Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
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r HAVE seen some curious expert
| ments by which q high tenor voice
was stepped down to bass and
vice versa. I don't mean that q
persons voice was actually changed,
| but that the voice went in one end OF
a machine as tenor and came out
bass. The machine was sort OF inter,
! designed to take out the higher vibra-
! tons and leave the lower ones, and was
devised in experimental research with a
view to learning more about sound VI
bration, rather than for any practical
purpose However, it was carried
though to a point where it would be
possible right now for radio broad
casters to step voices up or down, as
required. This probably won't be done,
but the curious fact is that radio Is
tending to induce singers themselves to
try to do the same thing with their
natural sound boxes.
For some reason or other, doubtless
simple to the technicians, baritone
voices carry somewhat better on the
radio than tenors. For this reason,
there is among young singers, looking
ahead to radio performances, a wide
spread effort to pull down their higher
tones and build up the lower ones. In
fact. singing teachers-Some of them OF
doubtful integrity-are vastly over-em-
phasizing the importance of these COM
parative tone values. and filling their
studios with Woodworking tenors,
sweating and struggling in trying to
become baritones A few years ago 1t
was the other way about Tenors were
in demand and the baritones were all
trying to climb up into the higher tone
range.
I have received several letters asking
my opinion as to whether 1t will be In
creasingly difficult for tenors to sing
for the radio, and whether they are now
being banned. I know of no definitely
established policy in this regard, but
it is true that some program directors
have found that baritone voices seem
more serviceable for radio solos and
they are using tenors mainly with other
voices or with an increased emphasis
on orchestral accompaniment
Apt to Be Defect.
Frequently a tenor will sound a bit
squeaky on the air, but my own obSer-
walton is that in such cases there Is
quite apt to be- some defect OF voice
placing or artistry I am inclined to
believe that the thoroughly competent
artists, skilled in microphone technique,
will have little difficulty. AS matter
of fact, the microphone will transmit
pretty accurately almost anything you
feed into it, provided conditions ape
right and the performance is sound.
There is a school of QuackS among
music teachers in large cities who have
seized upon certain requirements OF ra-
dio voice culture and exaggerated them
into a mythical technique by which
many ambitious and talented boys and
girls are being victimized Among such
enterprises is this movement to get the
voice into a ait-jacket and force 1t
down from a tenor to baritone. Per-
sonally, I think a vast amount Of harm
may come from all this pulling and
wrenching Of the voice. and my advice
to beginners is to follow good, old
fashioned singing technique, become
finished artists, using the voice which
nature gave them, and let the radio
career come when it may. Any person
with a good voice and with sound artis-
tic capacities can adapt it to radio
needs readily enough when the time
comes. There's no great mystery and
no elaborate technique about it.
I have been through the mill, so far
as this matter Of voice culture Is con-
cerned, and in view Of the many letters
which have received on the subject.
have one suggestion which I want to
give to young people looking ahead to
singing careers-stage or radio. When
YOU go to New York or Chicago or Bos-
ton to train your voices, get the most
conservative advice you can and follow
it faithfully. The big cities are full Of
half baked, get-rich-quick teachers. who
will tell you that they can At you with
scientifically adjusted radio voice.
I quote from an advertisement-in
few months. Give them q wide berth.
II you have good voice and learn how
to use it, you won't have to have 1t
massaged and kneaded into shape by
! these miracle workers-as they profess
| to be able to do. Pick out some we'll
established conservatory of music. or
get some references from your own town
which you can depend upon, and find
some honest and sensible teacher who
will put you to work on the sound es-