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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9713e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65146 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65146) diff --git a/old/65146-0.txt b/old/65146-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e8f7019..0000000 --- a/old/65146-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3284 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of How To Sing, by Luisa Tetrazzini - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: How To Sing - -Author: Luisa Tetrazzini - -Release Date: April 23, 2021 [eBook #65146] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Chuck Greif & The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO SING *** - - - - - HOW TO SING - - LUISA TETRAZZINI - - [Illustration: - - © _Photo by E. F. Foley, N. Y._ - - Signature: _Luisa Tetrazzini_] - - - - - HOW TO SING - - BY - - LUISA TETRAZZINI - - - NEW [Illustration: colophon] YORK - - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - COPYRIGHT, 1923, - BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - [Illustration: colophon] - - HOW TO SING. II - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER PAGE - - I DON’T WAIT TO BE “FOUND” 9 - - II YOUR AIM 12 - - III WHY SINGERS ARE SCARCE 15 - - IV PERIOD OF TRAINING 18 - - V QUALITIES NEEDED 21 - - VI GENERAL CULTURE 24 - - VII STUDY AN INSTRUMENT 27 - - VIII VOICE 30 - - IX GOOD AND BAD “MAESTRI” 33 - - X COMPASS AND QUALITY 39 - - XI AGE TO START TRAINING 42 - - XII ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 43 - - XIII BREATHING 47 - - XIV VOCAL CORDS 51 - - XV PLACING THE VOICE 59 - - XVI REGISTERS 64 - - XVII FAULTS 70 - - XVIII COLORATURA SINGING 73 - - XIX ENUNCIATION 80 - - XX LANGUAGE 85 - - XXI STYLE AND INTERPRETATION 93 - - XXII HOW I SING AN ARIA 97 - - XXIII PRACTISING 103 - - XXIV THE ARTIST AND THE GRAMOPHONE 111 - - XXV STUDYING A RÔLE 115 - - XXVI CHOICE OF DÉBUT WORK 120 - - XXVII REHEARSALS 124 - -XXVIII CONTRACTS 126 - - XXIX CONCERT WORK 129 - - XXX HEALTH, DIET, ETC. 133 - - - - -HOW TO SING - - - - -CHAPTER I - -DON’T WAIT TO BE “FOUND” - - -Every day of my life I receive letters from men and women, mostly women, -whom I do not know personally, asking me to advise them how best to use -their vocal talents. Some of my correspondents also request me to give -them an audition so that they can demonstrate their claim to be -embryonic stars. - -It is manifestly impossible for me to spend all my time listening to -persons unknown to me, in the hope of finding new Carusos, new Pattis -and, shall I say it?--new Tetrazzinis. If I were to do so I should have -little time for my own practice. Nevertheless, whenever I am able, I do -give an audition to a young aspirant to musical fame, as I consider it -my duty to help, to the best of my ability, those who are to come after -me. - -To those correspondents whom I have been unable to see personally let me -say that star singers are not necessarily discovered by stars. It is -quite true that from time to time it has been my fortunate experience to -discover a tenor or a baritone or a soprano. But they had already been -more or less discovered before I found them. - -True at Covent Garden I found John McCormack singing a very minor rôle -and was instrumental in having him elevated to the position of principal -tenor. And other _prime donne_ have acted similarly. - -Nevertheless these artists would doubtless have come to the front in -their own time without being “discovered” by a _prima donna_. Most big -artists of to-day were not found by any one: they found themselves. I, -for instance, was nobody’s find. When the _prima donna_ failed to appear -at the opening night of an opera in my native Florence I volunteered to -take the part, and in so doing discovered myself. - -My readers will therefore understand that to be discovered by a great -singer is not essential to becoming a great artist, and that because I -am unable to give auditions to all who ask me I am not hindering them -from becoming successful. - -But for the benefit of those numerous correspondents who have expressed -to me a desire that I should help all interested in training their -voices, especially in their attempts to climb the difficult ladder of -successful singing in public, I have consented to publish the following -hints, and I hope sincerely they will be useful to all who read them. - -I do not claim that I have given an exhaustive treatise--no one ever has -done so--on the art of singing, but I am sure that any one possessing a -voice who cares to put into practice the suggestions I am now making, -will be benefited thereby. - -From this handbook I have purposely excluded the story of my -professional life. That is already published under the title of “My Life -of Song” (Cassell and Co., London; Dorrance, Philadelphia, U. S. A.). - -It will be observed that I use the word “he” all the way through when -meaning “he or she.” This is merely because I understand there is no -English word which expresses the both. It would have been more modern to -have used “she” in every case, but perhaps less modest. My lady readers -will, however, understand that I am writing at least as much, if not -more, for their benefit than for our lords and masters. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -YOUR AIM - - -Singers may be divided into two classes. No, I do not mean, as some -might suppose, those who can sing and those who cannot, though that is a -possible classification. I mean in this case those who sing for mere -pleasure and those who intend to make a career in this way. It is for -both that these pages are intended. - -As we have often been told, whatever is worth doing at all is worth -doing well, and there is no reason why the singers who practise our -beautiful art only for the enjoyment of themselves and their friends -should not make the most of the powers which the good God has given -them. I think, indeed, that it is their plain duty to do so, if only in -the interests of their hearers. And I am glad to think that nowadays -many see the matter in this light. - -However it may be in the case of professional singers--upon which point -I shall have something to say presently--there is, I suppose, no doubt -that the standard of amateur singing has enormously improved during -recent years. - -The days when it was thought that anyone, however poorly equipped, had -the right to stand up and perform in public, have passed away, and in -those circles, at all events, where there is any kind of pretension to -general intelligence and culture it is expected that all who come -forward in this way shall show themselves to be possessed of at least -some knowledge of the rudiments of the art. - -As to the general necessity for study on the part of those who aspire to -sing, few words, I suppose, are necessary. If every one can sing after a -fashion, there is, I venture to say, no branch of the art of music which -demands a more arduous apprenticeship and more prolonged study, if all -of its higher possibilities are to be realised. - -Precisely, however, because singing is in itself such a purely natural -proceeding, this elementary fact is too often overlooked. “Singing,” it -has been well said, “derives its power from nature, but owes its -perfection to art,” and this is a fact which, I am afraid, is too often -forgotten. - -People, who would not dream of attempting to play the violin or give a -piano solo in public without thorough preparation, will have no -hesitation in standing up and attempting to sing, although they may be -just as little qualified in the one case as in the other. They do not -realise that the voice is, in reality, one of the most delicate and -difficult of all instruments and demands in consequence no less study -and practice than any other before it can be really artistically -employed. - -There is, moreover, another aspect of the singer’s art which should -never be forgotten. I allude to the fact that the singer is necessarily -a reproductive artist--one whose business it is from the nature of the -case to reproduce and interpret the music of others. - -This imposes a duty and an obligation which should never be lost sight -of. A singer has not only his own reputation to consider, but also that -of the composer whose music he interprets, and for this reason alone, -therefore, he can never take his art too seriously. - -As to those contemplating a professional career, no words of mine will -be necessary, I hope, to impress upon them the necessity of the sternest -self-discipline and the most unremitting application if they are ever to -succeed in accomplishing anything worth doing. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -WHY SINGERS ARE SCARCE - - -The career of a singer is one offering a certain number of prizes but -many, many blanks, and only those possessed of the most unmistakable -natural gifts and ready to work tremendously hard should ever be -encouraged to embark upon it. Hard work, beyond everything, is essential -if success is to be achieved, and it is here, I am afraid, that so many -of our modern students fail. - -Imbued with the eager impatient spirit of these headlong days, they want -to do things too quickly, and are unwilling to submit to the toil and -drudgery which are none the less as necessary as ever if really solid -results are to be achieved. It has even been suggested that to this -circumstance may be traced that scarcity of great singers nowadays of -which we hear so often. - -True, more vocalists than ever before, probably, are inviting attention -at the present time, but how few of them can be reckoned in the first -class? Doubtless it is easy to exaggerate in this matter. Seen through -the mists of time the figures of the past always tend to assume heroic -proportions. - -Making due allowance, however, in this respect, are we really the -victims of hallucination in thinking that great singers are fewer -nowadays than formerly? It would be pleasant to think so, but I am -afraid that the facts point the other way. - -What, then, is the explanation? Different authorities would doubtless -suggest different answers, but most, I fancy, would agree that lack of -adequate study has had not a little to do with the matter. - -Porpora, we all know, kept Caffarelli for five years to one page of -exercises, and at the end of that time told him that he was the greatest -singer in Europe. It would be amusing to learn the experience of a -modern teacher who proposed to one of his pupils the adoption of the -same course. The great Patti, who told me I was her successor, also said -to me that we artists will still be learning when we are too old to -sing. - -The average vocal student of to-day considers himself a finished artist -at a time when he would be reckoned just qualified to begin serious -study by the teachers of an earlier period. - -While no amount of training will make fine voices out of poor material, -the history of singing furnishes numerous instances--that of Pasta is -one of the best known--in which limited natural powers have been -developed to an astonishing degree by study and training. Nowadays I am -afraid it is the converse of this which is more frequently illustrated, -and one hears only too often of fine natural voices which have been -steadily ruined by the manner in which they are used. - -Modern music has also, no doubt, had its influence--not so much because -it is harmful to the voice in itself, but simply because it is possible -to sing it (after a fashion) without such prolonged study and exercise -as that of the older school absolutely necessitated. - -Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and the rest of the old masters have indeed -been avenged in a wholly unanticipated manner. Precisely as the music of -their school has fallen in favour has the power been lost of singing -that of the so-called higher kind which has taken its place. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -PERIOD OF TRAINING - - -For this melancholy state of affairs the only remedy is a return to -sounder views. The fact must be recognised that there are no short cuts -to perfection in singing any more than in any other art, and that those -who wish to sing like the great ones of the past must be prepared to -work and study as they did, in order to attain this end. - -What period of training should be considered sufficient to equip a vocal -student? In former days eight, nine, or even ten years were not -considered too much for this purpose. I need hardly say how very -different are the views prevailing nowadays, when students consider -themselves qualified to appear in public at the end of a year or two of -hasty and necessarily superficial training. Needless to say, no -satisfactory results can possibly be achieved in this length of time. I -consider a minimum of four years necessary to become a professional -singer. - -Lilli Lehmann has put the matter happily. At least six years, she says, -should be considered the minimum period allowable--to which, she says -further, there should then be added an entire lifetime for further study -and improvement! - -This is not to say that many great singers have not perfected their art -and even attained the very highest positions in a much shorter time. In -my own case my period of actual systematic training in the strict sense -of the term was comparatively brief--six months. But then in another -sense I was learning from my childhood. Moreover, I was exceptionally -lucky in that my voice was pitched just right, and had not to be trained -to do what is usually regarded as difficult. - -Almost from my infancy it was my ambition to become an operatic singer, -and circumstances enabled me to benefit to the utmost extent by the -constant hearing of opera, and also the constant criticism of singers by -competent judges, so that I might be considered to have been studying -and gaining experience for my after career all my life. - -Most students, however, are not so fortunately situated, and for them I -cannot urge too strongly the necessity of giving ample time to their -studies if they hope to make the best of their powers and to establish -their art on a firm foundation. - -One can hardly write differently as to the period of training for the -amateur than for the professional. If Patti said that she was still -learning when she had retired from professional singing, no amateur can -hope ever to have learned all there is to be known about the art of -singing. And since he will always be a lover of song he will always be -anxious to learn. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -QUALITIES NEEDED - - -Next comes the question: What are the qualities which the vocal -aspirant, professional or amateur, should possess? - -A famous teacher who was once asked this question made answer: “Voice! -Voice! Voice!” I agree, and in the case of the professional I should be -inclined to add also: “Work! Work! Work!” and then Faith, Hope, and -Charity. Without hard work nothing can be done, and the practice of -these three virtues will undoubtedly prevent one growing weary in his -effort to attain the highest success. - -But the truth is, of course, that many other qualities besides voice and -industry are necessary here. There are, indeed, so many that I hardly -know which to name first. - -Lamperti on this point used to say: “First there must be a voice and -good ear, but also an artistic soul and a musical disposition.” Further, -he used to insist upon sound judgment, deep conscientiousness in study, -and untiring industry. - -Very necessary also are general intelligence and keen perception, -because no matter how good a teacher may be the greater part of the work -must be done through the brain of the student himself. - -On the necessity of sound health it is hardly necessary to insist, while -good looks and a fine presence naturally go for much also, though these -are not absolutely indispensable, as many notable instances have gone to -show. - -Then, in addition, there are those temperamental qualities which mean so -much: imagination and feeling, sympathy and insight, magnetism and -personality. Perhaps, indeed, next to voice and ear these are the most -important qualities of all. But unfortunately they cannot be acquired by -any amount of study. - -How often has it not happened, indeed, that artists have been endowed in -all other respects but these! They may have the most beautiful voices, -they may sing with the most finished art, but for lack of these -incommunicable attributes of the soul they never attain the highest -places. They leave their audiences cold because they are cold -themselves. - -These are artists of the type which Lamperti used to refer to as mere -“voice machines”--singers who, as Gounod once put it, are not artists at -all in the true sense of the word, but merely people who “play upon the -larynx,” achieving great results perhaps in the purely vocal and -mechanical sense, but never touching the hearts of their hearers for -lack of those elemental human qualities which are essential if this -result is to be attained. - -Let the student do all in his power, therefore, to develop the higher -side of his nature. By the study of literature and art, by the reading -of fine poetry, by going to good plays, and in every other way let him -cultivate his imagination and give play to his finer sensibilities. - -For though such qualities as I have referred to may not be acquired when -they are non-existent, they may be drawn out and developed if they are -merely latent; and in the case of members of the northern races -especially this is not infrequently the case. - -Another quality of a different kind which is none the less very -valuable, indeed essential, is the power of self-criticism; and I attach -great importance also to having abundant faith in oneself. Even if it be -pushed to the point of vanity and conceit--as I am afraid it -occasionally is--this helps enormously when it is a case of withstanding -the jolts and jars almost inseparable from the practice of vocal art. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -GENERAL CULTURE - - -Of course, too, wide general culture is very necessary. Everything that -can be possibly acquired in this way helps, and is, indeed, almost more -necessary to the singer than in the case of any other branch of the -profession. - -For the art of the singer is brought into immediate relation with all -the other arts. The singer has to deal with poetry and literature and -the drama--if he takes up opera--in a way quite unknown to the mere -instrumentalist. - -A man might be a great pianist or a fine violinist--he might even be a -great composer--without ever concerning himself at all with the other -arts. But in the case of the singer this would be quite impossible. - -For it is the singer’s business to interpret poetry in song and to play -his part in drama on the stage, and it is obvious that he cannot hope to -do these things properly without making himself acquainted with those -arts also in addition to his own. - -How can one hope, for instance, for a fine interpretation of a great -song if the words themselves mean nothing to the singer? He may sing -the notes, but he cannot possibly do justice to his task unless he -enters completely into the spirit of the words and the meaning of the -poet. - -And in the same way how can one hope to give a satisfactory -impersonation of a part in an opera except by studying carefully the -drama as a whole, grasping the intentions of the author, making oneself -acquainted with the period of the action, and generally entering into it -and all the literary, dramatic, historical, and other details of the -work as well as considering it from the purely musical point of view? - -I am well aware that the opposite practice has often enough been -followed. I have heard, indeed, of artists who have sung in such an -opera as “Il Trovatore” for years without having ever troubled to -understand the course of the action as a whole, and who were -consequently in a state of total ignorance as to what it was all about. - -But I cannot believe that any one who addressed himself to his task in -that unintelligent spirit would ever be likely to give an interpretation -of his own part of much significance or value. - -In my own case I go so far as to study not only, as a whole, any opera -in which I have to take part, but even to learn, or at all events -familiarise myself with, all of the other rôles. And I may add that I -have found the practice helpful not only to myself but also to my -fellow-artists before now, when perhaps some nervous tenor or timid -débutante has temporarily “dried up,” and I have been enabled to come to -the rescue and relieve the situation. This, however, merely _en -passant_. - -The main point I am insisting on for the moment is that the vocalist who -wishes to make the most of his powers cannot have too solid a foundation -in the way of general knowledge and culture. There may be no direct -connection between the one thing and the other, but his art will benefit -none the less--will gain in depth and force and subtlety--in virtue of -the fact that it is the outcome of a cultivated nature and the product -of a mind which has thought and pondered over the deeper problems of -existence. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -STUDY AN INSTRUMENT - - -I may add, too, that there is no excuse for singers to neglect the -cultivation of their minds, inasmuch as they have so much more time for -this purpose than many of their fellow-students in other branches of the -profession. - -Thus, while a pianist or a violinist can, and indeed must, practise many -hours a day, a singer cannot and should not do this, and therefore they -have so much the more time available for the purpose of other study, -including, I need hardly say, not only art and literature, but also the -other branches of musical culture. - -I know that singers have often been reproached in this matter and, I am -afraid, not without good reason in earlier days, but I trust and believe -that that time is passing away, and that vocalists nowadays are no -longer looked upon as being necessarily lacking in general musical -knowledge. - -To which I need hardly add that many instances could be quoted of famous -singers who are or have been admirably equipped also in other respects. -The late Madame Sembrich was, for instance, a brilliant all-round -musician who played both the piano and the violin with the ability of a -professional. Madame Lilli Lehmann, still happily with us, although now -advanced in years, is another whose accomplished art was based on fine -general musicianship. - -In point of fact the vocal student can hardly be too well equipped in -the musical sense. He cannot hear too much good instrumental music; he -cannot be too well acquainted with the works of the great masters; and, -in short, cannot have too wide a basis of general musical knowledge as a -foundation for his own specialised branch of the art. - -To this end the study of an instrument is, of course, invaluable. The -violin is an excellent instrument, though not so helpful from a vocal -point of view as the piano. The piano naturally suggests itself as the -most useful one for the purpose, since it helps directly in the pupil’s -vocal studies and makes him independent to some extent of an -accompanist. It also gives every facility for obtaining a thorough -knowledge of harmony. - -It should be employed to further the service of general musical study on -the lines above suggested. - -Nor should the musical training of the vocalist stop at playing the -piano, for he should know something of composition and general theory. A -musical education is, indeed, almost indispensable to the singer of the -present day if he is to deal successfully with difficult modern music. - -In short, the days have gone by when a singer’s accomplishments were -summed up in the familiar formula of “_Vox et praeterea nihil_,” and he, -or she, who expects to achieve a place in the front ranks at the present -time must be prepared to use brains as well as vocal cords. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -VOICE - - -Next comes the question of voice. That this is a fundamental requisite -you will not expect me to tell you, although it may be noted, in -passing, that some of the greatest singers have started comparatively -ill-equipped in this respect--or apparently so. - -Of Pasta, for instance, we read that her voice at the outset was heavy -and strong, but unequal and very hard to manage. It is said, indeed, -that she never to the end of her career succeeded in producing certain -notes without some difficulty. - -Yet, as the result of incessant study and practice, sometimes pursued in -retirement for long periods, she gradually subdued her rebellious and -intractable organ, and was eventually recognised as one of the very -greatest singers of her time. Jenny Lind’s voice at the outset was also -very unmanageable. - -I might even quote the case of Caruso himself as another example. Caruso -was one of my greatest friends. But he gave little promise in his -younger days of the wonderful career which was in store for him. - -Thus we are told that among his fellow-students at the Scuola Vergina he -was known as “_Il tenore vento_,” meaning a thin reedy tenor, and when -he had completed his studies neither his master nor any one else had any -expectation that he was going to do anything out of the way. - -Vergine even remarked humorously of him that if there was any gold in -his voice it could only be likened to that at the bottom of the Tiber, -inasmuch as it was not worth drawing out. Little did he guess in those -days how much rich gold his unpromising pupil was destined to draw in -time out of his wonderful organ! - -Nor did his earliest appearances impress outside critics any more -favourably. The general opinion was that his voice was sympathetic in -quality but rather small, and that he himself was lacking in -temperament. Caruso lacking in temperament! How odd it seems to us who -knew him later! But that was the impression which he produced at first. - -All of which goes to show that it is not always easy to say in the -beginning how any given voice will turn out in the end. - -At the same time I do not wish to encourage the belief that one should -begin with a poor voice, or that every mediocre student can hope, with -study, to become a Caruso. For this would certainly be a disastrous -notion to disseminate. - -Such cases as Caruso’s are indeed quite exceptional, and in the ordinary -way a pupil can take it that if his voice shows no promise at the outset -he is not likely to do very much with it later. - -On the other hand, what does happen only too frequently, as I have -suggested before, is that a pupil starts with a fine voice which, -however, through faulty training, want of application, or some other -cause, eventually comes to nothing; and it is this which is to be most -carefully guarded against. - -Sad, it is, indeed, to think of the fine voices which have been lost to -the world in this way! Nor need one look very far for instances. Hardly -a day passes, indeed, but what one reads or hears of some wonderful -voice which has been “discovered” in this place or that. Alas! how few -of these wonderful voices eventually justify the hopes which they have -aroused! Either the other necessary qualities are lacking, or--too -often, I am afraid--their training is entrusted to the wrong hands and -they come to nothing. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -GOOD AND BAD “MAESTRI” - - -As to the absolute necessity of a teacher there can, I suppose, hardly -be two opinions. Much can be learnt from books, no doubt; by listening -to other singers; and by working things out for oneself, so far as -possible. Also it is a fact, doubtless, that some of the world’s -greatest singers have had remarkably little formal instruction. - -Mario, for instance, never had a lesson in his life except when -Meyerbeer taught him the part of Raymond in “Robert le Diable”--and -Meyerbeer, it is hardly necessary to say, was not a singing master. - -But such cases are the exceptions, and in the ordinary way there cannot -be the slightest doubt that the services of a teacher are absolutely -essential to sound progress. There are exceptions, of course. One of -these is the great Chaliapine, who represents his own school and has -never had any instruction as we understand it. He is by nature endowed -with a beautiful voice, and obtains his fine effects by long hours of -deep thought and reflection. I have asked him when and how he prepared, -and he replied: “I think out my work in the silence of my bedchamber, -when I am waiting for sleep, or in the mornings before I rise. In fact, -during all my hours of wakefulness I am always visualising the stage, -the actors, the audiences, and contriving how best to obtain effects -emotional, sentimental, dramatic.” - -Grave indeed are the risks run by any student who attempts to supply his -own requirements in this matter and to dispense with the skilled advice -which only the trained expert can supply--entailing possibly the ruin of -his entire career. - -It was for lack of such advice in her earlier days that Jenny Lind’s -voice was almost ruined at the outset, so that when she went to García -for advice his verdict was: “It is quite useless for me to think of -teaching you, since you have no voice left.” - -Fortunately rest and proper training saved the situation in that case, -as we all know, but how easily it might have been otherwise. Other fine -voices have, indeed, been irretrievably destroyed by faulty methods -continued too long. - -A famous case was that of Duprez, a well-known tenor who flourished some -seventy or eighty years ago. “I have lost my voice,” he wrote in despair -to Rubini, “how have you kept yours?” Rubini replied: “My dear Duprez, -you have lost your voice because you have sung with your capital; I -have kept mine because I have sung only with the interest.” And there is -a world of instruction in this pithy way of putting it. - -See to it at all costs, therefore, that you put yourself in the right -hands. By which I do not necessarily mean a teacher of world-wide -repute--for there are many equally good who do not happen to be so -generally known. The supremely important thing is that whoever you go to -shall be a man--or a woman, as the case may be--of honour and integrity, -who can be trusted to deal faithfully with you, and not a quack or a -charlatan. - -The teaching of singing is indeed a much simpler matter--though -difficult enough--than is commonly supposed, especially nowadays when, -as the result of scientific study and research, the underlying -physiological principles are so much more thoroughly understood than -formerly. Yet there will always be those, I suppose, who find it to -their advantage to deal with it as something mysterious and occult; and -apparently there will always be those confiding souls willing to take -these folk at their own valuation and to put good money into their -pockets. - -Wonderful indeed are the tales which are told of some of these gentry. -In New York, for instance, there is said to be a practitioner of this -type who sells to his pupils, in order to give timbre to their voices, -bottles (at two dollars each) of Italian water. Beware of the confidence -tricksters of the musical profession who claim to transform your voice -by some quack method or theory of “nasal resonance” and so on. These -people have ruined more voices than one could enumerate. - -But one need not go to America to find examples. I am afraid, indeed, -that even in my own native land the same sort of thing is not entirely -unknown. I have even heard of a teacher in Milan who makes his pupils -swear on a crucifix not to reveal the secret of his wonderful “method,” -and I have heard of another whose practice it was to make his pupils tie -to the legs of the piano pieces of elastic which they were instructed to -pull out and let go again, in order to “feel” the gradations of -_crescendo_ and _diminuendo_. - -But even he seems to have been excelled in invention by another -“Professor”--again hailing from the Land of the Stars and -Stripes!--whose custom it was to illustrate the art of _mezzo voce_ by -means of an umbrella which he opened and closed as his happy pupils, -standing before him, swelled and diminished on the chosen note. - -Such things, you may say, sound laughable enough, but they are no -laughing matter for the unfortunate pupils who happen to be the victims -of such monstrous quackery, and I cannot urge too earnestly upon all my -readers the supreme importance of choosing a teacher who is above all -suspicion--for preference one possessed of a satisfactory diploma -obtained at a recognised institution. - -Then you may be sure that whether the teacher be better or worse in the -purely technical sense, he will at least be an honest man and not one -who makes his calling a mere pretext for the plundering of the ignorant -and unwary. - -Another important question which arises in this connection is as to the -advisability of studying at home or abroad, and this, I am afraid, is -one of those perplexing matters in the case of which there is a good -deal to be said on both sides. I myself have naturally a prejudice in -favour of my beloved Italy, the traditional Land of Song, where, I am -proud to think, the art of Bel Canto still finds its finest exponents -and teachers, and where also there are greater facilities, I suppose, -for hearing fine singing than in any other country in the world. - -At the same time I am quite prepared to admit that there is a good deal -to be said on the other side. It is a great undertaking and -responsibility, for instance, sending a young girl to study abroad. The -teacher selected may not be a good one, or may not be suited to her -particular requirements, when she gets there--although by saying this I -do not mean to express agreement with those who contend that a special -kind of teaching is required for the singers of every nationality. -Whether you study at home or abroad, let your teacher be the best you -can obtain. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -COMPASS AND QUALITY - - -Having found your teacher, the next thing you will want to know is -precisely what sort of voice you have--and this is a matter, curiously -enough, which cannot always be determined off-hand. The strangest -mistakes have, indeed, not infrequently been made in this respect--as in -the well-known instance of Jean de Reszke, who actually began his public -career as a baritone and continued singing for some years before he -finally came to the conclusion that his voice was, in reality, a tenor. - -The important task of discovering whether a voice is bass, baritone, -tenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano, and the exact character of -the general ranges of these voices is a matter of great delicacy, and -cannot be decided at one hearing. It is largely individual, and -sometimes a matter of health and circumstances. The ranges of different -classes of the human voice may be generally stated as follows. In the -bass voice two octaves of E, the contralto two octaves of E with a tone -and a half more in the upper notes leading to G; the tenor, which -sounds an octave lower than the soprano, and the soprano voice itself -two octaves of C. There are also the baritone and mezzo-soprano voices, -the former of which is neither bass nor tenor, and the latter neither -contralto nor soprano. The average range covers two octaves of G or A in -baritones and mezzo-sopranos. - -In all cases there are, of course, exceptions, as, for example, the bass -that extends to a melodious low C and can even reach the baritone top F. -There is a further classification which has relation to the _timbre_, or -colour, which distinguishes whether the artist is dramatic or purely -lyric. If of a lyric tendency the artist will do well to avoid dramatic -declamation until maturity and experience has taught him this difficult -side of our art and _vice versa_. - -It is not a question of compass only, but of compass in addition to the -distinctive character and quality of the voice. But compass is -undoubtedly essential, and in regard to this Lamperti’s practice was to -judge not only by the notes which could be taken, but by the facility -with which words could be enunciated on them at the same time. - -Thus, in the case of a girl student, if she could not only sing the -upper G, but could also enunciate words easily on that note, he -considered that she was a true soprano; and so on with all the other -voices. Thus a baritone might be able to take notes almost as high as a -tenor. But if he could not pronounce words comfortably on those notes he -was not, in Lamperti’s judgment, to be classed as anything but a -baritone. - -But, as a general rule, your teacher will not have much difficulty in -deciding as to the classification of your voice, and, presuming this to -have been decided, we must consider next the question of training it. - -Here I feel that I must go carefully, for if there is one thing more -certain than another, in my opinion, it is that the pupil who hopes to -get the best results from his training must place himself unreservedly -in his teacher’s hands, since otherwise he cannot possibly hope to do -justice to his teaching. That is to say, he should not confuse his mind -by accepting the advice and instruction of other people--so far, at all -events, as concerns what may be called the strictly technical side of -his training. - -Therefore, I shall confine myself to general hints and observations -only, based on my own experiences and herewith offered for what they are -worth. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -AGE TO START TRAINING - - -As to the age to start training the voice, this depends to some extent -upon the individual, but speaking generally it may be said that in the -case of boys the voice matures at about the ages of from fourteen to -sixteen, and that no serious work should be undertaken until after this -period. Although choir-singing for boys affords wonderful training--in -some cases, at all events, if not in all--it should not be persisted in -too long. - -If boys are allowed to sing on in the choir until their voices change, -they may easily find, finally, that they have totally ruined their vocal -organs for the rest of their lives. The utmost caution should be -exercised, therefore, in this matter, and it should be the duty of every -choirmaster to see that none of his choristers are permitted to run this -grave risk by continuing their services too long. - -In the case of girls, teaching may begin about the age of sixteen or -seventeen, but not much earlier. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - - -To what extent a vocal student should be instructed in matters -anatomical and physiological is a question which has often been raised, -and upon which the most contradictory views have been expressed. It is -argued by some, that having in mind all the great singers of the past -who flourished before the laryngoscope was thought of that the less the -student knows about such things the better. It is contended that he will -surely become self-conscious and unnatural by thinking about the -physiological mechanism of processes which should be absolutely -instinctive and automatic; and possibly in some instances this does -occur. - -I do not think, however, that if the instruction is properly given it -need have any such effect, and I thoroughly believe, myself, in the -student being given at least a general idea as to the construction of -the vocal organs and the manner in which they function. - -To precisely what extent the student should be instructed in what a -famous singer once humorously referred to as “thoracic, -crico-thyroideal, and epiglottic matters” may be a question for -consideration, but as to the desirability of his being acquainted in a -general way with the working of the vocal apparatus I have no sort of -doubt. - -The truth is that the whole business of singing, if reduced to its -elements, is much simpler and easier to understand than is sometimes -supposed, and there is not the slightest reason why any difficulty need -be experienced in explaining the matter in its general outlines. I would -go further, indeed, and say that he is not likely to prove a very -intelligent pupil who is not sufficiently curious and interested to wish -to know something upon the subject. - -At the same time, it is, no doubt, perfectly true that many of the -greatest singers of the past have been destitute of the slightest -knowledge of such matters. In which connection one may recall the famous -saying of Patti when interrogated as to her method: “Je n’en sais rien.” -But it does not follow that others not possessed of her marvelous -natural gifts should follow her example in this respect. For she did -unconsciously and instinctively what in the case of most others only -comes as the result of laborious study and practice. - -One may recall, in this connection, the saying of that profound student -of the art on the technical side, who was also in her day such a great -executant, Lilli Lehmann, that it is not enough to sing well, one must -be told also the how and why, and be given a firm foundation, if -permanent results are to be hoped for. For otherwise one will - -[Illustration: ROUGH SECTION OF NOSE, MOUTH, AND PHARYNX, SUGGESTING BY -DOTTED LINES HOW THE TONE PASSES FROM THE LARYNX THROUGH THE MOUTH AND -PASSAGES OF THE HEAD.] - -run the risk of coming to grief when for some reason or other an -unexpected strain is put upon one’s resources and there is no sound -knowledge and understanding to fall back upon. - -How can one properly understand, for instance, the all-important subject -of breathing, if one has not at least some idea as to the natural -processes involved? Vocal teachers and students of voice production are -often twitted upon the conflicting character of the views which they -hold and the principles which they lay down, but here is one subject, at -all events, upon which there is universal agreement, namely, the supreme -importance of right breathing as the very foundation of the singer’s -art. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -BREATHING - - -He who breathes properly sings properly, it has been said; and there is -not a single authority of any weight, I venture to say, who does not -endorse that statement. The old Italian masters used to say, indeed, -that the art of singing _is_ the art of breathing; and the same idea was -put by Lamperti in another way when he observed that “the attainment of -proper respiration should be the first object of the student of -singing.” - -On the same subject the words of a famous English singing teacher, -William Shakespeare, may be quoted. In his well-known work on the Art of -Song he lays down as the two fundamental aims to be set before himself -by the student: 1, how to take a breath and how to press it out slowly; -and, 2, how to sing to this controlled breath pressure. - -It is when we come to consider the views of the different theorists in -detail that divergencies will be found to arise. But on certain -fundamental matters there will, I think, be found pretty general -agreement nowadays. - -The great guiding principle to be borne in mind, in my opinion, is ease -and naturalness. This is one of those matters in regard to which nature -can be trusted much more safely than theorists and professors. I refer, -of course, to the actual process of breathing. As regards the subsequent -production of tone there is, of course, plenty to be taught. But the -actual process of inspiration and exhalation should be as natural and as -easy as possible. - -[Illustration: LARYNX, WHERE THE VOICE BEGINS. - -THE PIPE, UP WHICH THE AIR IS PUMPED TO THE LARYNX AND ON UP INTO THE -HEAD. - -LUNGS, OR THE VOCAL BELLOWS. - -ROUGH DIAGRAM OF THE LARYNX, TRACHEA AND LUNGS.] - -Some wise words of Salvatore Marchesi may be quoted on this point: “When -explaining the physical, mechanical process of breathing to beginners -it is essential to make them understand that natural laws have provided -for its independence of our will, as is observed in sleeping. Therefore, -every intentional preparation or effort made in order to draw more air -into the lungs will produce the contrary result, hindering the freedom -of the natural process.” - -But this is not to imply that breathing capacity cannot be cultivated -and developed by practice. On the contrary, a vast amount can be done in -this way, just as in the case of any other organ of the body, by means -of systematic exercise and practice. Everyone has heard, for instance, -of the wonderful way in which the breathing capacity of native divers in -the tropics is developed in the course of their calling, or of that old -man in the Bay of Naples who stops under the water with a watch in hand -for 35 seconds. Singers can acquire something of the same power, and -must do so, indeed, if they hope ever to achieve the best results. For -the production of good sustained tone is impossible if the art of -breathing is not properly understood and acquired. - -Among modern singers no one attached more importance to breathing and -breath control than the late Signor Caruso, and no one, certainly, -attained more wonderful results in this way. He developed his powers to -such an extent indeed in this respect, that it was said that he could -move a grand piano by the expansion of the muscles of his diaphragm! And -whether this be true or not it is certain that his wonderful breathing -capacity was, as he himself used to declare, in large measure the secret -of his consummate art. - -Try to avoid breathing through the mouth. Inhalation through the -nostrils purifies and warms the air before it reaches the throat. -Breathing through the mouth dries the throat and makes the voice husky. -Nevertheless, in singing declamatory music what are called half-breaths -through the mouth are necessary. - -When practising avoid taking sudden breaths, though this may also be -necessary when performing publicly. - -Practise once daily before a looking-glass and so correct faults of -breathing and grimaces. - -Don’t heave the shoulders when taking breath. There should be no visible -movement of the body. - -When practising breathing--and this should be done every day--inhale a -long slow breath to the full lung capacity, hold for one or two seconds, -and then exhaust in the same slow gentle way. This is rather exhausting, -and two or three periods of five minutes with an interval of say fifteen -minutes should be sufficient for each day. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -VOCAL CORDS - - -But, of course, breathing alone is not sufficient. After the breathing -capacity has been developed the power thus acquired must be rightly -applied, and here the first principle is right emission, and in -particular the rule that the release of the breath and the attack of the -tone must take place simultaneously. In other words, no breath at all -must be permitted to escape before the production of tone. - -It is to attain this result that the so-called _coup de glotte_, or -“shock of the glottis,” has been advocated. To appreciate this term it -is necessary to understand exactly how vocal tone is produced. - -I will not attempt to go into the matter fully, but the general -principles involved are quite easily grasped. - -Taken broadly, then, it will be understood that vocal sound is produced -by a column of air passing from the lungs through a small aperture -formed by the vocal cords within the larynx (see diagrams). When we -breathe in the ordinary way the air passes in and out as we inspire and -exhale, without any sound being produced. This is because the passage -through the larynx is then quite clear. No obstruction is offered to the -air current, and in consequence the process is quite noiseless. - -When, however, we wish to utter a sound, Nature provides for this by -enabling us to interpose an obstruction to the air current by means of -the vocal cords, and the air then has to pass through a small slit or -aperture, sometimes called the “vocal chink,” formed by their being -drawn closely together curtainwise, as it were. - -[Illustration: GLOTTIS AND OPENING BETWEEN THE VOCAL CORDS - -VOCAL CORDS OPEN - -BONES TO WHICH VOCAL CORDS ARE ATTACHED - -THE VOCAL CORDS DURING DEEP BREATHING.] - -When the vocal cords--or ligaments, as they are perhaps better -described--are drawn together in this manner the passage of the air is -so restricted that it can only pass in short rapid pulsations, instead -of, as before, in a continuous stream, and the result of these pulses -or vibrations is the production of sound or tone. - -The aperture, or chink, is called the glottis, and the character of the -tone resulting, in particular the pitch of it, is regulated by the -precise disposition and proximity to one another of the two bands or -cords or ligaments--sometimes they are known as the vocal lips--by which -the chink or opening is formed. - -[Illustration: THE VOCAL CORDS DURING THE SINGING OF A HIGH NOTE.] - -The process itself of regulating the opening of the vocal cords in this -way is entirely automatic and subconscious. We merely _will_, to produce -a tone of a certain pitch and the vocal cords automatically, and without -any conscious effort on our part, are brought together to precisely the -right degree necessary to produce that particular tone. - -From this it will be understood that every note that is uttered, every -inflection even of the speaking voice, however minute, requires a -slightly different adjustment of these infinitely delicate threadlike -membranes which are provided for this purpose within the box-like -larynx; and this extraordinarily delicate adjustment is all effected -quite automatically and instinctively by the mere operations of the -will. - -The brain intimates, so to speak, that it requires a certain note to be -produced and forthwith, without the slightest conscious act of -adjustment on the part of the singer or speaker, the vocal ligaments -adapt themselves precisely in the manner required and the particular -note desired is duly produced. - -And these notes may issue forth through that tiny aperture and from the -throat of the singer to the number of a dozen or more in a second--each -one requiring a separate adjustment of the aperture and the said -adjustment being effected in every instance, in the case of a properly -trained singer, absolutely perfectly and exactly. - -Surely of all the many wonderful contrivances which go to the making of -the mechanism of the human body there is none which is more wonderful -than this! It is, indeed, necessary only to consider the elaboration of -the means and the complexity of the muscular adjustments necessary to -achieve similar results in the case of a violin, say, or a piano, in -order to realise the amazing ingenuity and efficiency of the means -employed by Nature. - -But I am wandering from the _coup de glotte_, which I set out to -explain. Let it be understood, therefore, that the _coup de glotte_ is -merely a name for a particular method of bringing together the lips of -the vocal cords and certain subordinate muscles, known as the -ventricular bands, with a view to a better and cleaner production of -tone, and with a view especially to the avoidance of the particular -fault above referred to, namely, the emission of air before the -production of the note. - -In the result the “attack” is certainly very sharp and clean, but -personally I cannot recommend this particular method of achieving that -result, since the effect is anything but agreeable to the ear, and there -is good reason for thinking that the practice, besides being -unnecessary, is also injurious to a vocal organ. - -I will not go further into the matter, however, since all such technical -details are for the teacher to explain and illustrate and cannot be -satisfactorily dealt with in print. - -Certain general principles may, however, be touched on, amongst which -the first is, perhaps, that there should never be at any time the -smallest conscious strain or effort. Relaxation, looseness, ease, should -be the watchwords all the time. Rigidity, tightening of the muscles, -stiffness, contraction, are fatal to the production of beautiful tone. -Here, as so often in art, when grace and beauty are the objects aimed -at, economy of effort is the grand secret. - -There should never be any strain or forcing of any sort or kind, and on -the same principle, it may be noted, is the rule as to the amount of -breath emitted, which should always be the smallest quantity possible -which suffices to produce the tone required. Let out enough breath and -no more--keeping the remainder in reserve--that is one of the -fundamental secrets of beautiful tone production. - -Lilli Lehmann puts the same point in another way when she insists on the -supreme importance of emitting “as little breath as possible.” Perhaps I -may be permitted to quote, also, in this connection some interesting -remarks of Signor Salvatore Fucito, in a recently published volume, in -reference to the practice of Caruso in this regard. - -“Caruso governed the expiratory flow of the breath with such mastery -that not a particle of it escaped without giving up its necessary -equivalent in tone. Caruso emitted for each musical phrase, or for each -note, just enough breath to produce that phrase or note musically and -_no more_. The remaining breath he kept in reserve, which made the -enchanted hearer feel that the master was still far from the limit of -his resources, that he had still ample motive power in reserve for -whatever the occasion might require.” - -Another great master of breathing is Battistini. One hears him singing -long phrases, one after the other, without perceiving when or how he -fills his lungs, so completely has he covered up all traces of the -physical effort. There is no puffing and panting, no discoloration or -distortion of the face. - -I am myself often asked how I manage to find the breath for the long -florid passages which I so often have to sing, and my reply usually is -that I have a good pair of bellows which I make a point of always -keeping well filled with air. - -This can be done, I may add, in the case of such passages as I have -mentioned by taking at times only partial breaths instead of full ones. -These can naturally be taken much more quickly than complete -inspirations, and by their means the “bellows” can be kept constantly -replenished even when the heaviest demands are being made upon their -contents. - -But while it is essential to maintain a good pressure of air behind the -tone, this does not mean that the lungs must be filled to distention, -for this produces the worst possible result. Madame Lilli Lehmann has -recorded, for instance, in her valuable treatise on singing, that she -made this mistake in the first instance, with the result that she -always felt as if she must release some of her superfluous breath before -beginning to sing. - -“Undoubtedly,” she writes, “I took in too much air in breathing and -cramped various muscles, thereby depriving my breathing organs and -muscles of their elasticity. I often had, with all my care and -preparation for inhalation, too little breath, and sometimes, when not -giving special thought to it, more than enough.” And others not -infrequently commit the same error under the mistaken impression that -they must get as much air into their lungs as possible. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -PLACING THE VOICE - - -An all-important part of the student’s training is that in relation to -what is called the “placing” of the voice. This somewhat vague term has -been the subject of a good deal of misunderstanding, and the most -curious notions have gained currency as to its actual meaning. Yet this -is, in reality, quite simple. - -Tone is made in the first instance, as I have already explained, by the -breath passing through the vocal cords. The precise _quality_ of the -tone depends, however, on the formation and disposition of the various -parts of the vocal apparatus--throat, palate, tongue, and so on--through -which the breath afterwards passes before issuing from the mouth. - -The disposition of these various parts can be varied by the individual, -and the placing of the voice consists in finding how best to adjust them -in order to get the most satisfactory tone, and in acquiring the power -always to produce tone in this way and in no other. - -To assist in attaining this result it is usual to instruct the pupil to -sing “forward,” “dans le masque,” and so on, but it should be clearly -understood that though such terms are useful from the practical point of -view, they are none the less only a _façon de parler_, and a means of -instructing the pupil how to adjust and adapt the whole vocal apparatus, -so to speak, in the most effective way. - -You can really produce a tone in your face or in your throat. It is all -produced by the vocal cords, and nowhere else, and merely receives its -specific quality or character, so to speak, by, in part, the natural -formation, and, in part, the conscious adjustment of the passages -through which it passes on its way to the mouth. - -But by thinking of the face or the throat and, so to speak, _apparently_ -fixing it there, you can modify the disposition of the various parts in -question and so influence the quality of the tone produced. This -mysterious placing of the voice means, therefore, in reality, nothing -more than finding out in each individual instance the best position of -the vocal organs for getting the best results. - -This, again, is one of those matters in regard to which little help can -be derived from advice in books. Only by direct instruction from a -capable master can a pupil possibly be made to understand completely -what is required in this respect. - -It is, indeed, essentially one of those matters in the case of which an -ounce of practice and example is worth a ton of theory, and happy is the -student who has the good fortune to go to a master capable of -instructing him rightly on the point. - -Some fortunate ones, like myself, have voices which are quite perfectly -placed by Nature. That is to say, they are the lucky possessors of -voices which they produce naturally and unconsciously in the most -advantageous manner, so that they require to make no alteration at all. - -This will, of course, be perceived at once by a capable master, who will -be only too careful in such cases to leave well enough alone. A -charlatan or impostor, on the other hand, can work irremediable harm by -interfering with such voices and attempting to modify or improve them. - -A singer with a perfect light soprano voice may, for instance, have the -misfortune to fall into the hands of such a teacher, who will persuade -her that she can sing the rôles of a dramatic soprano, and by misguided -advice and training succeed in ruining a beautiful natural voice in the -attempt to improve it. - -In the vast majority of cases, however, the pupil’s voice is not -naturally placed so as to give the best results. That is to say, by -proper instruction and training it can be made to produce better -results--tones more smooth, more round, more resonant, and so on--and -it is here that the services of an experienced and capable teacher are -beyond price. The problem is one of great complexity, for so many -different factors enter into it. The palate, the tongue, the teeth, the -lips, as well as the natural and unalterable formation of the throat, -and so forth, all play their part in determining the issue, and the -slightest modifications in anyone may easily effect the greatest -differences in the results. - -It is easy to understand, therefore, how impossible it is to lay down -any general rules in the matter, but it is perhaps safe to say that the -less the pupil is called upon to depart from his, or her, natural and -instinctive procedure, the more likely are good results to be -achieved--the ideal case being, of course, the one in which no -alterations whatsoever are required. - -I may add, perhaps, that some authorities attach great importance in -this connection to the language used by the pupil in the earlier stages -of his training--that is, when his voice is undergoing the process of -being placed. That accomplished singer Signor Bonci is, for instance, -one who holds strong views on this point. - -According to him it is very injurious for singers at this stage of their -studies to sing in more than one language. I may perhaps venture to -quote what he has written on the subject: “When a tone is properly -placed the word need not affect it, but a great deal of harm is caused -by applying the word too early and beyond this by using several -languages. It is a question, and a serious one, whether those who teach -singing understand the application of the word to the tone, and the -dangers are obvious in languages where nasals and gutturals prevail.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -REGISTERS - - -Closely allied with the question of “placing” is that of “registers,” -which has been the subject of so much controversy at various times. -There is not even agreement as to how many registers there are--or even -if there are any at all. - -For while some take the view that there are no such things, others speak -variously of two, three, four, and even more natural and inevitable -divisions in the range of the average voice which can only be properly -distinguished from one another in this way. - -Some, I believe, even maintain that each individual note should properly -be regarded as a different register. But this suggestion I think can -scarcely be intended seriously. For if each individual note really does -constitute a separate register, what is gained by talking of registers -at all? - -There is, however, no denying that there are certain marked differences -in the case of every voice in the quality of the tone produced at -different parts of its range or compass--differences of tone quality -which are accompanied also by different sensations on the part of the -singer; and to these different sections of the vocal range the name of -registers has been given. - -Usually three are recognised--chest, medium, and head, the term chest -register being applied to the lowest notes, medium to the middle -portion, and head to the highest. - -The terms chest, medium, and head are derived from the sensations -experienced by the singer in producing the different notes referred -to--the lower ones giving the feeling of having been produced in the -chest, the middle ones in the throat, and the highest ones of all in the -head. But it should be understood that in actual fact there is no -difference in the manner in which the various notes are produced. - -All the notes of the voice, whether high or low, are in reality produced -in the same way, namely, in the manner already described--by the passage -of the air from the lungs through the “chink” formed by the vocal cords. -In the case of the lower notes, however, owing to certain physiological -causes, the vibrations are felt by the singer most strongly in and about -the chest, and in the case of the higher ones in the head--whence, -therefore, the somewhat misleading terms in use have been adopted. - -At the same time the fact that these different sensations are -experienced by the singer may be taken as the best possible evidence of -the fact that there are definite differences in the method of tone -production to account for them; and this view of the matter is in fact -confirmed by the researches of physiologists. - -There is no need, of course, for vocalists to concern themselves with -the matter in detail, for the process involved is, of course, entirely -(or almost entirely) automatic. But it is none the less explained by the -physiologists quite clearly why there is, at a certain point, this -difference of feeling on the part of the singer in passing from the -lower notes to the higher ones. - -Without going too minutely into the matter, the reason broadly stated is -that the vocal cords are differently disposed in the two cases. Up to a -certain point the successive tones are produced in one uniform way, and -then above that point the method is modified; and it is this difference -accordingly which is accountable for the distinctive sensations -experienced by the singer--sensations, it may be added, which have been -recognised and discussed ever since the art of singing has been studied. - -Hence, it is quite a mistake to suggest, as has been done by some, that -the whole notion of registers is a delusion. These different registers -do undoubtedly exist, and it becomes one of the most important problems -consequently to get rid of the “break,” or change in the tone quality, -which occurs when the voice passes from one to the other. At the same -time it does not follow that violent and artificial methods should be -adopted for this purpose. - -On the contrary, little else than steady and properly directed practice -is required in the ordinary way to accomplish this. In fact if you get -your breathing right and your tone production in general right, the -register difficulty will probably solve itself. To put it in another -way, if you ensure that each individual tone is right, the problem of -the registers need not seriously trouble you; and this is a matter of -paying attention to the general rules of sound tone production. - -Special exercises are, however, usually given for the purpose of -“equalising” the voice, as it is called, that is to say, for the purpose -of ensuring a perfectly even and uniform quality of tone throughout the -scale and avoiding the break at the change of register which has been -referred to; and these exercises are no doubt useful. - -Most of the best authorities are agreed that proper breathing has as -much to do with the matter as anything, some even going so far as to say -that the matter should not be mentioned to the student at all. This is -perhaps a somewhat extreme statement, but the underlying principle is -sound. And here, as always, the principle of absolute ease and -relaxation and the avoidance of all unnatural muscular contraction or -violent effort is at once all important. - -The following is generally conceded to be a well-thought-out method of -uniting the voice wherever the “break” occurs. - -[Illustration] - -Sing this passage _Messa di Voce_ ascending and descending, commencing -where the break is first noticeable. If this is practised consistently -for two or three periods of twenty minutes a day it should be effective -in preventing this unpleasant defect. Begin firmly, using “ay,” “oh,” or -“ee,” and swell out to fullest capacity. Then let the tone die away -imperceptibly and be careful not to use falsetto. By doing the foregoing -we have augmented the head tones to such an extent that instead of -having falsetto, we have a head voice capable of being allied to the -chest voice with practically no distinguishable break in the whole -compass. - -Contraltos are the greatest sinners with the “break.” Very few -contraltos are able to change the registers or sing two octaves without -a perceptible gap. At one time this vulgar habit was considered a -virtue when in reality it is a clear indication of lack of study and -practice. - -Remember that no matter where the “break” occurs it is only by -cultivating the head voice that a cure can be attained. - -Then, again, almost everybody has one or two tones more or less -defective, and wherever these occur special attention must be given them -so that they can be built up until the singer can safely overcome the -“break.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -FAULTS - - -A few words on faults--and the correction of them. No, I am not going to -attempt a catalogue of all the faults which are possible, but name just -a few: faulty intonation; faulty phrasing; imperfectly attacking notes; -“scooping” up to notes; “digging” or arriving at a note from a semitone -beneath it; singing off the key or out of tune and tremolo. All of these -faults are unforgivable, but the last two are crimes. And I could name -numbers more. I have heard vocalists who have been horrified when I told -them that they arrived at a note after attacking it from a fourth below, -especially when singing _pianissimo_. Consequently I cannot -over-emphasise the supreme need for the student to recognise his faults -and follies if he hopes ever to make progress. - -Nay, this is not putting it strongly enough. He should not merely be -ready to recognise his faults, but eager to discover them. He should be -ever on the lookout to realise his deficiencies and to regard as his -best friends those who are kind enough to tell him of them. - -This may sound self-obvious, but I am afraid that in practice the -attitude of the average student--and not of the student only, but also -of the experienced artist--is very different. A fatal self-satisfaction -seems, for some reason or other, to be one of the commonest failings of -the average singer. One fairly well-known singer invited my criticism of -her voice, and when I obliged and told her what she must do to become a -great artist she replied, “But I am a great artist.” At which I bowed -and said, “I beg your pardon, madam.” - -Yet it is hardly necessary to say--we can all realise it indeed in the -case of others--that there is no form of weakness more absolutely fatal -to artistic progress. Let the student beware, therefore, of this -dangerous form of vanity and self-sufficiency, and learn from all who -can teach him. - -How often have I not heard of students--alike young and old--who have -been foolish enough to throw over good teachers because they have been -honest enough and courageous enough to tell them unpalatable truths! -They think they know better. They are so supremely well pleased with -themselves--so foolishly satisfied with their own achievements--that -they regard it as an offence when their errors are pointed out. - -Of course they do not put it--even to themselves--in this way. They -prefer to persuade themselves that their teacher is at fault. They -explain that they do not like his “method.” Or they say that he does -not “understand” their particular voice. And so they come to the -conclusion that they had better make a change and go to some other -master instead. - -It is all very human but very foolish, and I cannot impress this too -strongly upon all who read this book. Your best friend is one who will -tell you faithfully, not how beautifully you sing but how badly! - -Some are, of course, wise enough to realise this. And you will generally -find that they are the ones who get on. Such a one was Caruso, who, to -the end of his day, never ceased to practise, to study, to reflect upon -his art, and even to worry and agitate himself over his supposed -deficiencies--deficiencies which were unperceived by his hearers but -which he, with his fastidious and ultra-sensitive artistic conscience, -persuaded himself were there. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -COLORATURA SINGING - - -I suppose there is no question which I am more frequently asked by vocal -students and others interested than how to acquire agility, but I am -afraid my answer is usually disappointing. For I can only repeat that it -is simply a case of perseverance and hard work, plus, of course, -whatever natural abilities in that direction you may possess. - -It is obvious that all singers are not equally endowed in this respect. -The mere fact that there is such a difference in this matter between the -various classes of voices is sufficient to prove that. No one ever -expects a contralto voice to have the same facility in this regard as a -light soprano, and still less a bass or a baritone. - -The most unceasing practice would never have enabled an Alboni or a -Lablache, say, to achieve the dazzling runs and fioriture of a Patti or -a Catalani. And to a less marked degree there are similar differences -between individual voices of the same class. All are not equally capable -in this particular even when in other respects they may be equally -good. - -Some experienced teachers indeed recognise this fact so clearly that -they do not advise even soprano singers to cultivate coloratura singing -unless they have the necessary natural facility to begin with. I think -myself, however, that all should endeavour to acquire the maximum -agility, even if they do not attempt to sing coloratura in public, -simply for the benefits which they will derive from it in other -respects. After all the voice cannot be possessed of too much -flexibility whatever style of music be attempted; and there is no way in -which flexibility can be more surely developed than by the practice of -coloratura. - -For the rest I can only repeat that, given the right kind of voice in -the first place, there is only one way to acquire agility, and that is -by practice. No short cuts are possible here, and I have no trade -secrets to impart. - -And the necessary exercises themselves are all of the simplest -character, at all events in the beginning; just simple scales--or rather -portions of scales--in the first instance, with others more elaborate in -due course. But the scales are the foundation, and if they are properly -mastered the rest will follow without difficulty. - -An important feature of good coloratura singing is, of course, not only -that the notes shall be cleanly sung, but also that they shall be -absolutely in tune and of good tone quality. One not infrequently hears -singers who possess the necessary agility to sing the note, but are -lacking in these other qualities. Their runs will lack brilliancy -because the notes will not be perfectly in tune, and the quality of them -will be so hard and disagreeable sometimes as to give more pain than -pleasure. - -The cause of this will usually have been a desire to make progress too -hastily in the earlier stages. They will not have devoted sufficient -attention at the outset to practising _slowly_, and so ensuring -absolutely just intonation and satisfactory tone quality. Therefore, it -is emphatically a case here of “more haste less speed.” You cannot -acquire velocity quickly. I will not repeat again the well-worn story of -Porpora and Caffarelli. But that illustrates the point. - -I cannot refrain from adding a few words while on this subject in -defence of coloratura, which is so often contemptuously spoken of in -these days by those who do not possess the power of singing it. We all -know the kind of way in which it is referred to. Coloratura music is -false, showy, superficial, unworthy, dramatically unreal, and so on. But -what nonsense this is! - -What is the difference in principle, I would ask, between the fioriture -passages of the vocalist and those introduced as a matter of course in -the most serious instrumental music? Why should a cadenza for the voice -be reckoned less worthy than a similar passage for the violin or the -’cello? All the greatest masters have introduced florid passages in -plenty in the noblest instrumental music. Yet the view is very generally -adopted that these are inadmissible, or, at all events, belong to an -inferior phase of the art when the instrument employed happens to be the -voice. - -No doubt the quality of the works more particularly identified with -vocal music of this order has had something to do with the matter. Yet -it is hardly necessary to recall that vocal fioriture is by no means -confined to the music of Donizetti, Bellini, and the like. - -Bach, for one, had no sort of prejudice on the point, as is demonstrated -often enough even in his most solemn work, while Handel, again, revelled -in coloratura, alike in the case of his operas, containing some of the -most wonderful florid music ever written, and of his oratorios, to which -no less applied. - -That Mozart can be reckoned in the same category it is hardly necessary -to recall, while even Beethoven did not disdain to utilise the arts of -vocal decoration in many of the numbers of “Fidelio.” If, therefore, -coloratura singing is sometimes spoken of disrespectfully, it is not -from lack of distinguished names which can be cited in its defence. - -Nor is it only among the ancients that such are to be found. In the -modern Russian School we have Rimsky-Kosakoff’s “Hymn to the Sun” from -“Coq d’Or.” And have we not also such an eminently serious master as -Richard Strauss challenging comparison in our own time with the most -extravagant productions of the past in this particular genre in the -music of Zerbinetta in his “Ariadne”? One of his latest songs, “Amor,” -is purely for coloratura singers. - -As to the charge that coloratura in dramatic music is unnatural and -undramatic, those who argue thus surely overlook the fact that all opera -might with equal justice be disposed of in the same manner. People do -not express themselves in song in real life, any more than they speak in -blank verse, as they are made to do in Shakespearean drama. - -Yet we are glad to have “Don Giovanni” and “King Lear” none the less! It -is, indeed, truly straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel to condemn -coloratura while accepting opera as a whole. - -I go further than this, for I venture to say that coloratura can be not -only delightful to the ear but also thoroughly appropriate and -dramatically expressive. What could be more suitable to give expression -to the madness of Lucia than the roulades which Donizetti gives to her? -Or how could the joy of Marguérite be more exquisitely expressed than in -the strains of Gounod’s “Jewel Song”? - -I might point in this connection, did modesty permit it, to what people -have been good enough to say concerning my own treatment of coloratura -in “La Traviata” and elsewhere. I recall that when I first appeared in -London it was upon this point particularly that all my critics dwelt. - -They were all more especially struck by the manner in which I managed, -while singing Verdi’s florid music brilliantly and effectively in the -purely vocal sense, at the same time to make it expressive; and this I -took as the greatest possible compliment which could be bestowed on me. -For that I think is what coloratura properly sung should be. - -It should please the ear by its brilliance, but at the same time it -should not, and need not, obscure the dramatic significance of what is -sung. I might on this point quote that great artist once again, Lilli -Lehmann, who, notwithstanding her strong leaning to music of the more -serious class, including Wagner, in which she was so wonderful, was yet -a great coloratura singer herself in her younger days, and who has -strongly insisted upon the possibility of making even the most florid -music expressive also when it is sung in the right way. - -She writes: “Thus in the coloratura passages of Mozart’s arias I have -always sought to gain expressiveness by _crescendi_, choice of -significant points for breathing, and breaking off of phrases. I have -been especially successful with this in the ‘Entführung,’ introducing a -tone of lament in the first aria, a heroic dignity into the second, -through the coloratura passages.” - -But happily I do not think there is any likelihood of coloratura ever -going out of fashion, whatever its detractors may say, so long, at all -events, as singers shall be forthcoming who are capable of responding to -its demands. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -ENUNCIATION - - -After the fundamental problems of breathing, tone production and so -forth have been dealt with, there is nothing to which the student should -pay greater attention than the question of diction, or right -enunciation. Yet I am afraid it is rare to find that this view of the -matter is acted upon. On the contrary, this question of diction appears -to be one of the last to which most singers are disposed to give any -serious attention. - -Hence the unintelligible sounds which are so often heard proceeding from -vocalists, alike in the concert room and on the stage, so that one -sometimes can scarcely tell even in what language they are supposed to -be singing. - -This is, of course, a deplorable state of affairs, but yet one so well -established that in nine cases out of ten it is hardly thought worthy of -remark by the average hearer. It is taken as a matter of course, in -other words, that only a word or two, here and there, of those sung -shall be understood by the audience, and one may listen attentively to -an entire opera without having more than a vague idea at the end as to -what it was all about. - -Yet in the case of certain singers one may understand without difficulty -practically every word they sing, the fact being thereby demonstrated -that there is not the slightest real necessity for the incredibly -slovenly and defective enunciation which is permitted with such -surprising and lamentable tolerance by the public at large. - -So far as opera is concerned, I think that the blame rests largely with -the managers. If they would adopt the practice of deputing some -trustworthy representative at every rehearsal to sit in the topmost -gallery and relentlessly pull up every singer whose words could not be -clearly understood, the difficulty, I am convinced, would speedily -disappear. And operatic directors, I am sure, would find it greatly to -their advantage to adopt this course if only on account of the greater -popularity which opera would enjoy if it could always be followed, as it -should be, as easily as a spoken play. - -I believe that in England especially, where opera in the native language -is, as I am delighted to see, making such steady headway, its acceptance -by the general public is hindered more on this account than by any other -reason. Yet there is not the slightest necessity for the presentation of -the drama, which is sung instead of being spoken, to be hampered and -handicapped in this grievous fashion, and it only needs more vigorous -action on the part of the directing powers, I am persuaded, to remedy -matters. - -So long, however, as singers are left to themselves in this respect, the -difficulty will always remain, since their inevitable tendency is to -sacrifice diction to tone quality--in other words, to achieve the best -effects in the purely vocal sense and let the words look after -themselves. - -And this brings us at once to the root of the diction problem, namely, -the undoubted difficulty which presents itself at times in reconciling -the claims of good tone and clear enunciation. When a pupil is studying -he practises upon the easiest vowel sounds and syllables which can be -selected; and many singers, I am afraid, would like nothing better than -to be allowed to continue singing upon these agreeable and grateful -vocables to the end of their day. - -Unfortunately, however, this is not quite possible, and so too many try -to get over the difficulty by singing the words not in the way in which -they should be pronounced, but in the manner most convenient to -themselves. It is hardly necessary to say that this is all wrong and -most inartistic, besides being quite unnecessary. - -It may be said that it is easy for an Italian to speak thus, and it must -certainly be agreed that we Italians are greatly favoured in having the -most vocal and melodious of all languages to sing. With our open vowels -we may be considered, indeed, to have every advantage in this respect, -just as the Germans with their multiplicity of harsh and difficult and, -to Italian ears, almost impossible consonants, have every disadvantage. - -Yet the principle remains unaffected that every singer, in whatever -language, who wishes to be considered a master of his art must contrive -to reconcile the claims of good tone with those of accurate and -intelligible diction, and the student cannot pay too much attention to -this matter from the very moment that he begins to clothe his tones in -words. - -“Sing as you speak,” is a saying which I have heard ascribed to that -great master, Jean de Reszke, and though the advice cannot, perhaps, be -taken quite literally, it certainly indicates the ideal to be kept in -view. It is not feasible to obey the injunction quite literally because -it is almost physically impossible to sing certain sounds on certain -notes. On this account many teachers--Lamperti himself was one of -them--sanction the deliberate modification of the proper vowel sounds -or, preferably, the substitution of a more convenient word. But the -object should certainly be to keep as near as may be practicable to the -correct, natural pronunciation, whereas some seem to make it their aim -almost to depart from this as far as possible. - -One of the worst examples of execrable enunciation was given by one -singer when giving an otherwise creditable rendering of Maude Valerie -White’s “Devout Lover.” The words intended were “Burn at her altar,” -which were given “Burnateralter.” - -Some English singers have the habit of putting a vowel after a -consonant, as in the word “Good-bye,” which becomes “Goodabye” and which -is absurd. - -Baritones often have a habit of emphasising wrong words, of which one of -the best examples is “Trumpeter, what _are_ you sounding now?” Another -absurdity. - -One could multiply these examples indefinitely. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -LANGUAGE - - -“Italian is the easiest language to sing, then comes Russian, and I -should put English next. All languages affect the tone, unless the tone -is first able to carry the weight of the language. A singer may study in -any language, but in only one until after the tone is placed beyond any -possibility of being affected by the demands of the different -languages.” - -I am disposed to think that there is a good deal of truth in this. How -serious is the influence exercised by the language used upon the quality -of the tone produced is illustrated by German vocalism and American -intonation. For here you have entire nations who, in the vocal sense, -may be said to illustrate the evil effect upon tone of a harsh and nasal -language. - -German singing seems to be different, not merely in degree, but even in -kind from that of other lands. In the case of even its best exponents -there is a harshness and a tonelessness about it which differentiates it -from that of any other race. German singers often have strong, lusty -voices, likewise plenty of intelligence and dramatic feeling; but for -beauty of tone and all the finer qualities of vocalism one listens for -them in vain. - -The fact is strange, but it can hardly be denied even by those least -disposed to admit it. That one of the most musical nations in Europe -should also be that of all others least dowered with the gift of song is -a remarkable paradox which is not a little difficult to understand. - -It is not a case of differences of taste. The point is that the German -voice, as such, is indisputably inferior in point of quality to that of -practically all the other European races. There is no discredit in the -circumstance. It implies no reflection on anyone. It is merely an -unfortunate physiological fact which must be accepted like any other of -those decrees of Nature which are not to be gainsaid. - -Such being the fact, how is it to be explained? Why is it that German -singing is of this strange quality? How has it come about that so -musical a race has been so shabbily treated by Nature in this important -regard? - -Various theories have been advanced. According to some the explanation -is that it is the German language with its explosive consonants, harsh -gutturals, and other unmelodious characteristics, which is at the bottom -of the trouble. - -Students of voice production will prove to you by ingenious experiments -that the disposition of the vocal organs, breathing, and so forth, -required for the utterance of the German language, are in themselves -incompatible with the emission of a beautiful quality of vocal tone; and -however this may be, it is hardly to be disputed that regarded from the -standpoint of euphony, pure and simple, the German language is certainly -not to be called melodious. - -It seems quite a plausible theory, therefore, that harshness of language -and harshness of voice are not disconnected, especially when the -suggestion is fortified by the converse association of the most -beautiful voices with the most mellifluous language, in the case of the -Italians. - -And if so much be admitted, it is obvious that it may indeed be a -question of importance, as Signor Bonci has suggested, what language is -employed by the student in that critical initial stage when his voice is -being “placed.” - -For the rest it may be noticed that another great modern tenor, namely -Caruso, insisted especially, when discussing this question of placing, -upon the supreme necessity of freedom and ease and the absence of all -unnecessary contractions of the muscles. - -Signor Fucito tells us that on this point he expressed himself as -follows: “It is necessary through the aid of self-study and the help of -a good singing teacher to become aware of every physical defect--such as -contractions of the muscles of the throat, of the face, or of the -jaw--which can hinder the tone from being emitted in all its fullness -and purity. These rigid muscular contractions bring about a throaty -tone, which lacks support and is incapable of purity and amplitude.... -The singer should apply himself to his study with great naturalness and -relaxation; this is the _sine qua non_ of beautiful cantilena singing.” - -With every word of these remarks I heartily agree. Indeed, I imagine -that they would gain the universal assent of all qualified to write on -the subject. - -The pronunciation of foreign languages is a point to which the student -can hardly give too much attention. It also affords another argument in -favour of study abroad, since it is certain that a foreign language -cannot possibly be acquired so effectually anywhere as in the land where -it is spoken. And foreign languages are indispensable to a singer -nowadays who aspires to be equal to all the requirements of the modern -répertoire. - -True it may not be necessary to possess the linguistic powers of a -Mingotti, who spoke German, French, Italian, English, and Spanish. But -at least it may be laid down as an inexorable rule that no one should -ever attempt to sing in a foreign tongue until he has acquired absolute -command over every detail of its pronunciation by means of study, if not -in the land itself, at any rate with a native. - -Otherwise the result can only be a travesty of the composer’s--or at all -events of the poet’s--intentions and a source of mirth to all hearers. -Little do some artists realise, indeed, the impressions which they -produce at times when, with misplaced assurance, they venture on songs -in tongues with which they are imperfectly acquainted. - -Even in the case of the best equipped it is a proceeding attended with -risk to sing in a foreign language; but without complete knowledge there -is no more certain way of exposing one’s self to ridicule. - -And I am afraid that it must be said that, contrary perhaps to the -general belief, Italian suffers no less than any other language from -misguided attempts of this kind. The idea is commonly entertained that -Italian is “easy” to speak, but of course this is not the case if it is -really to be properly spoken. - -To which I may add that few peoples seem to experience more difficulty -in mastering its subtleties than the English. It may be recalled, too, -that this was also the view of Lamperti. Of all the European nations, he -declared, the English, and especially Londoners, pronounced Italian -worst. The sounds that they produce, he remarked, are nearly all -guttural, the vowels being excessively weak, while their accent was -entirely wrong--the men, he added, being even worse than the women. - -The Scotch, on the other hand, were not quite so bad in his judgment, -while the Irish were best of all. Indeed, he agreed that the latter with -study could learn to speak Italian quite wonderfully--as is illustrated, -I may say, at the present time by Mr. John McCormack, who has a most -admirable Italian diction. But it certainly is not often that one can -speak in similar terms of the average English artist. - -If anyone doubts this, let him read and ponder over some caustic remarks -once made on this very point by the late Sir Charles Santley. Nothing -was more deplorable, he said, than to hear the atrocious manner in which -the beautiful Italian language was murdered at times by untrained -English singers, and if, he added, they had any notion of the effect -which they produced by such attempts upon such of their hearers as -happened to be really familiar with the language, they would assuredly -never make themselves so ridiculous again. Better a thousand times, he -concluded, to sing all your life in your own tongue rather than make -yourself a laughing-stock by attempting a task beyond your power. - -To which I need hardly add that the same applies no less to French and -German, though I am myself less qualified to speak concerning those -languages. - -It is not for me, perhaps, to say much about Wagner singing, which is so -far removed from my own chosen province, but I may be permitted, -perhaps, while on the subject of diction, to point to the appalling -manner in which the divine art of singing has been perverted by -Wagnerian singers under the mistaken notion that they were in this way -carrying out the wishes of the sublime master. - -I say “under the mistaken notion” because it is well known by those -acquainted with the fact that the so-called “Bayreuth method” was as far -removed as possible from Wagner’s actual ideas. It is true that he -attached the utmost importance to clear and emphatic enunciation of the -words so that the course of the drama might be quite clearly understood, -and therein he was quite right. But there is little reason to suppose -that he was in reality satisfied with the actual results achieved by the -German singers by whom his works were originally presented. - -It is, indeed, an utter mistake to suppose that the harsh and strident -singing of the average German vocalist was of a kind to commend itself -to Wagner. On the contrary, it was one of his pet schemes, if I have not -been misinformed, in connection with Bayreuth, to institute a School of -Singing which might lead to better things; and the kind of singing at -which he aimed may be gathered from the fact that the teacher whom he -wished to secure to carry out his views was none other than that famous -exponent of Bel Canto, the late Señor Manuel García! - -In the same connection, too, may be recalled the remark made by the -composer after hearing a performance of “Lohengrin” (with the great -Italian Wagnerian tenor Borgatti) on one occasion at Bologna. Almost for -the first time, he said, he had heard his music really sung. All of -which suggests how far they are from actually fulfilling the wishes of -the master in continuing at Bayreuth the horrible vocal methods which -had become so unfortunately associated with his name. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -STYLE AND INTERPRETATION - - -Diction, it may be said, is included in Style; but Style means a good -deal more than diction. - -Style may be said, indeed, to mean everything that the singer adds to -the bare notes and directions of the printed page. These notes and -directions are admittedly incomplete--a mere approximation to the -composer’s complete meaning. He supplies in this way the bare facts with -such additional hints as to expression and interpretation as an -imperfect system of notation allows. It is the duty of his interpreters -to supply what is missing--to breathe the spirit of life into the dry -bones and to convert dead printed notes into living human music. - -To this end the singer must possess first of all the requisite insight -and understanding to grasp the composer’s purpose, next the personality -and magnetism to be able to realise it for his hearers, and lastly the -musical taste and knowledge required in order to present it in -conformity with the appropriate rules and traditions. In other words, -the singer must not merely sing the right notes, but sing them in the -right way--with the right accent, the right phrasing, and in the right -manner. - -What is required may be best realised, perhaps, by comparing the -delivery of a fine piece of poetry by a schoolgirl or schoolboy, say, -with the delivery of the same lines by an accomplished actor or -elocutionist. The words will be the same in both cases, but what a -difference in the result! So in the case of music the notes sung will be -the same whoever sings them, but the effect will be vastly different -when they are sung by the trained artist. - -Here it is that the student’s general culture will bear fruit, in the -imaginative insight and understanding, the good taste and the -expression, which he brings to his task. And here, too, will his musical -knowledge and intelligence be more particularly illustrated by the -manner in which he conforms to the requirements of the particular kind -of music which he is interpreting. For to do this aright a knowledge of -the notes alone will not suffice. - -He must be familiar also with the varying needs of the different schools -of music, with the historical traditions associated with them, and so -forth. Opera demands one kind of singing, oratorio another, German -_Lieder_ another, and so on throughout; and each of these general -classifications can be subdivided in turn. - -How different are the requirements of each is best exemplified by the -fact that so few succeed in all. One singer will be great in opera, -another in oratorio, a third in _Lieder_; but only in the rarest -instances will you find one and the same artist excelling in all. Why is -this? Simply because their respective requirements are so different. - -For this reason the average artist will, I think, usually be well -advised to confine himself to the class of work more particularly suited -to his talent. While it is well to cultivate versatility so far as -possible, it is a mistake to sing music of a kind for which you are not -suited. Patti loved Wagner, for instance, and was a frequent visitor to -Bayreuth. But she did not sing his music. She liked to hear it sung by -others, but she realised that it was not for her. Voice, personality, -training, temperament, all impose necessary limitations. - -People blame me sometimes, for instance, for confining myself mainly to -music of a certain school. But I think I know best as to this, and that -I am exercising sound judgment in adopting this course. There is much -music which I admire and love, but I do not always try to sing it. In -the same way I may admire frocks which I see on other women, but I do -not necessarily try to wear the same myself. I have the good sense to -recognise that they would not suit me. - -Moreover, the field of music is so vast that to cultivate one or two -departments thoroughly will be more than sufficient to tax the energy of -the most ambitious. Make yourself master or mistress in your own chosen -province, and you will have accomplished quite as much as any one need -wish to. - -And whatever style you cultivate get as near to perfection in it as you -can possibly. Catalani said of Sontag: “_Elle est la première dans son -genre; mais son genre n’est pas le premier_.” This may or may not have -been true. But Sontag was probably well pleased, in any case, to be “_la -première_.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -HOW I SING AN ARIA - - -To sing a song or a big aria well you must, for the time, be both the -vocalist and composer of the words and music you wish to express. If I -wish to sing, say, “Home Sweet Home,” I must imagine how far I am away -from sunny Italy, and forget all the kindness and attention with which I -am surrounded here. Then, I begin to feel the mood and homesickness -coming to aid me, vocal control must do the rest in making the song -effective. - -Or, again, if I wish to do justice to Sir Frederick Cowen’s charming -little song, “The Swallows,” I must think of a lovely sunny morning and, -mentally, “Open wide my lattice, letting in the laughing breeze,” -imagining all the joyous sense of life that the arrival of the swallows -brings to my naturally vivacious Southern nature. - -Let us, however, take the Recitative and Polonaise from that brilliantly -sparkling opera “Mignon,” by Ambroise Thomas. First of all, I have to -study the setting of this great aria, and then study the words, which, -in English begin, - - “Yes! for to-night I am Queen of the Fairies, - And here my golden sceptre see; - And behold these, my trophies!” - -[Illustration: Musical notation: Yes; for to-night I am queen of the -fairies! And here my golden sceptre see; And behold these my trophies] - -I ask myself what I might feel like were I able to become a fairy. -Giving myself free rein, I sing the whole recitative much as I would -speak it, only having in mind the notes, I attack them firmly, letting -the conductor punctuate the whole with the accompaniment somewhat -freely. In recitative, one must have fire and imagination, and, although -reasonable attention must be paid to the valuation of notes--the full -five beats, for example, on the long note of bars 6 and 7--it is the -part of the accompanist to feel your pulse, as it were, and go with you. -Now, on the same long note, be careful to carry a sense of increasing -wonder, by making a _diminuendo_, then, with increasing verve, make a -clean “turn” on beat four of the 8th bar, capped by a triumphant pause, -and, a clean interval of the fifth with the word “trophies,” on beats -one and two of bar 9. - -Now we come to the actual Polacca, in which _tempo_ must be observed and -all the tricks of brilliant vocal agility put into play. Remember, all -these “runs” and bravura passages must be clear--every note like a fresh -pea out of a pod or bullet out of a machine gun! Observe the boldness of -“picking up” at the beginning of the polacca movement, and in bar 3 of -this movement how smoothly the detached notes have to be sung. - -Moderato tempo di Polacca (96♩) - -[Illustration: Musical Notation: I am Titania, queen fairy, I am] - -Here, again, there must be no scooping up an octave, but a clear rise of -the octave, giving the sense of all, as it were, one piece. Thus, “I--I -_am_ Titania,” and repeat the same words with even greater fervour, -treating all the words and music with the same mentality and as vital to -the whole. - -Many so-called intellectual singers prefer _Lieder_, because they cannot -vocalise the fine, dashing, graceful runs of florid music, not because -of its lack of intellectual requirements. What could better express the -vivacious joy of a fairy queen than the triplet passages on the -exclamation “_Ah!_” bars 14 and 15 of the polacca movement. - -[Illustration: ry! Ah!] - -When we come to bars 29 and 30, there is the chance of a lifetime with -the cadenza-like string of fifteen notes, in the neatest sets of three, -and they should be as perfect as though played by Kreisler on the -violin. - -[Illustration: fairy! Ah!] - -Later on we come to some roulade passages of six notes on the same -exclamation “Ah!” (bars 43, 44, and 45) which must be sung with -increasing verve, so that the wood wind of the orchestra comes running -up perfectly in tune and tempo, as it were from right under your last -note. Here, much depends upon the cue of the conductor, but, changing -one’s manner and keeping up the growing joyfulness, you begin a new era, -as it were, with the words, “Bright troops of fairies hover round me.” -Thus, the aria works on, until, on the last beat of bar 54 and bar 55 -there is a suggestion of - -[Illustration: Musical notation: _leggiero ed accentato._ - -Bright troops of fairies hover round me!] - -a fairy call. A dream-like waltz, in wide contrast, follows. Unless one -feels this, the brilliance we have worked up is losing the value of -contrast with - -[Illustration: Musical notation: dawn of day. Amid the] - -this shimmer, as it were, of gleaming moonlight. On this breaks the -brilliant passages of the flute, which may be the task of some fairy -worker in the - -[Illustration: Musical notation: I am Titania! - -Ah!] - -real fairyland! I must be wafted along in smooth subservience to the -brilliance of the accompaniment for the next few bars, until I repeat -the lovely melody at bar 62 when I begin to add--as scored in the -part--some grace notes and florid passages, and gradually awaken until, -at bar 79, I have ascended to a full top B, preceded by a “trill” or -“shake,” that leads up to the brilliant burst of the orchestra back to -the polacca-like movement, and to the finale. This must be one -increasing triumph, over the much-talked-of top E flat, the roulades, -grace notes, trills, and cadenza-like passages for sheer _joie de -vivre_. Yet all this depends upon how well you have conditioned -yourself, practised those tiring vowel sounds, scales, sustained - -[Illustration: ah! - -ah!] - -passages, to which I commend you before essaying the brilliant Polonaise -from “Mignon” that has given me many triumphs, yet still calls for all I -can give, as it will to the end of the chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -PRACTISING - - -Is it necessary to say that daily practice is indispensable to the -student--as it is also to the finished artist? A celebrated violinist -used to say, “If I cease practising for one day I know it when I next -play; if for two days my enemies know it; if for three the public know -it.” It is the same with the voice, although some voices, no doubt, -require less daily exercising than others. - -Some fortunate ones, indeed, have been able to dispense with it almost -entirely. On the day of a performance the great Chaliapine warms his -voice up for a period of thirty or forty minutes only. On other days and -when on vacation he rarely practises, except for getting up new music, -and even this is more of a mental process. It is said of Mario also that -at the height of his fame he never practised more than ten minutes a -day, and that just before he was leaving for the Opera House, while his -servant would be standing, watch in hand, assuring him that he would be -late for the performance if he did not start at once. But that, of -course, was an exceptional case. - -On the other hand, Battistini is most lavish with his practising and -rarely a day passes that he does not put in one or two hours of solid -singing. This no doubt accounts for the extraordinary command he has -over tone, phrasing and breathing. There is great truth in the saying -that practice makes perfect, but how many of us have the robust and -natural organ that Battistini is blessed with. I always thought that the -reason of this was the fact that Battistini, who could well have trained -as a tenor, elected to become a baritone, thus evading the strain of -forcing high “C’s” out of his voice. - -At the same time even practising should not be carried to excess. Many -singers have, indeed, often done their voices great harm by practising -too much. The vocal cords are exceedingly delicate and cannot be used -too carefully. There can be no doubt that the wonderful preservation of -Patti’s voice was due in large measure to the extraordinary prudence and -care with which she husbanded it. By never singing at rehearsals, by -never singing when she was in the least degree out of health or tired, -and so on, she added years probably to the length of her career. And all -singers should act as far as possible on the same principle. - -There should never be the smallest strain in practising, for instance. -For this reason it is advisable to practise with the half voice mostly -and only rarely at the extremities of the compass--and then with great -care and discretion. In the same way there should never be any sense of -fatigue, still less of hoarseness, after practice. - -It is, indeed, in the ordinary way a sure sign that something is wrong, -either with your vocal organs or with your methods, if this occurs -often, and the matter should be investigated accordingly--even to the -extent of changing your teacher if necessary. - -If, however, the trouble is only temporary, a brief suspension of -exercising may be all that is necessary. But in this case be careful not -to resume your practising until the trouble has completely disappeared. -Far better drop your practising for a week, or a month, if necessary, -than attempt to sing when your organs are not in perfect order. - -That is to say, if there is really definite trouble. If, on the other -hand, it is merely a little hoarseness, such as many singers are subject -to, then _judicious_ exercising--please notice that I emphasise -judicious--may be the best thing for it. This is, however, essentially a -matter upon which you must be guided by your teacher--or even if -necessary by a doctor. - -Madame Lilli Lehmann prescribes, for instance, what she calls the Great -Scale as an invaluable remedy for all manner of vocal ills--meaning -simply long slow scales of sustained notes steadily repeated. Here is -what she said, for instance, on this point: - -“The great scale properly employed in practice accomplishes wonders. It -equalises the voice, makes it flexible and noble, gives strength to all -weak places, operates to repair all breaks and faults that exist, and -controls the voice to the very heart. Nothing escapes it. It is the -Guardian Angel of the voice. I sing it every day, often twice, even if I -have to sing one of my greatest rôles in the evening. I can rely -absolutely on its assistance.” - -And, as I have said, she prescribed this very exercise not only for -daily practice when one is well, but also as a remedy for troubles when -the voice is out of order. I may be permitted, perhaps, to quote in this -connection another interesting passage: - -“I myself had to sing ‘Norma’ in Vienna some years ago and got up in the -morning quite hoarse. By nine o’clock I tried my invaluable remedy, but -could not sing above A flat, although in the evening I should have to -reach high D flat and E flat. I was on the point of giving up because -the case seemed to be so desperate. Nevertheless, I practised till 11 -o’clock, half an hour at a time, and noticed that I was gradually -getting better. In the evening I had my D flat and E flat at my command -so that people said they had seldom heard me sing so well.” - -I have quoted this advice of Lilli Lehmann because it is of interest and -value as coming from so great an authority, but I do not wish it to be -understood that this has been my own precise practice, for this is not -the case. But as to the general value of scales for practising purposes -there is, of course, no possible doubt. Scales are, indeed, the -foundation of all useful practice, especially at first. - -Marchesi, for instance, relied on them almost exclusively in the earlier -stages--long sustained tones, repeated again and again until her -fastidious ear was satisfied; and no pupil can possibly fail to benefit -from such exercise. Even for the acquisition of velocity, as I have said -elsewhere, scales--and quite slow ones at first--are indispensable. - -Of more elaborate exercises there are none better, so far as I know, -than those to be found in Concone, while for advanced pupils well-chosen -numbers from the great Italian operatic masters, Rossini, Donizetti, -Bellini, and the rest, can be utilised with great advantage. This -includes mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, as well as sopranos. My maestro -would make them all sing “Una voce poco fa” transposed, saying that it -was a vocal massage. - -But it is rather a matter for the individual teacher to prescribe what -is required in this way, since all voices will not need the same. - -As to the period and duration of practising, my own plan is to practise -twice a day--at ten in the morning for an hour, with intervals of rest; -and again in the afternoon, before dinner, for the same time. But the -beginner should not practise for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a -time, and should leave off immediately his voice begins to feel tired. - -To which, I would add, that it is of the utmost importance not only what -one practises but _how_. Ten minutes’ practice with the maximum of -thought and concentration will be of more value than a whole hour of -mere mechanical scales and arpeggi, sung without thought and care. - -The pupil, while practising, should listen to himself with the utmost -vigilance all the time--criticising ruthlessly every tone, and seeking -always to eradicate every fault and blemish. It is for lack of this -_mental_ effort that pupils so often practise in vain--improving -themselves in certain respects perhaps, but never acquiring that beauty -of tone and perfection of execution which should be the foundation of -all. - -I would repeat here, indeed, what I have said before, that unsparing -self-criticism is the root of all progress. Nor should this ever cease. -As a great artist remarked in some words which I quoted earlier, the -true artist will continue studying and practising and improving to the -end of his day. - -Read, for instance, what Signor Fucito tells us of Caruso: - -“No one could have been a severer critic of Caruso’s art than Caruso -himself. He worked with tremendous concentration, and his acute ear was -ever ready to descry the slightest flaw in the tone production, in -quality or the interpretation of a musical passage.” - -And again: - -“There were times when he refused to rest, singing a passage or phrase -over and over again, each time with another vocal modulation of -colouring until he got the expression and quality that satisfied his -exacting musical taste.” - -It is interesting to note, by the way, that Caruso practised always, or -nearly always, with the full voice--a procedure which is not, however, -as I have already said, to be generally recommended. - -Incidentally in practising the student should avoid the acquisition of -bad habits of standing, undesirable movements with the hands, and so -on, and should also keep careful check upon his facial expressions. For -the latter purpose it is an excellent plan to practise before a mirror, -since this is the surest way to avoid the unconscious cultivation of -undesirable tricks which, once they have been acquired, may prove most -difficult to get rid of. - -In the case of operatic artists it is a good plan also to practise in -costume in order to become accustomed to the dress which one will be -wearing in the actual performance, and thus to avoid any sense of -awkwardness which may be otherwise experienced. And for the same reason -when any particular number has to be sung in any special manner from the -physical point of view, as, for instance, sitting down, or kneeling, it -is well to become accustomed to this also beforehand. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE ARTIST AND THE GRAMOPHONE - - -Before leaving the subject of practising I should like to add a word as -to the value of the gramophone to the intelligent student. This is, -indeed, a truly invaluable adjunct. If to hear the greatest singers is -the finest of all experiences for the student, how can it indeed be -otherwise? For here in the most convenient manner possible is the means -provided for doing this. In the earlier pages of this volume I have -recorded what inestimable advantages I derived in my own case from the -constant hearing of fine singing from my earliest childhood. Now, by -means of the gramophone, the same advantage is at the command of every -one wheresoever he, or she, may happen to reside. - -In my younger days only those dwelling in the great capitals could hope -to hear such artists as Patti, Tamagno, Caruso, Battistini, and so -forth, and even those only if means permitted, which was not often in -the case of poor students. - -To-day any one can enjoy this priceless privilege, wherever he may -happen to reside, for a comparatively small outlay through the agency -of the gramophone. - -And he can hear them not only now and again, but as often as ever he -likes and by his own fireside. If he happens to be studying some -particular rôle he can be “coached” in this most practical and -unrivalled manner by all the greatest artists of the day. He can take a -particular aria and hear it sung by Caruso again and again until he is -familiar with every detail of his rendering--can note his breathing, his -phrasing, and every other detail in a manner which would be quite -impossible by any other means. - -And having heard Caruso he can then hear the same number sung by various -other great artists if he chooses, and benefit still more by comparing -their respective readings--by noting how they resemble one another or -how they differ, as the case may be, incidentally learning in the -process how widely one interpretation may differ from another and still -be of the highest order. - -Not only this, but he can familiarise himself with entire operas in the -same way, for certain of the companies issue complete albums of the best -known works which are reproduced in their entirety--vocal parts, -orchestra, and all in this marvellous manner. One would think, indeed, -that the coming generation should provide us with fine singers in such -plenty as the world has never known before with the aid of such -priceless help. - -Whether it will be so or not remains to be seen. But certainly it may be -said that never before have students been so wonderfully helped. I -myself have pleasure in testifying that I have derived the greatest -benefit as well as delight from the records of Patti, while Mr. John -McCormack has similarly acknowledged his indebtedness to the wonderful -renderings of Caruso. - -And I hope in all modesty that students of the present generation may -derive similar help in turn from the records which I myself have made. -Beyond a doubt the gramophone should be the guide, philosopher, and -friend--the most trusted and most competent aid and coadjutor--not only -to every student, but also to every teacher of the present day. - -Of course, the pupil is only human and often reluctant to believe that -there are grave faults in his voice. Whilst others can detect his -mistakes, the pupil cannot listen intelligently to his own faulty -emission while singing. - -But take him to a recording-room and get him to sing into the -recording-horn, and let him listen as the operator tries over the record -he has made. He is sure to be surprised to find how many faults there -are. - -His production may be throaty, nasal, or what you will. It is all -brought out clearly by the gramophone. - -There is no instrument that is so calculated to remove the conceit from -a young artist as the gramophone. To watch his face as he first listens -to his own voice is usually to enjoy a miniature pantomime. - -Nevertheless, the gramophone is a spur to drive the artist forward to -perfection, and, of course, a great aid to the music professor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -STUDYING A RÔLE - - -Different artists have different methods of studying their parts, but -all I think will be agreed on one point, namely, that they cannot -possibly be learned too thoroughly. Marvellous stories are told, no -doubt, of difficult rôles having been completely mastered by prodigious -efforts in a fabulously short time. But he is taking terrible risks who -attempts a _tour de force_ of this kind, and in my own opinion no artist -should ever be asked to do this. To master a rôle in the proper way -should be a matter of weeks and months, not to say years, of careful -study so that it becomes part and parcel, as it were, of the very being -of the artist. Then, and then only, can it be attempted on the stage -with that absolute confidence and assurance and that entire freedom from -anxiety without which the best results cannot possibly be hoped for. - -Very foolish, or at all events very courageous, is the young artist who -for the sake of an appearance at all costs essays a part which he, or -she, has not thoroughly prepared beforehand--for that way disaster -lies. A part simply cannot be too well studied if failure and mishaps -are to be absolutely assured against. - -Let it be remembered especially by the student who runs through a part -so easily in the privacy of his study with the aid of a friendly -accompanist at the piano, how infinitely more difficult are the -conditions on the actual stage--alike in the psychological and purely -material senses. - -There is the consciousness, in the first place, of being part now of a -huge inexorable organisation which admits of no error or failure under -any circumstances, and that at first has an almost paralysing effect -upon the faculties. There is the consciousness of that eager, critical -public on the other side of the footlights and of all that there is at -stake should any failure occur. There is the difficulty in the physical -sense of hearing the orchestra properly, which seems so far off and so -infinitely less helpful than the friendly homely piano. There are the -perturbing factors of one’s costume, action, business. In short, the -whole thing is utterly different, and for this reason, therefore, the -young artist cannot be too firmly grounded in his rôle if he is to be -proof against all the possibilities of failure and all mischances and -mishaps in the hour of trial. - -As to the actual process of mastering a rôle I believe thoroughly in the -practice of studying it at the outset apart from the music. Read the -whole book through and master the story and the drama completely in the -first instance. Get every twist and turn and every detail of it into -your mind. Try to visualise and represent it to yourself as -realistically as possible. - -Imagine that it all actually occurred and that you were, in fact, the -character whose part you are to represent. Learn all you can about the -period of the story, the scene of the action, the circumstances of the -time, and so on, so as to realise it all as vividly as possible. - -And then, having done this, study with equal thoroughness every detail -of your own part. It may be only a small one. Never mind. You can make -it just as lifelike and as perfect in its way as one of more importance -if you make the most of it. - -It was in this way that Mario always studied his parts, and most other -great artists, I think, will be found to adopt a similar method. We read -of Mario that no trouble was too great and no research too laborious to -ensure that any rôle which he had undertaken should be represented as -correctly and as perfectly as possible. Nor did his fastidious care end -there, for he paid the greatest attention to his words also and even -rewrote every line of his part in Gounod’s “Faust” because the words of -the original Italian version were not sufficiently singable to please -him. - -It was Mario, also, who said that unless he had all that he was singing -about in his head as well as in his throat he could never hope to do -justice to his part. - -It is the old, old story. The greatest results in anything are only to -be obtained by unsparing labour. It may not be a complete statement of -the case to say that genius is only an infinite capacity for taking -pains. But it is certainly true to say that that capacity is almost -always associated with the highest genius. Caruso supplied a more recent -instance. He took endless pains to get his parts right in every detail. -He was as careful, we read, about creating the proper make-up for the -character which he was impersonating as he was about studying the proper -gestures, declamation, and musical expression. - -Signor Fucito writes: - -“He pondered the mental, emotional and moral traits of the character as -they were revealed not only in his own lines and music, but throughout -the entire opera. If he found that insufficient he searched -elsewhere--in art, in literature, in history. When he was preparing the -rôle of Samson he went to the Bible for additional enlightenment on that -legendary hero in order that he might visualise him more vividly; and -when he was studying Eleazar he sought advice on Jewish customs from a -prominent Yiddish actor of New York.” - -Respecting “make-up” this should be done as carefully and artistically -as possible, bearing in mind always that although some of the audience -may be a long way off, others will be much nearer, while opera glasses -will further help to abridge the distance and to reveal every detail. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -CHOICE OF DÉBUT WORK - - -As regards the choice of opera for début purposes I need hardly say that -this is a matter of great importance which should be most carefully -considered. If you happen to be exceptionally gifted and possess the -advantage of powerful connections you may perhaps be able to appear at -once in a rôle of the first importance, but my opinion is that it is -usually much better to begin with smaller parts and acquire the -necessary stage experience before attempting one of the more exacting -rôles. - -You may, of course, have such natural gifts and be so well trained and -coached for the purpose that you may achieve success at a bound, but the -chances are against this, and it is much more likely that you will fall -short of your expectations and thereby imperil your career at the outset -by making a false start. _C’est le premier pas_, etc., and it is much -better to begin modestly and learn your business thoroughly before -attempting the higher flights. Then when you are properly qualified and -have acquired the necessary experience you can take a more important -part with the assurance that you will be able at least to do full -justice to yourself and to make the utmost of your natural powers. - -There is another reason, too, why it is a mistake, as a rule, to attempt -the heavier rôles too soon--namely, the fact that the voice and the -general physique, apart from the question of training and experience, -are seldom ready for these at first. I have, indeed, known more than one -case in which a career of promise has been ruined after a brilliant -start by subjecting a young singer too soon to the heavy strain of the -most important parts. - -Study these rôles by all means and have them ready--or one or two of -them--in case some exceptional or unexpected opportunity should present -itself. But do not be in too great a hurry to appear in them. It is a -much safer course, as a rule, to make good at first in those of a less -ambitious kind; and you need never be afraid that good work in these -will go unnoticed or unrewarded. But whichever part you choose for the -purpose it should naturally be one which is well suited to your capacity -and in which you are confident of being able to do your best. - -If the novice can attach himself or herself to some provincial opera -company at a nominal salary for the purpose of training and experience, -this is often a good plan. In Italy almost every provincial city has a -small season of opera, and impresarios in most cases are ready to give a -promising singer a début without pay in order to reduce their expenses. -But in some instances if a singer desires to make a début in a certain -rôle and imposes this on the impresario she will be required to help to -finance the opera by the payment of a few thousand lire. This is often -done, but in some instances with sad results, because it is usually an -indifferent artist who forces a début in this way, often against the -better judgment of the manager. - -I have known instances, indeed, where a singer has obtained a début on -these terms, and the audience, after hearing the singer, has protested -so vigorously that the unfortunate novice has had to be withdrawn in -favour of a more satisfactory substitute in order to pacify the public. - -In one instance I remember a Canadian tenor of tremendous size, but with -a voice more like a mad bull’s than that of a human being, who thought -he would make an ideal Othello. He was wealthy and paid the management -25,000 lire for a début. After the first act such a commotion was -created in the theatre that the carabinieri had to step in and decide -that either the show should be stopped or else continued by another -artist. - -Shortly afterwards columns appeared in the American papers about the -harsh treatment of foreign singers in Italy. I can only say, however, -that in my judgment it is utterly wrong to force on the public artists -who are manifestly incapable, and that in this particular case the -punishment fitted the crime! - -In cases where there really are voice and merit such methods should be -quite unnecessary, since managers are only too eager to secure fresh -talent and to offer suitable opportunities for appearing before the -public to those who possess it. - -Just another suggestion. Don’t be induced to accept a dramatic rôle if -your voice is purely lyric. Don’t even be tempted. Certain _maestri_ are -always looking for voices that can be heard above their orchestras. They -never find one, because it doesn’t exist; but the path of their search -is strewn with wrecked voices. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -REHEARSALS - - -Rehearsals are a necessary evil and the sensible artist will try to make -the best of them. Undoubtedly they are very tedious and trying, but they -are quite unavoidable unless you happen to have attained sufficient -eminence to be dispensed attendance at them. And even then it is not -always wise to avoid them if you wish to procure the best results. - -Patti, throughout the greater part of her career, never attended any -rehearsals. But then she always sang in the best-known operas with -thoroughly experienced fellow-artists who were carefully instructed as -to her requirements. But it is hardly necessary to say that her case was -exceptional. - -Some artists are very trying at rehearsals by coming with their parts -imperfectly prepared, by arriving late, and so on, and in such cases the -company in general is fortunate if the manager is sufficiently firm to -insist on proper discipline being observed. - -A strict conductor who allows no trifling of this kind is, indeed, the -truest friend of the artists, and his authority should be recognised -accordingly by one and all. It is of the utmost importance that artists -should be thoroughly acquainted with their parts, and they should take -advantage of rehearsals to master every detail of their action, -business, and so on, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. - -There is, however, no need to sing with full voice at rehearsals; -indeed, this is not desirable. But one should naturally sing loud enough -to indicate quite clearly one’s intentions. Nor should the inexperienced -artist show any reluctance to take advice from the stage manager when it -is given. For his judgment will probably be better than yours, and in -any case it is your business to do as he directs. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -CONTRACTS - - -In the case of young singers with very promising voices, impresarios are -often found who are willing to finance the period of instruction for a -term of say five years. Their calculations are that in the last few -years of this period the artist will become a profitable investment for -them. - -In the case of a poor artist this is often a very good plan, since it is -to the interest of the impresario to assist in making a name and a -position for the artist as well as in seeing that he has a proper -training. And the latter may easily find himself the gainer by the -arrangement therefore. - -Speaking generally, however, I am not very much in favour of such -contracts, for the simple reason that, the career of an artist being so -short, he ought not to be placed in the position of expending his powers -for the benefit of another person. I have known artists drawing £100 a -performance who were receiving a mere £10 a week under such an agreement -as I have described; and this is, of course, a very unsatisfactory and -even heartbreaking state of things. - -Caruso was one, it will be remembered, who entered into such a contract -as a student which, however, he finally succeeded in getting rescinded, -though not before he had had recourse to the law courts for this -purpose. - -As to contracts made later, when a proper position has been secured, the -artist will not usually need much advice regarding these, since he is -generally quite able to look after himself. “Too well, indeed,” it is -sometimes said, by directors and managers. - -Yet it must be remembered that, as noted above, the vocalist’s career is -usually very brief. The years of gain may be from five to twenty, but -are rarely much more than ten. I have known great artists who have -lasted for but a few seasons. On the other hand, I can recall some like -Battistini who have had over forty years of lucrative employment. But -this is very rare. - -Are they not justified, therefore, in requiring generous payment while -they can obtain it? Also it must be remembered that great singers are -exceptionally endowed, and as such are entitled to demand exceptional -rewards. In which connection one may recall the famous reply of the -dancer Gabrielli to the Empress Catherine of Russia. The Empress was -staggered by the terms which she demanded and declared that not even her -Field-Marshals received so much. Whereupon Gabrielli recommended the -Empress to get her Marshals to dance for her. - -Some of the most exacting contracts ever made by a singer were, I -suppose, those of Catalani. In her agreements when she was singing in -London she used to stipulate for half of the receipts throughout the -entire season, while she inserted further such conditions as the -following: “Madame Catalani shall choose and direct the operas which she -is to sing; she shall likewise have the choice of the performers in -them; and she will have no orders to receive from anyone.” - -Madame Patti in turn received as much as £1000 a performance from -Mapleson in America. But then Patti was--Patti! Most artists are content -with less! And to such I would say as my final word on this point: “Do -not forget during the days of your necessarily brief prosperity to make -provision at all costs for the future.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -CONCERT WORK - - -If I have spoken largely about opera in these pages, this is because -with my experience it comes most naturally to me to do this. But concert -work--of which also I have done my share--is of course equally -important, and a few words on this subject, therefore, may not come -amiss. - -It is hardly necessary to say that the kind of singing which is suitable -for the stage is not always equally in keeping on the platform. It is -the difference here between acting and recitation. - -On the stage you are actually impersonating the character you represent, -and the fullest amount of realism is therefore permissible--indeed, -essential. On the platform the same amount of licence is not allowable. -You are here not impersonating, but interpreting at one remove, so to -speak. - -You are not pretending to represent the actual character of the song; -you are reproducing in _your own personality_ the feelings and emotions -involved. Or as one might put it, the art of the stage is -representative; that of the concert platform is reproductive. - -All this must be borne in mind, therefore, by the artist who turns from -the stage to the concert room. The effect produced may be just as great, -but it must be achieved in a different way--without action, without -gesture even, but with the maximum of intensity none the less--secured -by means of the voice, the expressiveness of the singing and the -personality and temperament of the singer alone. - -And these will be all-sufficient for those who know their business; nor -should they be exceeded in the ordinary way. Yet if it comes naturally -to you to go a little further now and again, I do not know that it need -be condemned. - -Observe, however, that I say “if it comes naturally to you.” Otherwise, -it will be forced and theatrical and will certainly not achieve its -purpose. It is purely a question of temperament. Be natural and -spontaneous and you will not go far astray. Northern peoples indulge -sparingly in gestures on the concert platform, but yet get great results -without their aid. - -We Latin races are less restrained in this respect because this is in -accordance with our natural temperaments. It is the difference between -one who gesticulates freely in ordinary speech and one who never stirs a -finger. One would not counsel the Englishman to copy the foreigner’s -gestures for it would not come naturally to him to do this; but one -would not have a Frenchman or an Italian without them. - -And so it is in singing. If an occasional gesture comes naturally to you -there is no need to repress it, even if you cannot be recommended to go -as far in this respect in the concert room as Jenny Lind did on one -occasion if report may be trusted. It is recorded that once when singing -Agathe’s prayer from “Der Freischütz” at a concert at Norwich she was so -carried away that she actually fell on her knees on the platform and so -finished the air! That was, perhaps, overdoing things. Certainly I have -never heard of even an Italian concert-singer going quite so far. - -I need hardly add, while on the subject of concert deportment, that a -pleasing and ingratiating manner is also much to be desired, though this -is a matter that seems to be strangely overlooked too often by young -artists of the present day. One might think almost from the manners of -some of them that they consider themselves to be conferring the greatest -possible favour upon their hearers by condescending to sing to them. - -And doubtless in many cases they actually do think this! But they should -endeavour not to indicate the fact quite so clearly by their demeanour. -I have seen artists of this self-sufficient type who actually make not -the slightest response, or barely any, when an audience is good enough -to applaud them! This sort of thing is quite incomprehensible to me, -and I am sure that if those who behave thus had any conception of the -impression which they produce they would speedily mend their manners. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -HEALTH, DIET, ETC. - - -Good health is essential to a singer, and it must be most carefully -preserved. To this end you should live as wholesome and regular an -existence as possible, seeing that you get plenty of fresh air and -taking such exercise as may be found convenient, but without overdoing -things in the latter respect, since undue muscular exertion is sometimes -prejudicial. - -Moderation in diet is also advisable, avoiding especially all highly -seasoned dishes, pepper, pickles, and the like, and in the matter of -alcohol, if this be taken, confining one’s self to the lightest kinds of -wines. - -As for smoking I prohibit it entirely, as I consider it to be the -greatest enemy of the vocal cords, although I am well aware, of course, -that some of the most famous singers have been inveterate smokers. - -Of Mario, for instance, we are told that he was never seen without a -cigar in his mouth except when he was eating. He smoked, it is recorded, -even in his bath, although it may be noted that even he expressly -avoided cigarettes, confining himself exclusively to cigars. - -Caruso, again, was another tremendous smoker, and I suppose there are -few male vocalists, at any rate, who deny themselves in this respect -entirely. But I have no doubt that it would be better for their vocal -organs if they did so all the same. - -Coughs and colds are, of course, the greatest bugbear of the singer, and -to assist in securing immunity from these do not allow your throat to -become too sensitive by wrapping up too much. Bathing the throat with -cold water helps also towards this end. When overheated and perspiring -never delay changing into dry clothes and be especially careful always -to keep the feet dry. - -Yet with all the precautions in the world the time will come when -concerts or performances must be given under unfavourable conditions, -and in these circumstances the art and the courage of the singer alone -will carry her through. - -Often I have undertaken a concert rather than disappoint the public when -suffering from a bad cold. But I have been able by will power to do -wonders in these circumstances, and more often than not I have been -rewarded by a Press which said that I had never sung better. - -I have known Caruso, under such circumstances, the morning before a -widely advertised concert, at which an audience of perhaps 10,000 people -was likely to be present, to wake up and find himself entirely without -voice. - -In the instance I have in mind he telegraphed for a celebrated throat -specialist in New York to come immediately to Pittsburg, where just -previous to the concert he underwent heroic treatment. This meant the -administering of a stimulant to the vocal cords which contracted them -for a period of a few hours. - -Thereby he was enabled to fulfil his engagement, though the -after-results put him out of action for at least a week. - -A singer cannot hope always to be absolutely at his best, and this fact -should be realised from the first by young artists. Frequently, prior to -a performance, if the artist cannot bring off certain customary effects -he, or she, will be thrown immediately into a state of distraction and -despair. This, however, is all wrong. - -Engagements must be kept, and more often than not, as I have suggested, -the artist will find when the time comes that his apprehension has been -quite uncalled for. Strung up by the needs of the case, and making a -special call upon all his resources, mental and emotional as well as -merely vocal, he will very likely do even better than usual. - -He should bear this in mind, therefore, another time, and never lose his -head even though he may think that he has lost his voice! - -At the same time this is not to say that really serious voice trouble -should be ignored, and I myself make it a practice in every large town -where I am accustomed to stay for any length of time to learn of a -suitable medical man or voice specialist to whom I can repair for advice -in case of need. - -As to one’s régime on the day when one is actually singing this merits a -few words perhaps. Having gone to bed betimes the day before, so as to -secure a long night of unbroken rest, I myself do not usually rise until -about ten or eleven, when I have a light breakfast of tea and toast and -soft-boiled eggs. For lunch, if one may call it such, after a short -walk, I have merely a cup of cocoa and a little fruit, and nothing more -until after the concert. Most other artists of my acquaintance do -likewise. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO SING *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: How To Sing</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Luisa Tetrazzini</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 23, 2021 [eBook #65146]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Chuck Greif & The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO SING ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" -height="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="c"><big>HOW TO SING</big></p> -<hr /> -<p class="c">LUISA TETRAZZINI</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_i" id="page_i">{i}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii">{ii}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/tetrazini.jpg"> -<img src="images/tetrazini.jpg" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>© <i>Photo by E. F. Foley, N. Y.</i><br /> -<a href="images/signature.jpg"> -<img src="images/signature.jpg" -width="464" -alt="Signature: Luisa Tetrazzini" /></a> -</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii">{iii}</a></span> </p> - -<h1>HOW TO SING</h1> - -<p class="c">BY<br /> -<br /> -LUISA TETRAZZINI<br /> -<br /> -<br /> -NEW <img src="images/colophon1.png" -width="60" -alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> YORK<br /> -<br /> -GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv">{iv}</a></span><br /> -<br /><small> -COPYRIGHT, 1923,<br /> -BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY<br /> -<br /> -<img src="images/colophon2.png" -width="40" -alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -<br /> -HOW TO SING. II<br /> -——<br /> -PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<br /></small> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v">{v}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="rt"><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td> </td> -<td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_I"> DON’T WAIT TO BE “FOUND”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_9">9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_II"> YOUR AIM</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_12">12</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_III"> WHY SINGERS ARE SCARCE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_15">15</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV"> PERIOD OF TRAINING</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_18">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_V"> QUALITIES NEEDED</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_21">21</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI"> GENERAL CULTURE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_24">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII"> STUDY AN INSTRUMENT</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_27">27</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"> VOICE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX"> GOOD AND BAD “MAESTRI”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_33">33</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_X">COMPASS AND QUALITY</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_39">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI"> AGE TO START TRAINING</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XII"> ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_43">43</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII"> BREATHING</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_47">47</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV"> VOCAL CORDS</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_51">51</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XV"> PLACING THE VOICE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_59">59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI"> REGISTERS</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_64">64</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII"> FAULTS</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_70">70</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII"> COLORATURA SINGING</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_73">73</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX"> ENUNCIATION</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_80">80</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XX"> LANGUAGE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_85">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI"> STYLE AND INTERPRETATION</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_93">93</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi">{vi}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII"> HOW I SING AN ARIA</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_97">97</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">PRACTISING</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_103">103</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">THE ARTIST AND THE GRAMOPHONE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_111">111</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">STUDYING A RÔLE</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_115">115</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">XXVI</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHOICE OF DÉBUT WORK</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">XXVII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">REHEARSALS</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_124">124</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">XXVIII</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">CONTRACTS</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">XXIX</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">CONCERT WORK</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_129">129</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">XXX</a></td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">HEALTH, DIET, ETC.</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_133">133</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii">{vii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii">{viii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> </p> - -<h1>HOW TO SING</h1> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter I</span><br /><br /> -DON’T WAIT TO BE “FOUND”</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">E</span>VERY day of my life I receive letters from men and women, mostly women, -whom I do not know personally, asking me to advise them how best to use -their vocal talents. Some of my correspondents also request me to give -them an audition so that they can demonstrate their claim to be -embryonic stars.</p> - -<p>It is manifestly impossible for me to spend all my time listening to -persons unknown to me, in the hope of finding new Carusos, new Pattis -and, shall I say it?—new Tetrazzinis. If I were to do so I should have -little time for my own practice. Nevertheless, whenever I am able, I do -give an audition to a young aspirant to musical fame, as I consider it -my duty to help, to the best of my ability, those who are to come after -me.</p> - -<p>To those correspondents whom I have been unable to see personally let me -say that star singers are not necessarily discovered by stars. It is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span> -quite true that from time to time it has been my fortunate experience to -discover a tenor or a baritone or a soprano. But they had already been -more or less discovered before I found them.</p> - -<p>True at Covent Garden I found John McCormack singing a very minor rôle -and was instrumental in having him elevated to the position of principal -tenor. And other <i>prime donne</i> have acted similarly.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless these artists would doubtless have come to the front in -their own time without being “discovered” by a <i>prima donna</i>. Most big -artists of to-day were not found by any one: they found themselves. I, -for instance, was nobody’s find. When the <i>prima donna</i> failed to appear -at the opening night of an opera in my native Florence I volunteered to -take the part, and in so doing discovered myself.</p> - -<p>My readers will therefore understand that to be discovered by a great -singer is not essential to becoming a great artist, and that because I -am unable to give auditions to all who ask me I am not hindering them -from becoming successful.</p> - -<p>But for the benefit of those numerous correspondents who have expressed -to me a desire that I should help all interested in training their -voices, especially in their attempts to climb the difficult ladder of -successful singing in public, I have consented to publish the following -hints, and I hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span> sincerely they will be useful to all who read them.</p> - -<p>I do not claim that I have given an exhaustive treatise—no one ever has -done so—on the art of singing, but I am sure that any one possessing a -voice who cares to put into practice the suggestions I am now making, -will be benefited thereby.</p> - -<p>From this handbook I have purposely excluded the story of my -professional life. That is already published under the title of “My Life -of Song” (Cassell and Co., London; Dorrance, Philadelphia, U. S. A.).</p> - -<p>It will be observed that I use the word “he” all the way through when -meaning “he or she.” This is merely because I understand there is no -English word which expresses the both. It would have been more modern to -have used “she” in every case, but perhaps less modest. My lady readers -will, however, understand that I am writing at least as much, if not -more, for their benefit than for our lords and masters.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter II</span><br /><br /> -YOUR AIM</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">S</span>INGERS may be divided into two classes. No, I do not mean, as some -might suppose, those who can sing and those who cannot, though that is a -possible classification. I mean in this case those who sing for mere -pleasure and those who intend to make a career in this way. It is for -both that these pages are intended.</p> - -<p>As we have often been told, whatever is worth doing at all is worth -doing well, and there is no reason why the singers who practise our -beautiful art only for the enjoyment of themselves and their friends -should not make the most of the powers which the good God has given -them. I think, indeed, that it is their plain duty to do so, if only in -the interests of their hearers. And I am glad to think that nowadays -many see the matter in this light.</p> - -<p>However it may be in the case of professional singers—upon which point -I shall have something to say presently—there is, I suppose, no doubt -that the standard of amateur singing has enormously improved during -recent years.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span></p> - -<p>The days when it was thought that anyone, however poorly equipped, had -the right to stand up and perform in public, have passed away, and in -those circles, at all events, where there is any kind of pretension to -general intelligence and culture it is expected that all who come -forward in this way shall show themselves to be possessed of at least -some knowledge of the rudiments of the art.</p> - -<p>As to the general necessity for study on the part of those who aspire to -sing, few words, I suppose, are necessary. If every one can sing after a -fashion, there is, I venture to say, no branch of the art of music which -demands a more arduous apprenticeship and more prolonged study, if all -of its higher possibilities are to be realised.</p> - -<p>Precisely, however, because singing is in itself such a purely natural -proceeding, this elementary fact is too often overlooked. “Singing,” it -has been well said, “derives its power from nature, but owes its -perfection to art,” and this is a fact which, I am afraid, is too often -forgotten.</p> - -<p>People, who would not dream of attempting to play the violin or give a -piano solo in public without thorough preparation, will have no -hesitation in standing up and attempting to sing, although they may be -just as little qualified in the one case as in the other. They do not -realise that the voice is, in reality, one of the most delicate and -difficult<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> of all instruments and demands in consequence no less study -and practice than any other before it can be really artistically -employed.</p> - -<p>There is, moreover, another aspect of the singer’s art which should -never be forgotten. I allude to the fact that the singer is necessarily -a reproductive artist—one whose business it is from the nature of the -case to reproduce and interpret the music of others.</p> - -<p>This imposes a duty and an obligation which should never be lost sight -of. A singer has not only his own reputation to consider, but also that -of the composer whose music he interprets, and for this reason alone, -therefore, he can never take his art too seriously.</p> - -<p>As to those contemplating a professional career, no words of mine will -be necessary, I hope, to impress upon them the necessity of the sternest -self-discipline and the most unremitting application if they are ever to -succeed in accomplishing anything worth doing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter III</span><br /><br /> -WHY SINGERS ARE SCARCE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE career of a singer is one offering a certain number of prizes but -many, many blanks, and only those possessed of the most unmistakable -natural gifts and ready to work tremendously hard should ever be -encouraged to embark upon it. Hard work, beyond everything, is essential -if success is to be achieved, and it is here, I am afraid, that so many -of our modern students fail.</p> - -<p>Imbued with the eager impatient spirit of these headlong days, they want -to do things too quickly, and are unwilling to submit to the toil and -drudgery which are none the less as necessary as ever if really solid -results are to be achieved. It has even been suggested that to this -circumstance may be traced that scarcity of great singers nowadays of -which we hear so often.</p> - -<p>True, more vocalists than ever before, probably, are inviting attention -at the present time, but how few of them can be reckoned in the first -class? Doubtless it is easy to exaggerate in this matter. Seen through -the mists of time the figures of the past always tend to assume heroic -proportions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span></p> - -<p>Making due allowance, however, in this respect, are we really the -victims of hallucination in thinking that great singers are fewer -nowadays than formerly? It would be pleasant to think so, but I am -afraid that the facts point the other way.</p> - -<p>What, then, is the explanation? Different authorities would doubtless -suggest different answers, but most, I fancy, would agree that lack of -adequate study has had not a little to do with the matter.</p> - -<p>Porpora, we all know, kept Caffarelli for five years to one page of -exercises, and at the end of that time told him that he was the greatest -singer in Europe. It would be amusing to learn the experience of a -modern teacher who proposed to one of his pupils the adoption of the -same course. The great Patti, who told me I was her successor, also said -to me that we artists will still be learning when we are too old to -sing.</p> - -<p>The average vocal student of to-day considers himself a finished artist -at a time when he would be reckoned just qualified to begin serious -study by the teachers of an earlier period.</p> - -<p>While no amount of training will make fine voices out of poor material, -the history of singing furnishes numerous instances—that of Pasta is -one of the best known—in which limited natural powers have been -developed to an astonishing degree by study and training. Nowadays I am -afraid<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span> it is the converse of this which is more frequently illustrated, -and one hears only too often of fine natural voices which have been -steadily ruined by the manner in which they are used.</p> - -<p>Modern music has also, no doubt, had its influence—not so much because -it is harmful to the voice in itself, but simply because it is possible -to sing it (after a fashion) without such prolonged study and exercise -as that of the older school absolutely necessitated.</p> - -<p>Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and the rest of the old masters have indeed -been avenged in a wholly unanticipated manner. Precisely as the music of -their school has fallen in favour has the power been lost of singing -that of the so-called higher kind which has taken its place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter IV</span><br /><br /> -PERIOD OF TRAINING</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">F</span>OR this melancholy state of affairs the only remedy is a return to -sounder views. The fact must be recognised that there are no short cuts -to perfection in singing any more than in any other art, and that those -who wish to sing like the great ones of the past must be prepared to -work and study as they did, in order to attain this end.</p> - -<p>What period of training should be considered sufficient to equip a vocal -student? In former days eight, nine, or even ten years were not -considered too much for this purpose. I need hardly say how very -different are the views prevailing nowadays, when students consider -themselves qualified to appear in public at the end of a year or two of -hasty and necessarily superficial training. Needless to say, no -satisfactory results can possibly be achieved in this length of time. I -consider a minimum of four years necessary to become a professional -singer.</p> - -<p>Lilli Lehmann has put the matter happily. At least six years, she says, -should be considered the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span> minimum period allowable—to which, she says -further, there should then be added an entire lifetime for further study -and improvement!</p> - -<p>This is not to say that many great singers have not perfected their art -and even attained the very highest positions in a much shorter time. In -my own case my period of actual systematic training in the strict sense -of the term was comparatively brief—six months. But then in another -sense I was learning from my childhood. Moreover, I was exceptionally -lucky in that my voice was pitched just right, and had not to be trained -to do what is usually regarded as difficult.</p> - -<p>Almost from my infancy it was my ambition to become an operatic singer, -and circumstances enabled me to benefit to the utmost extent by the -constant hearing of opera, and also the constant criticism of singers by -competent judges, so that I might be considered to have been studying -and gaining experience for my after career all my life.</p> - -<p>Most students, however, are not so fortunately situated, and for them I -cannot urge too strongly the necessity of giving ample time to their -studies if they hope to make the best of their powers and to establish -their art on a firm foundation.</p> - -<p>One can hardly write differently as to the period of training for the -amateur than for the professional. If Patti said that she was still -learning when she had retired from professional singing, no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span> amateur can -hope ever to have learned all there is to be known about the art of -singing. And since he will always be a lover of song he will always be -anxious to learn.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter V</span><br /><br /> -QUALITIES NEEDED</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">N</span>EXT comes the question: What are the qualities which the vocal -aspirant, professional or amateur, should possess?</p> - -<p>A famous teacher who was once asked this question made answer: “Voice! -Voice! Voice!” I agree, and in the case of the professional I should be -inclined to add also: “Work! Work! Work!” and then Faith, Hope, and -Charity. Without hard work nothing can be done, and the practice of -these three virtues will undoubtedly prevent one growing weary in his -effort to attain the highest success.</p> - -<p>But the truth is, of course, that many other qualities besides voice and -industry are necessary here. There are, indeed, so many that I hardly -know which to name first.</p> - -<p>Lamperti on this point used to say: “First there must be a voice and -good ear, but also an artistic soul and a musical disposition.” Further, -he used to insist upon sound judgment, deep conscientiousness in study, -and untiring industry.</p> - -<p>Very necessary also are general intelligence and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> keen perception, -because no matter how good a teacher may be the greater part of the work -must be done through the brain of the student himself.</p> - -<p>On the necessity of sound health it is hardly necessary to insist, while -good looks and a fine presence naturally go for much also, though these -are not absolutely indispensable, as many notable instances have gone to -show.</p> - -<p>Then, in addition, there are those temperamental qualities which mean so -much: imagination and feeling, sympathy and insight, magnetism and -personality. Perhaps, indeed, next to voice and ear these are the most -important qualities of all. But unfortunately they cannot be acquired by -any amount of study.</p> - -<p>How often has it not happened, indeed, that artists have been endowed in -all other respects but these! They may have the most beautiful voices, -they may sing with the most finished art, but for lack of these -incommunicable attributes of the soul they never attain the highest -places. They leave their audiences cold because they are cold -themselves.</p> - -<p>These are artists of the type which Lamperti used to refer to as mere -“voice machines”—singers who, as Gounod once put it, are not artists at -all in the true sense of the word, but merely people who “play upon the -larynx,” achieving great results perhaps in the purely vocal and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span> -mechanical sense, but never touching the hearts of their hearers for -lack of those elemental human qualities which are essential if this -result is to be attained.</p> - -<p>Let the student do all in his power, therefore, to develop the higher -side of his nature. By the study of literature and art, by the reading -of fine poetry, by going to good plays, and in every other way let him -cultivate his imagination and give play to his finer sensibilities.</p> - -<p>For though such qualities as I have referred to may not be acquired when -they are non-existent, they may be drawn out and developed if they are -merely latent; and in the case of members of the northern races -especially this is not infrequently the case.</p> - -<p>Another quality of a different kind which is none the less very -valuable, indeed essential, is the power of self-criticism; and I attach -great importance also to having abundant faith in oneself. Even if it be -pushed to the point of vanity and conceit—as I am afraid it -occasionally is—this helps enormously when it is a case of withstanding -the jolts and jars almost inseparable from the practice of vocal art.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VI</span><br /><br /> -GENERAL CULTURE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">O</span>F course, too, wide general culture is very necessary. Everything that -can be possibly acquired in this way helps, and is, indeed, almost more -necessary to the singer than in the case of any other branch of the -profession.</p> - -<p>For the art of the singer is brought into immediate relation with all -the other arts. The singer has to deal with poetry and literature and -the drama—if he takes up opera—in a way quite unknown to the mere -instrumentalist.</p> - -<p>A man might be a great pianist or a fine violinist—he might even be a -great composer—without ever concerning himself at all with the other -arts. But in the case of the singer this would be quite impossible.</p> - -<p>For it is the singer’s business to interpret poetry in song and to play -his part in drama on the stage, and it is obvious that he cannot hope to -do these things properly without making himself acquainted with those -arts also in addition to his own.</p> - -<p>How can one hope, for instance, for a fine interpretation of a great -song if the words them<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span>selves mean nothing to the singer? He may sing -the notes, but he cannot possibly do justice to his task unless he -enters completely into the spirit of the words and the meaning of the -poet.</p> - -<p>And in the same way how can one hope to give a satisfactory -impersonation of a part in an opera except by studying carefully the -drama as a whole, grasping the intentions of the author, making oneself -acquainted with the period of the action, and generally entering into it -and all the literary, dramatic, historical, and other details of the -work as well as considering it from the purely musical point of view?</p> - -<p>I am well aware that the opposite practice has often enough been -followed. I have heard, indeed, of artists who have sung in such an -opera as “Il Trovatore” for years without having ever troubled to -understand the course of the action as a whole, and who were -consequently in a state of total ignorance as to what it was all about.</p> - -<p>But I cannot believe that any one who addressed himself to his task in -that unintelligent spirit would ever be likely to give an interpretation -of his own part of much significance or value.</p> - -<p>In my own case I go so far as to study not only, as a whole, any opera -in which I have to take part, but even to learn, or at all events -familiarise myself with, all of the other rôles. And I may add that I -have found the practice helpful not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> only to myself but also to my -fellow-artists before now, when perhaps some nervous tenor or timid -débutante has temporarily “dried up,” and I have been enabled to come to -the rescue and relieve the situation. This, however, merely <i>en -passant</i>.</p> - -<p>The main point I am insisting on for the moment is that the vocalist who -wishes to make the most of his powers cannot have too solid a foundation -in the way of general knowledge and culture. There may be no direct -connection between the one thing and the other, but his art will benefit -none the less—will gain in depth and force and subtlety—in virtue of -the fact that it is the outcome of a cultivated nature and the product -of a mind which has thought and pondered over the deeper problems of -existence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VII</span><br /><br /> -STUDY AN INSTRUMENT</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span> MAY add, too, that there is no excuse for singers to neglect the -cultivation of their minds, inasmuch as they have so much more time for -this purpose than many of their fellow-students in other branches of the -profession.</p> - -<p>Thus, while a pianist or a violinist can, and indeed must, practise many -hours a day, a singer cannot and should not do this, and therefore they -have so much the more time available for the purpose of other study, -including, I need hardly say, not only art and literature, but also the -other branches of musical culture.</p> - -<p>I know that singers have often been reproached in this matter and, I am -afraid, not without good reason in earlier days, but I trust and believe -that that time is passing away, and that vocalists nowadays are no -longer looked upon as being necessarily lacking in general musical -knowledge.</p> - -<p>To which I need hardly add that many instances could be quoted of famous -singers who are or have been admirably equipped also in other respects. -The late Madame Sembrich was, for instance, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> brilliant all-round -musician who played both the piano and the violin with the ability of a -professional. Madame Lilli Lehmann, still happily with us, although now -advanced in years, is another whose accomplished art was based on fine -general musicianship.</p> - -<p>In point of fact the vocal student can hardly be too well equipped in -the musical sense. He cannot hear too much good instrumental music; he -cannot be too well acquainted with the works of the great masters; and, -in short, cannot have too wide a basis of general musical knowledge as a -foundation for his own specialised branch of the art.</p> - -<p>To this end the study of an instrument is, of course, invaluable. The -violin is an excellent instrument, though not so helpful from a vocal -point of view as the piano. The piano naturally suggests itself as the -most useful one for the purpose, since it helps directly in the pupil’s -vocal studies and makes him independent to some extent of an -accompanist. It also gives every facility for obtaining a thorough -knowledge of harmony.</p> - -<p>It should be employed to further the service of general musical study on -the lines above suggested.</p> - -<p>Nor should the musical training of the vocalist stop at playing the -piano, for he should know something of composition and general theory. A -musical education is, indeed, almost indispensable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> to the singer of the -present day if he is to deal successfully with difficult modern music.</p> - -<p>In short, the days have gone by when a singer’s accomplishments were -summed up in the familiar formula of “<i>Vox et praeterea nihil</i>,” and he, -or she, who expects to achieve a place in the front ranks at the present -time must be prepared to use brains as well as vocal cords.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter VIII</span><br /><br /> -VOICE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">N</span>EXT comes the question of voice. That this is a fundamental requisite -you will not expect me to tell you, although it may be noted, in -passing, that some of the greatest singers have started comparatively -ill-equipped in this respect—or apparently so.</p> - -<p>Of Pasta, for instance, we read that her voice at the outset was heavy -and strong, but unequal and very hard to manage. It is said, indeed, -that she never to the end of her career succeeded in producing certain -notes without some difficulty.</p> - -<p>Yet, as the result of incessant study and practice, sometimes pursued in -retirement for long periods, she gradually subdued her rebellious and -intractable organ, and was eventually recognised as one of the very -greatest singers of her time. Jenny Lind’s voice at the outset was also -very unmanageable.</p> - -<p>I might even quote the case of Caruso himself as another example. Caruso -was one of my greatest friends. But he gave little promise in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> his -younger days of the wonderful career which was in store for him.</p> - -<p>Thus we are told that among his fellow-students at the Scuola Vergina he -was known as “<i>Il tenore vento</i>,” meaning a thin reedy tenor, and when -he had completed his studies neither his master nor any one else had any -expectation that he was going to do anything out of the way.</p> - -<p>Vergine even remarked humorously of him that if there was any gold in -his voice it could only be likened to that at the bottom of the Tiber, -inasmuch as it was not worth drawing out. Little did he guess in those -days how much rich gold his unpromising pupil was destined to draw in -time out of his wonderful organ!</p> - -<p>Nor did his earliest appearances impress outside critics any more -favourably. The general opinion was that his voice was sympathetic in -quality but rather small, and that he himself was lacking in -temperament. Caruso lacking in temperament! How odd it seems to us who -knew him later! But that was the impression which he produced at first.</p> - -<p>All of which goes to show that it is not always easy to say in the -beginning how any given voice will turn out in the end.</p> - -<p>At the same time I do not wish to encourage the belief that one should -begin with a poor voice, or that every mediocre student can hope, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span> -study, to become a Caruso. For this would certainly be a disastrous -notion to disseminate.</p> - -<p>Such cases as Caruso’s are indeed quite exceptional, and in the ordinary -way a pupil can take it that if his voice shows no promise at the outset -he is not likely to do very much with it later.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, what does happen only too frequently, as I have -suggested before, is that a pupil starts with a fine voice which, -however, through faulty training, want of application, or some other -cause, eventually comes to nothing; and it is this which is to be most -carefully guarded against.</p> - -<p>Sad, it is, indeed, to think of the fine voices which have been lost to -the world in this way! Nor need one look very far for instances. Hardly -a day passes, indeed, but what one reads or hears of some wonderful -voice which has been “discovered” in this place or that. Alas! how few -of these wonderful voices eventually justify the hopes which they have -aroused! Either the other necessary qualities are lacking, or—too -often, I am afraid—their training is entrusted to the wrong hands and -they come to nothing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter IX</span><br /><br /> -GOOD AND BAD “MAESTRI”</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>S to the absolute necessity of a teacher there can, I suppose, hardly -be two opinions. Much can be learnt from books, no doubt; by listening -to other singers; and by working things out for oneself, so far as -possible. Also it is a fact, doubtless, that some of the world’s -greatest singers have had remarkably little formal instruction.</p> - -<p>Mario, for instance, never had a lesson in his life except when -Meyerbeer taught him the part of Raymond in “Robert le Diable”—and -Meyerbeer, it is hardly necessary to say, was not a singing master.</p> - -<p>But such cases are the exceptions, and in the ordinary way there cannot -be the slightest doubt that the services of a teacher are absolutely -essential to sound progress. There are exceptions, of course. One of -these is the great Chaliapine, who represents his own school and has -never had any instruction as we understand it. He is by nature endowed -with a beautiful voice, and obtains his fine effects by long hours of -deep thought and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span> reflection. I have asked him when and how he prepared, -and he replied: “I think out my work in the silence of my bedchamber, -when I am waiting for sleep, or in the mornings before I rise. In fact, -during all my hours of wakefulness I am always visualising the stage, -the actors, the audiences, and contriving how best to obtain effects -emotional, sentimental, dramatic.”</p> - -<p>Grave indeed are the risks run by any student who attempts to supply his -own requirements in this matter and to dispense with the skilled advice -which only the trained expert can supply—entailing possibly the ruin of -his entire career.</p> - -<p>It was for lack of such advice in her earlier days that Jenny Lind’s -voice was almost ruined at the outset, so that when she went to García -for advice his verdict was: “It is quite useless for me to think of -teaching you, since you have no voice left.”</p> - -<p>Fortunately rest and proper training saved the situation in that case, -as we all know, but how easily it might have been otherwise. Other fine -voices have, indeed, been irretrievably destroyed by faulty methods -continued too long.</p> - -<p>A famous case was that of Duprez, a well-known tenor who flourished some -seventy or eighty years ago. “I have lost my voice,” he wrote in despair -to Rubini, “how have you kept yours?” Rubini replied: “My dear Duprez, -you have lost your<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span> voice because you have sung with your capital; I -have kept mine because I have sung only with the interest.” And there is -a world of instruction in this pithy way of putting it.</p> - -<p>See to it at all costs, therefore, that you put yourself in the right -hands. By which I do not necessarily mean a teacher of world-wide -repute—for there are many equally good who do not happen to be so -generally known. The supremely important thing is that whoever you go to -shall be a man—or a woman, as the case may be—of honour and integrity, -who can be trusted to deal faithfully with you, and not a quack or a -charlatan.</p> - -<p>The teaching of singing is indeed a much simpler matter—though -difficult enough—than is commonly supposed, especially nowadays when, -as the result of scientific study and research, the underlying -physiological principles are so much more thoroughly understood than -formerly. Yet there will always be those, I suppose, who find it to -their advantage to deal with it as something mysterious and occult; and -apparently there will always be those confiding souls willing to take -these folk at their own valuation and to put good money into their -pockets.</p> - -<p>Wonderful indeed are the tales which are told of some of these gentry. -In New York, for instance, there is said to be a practitioner of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span> -type who sells to his pupils, in order to give timbre to their voices, -bottles (at two dollars each) of Italian water. Beware of the confidence -tricksters of the musical profession who claim to transform your voice -by some quack method or theory of “nasal resonance” and so on. These -people have ruined more voices than one could enumerate.</p> - -<p>But one need not go to America to find examples. I am afraid, indeed, -that even in my own native land the same sort of thing is not entirely -unknown. I have even heard of a teacher in Milan who makes his pupils -swear on a crucifix not to reveal the secret of his wonderful “method,” -and I have heard of another whose practice it was to make his pupils tie -to the legs of the piano pieces of elastic which they were instructed to -pull out and let go again, in order to “feel” the gradations of -<i>crescendo</i> and <i>diminuendo</i>.</p> - -<p>But even he seems to have been excelled in invention by another -“Professor”—again hailing from the Land of the Stars and -Stripes!—whose custom it was to illustrate the art of <i>mezzo voce</i> by -means of an umbrella which he opened and closed as his happy pupils, -standing before him, swelled and diminished on the chosen note.</p> - -<p>Such things, you may say, sound laughable enough, but they are no -laughing matter for the unfortunate pupils who happen to be the victims -of such monstrous quackery, and I cannot urge<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span> too earnestly upon all my -readers the supreme importance of choosing a teacher who is above all -suspicion—for preference one possessed of a satisfactory diploma -obtained at a recognised institution.</p> - -<p>Then you may be sure that whether the teacher be better or worse in the -purely technical sense, he will at least be an honest man and not one -who makes his calling a mere pretext for the plundering of the ignorant -and unwary.</p> - -<p>Another important question which arises in this connection is as to the -advisability of studying at home or abroad, and this, I am afraid, is -one of those perplexing matters in the case of which there is a good -deal to be said on both sides. I myself have naturally a prejudice in -favour of my beloved Italy, the traditional Land of Song, where, I am -proud to think, the art of Bel Canto still finds its finest exponents -and teachers, and where also there are greater facilities, I suppose, -for hearing fine singing than in any other country in the world.</p> - -<p>At the same time I am quite prepared to admit that there is a good deal -to be said on the other side. It is a great undertaking and -responsibility, for instance, sending a young girl to study abroad. The -teacher selected may not be a good one, or may not be suited to her -particular requirements, when she gets there—although by saying this I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span> -do not mean to express agreement with those who contend that a special -kind of teaching is required for the singers of every nationality. -Whether you study at home or abroad, let your teacher be the best you -can obtain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter X</span><br /><br /> -COMPASS AND QUALITY</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">H</span>AVING found your teacher, the next thing you will want to know is -precisely what sort of voice you have—and this is a matter, curiously -enough, which cannot always be determined off-hand. The strangest -mistakes have, indeed, not infrequently been made in this respect—as in -the well-known instance of Jean de Reszke, who actually began his public -career as a baritone and continued singing for some years before he -finally came to the conclusion that his voice was, in reality, a tenor.</p> - -<p>The important task of discovering whether a voice is bass, baritone, -tenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano, and the exact character of -the general ranges of these voices is a matter of great delicacy, and -cannot be decided at one hearing. It is largely individual, and -sometimes a matter of health and circumstances. The ranges of different -classes of the human voice may be generally stated as follows. In the -bass voice two octaves of E, the contralto two octaves of E with a tone -and a half more in the upper notes leading<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span> to G; the tenor, which -sounds an octave lower than the soprano, and the soprano voice itself -two octaves of C. There are also the baritone and mezzo-soprano voices, -the former of which is neither bass nor tenor, and the latter neither -contralto nor soprano. The average range covers two octaves of G or A in -baritones and mezzo-sopranos.</p> - -<p>In all cases there are, of course, exceptions, as, for example, the bass -that extends to a melodious low C and can even reach the baritone top F. -There is a further classification which has relation to the <i>timbre</i>, or -colour, which distinguishes whether the artist is dramatic or purely -lyric. If of a lyric tendency the artist will do well to avoid dramatic -declamation until maturity and experience has taught him this difficult -side of our art and <i>vice versa</i>.</p> - -<p>It is not a question of compass only, but of compass in addition to the -distinctive character and quality of the voice. But compass is -undoubtedly essential, and in regard to this Lamperti’s practice was to -judge not only by the notes which could be taken, but by the facility -with which words could be enunciated on them at the same time.</p> - -<p>Thus, in the case of a girl student, if she could not only sing the -upper G, but could also enunciate words easily on that note, he -considered that she was a true soprano; and so on with all the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span> -voices. Thus a baritone might be able to take notes almost as high as a -tenor. But if he could not pronounce words comfortably on those notes he -was not, in Lamperti’s judgment, to be classed as anything but a -baritone.</p> - -<p>But, as a general rule, your teacher will not have much difficulty in -deciding as to the classification of your voice, and, presuming this to -have been decided, we must consider next the question of training it.</p> - -<p>Here I feel that I must go carefully, for if there is one thing more -certain than another, in my opinion, it is that the pupil who hopes to -get the best results from his training must place himself unreservedly -in his teacher’s hands, since otherwise he cannot possibly hope to do -justice to his teaching. That is to say, he should not confuse his mind -by accepting the advice and instruction of other people—so far, at all -events, as concerns what may be called the strictly technical side of -his training.</p> - -<p>Therefore, I shall confine myself to general hints and observations -only, based on my own experiences and herewith offered for what they are -worth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XI</span><br /><br /> -AGE TO START TRAINING</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>S to the age to start training the voice, this depends to some extent -upon the individual, but speaking generally it may be said that in the -case of boys the voice matures at about the ages of from fourteen to -sixteen, and that no serious work should be undertaken until after this -period. Although choir-singing for boys affords wonderful training—in -some cases, at all events, if not in all—it should not be persisted in -too long.</p> - -<p>If boys are allowed to sing on in the choir until their voices change, -they may easily find, finally, that they have totally ruined their vocal -organs for the rest of their lives. The utmost caution should be -exercised, therefore, in this matter, and it should be the duty of every -choirmaster to see that none of his choristers are permitted to run this -grave risk by continuing their services too long.</p> - -<p>In the case of girls, teaching may begin about the age of sixteen or -seventeen, but not much earlier.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XII</span><br /><br /> -ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>O what extent a vocal student should be instructed in matters -anatomical and physiological is a question which has often been raised, -and upon which the most contradictory views have been expressed. It is -argued by some, that having in mind all the great singers of the past -who flourished before the laryngoscope was thought of that the less the -student knows about such things the better. It is contended that he will -surely become self-conscious and unnatural by thinking about the -physiological mechanism of processes which should be absolutely -instinctive and automatic; and possibly in some instances this does -occur.</p> - -<p>I do not think, however, that if the instruction is properly given it -need have any such effect, and I thoroughly believe, myself, in the -student being given at least a general idea as to the construction of -the vocal organs and the manner in which they function.</p> - -<p>To precisely what extent the student should be instructed in what a -famous singer once humor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span>ously referred to as “thoracic, -crico-thyroideal, and epiglottic matters” may be a question for -consideration, but as to the desirability of his being acquainted in a -general way with the working of the vocal apparatus I have no sort of -doubt.</p> - -<p>The truth is that the whole business of singing, if reduced to its -elements, is much simpler and easier to understand than is sometimes -supposed, and there is not the slightest reason why any difficulty need -be experienced in explaining the matter in its general outlines. I would -go further, indeed, and say that he is not likely to prove a very -intelligent pupil who is not sufficiently curious and interested to wish -to know something upon the subject.</p> - -<p>At the same time, it is, no doubt, perfectly true that many of the -greatest singers of the past have been destitute of the slightest -knowledge of such matters. In which connection one may recall the famous -saying of Patti when interrogated as to her method: “Je n’en sais rien.” -But it does not follow that others not possessed of her marvelous -natural gifts should follow her example in this respect. For she did -unconsciously and instinctively what in the case of most others only -comes as the result of laborious study and practice.</p> - -<p>One may recall, in this connection, the saying of that profound student -of the art on the technical side, who was also in her day such a great -execu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span>tant, Lilli Lehmann, that it is not enough to sing well, one must -be told also the how and why, and be given a firm foundation, if -permanent results are to be hoped for. For otherwise one will</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 437px;"> -<a href="images/i_045.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_045.jpg" width="437" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p style="text-indent:-1em; -text-align:left;">ROUGH SECTION OF NOSE, MOUTH, AND PHARYNX, SUGGESTING BY -DOTTED LINES HOW THE TONE PASSES FROM THE LARYNX THROUGH THE MOUTH AND -PASSAGES OF THE HEAD.</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">run the risk of coming to grief when for some reason or other an -unexpected strain is put upon one’s resources and there is no sound -knowledge and understanding to fall back upon.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span></p> - -<p>How can one properly understand, for instance, the all-important subject -of breathing, if one has not at least some idea as to the natural -processes involved? Vocal teachers and students of voice production are -often twitted upon the conflicting character of the views which they -hold and the principles which they lay down, but here is one subject, at -all events, upon which there is universal agreement, namely, the supreme -importance of right breathing as the very foundation of the singer’s -art.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIII</span><br /><br /> -BREATHING</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">H</span>E who breathes properly sings properly, it has been said; and there is -not a single authority of any weight, I venture to say, who does not -endorse that statement. The old Italian masters used to say, indeed, -that the art of singing <i>is</i> the art of breathing; and the same idea was -put by Lamperti in another way when he observed that “the attainment of -proper respiration should be the first object of the student of -singing.”</p> - -<p>On the same subject the words of a famous English singing teacher, -William Shakespeare, may be quoted. In his well-known work on the Art of -Song he lays down as the two fundamental aims to be set before himself -by the student: 1, how to take a breath and how to press it out slowly; -and, 2, how to sing to this controlled breath pressure.</p> - -<p>It is when we come to consider the views of the different theorists in -detail that divergencies will be found to arise. But on certain -fundamental matters there will, I think, be found pretty general -agreement nowadays.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span></p> - -<p>The great guiding principle to be borne in mind, in my opinion, is ease -and naturalness. This is one of those matters in regard to which nature -can be trusted much more safely than theorists and professors. I refer, -of course, to the actual process of breathing. As regards the subsequent -production of tone there is, of course, plenty to be taught. But the -actual process of inspiration and exhalation should be as natural and as -easy as possible.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_048.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_048.jpg" width="600" height="476" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUGH DIAGRAM OF THE LARYNX, TRACHEA AND LUNGS.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Some wise words of Salvatore Marchesi may be quoted on this point: “When -explaining the physi<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span>cal, mechanical process of breathing to beginners -it is essential to make them understand that natural laws have provided -for its independence of our will, as is observed in sleeping. Therefore, -every intentional preparation or effort made in order to draw more air -into the lungs will produce the contrary result, hindering the freedom -of the natural process.”</p> - -<p>But this is not to imply that breathing capacity cannot be cultivated -and developed by practice. On the contrary, a vast amount can be done in -this way, just as in the case of any other organ of the body, by means -of systematic exercise and practice. Everyone has heard, for instance, -of the wonderful way in which the breathing capacity of native divers in -the tropics is developed in the course of their calling, or of that old -man in the Bay of Naples who stops under the water with a watch in hand -for 35 seconds. Singers can acquire something of the same power, and -must do so, indeed, if they hope ever to achieve the best results. For -the production of good sustained tone is impossible if the art of -breathing is not properly understood and acquired.</p> - -<p>Among modern singers no one attached more importance to breathing and -breath control than the late Signor Caruso, and no one, certainly, -attained more wonderful results in this way. He developed his powers to -such an extent indeed in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> this respect, that it was said that he could -move a grand piano by the expansion of the muscles of his diaphragm! And -whether this be true or not it is certain that his wonderful breathing -capacity was, as he himself used to declare, in large measure the secret -of his consummate art.</p> - -<p>Try to avoid breathing through the mouth. Inhalation through the -nostrils purifies and warms the air before it reaches the throat. -Breathing through the mouth dries the throat and makes the voice husky. -Nevertheless, in singing declamatory music what are called half-breaths -through the mouth are necessary.</p> - -<p>When practising avoid taking sudden breaths, though this may also be -necessary when performing publicly.</p> - -<p>Practise once daily before a looking-glass and so correct faults of -breathing and grimaces.</p> - -<p>Don’t heave the shoulders when taking breath. There should be no visible -movement of the body.</p> - -<p>When practising breathing—and this should be done every day—inhale a -long slow breath to the full lung capacity, hold for one or two seconds, -and then exhaust in the same slow gentle way. This is rather exhausting, -and two or three periods of five minutes with an interval of say fifteen -minutes should be sufficient for each day.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIV</span><br /><br /> -VOCAL CORDS</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">B</span>UT, of course, breathing alone is not sufficient. After the breathing -capacity has been developed the power thus acquired must be rightly -applied, and here the first principle is right emission, and in -particular the rule that the release of the breath and the attack of the -tone must take place simultaneously. In other words, no breath at all -must be permitted to escape before the production of tone.</p> - -<p>It is to attain this result that the so-called <i>coup de glotte</i>, or -“shock of the glottis,” has been advocated. To appreciate this term it -is necessary to understand exactly how vocal tone is produced.</p> - -<p>I will not attempt to go into the matter fully, but the general -principles involved are quite easily grasped.</p> - -<p>Taken broadly, then, it will be understood that vocal sound is produced -by a column of air passing from the lungs through a small aperture -formed by the vocal cords within the larynx (see diagrams). When we -breathe in the ordinary way the air passes in and out as we inspire and -exhale,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> without any sound being produced. This is because the passage -through the larynx is then quite clear. No obstruction is offered to the -air current, and in consequence the process is quite noiseless.</p> - -<p>When, however, we wish to utter a sound, Nature provides for this by -enabling us to interpose an obstruction to the air current by means of -the vocal cords, and the air then has to pass through a small slit or -aperture, sometimes called the “vocal chink,” formed by their being -drawn closely together curtainwise, as it were.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_052.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_052.jpg" width="600" height="361" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE VOCAL CORDS DURING DEEP BREATHING.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>When the vocal cords—or ligaments, as they are perhaps better -described—are drawn together in this manner the passage of the air is -so restricted that it can only pass in short rapid pulsations, instead -of, as before, in a continuous stream, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> the result of these pulses -or vibrations is the production of sound or tone.</p> - -<p>The aperture, or chink, is called the glottis, and the character of the -tone resulting, in particular the pitch of it, is regulated by the -precise disposition and proximity to one another of the two bands or -cords or ligaments—sometimes they are known as the vocal lips—by which -the chink or opening is formed.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_053.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_053.jpg" width="600" height="369" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE VOCAL CORDS DURING THE SINGING OF A HIGH NOTE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The process itself of regulating the opening of the vocal cords in this -way is entirely automatic and subconscious. We merely <i>will</i>, to produce -a tone of a certain pitch and the vocal cords automatically, and without -any conscious effort on our part, are brought together to precisely the -right degree necessary to produce that particular tone.</p> - -<p>From this it will be understood that every note<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span> that is uttered, every -inflection even of the speaking voice, however minute, requires a -slightly different adjustment of these infinitely delicate threadlike -membranes which are provided for this purpose within the box-like -larynx; and this extraordinarily delicate adjustment is all effected -quite automatically and instinctively by the mere operations of the -will.</p> - -<p>The brain intimates, so to speak, that it requires a certain note to be -produced and forthwith, without the slightest conscious act of -adjustment on the part of the singer or speaker, the vocal ligaments -adapt themselves precisely in the manner required and the particular -note desired is duly produced.</p> - -<p>And these notes may issue forth through that tiny aperture and from the -throat of the singer to the number of a dozen or more in a second—each -one requiring a separate adjustment of the aperture and the said -adjustment being effected in every instance, in the case of a properly -trained singer, absolutely perfectly and exactly.</p> - -<p>Surely of all the many wonderful contrivances which go to the making of -the mechanism of the human body there is none which is more wonderful -than this! It is, indeed, necessary only to consider the elaboration of -the means and the complexity of the muscular adjustments necessary to -achieve similar results in the case of a violin, say,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span> or a piano, in -order to realise the amazing ingenuity and efficiency of the means -employed by Nature.</p> - -<p>But I am wandering from the <i>coup de glotte</i>, which I set out to -explain. Let it be understood, therefore, that the <i>coup de glotte</i> is -merely a name for a particular method of bringing together the lips of -the vocal cords and certain subordinate muscles, known as the -ventricular bands, with a view to a better and cleaner production of -tone, and with a view especially to the avoidance of the particular -fault above referred to, namely, the emission of air before the -production of the note.</p> - -<p>In the result the “attack” is certainly very sharp and clean, but -personally I cannot recommend this particular method of achieving that -result, since the effect is anything but agreeable to the ear, and there -is good reason for thinking that the practice, besides being -unnecessary, is also injurious to a vocal organ.</p> - -<p>I will not go further into the matter, however, since all such technical -details are for the teacher to explain and illustrate and cannot be -satisfactorily dealt with in print.</p> - -<p>Certain general principles may, however, be touched on, amongst which -the first is, perhaps, that there should never be at any time the -smallest conscious strain or effort. Relaxation, looseness, ease, should -be the watchwords all the time. Rigid<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span>ity, tightening of the muscles, -stiffness, contraction, are fatal to the production of beautiful tone. -Here, as so often in art, when grace and beauty are the objects aimed -at, economy of effort is the grand secret.</p> - -<p>There should never be any strain or forcing of any sort or kind, and on -the same principle, it may be noted, is the rule as to the amount of -breath emitted, which should always be the smallest quantity possible -which suffices to produce the tone required. Let out enough breath and -no more—keeping the remainder in reserve—that is one of the -fundamental secrets of beautiful tone production.</p> - -<p>Lilli Lehmann puts the same point in another way when she insists on the -supreme importance of emitting “as little breath as possible.” Perhaps I -may be permitted to quote, also, in this connection some interesting -remarks of Signor Salvatore Fucito, in a recently published volume, in -reference to the practice of Caruso in this regard.</p> - -<p>“Caruso governed the expiratory flow of the breath with such mastery -that not a particle of it escaped without giving up its necessary -equivalent in tone. Caruso emitted for each musical phrase, or for each -note, just enough breath to produce that phrase or note musically and -<i>no more</i>. The remaining breath he kept in reserve, which made the -enchanted hearer feel that the master was still<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> far from the limit of -his resources, that he had still ample motive power in reserve for -whatever the occasion might require.”</p> - -<p>Another great master of breathing is Battistini. One hears him singing -long phrases, one after the other, without perceiving when or how he -fills his lungs, so completely has he covered up all traces of the -physical effort. There is no puffing and panting, no discoloration or -distortion of the face.</p> - -<p>I am myself often asked how I manage to find the breath for the long -florid passages which I so often have to sing, and my reply usually is -that I have a good pair of bellows which I make a point of always -keeping well filled with air.</p> - -<p>This can be done, I may add, in the case of such passages as I have -mentioned by taking at times only partial breaths instead of full ones. -These can naturally be taken much more quickly than complete -inspirations, and by their means the “bellows” can be kept constantly -replenished even when the heaviest demands are being made upon their -contents.</p> - -<p>But while it is essential to maintain a good pressure of air behind the -tone, this does not mean that the lungs must be filled to distention, -for this produces the worst possible result. Madame Lilli Lehmann has -recorded, for instance, in her valuable treatise on singing, that she -made this mistake in the first instance, with the result that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> she -always felt as if she must release some of her superfluous breath before -beginning to sing.</p> - -<p>“Undoubtedly,” she writes, “I took in too much air in breathing and -cramped various muscles, thereby depriving my breathing organs and -muscles of their elasticity. I often had, with all my care and -preparation for inhalation, too little breath, and sometimes, when not -giving special thought to it, more than enough.” And others not -infrequently commit the same error under the mistaken impression that -they must get as much air into their lungs as possible.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XV</span><br /><br /> -PLACING THE VOICE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>N all-important part of the student’s training is that in relation to -what is called the “placing” of the voice. This somewhat vague term has -been the subject of a good deal of misunderstanding, and the most -curious notions have gained currency as to its actual meaning. Yet this -is, in reality, quite simple.</p> - -<p>Tone is made in the first instance, as I have already explained, by the -breath passing through the vocal cords. The precise <i>quality</i> of the -tone depends, however, on the formation and disposition of the various -parts of the vocal apparatus—throat, palate, tongue, and so on—through -which the breath afterwards passes before issuing from the mouth.</p> - -<p>The disposition of these various parts can be varied by the individual, -and the placing of the voice consists in finding how best to adjust them -in order to get the most satisfactory tone, and in acquiring the power -always to produce tone in this way and in no other.</p> - -<p>To assist in attaining this result it is usual to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> instruct the pupil to -sing “forward,” “dans le masque,” and so on, but it should be clearly -understood that though such terms are useful from the practical point of -view, they are none the less only a <i>façon de parler</i>, and a means of -instructing the pupil how to adjust and adapt the whole vocal apparatus, -so to speak, in the most effective way.</p> - -<p>You can really produce a tone in your face or in your throat. It is all -produced by the vocal cords, and nowhere else, and merely receives its -specific quality or character, so to speak, by, in part, the natural -formation, and, in part, the conscious adjustment of the passages -through which it passes on its way to the mouth.</p> - -<p>But by thinking of the face or the throat and, so to speak, <i>apparently</i> -fixing it there, you can modify the disposition of the various parts in -question and so influence the quality of the tone produced. This -mysterious placing of the voice means, therefore, in reality, nothing -more than finding out in each individual instance the best position of -the vocal organs for getting the best results.</p> - -<p>This, again, is one of those matters in regard to which little help can -be derived from advice in books. Only by direct instruction from a -capable master can a pupil possibly be made to understand completely -what is required in this respect.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span></p> - -<p>It is, indeed, essentially one of those matters in the case of which an -ounce of practice and example is worth a ton of theory, and happy is the -student who has the good fortune to go to a master capable of -instructing him rightly on the point.</p> - -<p>Some fortunate ones, like myself, have voices which are quite perfectly -placed by Nature. That is to say, they are the lucky possessors of -voices which they produce naturally and unconsciously in the most -advantageous manner, so that they require to make no alteration at all.</p> - -<p>This will, of course, be perceived at once by a capable master, who will -be only too careful in such cases to leave well enough alone. A -charlatan or impostor, on the other hand, can work irremediable harm by -interfering with such voices and attempting to modify or improve them.</p> - -<p>A singer with a perfect light soprano voice may, for instance, have the -misfortune to fall into the hands of such a teacher, who will persuade -her that she can sing the rôles of a dramatic soprano, and by misguided -advice and training succeed in ruining a beautiful natural voice in the -attempt to improve it.</p> - -<p>In the vast majority of cases, however, the pupil’s voice is not -naturally placed so as to give the best results. That is to say, by -proper instruction and training it can be made to produce better -results—tones more smooth, more round,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span> more resonant, and so on—and -it is here that the services of an experienced and capable teacher are -beyond price. The problem is one of great complexity, for so many -different factors enter into it. The palate, the tongue, the teeth, the -lips, as well as the natural and unalterable formation of the throat, -and so forth, all play their part in determining the issue, and the -slightest modifications in anyone may easily effect the greatest -differences in the results.</p> - -<p>It is easy to understand, therefore, how impossible it is to lay down -any general rules in the matter, but it is perhaps safe to say that the -less the pupil is called upon to depart from his, or her, natural and -instinctive procedure, the more likely are good results to be -achieved—the ideal case being, of course, the one in which no -alterations whatsoever are required.</p> - -<p>I may add, perhaps, that some authorities attach great importance in -this connection to the language used by the pupil in the earlier stages -of his training—that is, when his voice is undergoing the process of -being placed. That accomplished singer Signor Bonci is, for instance, -one who holds strong views on this point.</p> - -<p>According to him it is very injurious for singers at this stage of their -studies to sing in more than one language. I may perhaps venture to -quote what he has written on the subject: “When a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> tone is properly -placed the word need not affect it, but a great deal of harm is caused -by applying the word too early and beyond this by using several -languages. It is a question, and a serious one, whether those who teach -singing understand the application of the word to the tone, and the -dangers are obvious in languages where nasals and gutturals prevail.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVI</span><br /><br /> -REGISTERS</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">C</span>LOSELY allied with the question of “placing” is that of “registers,” -which has been the subject of so much controversy at various times. -There is not even agreement as to how many registers there are—or even -if there are any at all.</p> - -<p>For while some take the view that there are no such things, others speak -variously of two, three, four, and even more natural and inevitable -divisions in the range of the average voice which can only be properly -distinguished from one another in this way.</p> - -<p>Some, I believe, even maintain that each individual note should properly -be regarded as a different register. But this suggestion I think can -scarcely be intended seriously. For if each individual note really does -constitute a separate register, what is gained by talking of registers -at all?</p> - -<p>There is, however, no denying that there are certain marked differences -in the case of every voice in the quality of the tone produced at -different parts of its range or compass—differences of tone<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span> quality -which are accompanied also by different sensations on the part of the -singer; and to these different sections of the vocal range the name of -registers has been given.</p> - -<p>Usually three are recognised—chest, medium, and head, the term chest -register being applied to the lowest notes, medium to the middle -portion, and head to the highest.</p> - -<p>The terms chest, medium, and head are derived from the sensations -experienced by the singer in producing the different notes referred -to—the lower ones giving the feeling of having been produced in the -chest, the middle ones in the throat, and the highest ones of all in the -head. But it should be understood that in actual fact there is no -difference in the manner in which the various notes are produced.</p> - -<p>All the notes of the voice, whether high or low, are in reality produced -in the same way, namely, in the manner already described—by the passage -of the air from the lungs through the “chink” formed by the vocal cords. -In the case of the lower notes, however, owing to certain physiological -causes, the vibrations are felt by the singer most strongly in and about -the chest, and in the case of the higher ones in the head—whence, -therefore, the somewhat misleading terms in use have been adopted.</p> - -<p>At the same time the fact that these different<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> sensations are -experienced by the singer may be taken as the best possible evidence of -the fact that there are definite differences in the method of tone -production to account for them; and this view of the matter is in fact -confirmed by the researches of physiologists.</p> - -<p>There is no need, of course, for vocalists to concern themselves with -the matter in detail, for the process involved is, of course, entirely -(or almost entirely) automatic. But it is none the less explained by the -physiologists quite clearly why there is, at a certain point, this -difference of feeling on the part of the singer in passing from the -lower notes to the higher ones.</p> - -<p>Without going too minutely into the matter, the reason broadly stated is -that the vocal cords are differently disposed in the two cases. Up to a -certain point the successive tones are produced in one uniform way, and -then above that point the method is modified; and it is this difference -accordingly which is accountable for the distinctive sensations -experienced by the singer—sensations, it may be added, which have been -recognised and discussed ever since the art of singing has been studied.</p> - -<p>Hence, it is quite a mistake to suggest, as has been done by some, that -the whole notion of registers is a delusion. These different registers -do undoubtedly exist, and it becomes one of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span> most important problems -consequently to get rid of the “break,” or change in the tone quality, -which occurs when the voice passes from one to the other. At the same -time it does not follow that violent and artificial methods should be -adopted for this purpose.</p> - -<p>On the contrary, little else than steady and properly directed practice -is required in the ordinary way to accomplish this. In fact if you get -your breathing right and your tone production in general right, the -register difficulty will probably solve itself. To put it in another -way, if you ensure that each individual tone is right, the problem of -the registers need not seriously trouble you; and this is a matter of -paying attention to the general rules of sound tone production.</p> - -<p>Special exercises are, however, usually given for the purpose of -“equalising” the voice, as it is called, that is to say, for the purpose -of ensuring a perfectly even and uniform quality of tone throughout the -scale and avoiding the break at the change of register which has been -referred to; and these exercises are no doubt useful.</p> - -<p>Most of the best authorities are agreed that proper breathing has as -much to do with the matter as anything, some even going so far as to say -that the matter should not be mentioned to the student at all. This is -perhaps a somewhat extreme statement, but the underlying principle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span> is -sound. And here, as always, the principle of absolute ease and -relaxation and the avoidance of all unnatural muscular contraction or -violent effort is at once all important.</p> - -<p>The following is generally conceded to be a well-thought-out method of -uniting the voice wherever the “break” occurs.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_068.png"> -<img src="images/i_068.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p>Sing this passage <i>Messa di Voce</i> ascending and descending, commencing -where the break is first noticeable. If this is practised consistently -for two or three periods of twenty minutes a day it should be effective -in preventing this unpleasant defect. Begin firmly, using “ay,” “oh,” or -“ee,” and swell out to fullest capacity. Then let the tone die away -imperceptibly and be careful not to use falsetto. By doing the foregoing -we have augmented the head tones to such an extent that instead of -having falsetto, we have a head voice capable of being allied to the -chest voice with practically no distinguishable break in the whole -compass.</p> - -<p>Contraltos are the greatest sinners with the “break.” Very few -contraltos are able to change the registers or sing two octaves without -a perceptible gap. At one time this vulgar habit was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span> considered a -virtue when in reality it is a clear indication of lack of study and -practice.</p> - -<p>Remember that no matter where the “break” occurs it is only by -cultivating the head voice that a cure can be attained.</p> - -<p>Then, again, almost everybody has one or two tones more or less -defective, and wherever these occur special attention must be given them -so that they can be built up until the singer can safely overcome the -“break.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVII</span><br /><br /> -FAULTS</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span> FEW words on faults—and the correction of them. No, I am not going to -attempt a catalogue of all the faults which are possible, but name just -a few: faulty intonation; faulty phrasing; imperfectly attacking notes; -“scooping” up to notes; “digging” or arriving at a note from a semitone -beneath it; singing off the key or out of tune and tremolo. All of these -faults are unforgivable, but the last two are crimes. And I could name -numbers more. I have heard vocalists who have been horrified when I told -them that they arrived at a note after attacking it from a fourth below, -especially when singing <i>pianissimo</i>. Consequently I cannot -over-emphasise the supreme need for the student to recognise his faults -and follies if he hopes ever to make progress.</p> - -<p>Nay, this is not putting it strongly enough. He should not merely be -ready to recognise his faults, but eager to discover them. He should be -ever on the lookout to realise his deficiencies and to regard as his -best friends those who are kind enough to tell him of them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span></p> - -<p>This may sound self-obvious, but I am afraid that in practice the -attitude of the average student—and not of the student only, but also -of the experienced artist—is very different. A fatal self-satisfaction -seems, for some reason or other, to be one of the commonest failings of -the average singer. One fairly well-known singer invited my criticism of -her voice, and when I obliged and told her what she must do to become a -great artist she replied, “But I am a great artist.” At which I bowed -and said, “I beg your pardon, madam.”</p> - -<p>Yet it is hardly necessary to say—we can all realise it indeed in the -case of others—that there is no form of weakness more absolutely fatal -to artistic progress. Let the student beware, therefore, of this -dangerous form of vanity and self-sufficiency, and learn from all who -can teach him.</p> - -<p>How often have I not heard of students—alike young and old—who have -been foolish enough to throw over good teachers because they have been -honest enough and courageous enough to tell them unpalatable truths! -They think they know better. They are so supremely well pleased with -themselves—so foolishly satisfied with their own achievements—that -they regard it as an offence when their errors are pointed out.</p> - -<p>Of course they do not put it—even to themselves—in this way. They -prefer to persuade themselves that their teacher is at fault. They -explain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span> that they do not like his “method.” Or they say that he does -not “understand” their particular voice. And so they come to the -conclusion that they had better make a change and go to some other -master instead.</p> - -<p>It is all very human but very foolish, and I cannot impress this too -strongly upon all who read this book. Your best friend is one who will -tell you faithfully, not how beautifully you sing but how badly!</p> - -<p>Some are, of course, wise enough to realise this. And you will generally -find that they are the ones who get on. Such a one was Caruso, who, to -the end of his day, never ceased to practise, to study, to reflect upon -his art, and even to worry and agitate himself over his supposed -deficiencies—deficiencies which were unperceived by his hearers but -which he, with his fastidious and ultra-sensitive artistic conscience, -persuaded himself were there.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XVIII</span><br /><br /> -COLORATURA SINGING</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span> SUPPOSE there is no question which I am more frequently asked by vocal -students and others interested than how to acquire agility, but I am -afraid my answer is usually disappointing. For I can only repeat that it -is simply a case of perseverance and hard work, plus, of course, -whatever natural abilities in that direction you may possess.</p> - -<p>It is obvious that all singers are not equally endowed in this respect. -The mere fact that there is such a difference in this matter between the -various classes of voices is sufficient to prove that. No one ever -expects a contralto voice to have the same facility in this regard as a -light soprano, and still less a bass or a baritone.</p> - -<p>The most unceasing practice would never have enabled an Alboni or a -Lablache, say, to achieve the dazzling runs and fioriture of a Patti or -a Catalani. And to a less marked degree there are similar differences -between individual voices of the same class. All are not equally capable -in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span> this particular even when in other respects they may be equally -good.</p> - -<p>Some experienced teachers indeed recognise this fact so clearly that -they do not advise even soprano singers to cultivate coloratura singing -unless they have the necessary natural facility to begin with. I think -myself, however, that all should endeavour to acquire the maximum -agility, even if they do not attempt to sing coloratura in public, -simply for the benefits which they will derive from it in other -respects. After all the voice cannot be possessed of too much -flexibility whatever style of music be attempted; and there is no way in -which flexibility can be more surely developed than by the practice of -coloratura.</p> - -<p>For the rest I can only repeat that, given the right kind of voice in -the first place, there is only one way to acquire agility, and that is -by practice. No short cuts are possible here, and I have no trade -secrets to impart.</p> - -<p>And the necessary exercises themselves are all of the simplest -character, at all events in the beginning; just simple scales—or rather -portions of scales—in the first instance, with others more elaborate in -due course. But the scales are the foundation, and if they are properly -mastered the rest will follow without difficulty.</p> - -<p>An important feature of good coloratura singing is, of course, not only -that the notes shall be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span> cleanly sung, but also that they shall be -absolutely in tune and of good tone quality. One not infrequently hears -singers who possess the necessary agility to sing the note, but are -lacking in these other qualities. Their runs will lack brilliancy -because the notes will not be perfectly in tune, and the quality of them -will be so hard and disagreeable sometimes as to give more pain than -pleasure.</p> - -<p>The cause of this will usually have been a desire to make progress too -hastily in the earlier stages. They will not have devoted sufficient -attention at the outset to practising <i>slowly</i>, and so ensuring -absolutely just intonation and satisfactory tone quality. Therefore, it -is emphatically a case here of “more haste less speed.” You cannot -acquire velocity quickly. I will not repeat again the well-worn story of -Porpora and Caffarelli. But that illustrates the point.</p> - -<p>I cannot refrain from adding a few words while on this subject in -defence of coloratura, which is so often contemptuously spoken of in -these days by those who do not possess the power of singing it. We all -know the kind of way in which it is referred to. Coloratura music is -false, showy, superficial, unworthy, dramatically unreal, and so on. But -what nonsense this is!</p> - -<p>What is the difference in principle, I would ask, between the fioriture -passages of the vocalist and those introduced as a matter of course in -the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span> serious instrumental music? Why should a cadenza for the voice -be reckoned less worthy than a similar passage for the violin or the -’cello? All the greatest masters have introduced florid passages in -plenty in the noblest instrumental music. Yet the view is very generally -adopted that these are inadmissible, or, at all events, belong to an -inferior phase of the art when the instrument employed happens to be the -voice.</p> - -<p>No doubt the quality of the works more particularly identified with -vocal music of this order has had something to do with the matter. Yet -it is hardly necessary to recall that vocal fioriture is by no means -confined to the music of Donizetti, Bellini, and the like.</p> - -<p>Bach, for one, had no sort of prejudice on the point, as is demonstrated -often enough even in his most solemn work, while Handel, again, revelled -in coloratura, alike in the case of his operas, containing some of the -most wonderful florid music ever written, and of his oratorios, to which -no less applied.</p> - -<p>That Mozart can be reckoned in the same category it is hardly necessary -to recall, while even Beethoven did not disdain to utilise the arts of -vocal decoration in many of the numbers of “Fidelio.” If, therefore, -coloratura singing is sometimes spoken of disrespectfully, it is not -from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span> lack of distinguished names which can be cited in its defence.</p> - -<p>Nor is it only among the ancients that such are to be found. In the -modern Russian School we have Rimsky-Kosakoff’s “Hymn to the Sun” from -“Coq d’Or.” And have we not also such an eminently serious master as -Richard Strauss challenging comparison in our own time with the most -extravagant productions of the past in this particular genre in the -music of Zerbinetta in his “Ariadne”? One of his latest songs, “Amor,” -is purely for coloratura singers.</p> - -<p>As to the charge that coloratura in dramatic music is unnatural and -undramatic, those who argue thus surely overlook the fact that all opera -might with equal justice be disposed of in the same manner. People do -not express themselves in song in real life, any more than they speak in -blank verse, as they are made to do in Shakespearean drama.</p> - -<p>Yet we are glad to have “Don Giovanni” and “King Lear” none the less! It -is, indeed, truly straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel to condemn -coloratura while accepting opera as a whole.</p> - -<p>I go further than this, for I venture to say that coloratura can be not -only delightful to the ear but also thoroughly appropriate and -dramatically expressive. What could be more suitable to give<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span> expression -to the madness of Lucia than the roulades which Donizetti gives to her? -Or how could the joy of Marguérite be more exquisitely expressed than in -the strains of Gounod’s “Jewel Song”?</p> - -<p>I might point in this connection, did modesty permit it, to what people -have been good enough to say concerning my own treatment of coloratura -in “La Traviata” and elsewhere. I recall that when I first appeared in -London it was upon this point particularly that all my critics dwelt.</p> - -<p>They were all more especially struck by the manner in which I managed, -while singing Verdi’s florid music brilliantly and effectively in the -purely vocal sense, at the same time to make it expressive; and this I -took as the greatest possible compliment which could be bestowed on me. -For that I think is what coloratura properly sung should be.</p> - -<p>It should please the ear by its brilliance, but at the same time it -should not, and need not, obscure the dramatic significance of what is -sung. I might on this point quote that great artist once again, Lilli -Lehmann, who, notwithstanding her strong leaning to music of the more -serious class, including Wagner, in which she was so wonderful, was yet -a great coloratura singer herself in her younger days, and who has -strongly insisted upon the possibility of making even the most florid<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span> -music expressive also when it is sung in the right way.</p> - -<p>She writes: “Thus in the coloratura passages of Mozart’s arias I have -always sought to gain expressiveness by <i>crescendi</i>, choice of -significant points for breathing, and breaking off of phrases. I have -been especially successful with this in the ‘Entführung,’ introducing a -tone of lament in the first aria, a heroic dignity into the second, -through the coloratura passages.”</p> - -<p>But happily I do not think there is any likelihood of coloratura ever -going out of fashion, whatever its detractors may say, so long, at all -events, as singers shall be forthcoming who are capable of responding to -its demands.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XIX</span><br /><br /> -ENUNCIATION</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER the fundamental problems of breathing, tone production and so -forth have been dealt with, there is nothing to which the student should -pay greater attention than the question of diction, or right -enunciation. Yet I am afraid it is rare to find that this view of the -matter is acted upon. On the contrary, this question of diction appears -to be one of the last to which most singers are disposed to give any -serious attention.</p> - -<p>Hence the unintelligible sounds which are so often heard proceeding from -vocalists, alike in the concert room and on the stage, so that one -sometimes can scarcely tell even in what language they are supposed to -be singing.</p> - -<p>This is, of course, a deplorable state of affairs, but yet one so well -established that in nine cases out of ten it is hardly thought worthy of -remark by the average hearer. It is taken as a matter of course, in -other words, that only a word or two, here and there, of those sung -shall be understood by the audience, and one may listen attentively to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span> -an entire opera without having more than a vague idea at the end as to -what it was all about.</p> - -<p>Yet in the case of certain singers one may understand without difficulty -practically every word they sing, the fact being thereby demonstrated -that there is not the slightest real necessity for the incredibly -slovenly and defective enunciation which is permitted with such -surprising and lamentable tolerance by the public at large.</p> - -<p>So far as opera is concerned, I think that the blame rests largely with -the managers. If they would adopt the practice of deputing some -trustworthy representative at every rehearsal to sit in the topmost -gallery and relentlessly pull up every singer whose words could not be -clearly understood, the difficulty, I am convinced, would speedily -disappear. And operatic directors, I am sure, would find it greatly to -their advantage to adopt this course if only on account of the greater -popularity which opera would enjoy if it could always be followed, as it -should be, as easily as a spoken play.</p> - -<p>I believe that in England especially, where opera in the native language -is, as I am delighted to see, making such steady headway, its acceptance -by the general public is hindered more on this account than by any other -reason. Yet there is not the slightest necessity for the presentation of -the drama, which is sung instead of being spoken, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span> be hampered and -handicapped in this grievous fashion, and it only needs more vigorous -action on the part of the directing powers, I am persuaded, to remedy -matters.</p> - -<p>So long, however, as singers are left to themselves in this respect, the -difficulty will always remain, since their inevitable tendency is to -sacrifice diction to tone quality—in other words, to achieve the best -effects in the purely vocal sense and let the words look after -themselves.</p> - -<p>And this brings us at once to the root of the diction problem, namely, -the undoubted difficulty which presents itself at times in reconciling -the claims of good tone and clear enunciation. When a pupil is studying -he practises upon the easiest vowel sounds and syllables which can be -selected; and many singers, I am afraid, would like nothing better than -to be allowed to continue singing upon these agreeable and grateful -vocables to the end of their day.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, however, this is not quite possible, and so too many try -to get over the difficulty by singing the words not in the way in which -they should be pronounced, but in the manner most convenient to -themselves. It is hardly necessary to say that this is all wrong and -most inartistic, besides being quite unnecessary.</p> - -<p>It may be said that it is easy for an Italian to speak thus, and it must -certainly be agreed that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span> we Italians are greatly favoured in having the -most vocal and melodious of all languages to sing. With our open vowels -we may be considered, indeed, to have every advantage in this respect, -just as the Germans with their multiplicity of harsh and difficult and, -to Italian ears, almost impossible consonants, have every disadvantage.</p> - -<p>Yet the principle remains unaffected that every singer, in whatever -language, who wishes to be considered a master of his art must contrive -to reconcile the claims of good tone with those of accurate and -intelligible diction, and the student cannot pay too much attention to -this matter from the very moment that he begins to clothe his tones in -words.</p> - -<p>“Sing as you speak,” is a saying which I have heard ascribed to that -great master, Jean de Reszke, and though the advice cannot, perhaps, be -taken quite literally, it certainly indicates the ideal to be kept in -view. It is not feasible to obey the injunction quite literally because -it is almost physically impossible to sing certain sounds on certain -notes. On this account many teachers—Lamperti himself was one of -them—sanction the deliberate modification of the proper vowel sounds -or, preferably, the substitution of a more convenient word. But the -object should certainly be to keep as near as may be practicable to the -correct, natural pronunciation, whereas some seem to make<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span> it their aim -almost to depart from this as far as possible.</p> - -<p>One of the worst examples of execrable enunciation was given by one -singer when giving an otherwise creditable rendering of Maude Valerie -White’s “Devout Lover.” The words intended were “Burn at her altar,” -which were given “Burnateralter.”</p> - -<p>Some English singers have the habit of putting a vowel after a -consonant, as in the word “Good-bye,” which becomes “Goodabye” and which -is absurd.</p> - -<p>Baritones often have a habit of emphasising wrong words, of which one of -the best examples is “Trumpeter, what <i>are</i> you sounding now?” Another -absurdity.</p> - -<p>One could multiply these examples indefinitely.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XX</span><br /><br /> -LANGUAGE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">“I</span>TALIAN is the easiest language to sing, then comes Russian, and I -should put English next. All languages affect the tone, unless the tone -is first able to carry the weight of the language. A singer may study in -any language, but in only one until after the tone is placed beyond any -possibility of being affected by the demands of the different -languages.”</p> - -<p>I am disposed to think that there is a good deal of truth in this. How -serious is the influence exercised by the language used upon the quality -of the tone produced is illustrated by German vocalism and American -intonation. For here you have entire nations who, in the vocal sense, -may be said to illustrate the evil effect upon tone of a harsh and nasal -language.</p> - -<p>German singing seems to be different, not merely in degree, but even in -kind from that of other lands. In the case of even its best exponents -there is a harshness and a tonelessness about it which differentiates it -from that of any other race. German singers often have strong,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span> lusty -voices, likewise plenty of intelligence and dramatic feeling; but for -beauty of tone and all the finer qualities of vocalism one listens for -them in vain.</p> - -<p>The fact is strange, but it can hardly be denied even by those least -disposed to admit it. That one of the most musical nations in Europe -should also be that of all others least dowered with the gift of song is -a remarkable paradox which is not a little difficult to understand.</p> - -<p>It is not a case of differences of taste. The point is that the German -voice, as such, is indisputably inferior in point of quality to that of -practically all the other European races. There is no discredit in the -circumstance. It implies no reflection on anyone. It is merely an -unfortunate physiological fact which must be accepted like any other of -those decrees of Nature which are not to be gainsaid.</p> - -<p>Such being the fact, how is it to be explained? Why is it that German -singing is of this strange quality? How has it come about that so -musical a race has been so shabbily treated by Nature in this important -regard?</p> - -<p>Various theories have been advanced. According to some the explanation -is that it is the German language with its explosive consonants, harsh -gutturals, and other unmelodious characteristics, which is at the bottom -of the trouble.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span></p> - -<p>Students of voice production will prove to you by ingenious experiments -that the disposition of the vocal organs, breathing, and so forth, -required for the utterance of the German language, are in themselves -incompatible with the emission of a beautiful quality of vocal tone; and -however this may be, it is hardly to be disputed that regarded from the -standpoint of euphony, pure and simple, the German language is certainly -not to be called melodious.</p> - -<p>It seems quite a plausible theory, therefore, that harshness of language -and harshness of voice are not disconnected, especially when the -suggestion is fortified by the converse association of the most -beautiful voices with the most mellifluous language, in the case of the -Italians.</p> - -<p>And if so much be admitted, it is obvious that it may indeed be a -question of importance, as Signor Bonci has suggested, what language is -employed by the student in that critical initial stage when his voice is -being “placed.”</p> - -<p>For the rest it may be noticed that another great modern tenor, namely -Caruso, insisted especially, when discussing this question of placing, -upon the supreme necessity of freedom and ease and the absence of all -unnecessary contractions of the muscles.</p> - -<p>Signor Fucito tells us that on this point he expressed himself as -follows: “It is necessary through<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span> the aid of self-study and the help of -a good singing teacher to become aware of every physical defect—such as -contractions of the muscles of the throat, of the face, or of the -jaw—which can hinder the tone from being emitted in all its fullness -and purity. These rigid muscular contractions bring about a throaty -tone, which lacks support and is incapable of purity and amplitude.... -The singer should apply himself to his study with great naturalness and -relaxation; this is the <i>sine qua non</i> of beautiful cantilena singing.”</p> - -<p>With every word of these remarks I heartily agree. Indeed, I imagine -that they would gain the universal assent of all qualified to write on -the subject.</p> - -<p>The pronunciation of foreign languages is a point to which the student -can hardly give too much attention. It also affords another argument in -favour of study abroad, since it is certain that a foreign language -cannot possibly be acquired so effectually anywhere as in the land where -it is spoken. And foreign languages are indispensable to a singer -nowadays who aspires to be equal to all the requirements of the modern -répertoire.</p> - -<p>True it may not be necessary to possess the linguistic powers of a -Mingotti, who spoke German, French, Italian, English, and Spanish. But -at least it may be laid down as an inexorable rule that no one should -ever attempt to sing in a foreign<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> tongue until he has acquired absolute -command over every detail of its pronunciation by means of study, if not -in the land itself, at any rate with a native.</p> - -<p>Otherwise the result can only be a travesty of the composer’s—or at all -events of the poet’s—intentions and a source of mirth to all hearers. -Little do some artists realise, indeed, the impressions which they -produce at times when, with misplaced assurance, they venture on songs -in tongues with which they are imperfectly acquainted.</p> - -<p>Even in the case of the best equipped it is a proceeding attended with -risk to sing in a foreign language; but without complete knowledge there -is no more certain way of exposing one’s self to ridicule.</p> - -<p>And I am afraid that it must be said that, contrary perhaps to the -general belief, Italian suffers no less than any other language from -misguided attempts of this kind. The idea is commonly entertained that -Italian is “easy” to speak, but of course this is not the case if it is -really to be properly spoken.</p> - -<p>To which I may add that few peoples seem to experience more difficulty -in mastering its subtleties than the English. It may be recalled, too, -that this was also the view of Lamperti. Of all the European nations, he -declared, the English, and especially Londoners, pronounced Italian -worst.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span> The sounds that they produce, he remarked, are nearly all -guttural, the vowels being excessively weak, while their accent was -entirely wrong—the men, he added, being even worse than the women.</p> - -<p>The Scotch, on the other hand, were not quite so bad in his judgment, -while the Irish were best of all. Indeed, he agreed that the latter with -study could learn to speak Italian quite wonderfully—as is illustrated, -I may say, at the present time by Mr. John McCormack, who has a most -admirable Italian diction. But it certainly is not often that one can -speak in similar terms of the average English artist.</p> - -<p>If anyone doubts this, let him read and ponder over some caustic remarks -once made on this very point by the late Sir Charles Santley. Nothing -was more deplorable, he said, than to hear the atrocious manner in which -the beautiful Italian language was murdered at times by untrained -English singers, and if, he added, they had any notion of the effect -which they produced by such attempts upon such of their hearers as -happened to be really familiar with the language, they would assuredly -never make themselves so ridiculous again. Better a thousand times, he -concluded, to sing all your life in your own tongue rather than make -yourself a laughing-stock by attempting a task beyond your power.</p> - -<p>To which I need hardly add that the same ap<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span>plies no less to French and -German, though I am myself less qualified to speak concerning those -languages.</p> - -<p>It is not for me, perhaps, to say much about Wagner singing, which is so -far removed from my own chosen province, but I may be permitted, -perhaps, while on the subject of diction, to point to the appalling -manner in which the divine art of singing has been perverted by -Wagnerian singers under the mistaken notion that they were in this way -carrying out the wishes of the sublime master.</p> - -<p>I say “under the mistaken notion” because it is well known by those -acquainted with the fact that the so-called “Bayreuth method” was as far -removed as possible from Wagner’s actual ideas. It is true that he -attached the utmost importance to clear and emphatic enunciation of the -words so that the course of the drama might be quite clearly understood, -and therein he was quite right. But there is little reason to suppose -that he was in reality satisfied with the actual results achieved by the -German singers by whom his works were originally presented.</p> - -<p>It is, indeed, an utter mistake to suppose that the harsh and strident -singing of the average German vocalist was of a kind to commend itself -to Wagner. On the contrary, it was one of his pet schemes, if I have not -been misinformed, in connection with Bayreuth, to institute a School of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span> -Singing which might lead to better things; and the kind of singing at -which he aimed may be gathered from the fact that the teacher whom he -wished to secure to carry out his views was none other than that famous -exponent of Bel Canto, the late Señor Manuel García!</p> - -<p>In the same connection, too, may be recalled the remark made by the -composer after hearing a performance of “Lohengrin” (with the great -Italian Wagnerian tenor Borgatti) on one occasion at Bologna. Almost for -the first time, he said, he had heard his music really sung. All of -which suggests how far they are from actually fulfilling the wishes of -the master in continuing at Bayreuth the horrible vocal methods which -had become so unfortunately associated with his name.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXI</span><br /><br /> -STYLE AND INTERPRETATION</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">D</span>ICTION, it may be said, is included in Style; but Style means a good -deal more than diction.</p> - -<p>Style may be said, indeed, to mean everything that the singer adds to -the bare notes and directions of the printed page. These notes and -directions are admittedly incomplete—a mere approximation to the -composer’s complete meaning. He supplies in this way the bare facts with -such additional hints as to expression and interpretation as an -imperfect system of notation allows. It is the duty of his interpreters -to supply what is missing—to breathe the spirit of life into the dry -bones and to convert dead printed notes into living human music.</p> - -<p>To this end the singer must possess first of all the requisite insight -and understanding to grasp the composer’s purpose, next the personality -and magnetism to be able to realise it for his hearers, and lastly the -musical taste and knowledge required in order to present it in -conformity with the appropriate rules and traditions. In other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> words, -the singer must not merely sing the right notes, but sing them in the -right way—with the right accent, the right phrasing, and in the right -manner.</p> - -<p>What is required may be best realised, perhaps, by comparing the -delivery of a fine piece of poetry by a schoolgirl or schoolboy, say, -with the delivery of the same lines by an accomplished actor or -elocutionist. The words will be the same in both cases, but what a -difference in the result! So in the case of music the notes sung will be -the same whoever sings them, but the effect will be vastly different -when they are sung by the trained artist.</p> - -<p>Here it is that the student’s general culture will bear fruit, in the -imaginative insight and understanding, the good taste and the -expression, which he brings to his task. And here, too, will his musical -knowledge and intelligence be more particularly illustrated by the -manner in which he conforms to the requirements of the particular kind -of music which he is interpreting. For to do this aright a knowledge of -the notes alone will not suffice.</p> - -<p>He must be familiar also with the varying needs of the different schools -of music, with the historical traditions associated with them, and so -forth. Opera demands one kind of singing, oratorio another, German -<i>Lieder</i> another, and so on through<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span>out; and each of these general -classifications can be subdivided in turn.</p> - -<p>How different are the requirements of each is best exemplified by the -fact that so few succeed in all. One singer will be great in opera, -another in oratorio, a third in <i>Lieder</i>; but only in the rarest -instances will you find one and the same artist excelling in all. Why is -this? Simply because their respective requirements are so different.</p> - -<p>For this reason the average artist will, I think, usually be well -advised to confine himself to the class of work more particularly suited -to his talent. While it is well to cultivate versatility so far as -possible, it is a mistake to sing music of a kind for which you are not -suited. Patti loved Wagner, for instance, and was a frequent visitor to -Bayreuth. But she did not sing his music. She liked to hear it sung by -others, but she realised that it was not for her. Voice, personality, -training, temperament, all impose necessary limitations.</p> - -<p>People blame me sometimes, for instance, for confining myself mainly to -music of a certain school. But I think I know best as to this, and that -I am exercising sound judgment in adopting this course. There is much -music which I admire and love, but I do not always try to sing it. In -the same way I may admire frocks which I see on other women, but I do -not necessarily try to wear<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span> the same myself. I have the good sense to -recognise that they would not suit me.</p> - -<p>Moreover, the field of music is so vast that to cultivate one or two -departments thoroughly will be more than sufficient to tax the energy of -the most ambitious. Make yourself master or mistress in your own chosen -province, and you will have accomplished quite as much as any one need -wish to.</p> - -<p>And whatever style you cultivate get as near to perfection in it as you -can possibly. Catalani said of Sontag: “<i>Elle est la première dans son -genre; mais son genre n’est pas le premier</i>.” This may or may not have -been true. But Sontag was probably well pleased, in any case, to be “<i>la -première</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXII</span><br /><br /> -HOW I SING AN ARIA</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>O sing a song or a big aria well you must, for the time, be both the -vocalist and composer of the words and music you wish to express. If I -wish to sing, say, “Home Sweet Home,” I must imagine how far I am away -from sunny Italy, and forget all the kindness and attention with which I -am surrounded here. Then, I begin to feel the mood and homesickness -coming to aid me, vocal control must do the rest in making the song -effective.</p> - -<p>Or, again, if I wish to do justice to Sir Frederick Cowen’s charming -little song, “The Swallows,” I must think of a lovely sunny morning and, -mentally, “Open wide my lattice, letting in the laughing breeze,” -imagining all the joyous sense of life that the arrival of the swallows -brings to my naturally vivacious Southern nature.</p> - -<p>Let us, however, take the Recitative and Polonaise from that brilliantly -sparkling opera “Mignon,” by Ambroise Thomas. First of all, I have to -study the setting of this great aria, and then study the words, which, -in English begin,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Yes! for to-night I am Queen of the Fairies,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And here my golden sceptre see;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And behold these, my trophies!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_098.png"> -<img src="images/i_098.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p>I ask myself what I might feel like were I able to become a fairy. -Giving myself free rein, I sing the whole recitative much as I would -speak it, only having in mind the notes, I attack them firmly, letting -the conductor punctuate the whole with the accompaniment somewhat -freely. In recitative, one must have fire and imagination, and, although -reasonable attention must be paid to the valuation of notes—the full -five beats, for example, on the long note of bars 6 and 7—it is the -part of the accompanist to feel your pulse, as it were, and go with you. -Now, on the same long note, be careful to carry a sense of increasing -wonder, by making a <i>diminuendo</i>, then, with increasing verve, make a -clean “turn” on beat four of the 8th bar, capped<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span> by a triumphant pause, -and, a clean interval of the fifth with the word “trophies,” on beats -one and two of bar 9.</p> - -<p>Now we come to the actual Polacca, in which <i>tempo</i> must be observed and -all the tricks of brilliant vocal agility put into play. Remember, all -these “runs” and bravura passages must be clear—every note like a fresh -pea out of a pod or bullet out of a machine gun! Observe the boldness of -“picking up” at the beginning of the polacca movement, and in bar 3 of -this movement how smoothly the detached notes have to be sung.</p> - -<p>Moderato tempo di Polacca (96♩)</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_099.png"> -<img src="images/i_099.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p>Here, again, there must be no scooping up an octave, but a clear rise of -the octave, giving the sense of all, as it were, one piece. Thus, “I—I -<i>am</i> Titania,” and repeat the same words with even greater fervour, -treating all the words and music with the same mentality and as vital to -the whole.</p> - -<p>Many so-called intellectual singers prefer <i>Lieder</i>, because they cannot -vocalise the fine, dashing, graceful runs of florid music, not because -of its lack of intellectual requirements. What could better express the -vivacious joy of a fairy queen than the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span> triplet passages on the -exclamation “<i>Ah!</i>” bars 14 and 15 of the polacca movement.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_100-a.png"> -<img src="images/i_100-a.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p>When we come to bars 29 and 30, there is the chance of a lifetime with -the cadenza-like string of fifteen notes, in the neatest sets of three, -and they should be as perfect as though played by Kreisler on the -violin.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_100-b.png"> -<img src="images/i_100-b.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p>Later on we come to some roulade passages of six notes on the same -exclamation “Ah!” (bars 43, 44, and 45) which must be sung with -increasing verve, so that the wood wind of the orchestra comes running -up perfectly in tune and tempo, as it were from right under your last -note. Here, much depends upon the cue of the conductor, but, changing -one’s manner and keeping up the growing joyfulness, you begin a new era, -as it were, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span> the words, “Bright troops of fairies hover round me.” -Thus, the aria works on, until, on the last beat of bar 54 and bar 55 -there is a suggestion of</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_101-a.png"> -<img src="images/i_101-a.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p class="nind">a fairy call. A dream-like waltz, in wide contrast, follows. Unless one -feels this, the brilliance we have worked up is losing the value of -contrast with</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_101-b.png"> -<img src="images/i_101-b.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p class="nind">this shimmer, as it were, of gleaming moonlight. On this breaks the -brilliant passages of the flute, which may be the task of some fairy -worker in the</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_101-c.png"> -<img src="images/i_101-c.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p class="nind">real fairyland! I must be wafted along in smooth subservience to the -brilliance of the accompaniment for the next few bars, until I repeat -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span> lovely melody at bar 62 when I begin to add—as scored in the -part—some grace notes and florid passages, and gradually awaken until, -at bar 79, I have ascended to a full top B, preceded by a “trill” or -“shake,” that leads up to the brilliant burst of the orchestra back to -the polacca-like movement, and to the finale. This must be one -increasing triumph, over the much-talked-of top E flat, the roulades, -grace notes, trills, and cadenza-like passages for sheer <i>joie de -vivre</i>. Yet all this depends upon how well you have conditioned -yourself, practised those tiring vowel sounds, scales, sustained</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i_102.png"> -<img src="images/i_102.png" width="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p class="nind">passages, to which I commend you before essaying the brilliant Polonaise -from “Mignon” that has given me many triumphs, yet still calls for all I -can give, as it will to the end of the chapter.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXIII</span><br /><br /> -PRACTISING</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>S it necessary to say that daily practice is indispensable to the -student—as it is also to the finished artist? A celebrated violinist -used to say, “If I cease practising for one day I know it when I next -play; if for two days my enemies know it; if for three the public know -it.” It is the same with the voice, although some voices, no doubt, -require less daily exercising than others.</p> - -<p>Some fortunate ones, indeed, have been able to dispense with it almost -entirely. On the day of a performance the great Chaliapine warms his -voice up for a period of thirty or forty minutes only. On other days and -when on vacation he rarely practises, except for getting up new music, -and even this is more of a mental process. It is said of Mario also that -at the height of his fame he never practised more than ten minutes a -day, and that just before he was leaving for the Opera House, while his -servant would be standing, watch in hand, assuring him that he would be -late for the performance if he did not start at once. But that, of -course, was an exceptional case.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span></p> - -<p>On the other hand, Battistini is most lavish with his practising and -rarely a day passes that he does not put in one or two hours of solid -singing. This no doubt accounts for the extraordinary command he has -over tone, phrasing and breathing. There is great truth in the saying -that practice makes perfect, but how many of us have the robust and -natural organ that Battistini is blessed with. I always thought that the -reason of this was the fact that Battistini, who could well have trained -as a tenor, elected to become a baritone, thus evading the strain of -forcing high “C’s” out of his voice.</p> - -<p>At the same time even practising should not be carried to excess. Many -singers have, indeed, often done their voices great harm by practising -too much. The vocal cords are exceedingly delicate and cannot be used -too carefully. There can be no doubt that the wonderful preservation of -Patti’s voice was due in large measure to the extraordinary prudence and -care with which she husbanded it. By never singing at rehearsals, by -never singing when she was in the least degree out of health or tired, -and so on, she added years probably to the length of her career. And all -singers should act as far as possible on the same principle.</p> - -<p>There should never be the smallest strain in practising, for instance. -For this reason it is advisable to practise with the half voice mostly -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span> only rarely at the extremities of the compass—and then with great -care and discretion. In the same way there should never be any sense of -fatigue, still less of hoarseness, after practice.</p> - -<p>It is, indeed, in the ordinary way a sure sign that something is wrong, -either with your vocal organs or with your methods, if this occurs -often, and the matter should be investigated accordingly—even to the -extent of changing your teacher if necessary.</p> - -<p>If, however, the trouble is only temporary, a brief suspension of -exercising may be all that is necessary. But in this case be careful not -to resume your practising until the trouble has completely disappeared. -Far better drop your practising for a week, or a month, if necessary, -than attempt to sing when your organs are not in perfect order.</p> - -<p>That is to say, if there is really definite trouble. If, on the other -hand, it is merely a little hoarseness, such as many singers are subject -to, then <i>judicious</i> exercising—please notice that I emphasise -judicious—may be the best thing for it. This is, however, essentially a -matter upon which you must be guided by your teacher—or even if -necessary by a doctor.</p> - -<p>Madame Lilli Lehmann prescribes, for instance, what she calls the Great -Scale as an invaluable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> remedy for all manner of vocal ills—meaning -simply long slow scales of sustained notes steadily repeated. Here is -what she said, for instance, on this point:</p> - -<p>“The great scale properly employed in practice accomplishes wonders. It -equalises the voice, makes it flexible and noble, gives strength to all -weak places, operates to repair all breaks and faults that exist, and -controls the voice to the very heart. Nothing escapes it. It is the -Guardian Angel of the voice. I sing it every day, often twice, even if I -have to sing one of my greatest rôles in the evening. I can rely -absolutely on its assistance.”</p> - -<p>And, as I have said, she prescribed this very exercise not only for -daily practice when one is well, but also as a remedy for troubles when -the voice is out of order. I may be permitted, perhaps, to quote in this -connection another interesting passage:</p> - -<p>“I myself had to sing ‘Norma’ in Vienna some years ago and got up in the -morning quite hoarse. By nine o’clock I tried my invaluable remedy, but -could not sing above A flat, although in the evening I should have to -reach high D flat and E flat. I was on the point of giving up because -the case seemed to be so desperate. Nevertheless, I practised till 11 -o’clock, half an hour at a time, and no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span>ticed that I was gradually -getting better. In the evening I had my D flat and E flat at my command -so that people said they had seldom heard me sing so well.”</p> - -<p>I have quoted this advice of Lilli Lehmann because it is of interest and -value as coming from so great an authority, but I do not wish it to be -understood that this has been my own precise practice, for this is not -the case. But as to the general value of scales for practising purposes -there is, of course, no possible doubt. Scales are, indeed, the -foundation of all useful practice, especially at first.</p> - -<p>Marchesi, for instance, relied on them almost exclusively in the earlier -stages—long sustained tones, repeated again and again until her -fastidious ear was satisfied; and no pupil can possibly fail to benefit -from such exercise. Even for the acquisition of velocity, as I have said -elsewhere, scales—and quite slow ones at first—are indispensable.</p> - -<p>Of more elaborate exercises there are none better, so far as I know, -than those to be found in Concone, while for advanced pupils well-chosen -numbers from the great Italian operatic masters, Rossini, Donizetti, -Bellini, and the rest, can be utilised with great advantage. This -includes mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, as well as sopranos. My maestro -would make them all sing “Una voce<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span> poco fa” transposed, saying that it -was a vocal massage.</p> - -<p>But it is rather a matter for the individual teacher to prescribe what -is required in this way, since all voices will not need the same.</p> - -<p>As to the period and duration of practising, my own plan is to practise -twice a day—at ten in the morning for an hour, with intervals of rest; -and again in the afternoon, before dinner, for the same time. But the -beginner should not practise for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a -time, and should leave off immediately his voice begins to feel tired.</p> - -<p>To which, I would add, that it is of the utmost importance not only what -one practises but <i>how</i>. Ten minutes’ practice with the maximum of -thought and concentration will be of more value than a whole hour of -mere mechanical scales and arpeggi, sung without thought and care.</p> - -<p>The pupil, while practising, should listen to himself with the utmost -vigilance all the time—criticising ruthlessly every tone, and seeking -always to eradicate every fault and blemish. It is for lack of this -<i>mental</i> effort that pupils so often practise in vain—improving -themselves in certain respects perhaps, but never acquiring that beauty -of tone and perfection of execution which should be the foundation of -all.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span></p> - -<p>I would repeat here, indeed, what I have said before, that unsparing -self-criticism is the root of all progress. Nor should this ever cease. -As a great artist remarked in some words which I quoted earlier, the -true artist will continue studying and practising and improving to the -end of his day.</p> - -<p>Read, for instance, what Signor Fucito tells us of Caruso:</p> - -<p>“No one could have been a severer critic of Caruso’s art than Caruso -himself. He worked with tremendous concentration, and his acute ear was -ever ready to descry the slightest flaw in the tone production, in -quality or the interpretation of a musical passage.”</p> - -<p>And again:</p> - -<p>“There were times when he refused to rest, singing a passage or phrase -over and over again, each time with another vocal modulation of -colouring until he got the expression and quality that satisfied his -exacting musical taste.”</p> - -<p>It is interesting to note, by the way, that Caruso practised always, or -nearly always, with the full voice—a procedure which is not, however, -as I have already said, to be generally recommended.</p> - -<p>Incidentally in practising the student should avoid the acquisition of -bad habits of standing, undesirable movements with the hands, and so -on,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span> and should also keep careful check upon his facial expressions. For -the latter purpose it is an excellent plan to practise before a mirror, -since this is the surest way to avoid the unconscious cultivation of -undesirable tricks which, once they have been acquired, may prove most -difficult to get rid of.</p> - -<p>In the case of operatic artists it is a good plan also to practise in -costume in order to become accustomed to the dress which one will be -wearing in the actual performance, and thus to avoid any sense of -awkwardness which may be otherwise experienced. And for the same reason -when any particular number has to be sung in any special manner from the -physical point of view, as, for instance, sitting down, or kneeling, it -is well to become accustomed to this also beforehand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXIV</span><br /><br /> -THE ARTIST AND THE GRAMOPHONE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">B</span>EFORE leaving the subject of practising I should like to add a word as -to the value of the gramophone to the intelligent student. This is, -indeed, a truly invaluable adjunct. If to hear the greatest singers is -the finest of all experiences for the student, how can it indeed be -otherwise? For here in the most convenient manner possible is the means -provided for doing this. In the earlier pages of this volume I have -recorded what inestimable advantages I derived in my own case from the -constant hearing of fine singing from my earliest childhood. Now, by -means of the gramophone, the same advantage is at the command of every -one wheresoever he, or she, may happen to reside.</p> - -<p>In my younger days only those dwelling in the great capitals could hope -to hear such artists as Patti, Tamagno, Caruso, Battistini, and so -forth, and even those only if means permitted, which was not often in -the case of poor students.</p> - -<p>To-day any one can enjoy this priceless privilege, wherever he may -happen to reside, for a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span> comparatively small outlay through the agency -of the gramophone.</p> - -<p>And he can hear them not only now and again, but as often as ever he -likes and by his own fireside. If he happens to be studying some -particular rôle he can be “coached” in this most practical and -unrivalled manner by all the greatest artists of the day. He can take a -particular aria and hear it sung by Caruso again and again until he is -familiar with every detail of his rendering—can note his breathing, his -phrasing, and every other detail in a manner which would be quite -impossible by any other means.</p> - -<p>And having heard Caruso he can then hear the same number sung by various -other great artists if he chooses, and benefit still more by comparing -their respective readings—by noting how they resemble one another or -how they differ, as the case may be, incidentally learning in the -process how widely one interpretation may differ from another and still -be of the highest order.</p> - -<p>Not only this, but he can familiarise himself with entire operas in the -same way, for certain of the companies issue complete albums of the best -known works which are reproduced in their entirety—vocal parts, -orchestra, and all in this marvellous manner. One would think, indeed, -that the coming generation should provide us with fine singers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span> in such -plenty as the world has never known before with the aid of such -priceless help.</p> - -<p>Whether it will be so or not remains to be seen. But certainly it may be -said that never before have students been so wonderfully helped. I -myself have pleasure in testifying that I have derived the greatest -benefit as well as delight from the records of Patti, while Mr. John -McCormack has similarly acknowledged his indebtedness to the wonderful -renderings of Caruso.</p> - -<p>And I hope in all modesty that students of the present generation may -derive similar help in turn from the records which I myself have made. -Beyond a doubt the gramophone should be the guide, philosopher, and -friend—the most trusted and most competent aid and coadjutor—not only -to every student, but also to every teacher of the present day.</p> - -<p>Of course, the pupil is only human and often reluctant to believe that -there are grave faults in his voice. Whilst others can detect his -mistakes, the pupil cannot listen intelligently to his own faulty -emission while singing.</p> - -<p>But take him to a recording-room and get him to sing into the -recording-horn, and let him listen as the operator tries over the record -he has made. He is sure to be surprised to find how many faults there -are.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span></p> - -<p>His production may be throaty, nasal, or what you will. It is all -brought out clearly by the gramophone.</p> - -<p>There is no instrument that is so calculated to remove the conceit from -a young artist as the gramophone. To watch his face as he first listens -to his own voice is usually to enjoy a miniature pantomime.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, the gramophone is a spur to drive the artist forward to -perfection, and, of course, a great aid to the music professor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXV</span><br /><br /> -STUDYING A RÔLE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">D</span>IFFERENT artists have different methods of studying their parts, but -all I think will be agreed on one point, namely, that they cannot -possibly be learned too thoroughly. Marvellous stories are told, no -doubt, of difficult rôles having been completely mastered by prodigious -efforts in a fabulously short time. But he is taking terrible risks who -attempts a <i>tour de force</i> of this kind, and in my own opinion no artist -should ever be asked to do this. To master a rôle in the proper way -should be a matter of weeks and months, not to say years, of careful -study so that it becomes part and parcel, as it were, of the very being -of the artist. Then, and then only, can it be attempted on the stage -with that absolute confidence and assurance and that entire freedom from -anxiety without which the best results cannot possibly be hoped for.</p> - -<p>Very foolish, or at all events very courageous, is the young artist who -for the sake of an appearance at all costs essays a part which he, or -she, has not thoroughly prepared beforehand—for that way<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span> disaster -lies. A part simply cannot be too well studied if failure and mishaps -are to be absolutely assured against.</p> - -<p>Let it be remembered especially by the student who runs through a part -so easily in the privacy of his study with the aid of a friendly -accompanist at the piano, how infinitely more difficult are the -conditions on the actual stage—alike in the psychological and purely -material senses.</p> - -<p>There is the consciousness, in the first place, of being part now of a -huge inexorable organisation which admits of no error or failure under -any circumstances, and that at first has an almost paralysing effect -upon the faculties. There is the consciousness of that eager, critical -public on the other side of the footlights and of all that there is at -stake should any failure occur. There is the difficulty in the physical -sense of hearing the orchestra properly, which seems so far off and so -infinitely less helpful than the friendly homely piano. There are the -perturbing factors of one’s costume, action, business. In short, the -whole thing is utterly different, and for this reason, therefore, the -young artist cannot be too firmly grounded in his rôle if he is to be -proof against all the possibilities of failure and all mischances and -mishaps in the hour of trial.</p> - -<p>As to the actual process of mastering a rôle I believe thoroughly in the -practice of studying it at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span> the outset apart from the music. Read the -whole book through and master the story and the drama completely in the -first instance. Get every twist and turn and every detail of it into -your mind. Try to visualise and represent it to yourself as -realistically as possible.</p> - -<p>Imagine that it all actually occurred and that you were, in fact, the -character whose part you are to represent. Learn all you can about the -period of the story, the scene of the action, the circumstances of the -time, and so on, so as to realise it all as vividly as possible.</p> - -<p>And then, having done this, study with equal thoroughness every detail -of your own part. It may be only a small one. Never mind. You can make -it just as lifelike and as perfect in its way as one of more importance -if you make the most of it.</p> - -<p>It was in this way that Mario always studied his parts, and most other -great artists, I think, will be found to adopt a similar method. We read -of Mario that no trouble was too great and no research too laborious to -ensure that any rôle which he had undertaken should be represented as -correctly and as perfectly as possible. Nor did his fastidious care end -there, for he paid the greatest attention to his words also and even -rewrote every line of his part in Gounod’s “Faust” because the words of -the original Italian version were not sufficiently singable to please -him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span></p> - -<p>It was Mario, also, who said that unless he had all that he was singing -about in his head as well as in his throat he could never hope to do -justice to his part.</p> - -<p>It is the old, old story. The greatest results in anything are only to -be obtained by unsparing labour. It may not be a complete statement of -the case to say that genius is only an infinite capacity for taking -pains. But it is certainly true to say that that capacity is almost -always associated with the highest genius. Caruso supplied a more recent -instance. He took endless pains to get his parts right in every detail. -He was as careful, we read, about creating the proper make-up for the -character which he was impersonating as he was about studying the proper -gestures, declamation, and musical expression.</p> - -<p>Signor Fucito writes:</p> - -<p>“He pondered the mental, emotional and moral traits of the character as -they were revealed not only in his own lines and music, but throughout -the entire opera. If he found that insufficient he searched -elsewhere—in art, in literature, in history. When he was preparing the -rôle of Samson he went to the Bible for additional enlightenment on that -legendary hero in order that he might visualise him more vividly; and -when he was studying Eleazar he sought advice on Jewish customs from a -prominent Yiddish actor of New York.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Respecting “make-up” this should be done as carefully and artistically -as possible, bearing in mind always that although some of the audience -may be a long way off, others will be much nearer, while opera glasses -will further help to abridge the distance and to reveal every detail.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXVI</span><br /><br /> -CHOICE OF DÉBUT WORK</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>S regards the choice of opera for début purposes I need hardly say that -this is a matter of great importance which should be most carefully -considered. If you happen to be exceptionally gifted and possess the -advantage of powerful connections you may perhaps be able to appear at -once in a rôle of the first importance, but my opinion is that it is -usually much better to begin with smaller parts and acquire the -necessary stage experience before attempting one of the more exacting -rôles.</p> - -<p>You may, of course, have such natural gifts and be so well trained and -coached for the purpose that you may achieve success at a bound, but the -chances are against this, and it is much more likely that you will fall -short of your expectations and thereby imperil your career at the outset -by making a false start. <i>C’est le premier pas</i>, etc., and it is much -better to begin modestly and learn your business thoroughly before -attempting the higher flights. Then when you are properly qualified and -have acquired the necessary experience<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span> you can take a more important -part with the assurance that you will be able at least to do full -justice to yourself and to make the utmost of your natural powers.</p> - -<p>There is another reason, too, why it is a mistake, as a rule, to attempt -the heavier rôles too soon—namely, the fact that the voice and the -general physique, apart from the question of training and experience, -are seldom ready for these at first. I have, indeed, known more than one -case in which a career of promise has been ruined after a brilliant -start by subjecting a young singer too soon to the heavy strain of the -most important parts.</p> - -<p>Study these rôles by all means and have them ready—or one or two of -them—in case some exceptional or unexpected opportunity should present -itself. But do not be in too great a hurry to appear in them. It is a -much safer course, as a rule, to make good at first in those of a less -ambitious kind; and you need never be afraid that good work in these -will go unnoticed or unrewarded. But whichever part you choose for the -purpose it should naturally be one which is well suited to your capacity -and in which you are confident of being able to do your best.</p> - -<p>If the novice can attach himself or herself to some provincial opera -company at a nominal salary for the purpose of training and experience, -this is often a good plan. In Italy almost every provin<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span>cial city has a -small season of opera, and impresarios in most cases are ready to give a -promising singer a début without pay in order to reduce their expenses. -But in some instances if a singer desires to make a début in a certain -rôle and imposes this on the impresario she will be required to help to -finance the opera by the payment of a few thousand lire. This is often -done, but in some instances with sad results, because it is usually an -indifferent artist who forces a début in this way, often against the -better judgment of the manager.</p> - -<p>I have known instances, indeed, where a singer has obtained a début on -these terms, and the audience, after hearing the singer, has protested -so vigorously that the unfortunate novice has had to be withdrawn in -favour of a more satisfactory substitute in order to pacify the public.</p> - -<p>In one instance I remember a Canadian tenor of tremendous size, but with -a voice more like a mad bull’s than that of a human being, who thought -he would make an ideal Othello. He was wealthy and paid the management -25,000 lire for a début. After the first act such a commotion was -created in the theatre that the carabinieri had to step in and decide -that either the show should be stopped or else continued by another -artist.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards columns appeared in the American papers about the -harsh treatment of for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span>eign singers in Italy. I can only say, however, -that in my judgment it is utterly wrong to force on the public artists -who are manifestly incapable, and that in this particular case the -punishment fitted the crime!</p> - -<p>In cases where there really are voice and merit such methods should be -quite unnecessary, since managers are only too eager to secure fresh -talent and to offer suitable opportunities for appearing before the -public to those who possess it.</p> - -<p>Just another suggestion. Don’t be induced to accept a dramatic rôle if -your voice is purely lyric. Don’t even be tempted. Certain <i>maestri</i> are -always looking for voices that can be heard above their orchestras. They -never find one, because it doesn’t exist; but the path of their search -is strewn with wrecked voices.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXVII</span><br /><br /> -REHEARSALS</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">R</span>EHEARSALS are a necessary evil and the sensible artist will try to make -the best of them. Undoubtedly they are very tedious and trying, but they -are quite unavoidable unless you happen to have attained sufficient -eminence to be dispensed attendance at them. And even then it is not -always wise to avoid them if you wish to procure the best results.</p> - -<p>Patti, throughout the greater part of her career, never attended any -rehearsals. But then she always sang in the best-known operas with -thoroughly experienced fellow-artists who were carefully instructed as -to her requirements. But it is hardly necessary to say that her case was -exceptional.</p> - -<p>Some artists are very trying at rehearsals by coming with their parts -imperfectly prepared, by arriving late, and so on, and in such cases the -company in general is fortunate if the manager is sufficiently firm to -insist on proper discipline being observed.</p> - -<p>A strict conductor who allows no trifling of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span> kind is, indeed, the -truest friend of the artists, and his authority should be recognised -accordingly by one and all. It is of the utmost importance that artists -should be thoroughly acquainted with their parts, and they should take -advantage of rehearsals to master every detail of their action, -business, and so on, leaving absolutely nothing to chance.</p> - -<p>There is, however, no need to sing with full voice at rehearsals; -indeed, this is not desirable. But one should naturally sing loud enough -to indicate quite clearly one’s intentions. Nor should the inexperienced -artist show any reluctance to take advice from the stage manager when it -is given. For his judgment will probably be better than yours, and in -any case it is your business to do as he directs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXVIII</span><br /><br /> -CONTRACTS</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>N the case of young singers with very promising voices, impresarios are -often found who are willing to finance the period of instruction for a -term of say five years. Their calculations are that in the last few -years of this period the artist will become a profitable investment for -them.</p> - -<p>In the case of a poor artist this is often a very good plan, since it is -to the interest of the impresario to assist in making a name and a -position for the artist as well as in seeing that he has a proper -training. And the latter may easily find himself the gainer by the -arrangement therefore.</p> - -<p>Speaking generally, however, I am not very much in favour of such -contracts, for the simple reason that, the career of an artist being so -short, he ought not to be placed in the position of expending his powers -for the benefit of another person. I have known artists drawing £100 a -performance who were receiving a mere £10 a week under such an agreement -as I have described; and this is, of course, a very unsatisfactory and -even heartbreaking state of things.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span></p> - -<p>Caruso was one, it will be remembered, who entered into such a contract -as a student which, however, he finally succeeded in getting rescinded, -though not before he had had recourse to the law courts for this -purpose.</p> - -<p>As to contracts made later, when a proper position has been secured, the -artist will not usually need much advice regarding these, since he is -generally quite able to look after himself. “Too well, indeed,” it is -sometimes said, by directors and managers.</p> - -<p>Yet it must be remembered that, as noted above, the vocalist’s career is -usually very brief. The years of gain may be from five to twenty, but -are rarely much more than ten. I have known great artists who have -lasted for but a few seasons. On the other hand, I can recall some like -Battistini who have had over forty years of lucrative employment. But -this is very rare.</p> - -<p>Are they not justified, therefore, in requiring generous payment while -they can obtain it? Also it must be remembered that great singers are -exceptionally endowed, and as such are entitled to demand exceptional -rewards. In which connection one may recall the famous reply of the -dancer Gabrielli to the Empress Catherine of Russia. The Empress was -staggered by the terms which she demanded and declared that not even her -Field-Marshals received so much. Whereupon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span> Gabrielli recommended the -Empress to get her Marshals to dance for her.</p> - -<p>Some of the most exacting contracts ever made by a singer were, I -suppose, those of Catalani. In her agreements when she was singing in -London she used to stipulate for half of the receipts throughout the -entire season, while she inserted further such conditions as the -following: “Madame Catalani shall choose and direct the operas which she -is to sing; she shall likewise have the choice of the performers in -them; and she will have no orders to receive from anyone.”</p> - -<p>Madame Patti in turn received as much as £1000 a performance from -Mapleson in America. But then Patti was—Patti! Most artists are content -with less! And to such I would say as my final word on this point: “Do -not forget during the days of your necessarily brief prosperity to make -provision at all costs for the future.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXIX</span><br /><br /> -CONCERT WORK</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>F I have spoken largely about opera in these pages, this is because -with my experience it comes most naturally to me to do this. But concert -work—of which also I have done my share—is of course equally -important, and a few words on this subject, therefore, may not come -amiss.</p> - -<p>It is hardly necessary to say that the kind of singing which is suitable -for the stage is not always equally in keeping on the platform. It is -the difference here between acting and recitation.</p> - -<p>On the stage you are actually impersonating the character you represent, -and the fullest amount of realism is therefore permissible—indeed, -essential. On the platform the same amount of licence is not allowable. -You are here not impersonating, but interpreting at one remove, so to -speak.</p> - -<p>You are not pretending to represent the actual character of the song; -you are reproducing in <i>your own personality</i> the feelings and emotions -involved. Or as one might put it, the art of the stage is -representative; that of the concert platform is reproductive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span></p> - -<p>All this must be borne in mind, therefore, by the artist who turns from -the stage to the concert room. The effect produced may be just as great, -but it must be achieved in a different way—without action, without -gesture even, but with the maximum of intensity none the less—secured -by means of the voice, the expressiveness of the singing and the -personality and temperament of the singer alone.</p> - -<p>And these will be all-sufficient for those who know their business; nor -should they be exceeded in the ordinary way. Yet if it comes naturally -to you to go a little further now and again, I do not know that it need -be condemned.</p> - -<p>Observe, however, that I say “if it comes naturally to you.” Otherwise, -it will be forced and theatrical and will certainly not achieve its -purpose. It is purely a question of temperament. Be natural and -spontaneous and you will not go far astray. Northern peoples indulge -sparingly in gestures on the concert platform, but yet get great results -without their aid.</p> - -<p>We Latin races are less restrained in this respect because this is in -accordance with our natural temperaments. It is the difference between -one who gesticulates freely in ordinary speech and one who never stirs a -finger. One would not counsel the Englishman to copy the foreigner’s -gestures for it would not come naturally to him to do this; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span> one -would not have a Frenchman or an Italian without them.</p> - -<p>And so it is in singing. If an occasional gesture comes naturally to you -there is no need to repress it, even if you cannot be recommended to go -as far in this respect in the concert room as Jenny Lind did on one -occasion if report may be trusted. It is recorded that once when singing -Agathe’s prayer from “Der Freischütz” at a concert at Norwich she was so -carried away that she actually fell on her knees on the platform and so -finished the air! That was, perhaps, overdoing things. Certainly I have -never heard of even an Italian concert-singer going quite so far.</p> - -<p>I need hardly add, while on the subject of concert deportment, that a -pleasing and ingratiating manner is also much to be desired, though this -is a matter that seems to be strangely overlooked too often by young -artists of the present day. One might think almost from the manners of -some of them that they consider themselves to be conferring the greatest -possible favour upon their hearers by condescending to sing to them.</p> - -<p>And doubtless in many cases they actually do think this! But they should -endeavour not to indicate the fact quite so clearly by their demeanour. -I have seen artists of this self-sufficient type who actually make not -the slightest response, or barely any, when an audience is good enough -to applaud<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span> them! This sort of thing is quite incomprehensible to me, -and I am sure that if those who behave thus had any conception of the -impression which they produce they would speedily mend their manners.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a><span class="smcap">Chapter XXX</span><br /><br /> -HEALTH, DIET, ETC.</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">G</span>OOD health is essential to a singer, and it must be most carefully -preserved. To this end you should live as wholesome and regular an -existence as possible, seeing that you get plenty of fresh air and -taking such exercise as may be found convenient, but without overdoing -things in the latter respect, since undue muscular exertion is sometimes -prejudicial.</p> - -<p>Moderation in diet is also advisable, avoiding especially all highly -seasoned dishes, pepper, pickles, and the like, and in the matter of -alcohol, if this be taken, confining one’s self to the lightest kinds of -wines.</p> - -<p>As for smoking I prohibit it entirely, as I consider it to be the -greatest enemy of the vocal cords, although I am well aware, of course, -that some of the most famous singers have been inveterate smokers.</p> - -<p>Of Mario, for instance, we are told that he was never seen without a -cigar in his mouth except when he was eating. He smoked, it is recorded, -even in his bath, although it may be noted that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span> even he expressly -avoided cigarettes, confining himself exclusively to cigars.</p> - -<p>Caruso, again, was another tremendous smoker, and I suppose there are -few male vocalists, at any rate, who deny themselves in this respect -entirely. But I have no doubt that it would be better for their vocal -organs if they did so all the same.</p> - -<p>Coughs and colds are, of course, the greatest bugbear of the singer, and -to assist in securing immunity from these do not allow your throat to -become too sensitive by wrapping up too much. Bathing the throat with -cold water helps also towards this end. When overheated and perspiring -never delay changing into dry clothes and be especially careful always -to keep the feet dry.</p> - -<p>Yet with all the precautions in the world the time will come when -concerts or performances must be given under unfavourable conditions, -and in these circumstances the art and the courage of the singer alone -will carry her through.</p> - -<p>Often I have undertaken a concert rather than disappoint the public when -suffering from a bad cold. But I have been able by will power to do -wonders in these circumstances, and more often than not I have been -rewarded by a Press which said that I had never sung better.</p> - -<p>I have known Caruso, under such circumstances, the morning before a -widely advertised concert, at which an audience of perhaps 10,000 people -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span> likely to be present, to wake up and find himself entirely without -voice.</p> - -<p>In the instance I have in mind he telegraphed for a celebrated throat -specialist in New York to come immediately to Pittsburg, where just -previous to the concert he underwent heroic treatment. This meant the -administering of a stimulant to the vocal cords which contracted them -for a period of a few hours.</p> - -<p>Thereby he was enabled to fulfil his engagement, though the -after-results put him out of action for at least a week.</p> - -<p>A singer cannot hope always to be absolutely at his best, and this fact -should be realised from the first by young artists. Frequently, prior to -a performance, if the artist cannot bring off certain customary effects -he, or she, will be thrown immediately into a state of distraction and -despair. This, however, is all wrong.</p> - -<p>Engagements must be kept, and more often than not, as I have suggested, -the artist will find when the time comes that his apprehension has been -quite uncalled for. Strung up by the needs of the case, and making a -special call upon all his resources, mental and emotional as well as -merely vocal, he will very likely do even better than usual.</p> - -<p>He should bear this in mind, therefore, another time, and never lose his -head even though he may think that he has lost his voice!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span></p> - -<p>At the same time this is not to say that really serious voice trouble -should be ignored, and I myself make it a practice in every large town -where I am accustomed to stay for any length of time to learn of a -suitable medical man or voice specialist to whom I can repair for advice -in case of need.</p> - -<p>As to one’s régime on the day when one is actually singing this merits a -few words perhaps. Having gone to bed betimes the day before, so as to -secure a long night of unbroken rest, I myself do not usually rise until -about ten or eleven, when I have a light breakfast of tea and toast and -soft-boiled eggs. For lunch, if one may call it such, after a short -walk, I have merely a cup of cocoa and a little fruit, and nothing more -until after the concert. Most other artists of my acquaintance do -likewise.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO SING ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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