYRIGHT 1902 ny AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
COPYRIGHT. 100, ny AMrRlcAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
OF Singing.
By LUISA TETRAZZIN


able to sing with perfect facility from
one end of the voice to the other, emit.
ting all the notes clearly and yet with
power and having each note of the
scale sound the same in quality and
tonal beauty as the ones before and
after.
There are many methods which lead
TO the goal OF natural singing-that is
to say, the production Of the voice with
ease, beauty and with perfect control
Some of the greatest teachers in the
world reach this point apparently by
diverging roads.
Around the art of singing there has
been formed cult which includes an
entire jargOn of words meaning one
thing to the singer and another thing
to the rest of the world and which
very often doesn't mean the same
thing to two singers of different
schools.
In these talks with you | am going
to try to use the simplest words, and
the few idioms which | will have to
take from my own language | will
translate to you as clearly as | can, so
that there can be no misunderstanding
Certainly the highest art and life
time of work and study are necessary
to acquire an easy emission of tone.
There are quantities of wonderful
natural voices, particularly among
young people of Switzerland and Italy,
and the American voice is especially
noted for its purity and the beauty of
its tone in the high registers. But
these naturally unframed voices soon
break or fail if they are used much
unless the singer supplements the nat
ural, God given vocal gifts with a
conscious understanding of how the
vocal apparatus should be used.
The singer must have some knowl-
edge of his or her anatomical struc-
ture, particularly the structure of the
throat, mouth and face, with its
resonant cavities, which are so neces-
sary for the right production of the
voice.
Besides that the lungs and da-
phragm ana the whole breathing APP
paratus must be understood, because
the foundation Of singing Is breathing
and breath control.
a singer must be able to rely on his
breath. just as he relies upon the solidi-
ty of the ground beneath his feet
A shaky. uncontrolled breath is like
a rickcty foundation on which nothing
can he built and until that foundation
has been developed and strengthened
the would he singer need expect no
| satisfactory results.
From the girls to whom | am talk
ing especially | must now ask a sacri-
fice-the singer cannot wear tight cor
sets and should not wear corsets of
| any kind which come up higher than
the lowest rib
In other words, the corset must be
nothing but belt, but with as much
hip length as the wcarer finds con.
venicnt and necessary.
In order to insure proper breathing
capacity it is understood that the
clothing must be absolutely loose
| around the chest and also across the
lower part Of the back. for one should
breathe with the back of the lungs as
well rs with the front.
In my years Of study and work
| have developed my own breathing ca.
| pacity until am somewhat the de
| spar of the fashionable modiSte, but
have diaphragm and breath on
which can rely at all times.
In learning to breathe it IS well ia
think of the lungs as empty sacks. into
which the air is dropping like a
weight so that you think first of fill.
ing the bottom of your lungs. then the
middle part, and so on until no more
air can be inhaled.
lnhale short breaths through the
nose. This. of course, is only an ex-
erCiSe for breath development.
Now begin to inhale from the bottom
of the lungs first:
EXhale slowly and feel as If you
were pushing the air against your
chest. If you can get this sensation
later when singing it will help you very
greatly to get control Of the breath and
to avoid sending too much breath
through the vocal chords.
The breath must be sent out in an
even, steady flow
You will notice when you begin to
sing, if you watch yourself very care,
fully. that, first, you will try to inhale
too much air; secondly, you will either
force it all out at once, making a
breathy note, or in trying to control
the flow of air by the diaphragm you
will suddenly cease to send it forth at
all and will hc making the sound 10y
pressure from the throat
There must never be any pressure
from the throat The sound must be
made from the continued flow Of air.
You must learn to control this flow
of air, So that no muscular action of
the throat can shut 1t off.
Open the throat wide and start your
note 10y the pressure breath. The phys.
zeal sensation should be first an effort
on the part of the diaphragm to press
the air up against the chest box. then
the sensation of perfectly open
throat and, lastly, the sensation that
the air is passing freely into the cav.
tiles of the head.
The quantity Of sound is controlled
| by the breath