Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-09
BY UMBERTO SORRENTINO
Formerly Premier Tenor Boston Opera Company

grace, and dignity indispensable for transmitting
and reinforcing vibration in the boxes of the
arynx, auces, pharynx the arch OF the palate and in
the nasal cavities themselves. Altering the shape of the
nose materially changes the character of the voice
Most of pugilstic heroes of the battered-n
type utter small, rather hight pitched sounds he
farther their punched in, the higher their voices
This IS because 1t natural and easy for them
focus the high tones, by second nature the sound
waves concentrate the ~punched-in area and pro-
duce the high head notes.
IN fact, this principle has more than one occasion
been taken advantage of by singers; unwlingly but
the less surely.
One well known case was that of Young Italian
barytone, who had made phenomenaly successful
debut at Dial Verne, and slated for La Scala Grand
Opera House in Milan, that goal of the worlds greatest
artists. He had everything III his favor,-youth,
splendid body, striking face, and glorious voice.
but unfortunately his sympathies led him to take part
in students demonstration against the government;
technically political offense.
He was arrested and condemned to ten years i'm
prsonment the penal island of lscha. The ten best
years of his fe with their brilliant prospects, were to
be buried in that dreary island tomb. On the night he
was being transported he made desperate effort either
to escape to throw himself into the and drown
To quel the disturbance occasioned by this attempt,
and strike stern lesson of discipline into the hearts of
his fellow prisoners, he brutay beaten by the gen
darmes, who mauled him numerically with the sides
to their heavy swords and the butts of their revover
When they afterward came to dress his wounds it
found that the poor boy had sustained, among other
injuries, break in the bridge of the nose which
threw slightly of normal ainement and depressed
the sepum of cartilage that separates the two nostrs
Careful setting of the fracture with the at their
disposal, out of the question. Besides, he a
criminal condemned to ten years III the GRIM gray stone
fortress and would probably die anyhow before his
expired Many did, And SO the wounds healed as best
they might The result that the prisoner developed
entire change in the conhguraton of his nasal pas
sages which altered radically the pitch of his voice
Now, "once singer, always singer SO the natural
rebound from shock of the healthy vire YOUTH and the
habit of years. forced from him old snatches of grand
opera arias and stornel To his intense surprise he
found that it easiest to focus the higher
registers. By gradual practice he developed wonder
full tenor quality. 1t happened that the Office and resi-
dence of the chief warden opposite that part of the
prison in which the young artist confined. And
the daughter of the warden, who was highly trained
musician overheard the singer vocalizng, and per-
uaded her father to bring him over to the house There
being nothing of criminal nature against the YOUTH
his oense merely of the trustic SPIRIT
the warden sent for him, and from time to time he had
the opportunity of practising the tenor roles of the pn
cpal operas with the gifted daughter his teacher and
accompanist
Within two years he had made host of friends
among the music-oving Italian officials who visited
schia and influence brought to bear which secured
his release Returning to the opera, he developed
within a short time into of the most brilliant tenors
in Italy,-a marvellous Othello practically the only
rival of Tamagno, but possessing much more SYM
pathetic quality of voice. SO by fortuitous
cdent which changed the caber and shape of his
THIS brings the question of surgical treatment
of the vocal apparatus. "pnched-n' nose, if it
is too badly pinched, makes for pinched-in tone,
tone that is unpeasantly nasal-hke Frenchman at
his worst harping the "ong, and making it yell for
mercy.
The narrow restricted passages in this style of
whitehot electric cautery the surgeon cut,
burn away sufficient of the cartridges and turbnated