The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-04-23


ing brings up 70 many different
points that 1t is difficult to
know where to begin or how to give
the layman In any kind Of limited
space concise idea Of the principles
controlling the production of the voice
and their application to vocal art
Every singer or singing master Is
popularity supposed to have a method
by following out which he has come to
fame. Yet II asked to describe this
method many an artist would be at a
loss to do 80 or else deny that he had
any specific method at all, such sub
tie and pc uliarly Individual matter It
Is that constitutes the technical part
of singing. Most singers-in fact, all
OF them-do many things In singing
habitually, yet so inconspicuously, that
they could not describe how or why
they did them. Yet this little set Of
artistic" habits all arise from most
logical causes and have become habits
from their fitness to the personality Of
their owner and their special value in
enabling that singer to do his best
work by their aid. For instance, a
singer will know from trials and ex.
perience just the proper position of the
tongue and larynx to produce most eff
fectively certain note on the scale.
yet he will have come by this knowl-
edge not by theory and reasoning, but
simply oft repeated attempts, and the
knowledge he has come by will be val
liable to him only, for somebody else
would produce the same note equally
well, but in quite different way.
So one may see that there are actu
ally as many methods as there are
singers, and any particular method
even II accurately set forth, might be
useless to the person who tried 1t.
This is what really would reply to
any one putting this question to me-
that my own particular way of sing
ing, II l have any, is, after all. pecul-
farly suited to me only, as l have above
described.
However, there are many interesting
and valuable things to be said about
the voice in general way.
Speaking first of the classification of
voices, many young singers are put
much in doubt and dilemma because
they are unable to determine what
sort of voice they really possess.
whether soprano, mez3o or contralto.
OF course 1t is easy enough to distin-
guish between the extremes of these,
between real" tenor and low bass,
but the difference between high bari
tone and tenor is rather more difficult
to discern. and young man studying
has often been at great disadvantage
by imagining, for instance, that he had
a tenor voice and trying constantly to
sing music too high for him, since he
In reality had only high baritone.
In the course of development voice
very often increases its range and
changes its quality sufficiently to pass
from baritone to tenor. and 1t is
sometimes problem to place 1t during
the transition process. Perhaps the
surest way to determine the real char
acter Of voice is to see on what notes
words can be most easily pronounced.
For the average tenor the notes I'D to
A above middle G. for the baritone d
above middle c and for the bass up
to middle G itself can be pronounced
on the best
One should never try to change the
tessitura, or natural character of the
voice. A voice will become higher
just when 1t should by the develop
ment due to rational work and never
by forcing it. Nothing is easier than
n rd Il
but to cause it to ''recede," as it were
in either direction is another matter.
A baritone who tries to increase his
upper range by main strength will
surely in time lose his best lower
notes, and light tenor who attempts
TO force out notes lower than his range
will never be able to sing legitimate
tenor roles and after two or three
years may not be able to sing at all.
1t may be we'll to speak now Of a
very important point in singing-what
Is called the attack" Of the tone. In
general this may be described as the
relative position of the throat and
tongue and the quality Of voice as the
tone is begun. The most serious fault
of many singers is that they attack
the tone either from the chest or the
throat, Even with robust health the
finest voice cannot resist this. This is
the reason one sees so many artists
who have made brilliant debut dis
appear from sight very soon or wind up
later on mediocre career. Singers
who use their voices properly should
be at the height of their talents at
forty-fivc and keep their voices in full
strength and virility up to at least fif-
ty. AT this latter age, or close after
It. 1t would seem well to have earned
the right to close ones career.
A great artist ought to have the dig
nifty to say farewell to his public when
still in full possession of his powers
and never let the world apprise him of |
his falling off.
To have the attack true and pure |
one must consciously try to open the
throat not only in front, but from be-
hind, for the throat is the door through
which the voice must pass. and If II is
NOT sufficiently omen il Is useless IN At