energy, the singer's sensation, that which I have called the third power,
and which is a revelation to those who have studied both sides of the
question. These things, as I have said, have been given to the vocal world
in my book, "Position and Action in Singing." Many have understood them,
have used them, and are enthusiastic advocates of the idea. Others have not
fully understood them, as was and is to be expected. For that reason I have
written this little book in the hope that it might make things plainer to
all. I have endeavored to embody these practical, natural, necessary
movements in the formula of study given in this book.
The formula which follows is systematically and logically arranged for the
study and development of fundamental principles through or by the means of
these flexible vitalized movements. In this way I hope to make these ideas
plainer and more definite to pupil and teacher.
Every correct system of voice-training is based upon principle, theory, and
the devices used to develop the principles. There are certain fundamental
principles of voice, which are Nature's laws laid down to man, and which
cannot be violated. Upon these principles we formulate theories. The
theories may be right or wrong, as they are but the works of man. If they
are right, the devices used are more apt to be right. If they are wrong,
wrong effort is sure to follow, and the result is disastrous.
After all, the most important question for consideration is that of the
devices used to develop and train the voice. All depends upon whether the
writer, the teacher, and the pupil study Nature's laws through common-sense
methods or resort to artificiality. If the devices used are right, if they
develop vitality, emotional energy, if they avoid rigidity and depression,
then the singer need not know so much about principle and theory. But with
the teacher it is different. He must know what to think and how to think it
before he can intelligently impart the ideas to his pupils. Hence a system
based upon correct principle, theory, and device is absolutely necessary
for the teacher who hopes to succeed.
The following system, as formulated, is largely the outgrowth of my summer
work at Point Chautauqua, on Lake Chautauqua. There we have a school every
summer, not only for the professional singer and teacher, but for those who
desire to become such. Beside the private lessons we give a practical
normal course in class lessons. There the principles, the theory, and the
devices used are studied and worked out in a practical way by lecture, by
illustration, and by the study of all kinds of voices. Many who have taught
for years have there obtained for the first time an idea, the true idea, of
flexible vitalized movements, the devices demanded by nature for giving the
voice vitality, freedom, ease, etc. These teachers who are thus aroused
become the most enthusiastic supporters of, and believers in, our system of
flexible vitalized movements.
It is, therefore, through the Chautauqua work that I have been impressed
with the importance of placing this system in a plainer and more definite
way, if possible, before the vocal world.
PART SECOND.
_VITALITY._
ARTICLE ONE.
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF ARTISTIC TONE--PRODUCTION.
The first principle of artistic tone-production is
_The Removal of All Restraint_.
The theory founded upon this principle is as follows: Correct tone is the
result of certain conditions demanded by Nature, not man's ideas. These
conditions are dependent upon form and adjustment; and form and adjustment,
to be right, must be automatic, and not the result of direct or local
effort.
The devices used for developing the above conditions are simple vocal
exercises which are favorable to correct form and adjustment, and are
studied and made to influence the voice through correct position and
action.
A correct system for training and developing the voice must be based upon
principle, theory, and device; upon the principles of voice which are
Nature's laws, upon the theories based upon these principles, and upon the
devices for the study and development of such principles.
My purpose in this little work is to give just enough musical figures or
exercises to enable us to study and apply the movements, the practical part
of our system.
The first principle of artistic tone-production is the removal of all
restraint. This no one can deny without stultifying himself. The removal of
all restraint means absolute freedom, not only of form and action, but of
tone. It is evident, then, that any local hardening or contracting of
muscle, any tension or contraction which would prevent elasticity, would
make the removal of all restraint impossible. Hence we find that this first
principle is an impossibility with the rigid local-effort school. On the
other hand, relaxation, while it may remove restraint, makes artistic
control and tonicity impossible. Hence artistic tone, based upon this first
principle, is an impossible condition with the limp or relaxed school.
That tone is the result of certain conditions demanded by Nature, and that
these conditions are dependent upon form and adjustment, cannot be denied;
but unless form and adjustment give freedom to the voice, unless they
result in the removal of all restraint, then the manner or method in which
they are secured must surely be wrong. Local effort or contraction cannot
do this. Relaxation cannot secure the true conditions. There is and can be
but one principle which makes true form and adjustment possible: All form
and adjustment must be automatic, and not the result of direct or local
effort.
This brings us to a study of devices; and devices, to influence correctly
not only the voice but the individual, must be in accordance with natural
and not artificial conditions. The singer must put himself and keep himself
upon a level with the tone--upon a level with the tone physically, mentally
and emotionally. The device which we use, or the formula, is, _lift,
expand, and let go_.
With the singer who contracts the throat muscles during the act of singing,
that which may be called the center of gravity or of effort is at the
throat. With the singer who carries a consciously high chest and a drawn-in
or contracted diaphragm, the center of gravity is at the chest. With the
singer who takes a conscious full breath, and hardens and sets the
diaphragm to hold it, the center of gravity is at the diaphragm. In none of
these cases is it possible to remove all restraint; for they all result in
contraction, especially of the throat muscles, and make flexible
expansion--a condition necessary to absolute freedom--impossible.
Place the center of gravity, by thought and action, at the hips. Everything
above the hips must be free, flexible, elastic and vitalized when singing.
We say, _lift, expand, and let go_, which must be in the following
proportion: Lift a little, expand more than you lift, and let go entirely.
The lift is from the hips up, and must be done in a free, flexible manner,
with a constant study to make the body lighter and lighter, and the
movement more elastic and flexible. Do not lift as though lifting a weight,
but lift lightly as though in response to thought or suggestion.
Expand the entire body in a flexible, elastic manner. This will bring into
action every muscle of the body, and apply strength and support to the
voice; for, as we have found, there is no strength correctly applied except
through right movement. When we lift and expand properly, we expand the
body as a whole, and not the chest alone, nor the diaphragm, nor the sides.
These all come into action and expand with proper movement; but there must
be no conscious thought of, nor conscious local effort of, any particular
part of the body. When we lift and expand properly the chest becomes
active, the diaphragm goes into a singing position, and every muscle of the
body is on the alert and ready to respond to the thought or desire of the
singer. Not only this; when we lift and expand properly, we influence
directly the form and adjustment of all the vocal muscles, and especially
the organ of sound itself. In this way the voice is actually and
artistically tuned for the production of correct tone, as is the violin in
the hands of the master before playing.
_Lift, expand, and let go_. This brings us to a consideration of the
third part of this expression, _let go_. This is in some respects the
most important of the three; for unless the singer knows how to let go
properly, absolute freedom or the removal of all restraint is impossible,
and the true conditions of tone are lacking. The _let go_ does not
mean relaxation, for there must be flexible firmness without rigidity. With
the beginner the tendency is to lift, expand, and harden or contract all
the muscles. This, of course, means restraint. The correct idea of _let
go_ may be studied and better understood by the following experiment or
illustration.
Stand with the right arm hanging limp by the side. Lift it to a horizontal
position, the back of the hand upward. While lifting, grip and contract
every muscle of the arm and hand out to the finger-tips. This is much like
the contraction placed upon the muscles of the body and of the throat by
the conscious-breathing, local-effort school. Lift the arm again from the
side, and in lifting have the thought or sensation of letting go all
contraction of the muscles. Make the arm light and flexible, and use just
enough strength to lift it, and hold it in a horizontal position. This
should be the condition of all the muscles of the body under the influence
of correct, _lift, expand, and let go_. Lift the arm the third time
without contraction or with the sensation of letting go, hold it in a
horizontal position, the back of the hand upward. Now will to devitalize
the entire hand from the wrist to the finger-tips. Let the hand drop or
droop, the arm remaining in a horizontal position. This condition of the
hand is the _let go_, or the condition of devitalization, which should
be upon the muscles of the face, the mouth, the tongue, the jaw, and the
extrinsic muscles of the throat during the act of singing.
Thus, when we say, _lift, expand, and let go_, we mean lift from the
hips, the center of gravity, in an easy, flexible manner; expand the body
with a free movement without conscious thought of any part of it; have the
sensation of letting go all contraction or rigidity, and absolutely release
the muscles of the throat and face. The _let go_ is in reality more a
negative than a positive condition, and virtually means, when you lift and
expand, do not locally grip, harden, or set any muscle of the body, throat,
or face.
The _lift, expand, and let go_ must be in proportion to the pitch and
power of the tone. This, if done properly, will result in automatic form
and adjustment, the removal of all restraint, and open, free throat and
voice. This is the only way in which it is possible to truly vitalize, to
arouse the physical, mental and emotional powers of the singer. This is the
only way in which it is possible to put yourself and keep yourself upon a
level with the tone--upon a level, physically, mentally and emotionally.
This is in truth and in fact the singer's true position and true condition;
this is in truth and in fact self-assertion; and this, and this only, makes
it possible to easily and naturally _arouse_ "the singer's sensation,"
the true sensation of artistic singing.
We will take for our first study a simple arpeggio, using the syllables Ya
ha, thus:
[Illustration: FIRST STUDY. Ya, ha....]
We use Ya on the first tone, because when sung freely it helps to place the
tone well forward. Ya is pronounced as the German _Ja_. We use ha on
all other tones of this study for the reason that it is the natural
staccato of the voice. Think it and sing it "in glossic" or phonetically,
thus: hA, very little h but full, inflated, expanded A. A full explanation
for the use of Ya and ha may be found in "Position and Action in Singing,"
page 117. All the studies given in this little work for the illustration
and study of the movements of our system should be sung on all keys as high
and as low as they can be used without effort and without strain.
It has been said that "the production of the human voice is the effect of a
muscular effort born of a mental cause." Therefore it is important to know
what to think and how to think it.
We say, put yourself and keep yourself constantly upon a level with the
tone, mentally, physically and emotionally. For the present we have to do
with the mental and physical only.
Stand in an easy, natural manner, the hands and arms hanging loosely by the
sides. You desire to sing the above exercise. Turn the palms of the hands
up in a free, flexible manner, and lift the hands up and out a little, not
high, not above the waist line. When moving the hands up and out, move the
body from the hips up and out in exactly the same manner and proportion.
The hands and arms must not move faster than the body; the body must move
rhythmically with the arms. This rhythmical movement of body and arms is
highly important. In moving, the sensation is as though the body were
lifted lightly and freely upon the palms of the hands. The hands say to the
body, "Follow us." In this way, _lift, expand, and let go_. Do not
raise the shoulders locally. The movement is from the hips up. The entire
body expands easily and freely by letting go all contraction of muscle. Do
not first lift, and after lifting expand, and then finally try to let go,
as is the habit of many; but lift, and when lifting expand, and when
lifting and expanding let go as directed. Three thoughts in one
movement--three movements in one--lifting, expanding, and letting go
simultaneously as one movement, which in fact it must finally become. This
is the only way in which it is possible to secure all true conditions of
tone.
With this thought in mind, and having tried the movement without singing,
sing the above exercise. Start from repose, as described, and by using the
hands and body in a free, flexible manner, move to what you might think
should be the level of the first tone. Just when you reach the level of the
first tone let the voice sing. Move up with the arpeggio to the highest
note, using hands, body, and voice with free, flexible action; then move
body and hands with the voice down to the lowest note of the arpeggio; when
the last tone is sung go into a position of repose.
The movement from repose to the level of the first tone is highly
important, for the reason that it arouses the energies of the singer, and
secures all true conditions through automatic form and adjustment. Do not
hesitate, do not hurry. All movement must be rhythmical and spontaneous,
and never the result of effort. In singing the arpeggio the tones of the
voice must be strictly staccato; but the movement of the hands and body
must be very smooth, even, and continuous--no short, jerky movements.
The movement of the body is very slight, and at no time, in studying these
first exercises, should the hands be raised above the level of the hips or
of the waist line. Of course with beginners these movements may be more or
less exaggerated. When singing songs, however, they do not show, at least
not nearly as much as wrong breathing and wrong effort. They simply give
the singer the appearance of proper dignity, position, and self-assertion.
By all means use the hands in training the movements of the body. You can
train the body by the use of the hands in one-fourth of the time that it is
possible to do it without using them. Be careful, however, not to raise the
hands too high, as is the tendency; when lifted too high the energy is
often put into the hands and arms instead of the body; in this way the body
is not properly aroused and influenced, and of course true conditions are
not secured.
"Practical rules must rest upon theory, and theory upon nature, and nature
is ascertained by observation and experience." Now, if you will practice
this arpeggio with a free, flexible movement of hands and body, getting
under the tone, as it were, and moving to a level of every tone, you will
soon find by practice and experience that these movements are perfectly
natural, that they arouse all the forces which nature gave us for the
production of tone, that they vitalize the singer and give freedom to the
voice. By moving properly to a level of the first tone you secure all true
conditions of tone; and if you have placed yourself properly upon a level
with the high tone, when that is reached you will have maintained those
true conditions--you will have freedom, inflation and vitality instead of
contraction and strain.
By moving with the voice in this flexible manner we bring every part of the
body into action, and apply strength as nature demands it, without effort
or strain. Remember, there is no strength properly applied in singing
without movement. In this way the voice is an outward manifestation of an
inward feeling or emotion. "The voice is your inner or higher self,
expressed not _at_ or _by_ but _through_ the vocal organs,
aided by the whole body as a sound-board."
Our next study will be a simple arpeggio sung with the _la_ sound,
thus:
[Illustration: SECOND STUDY. La....]
This movement, of course, must be sung with the same action of hands and
body, starting from repose to the level of the first tone, and keeping
constantly upon a level with the voice by ascending and descending. Sing
this exercise first semi staccato, afterwards legato.
The special object of this exercise is to relax the jaw, the face, and the
throat muscles. A stiff, set jaw always means throat contraction. In this
exercise, if sung in every other respect according to directions, a stiff
jaw would defeat the whole thing, and make impossible a correct production
of every high tone.
In singing the _la_ sound, the tip of the tongue touches the roof of
the mouth, just back of the upper front teeth. Think the tone forward at
this point, and let the jaw rise and fall with the tongue. Devitalize the
jaw and the muscles of the face, move up in a free, flexible manner to the
level of every tone, and you will be surprised at the freedom and ease with
which the high tones come. The moving up in the proper way applies
strength, and secures automatic form and adjustment; develops or
strengthens the resisting or controlling muscles of the voice; in fact,
gives the voice expansion, inflation, and tonicity.
Remember that one can act in singing; and by acting I mean the movements as
here described, lifting, expanding, etc., without influencing the voice or
the tone, without applying the movements to the voice; of course such
action is simply an imitation of the real thing. Herein, however, lies the
importance of correct thinking. The thought must precede the action. The
singer must have some idea of what he wants to sing and how he wants to
sing it. A simple chance, a simple hit or miss idea, will not do. Make your
tone mean something. Arouse the singer's sensation, and you can soon tell
whether the movement is influencing the tone or not. Of course these
movements are all more easily applied on the middle and low tones than on
the higher tones, but these are the great successful movements for the
study and development of the high tones.
As we have learned in our former publications, there are but three
movements in singing,--ascending, descending, and level movements. We have
so far studied ascending and descending movements or arpeggios. We will now
study level movements on a single tone, thus:
[Illustration: THIRD STUDY. Ah.]
Place yourself in a free, flexible manner upon a level with the tone by the
use of the movements as before described; lift, expand, and let go without
hurrying or without hesitation, and just when you reach that which you feel
to be the level of the tone let the voice sing. All must be done in a
moment, rhythmically and without local effort. Sing spontaneously, sing
with abandon, trust the movements. They will always serve you if you trust
them. If you doubt them, they are doubtful; for your very doubt brings
hesitation, and hesitation brings contraction. Sing from center to
circumference, with the thought of expansion and inflation, and not from
outside to center. The first gives freedom and fullness of form, the latter
results in local effort and contraction. The first sends the voice out full
and free, the latter restrains it. Expansion through flexible movement is
the important point to consider. When the tone is thus sung, it should
result in the removal of all restraint, especially from the face, jaw, and
throat. In this way the tone will come freely to the front, and will flow
or float as long as the level of the tone is maintained without effort.
Remember the most important point is the movement from repose to the level
of the tone. If this is done according to directions, all restraint will be
removed and all true conditions will prevail. Never influence form. Let
form and adjustment be automatic, the result of right thought, position,
and action. Study to constantly make these movements of the body easier and
more natural. Take off all effort. Do not work hard. It is not hard work.
It is play. It is a delight when properly done. Make no conscious, direct
effort of any part of the body. Never exaggerate the movement or action of
one part of the body at the sacrifice of the true position of another. The
tendency is to locally raise the chest so high that the abdomen is
unnaturally drawn in. This, of course, is the result of local effort, and
is not the intention of the movements. The center of gravity must be at the
hips; and all movement above that must be free, flexible, and uniform.[1]
[Footnote 1: In this connection, see Supplementary Note, page 135.]
Do not give a thought to any wrong thing you may be in the habit of doing
in singing, but place your mind upon freeing the voice, upon the removal of
all restraint through these flexible vitalized movements: think the ideal
tone and sing. When the right begins to come through these movements the
wrong must go. Over and against every wrong there is a right. We remove the
wrong by developing the right. Sing in a free, flexible manner, the natural
power of the voice. Make no effort to suppress the tone or increase its
power. After the movements are understood and all restraint is removed,
then study the tone on all degrees of power, but remember when singing soft
and loud, and especially loud, that the first principle of artistic singing
is the removal of all restraint.
ARTICLE TWO.
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE OF ARTISTIC TONE-PRODUCTION.
The second principle of artistic tone-production is
_Automatic Breathing and Automatic Breath-Control._
_Theory._--The singing breath should be as unconscious,--or, rather,
as sub-conscious,--as involuntary, as the vital or living breath. It should
be the result of flexible action, and never of local muscular effort. The
muscular breath compels muscular control; hence throat contraction. The
nervous breath, nervous control; hence relaxation and loss of breath.
_Devices._--_Expand to breathe. Do not breathe to expand._ Expand
by flexible, vitalized movements; control by position the level of the
tone, and thus balance the two forces, "pressure and resistance." In this
way is secured automatic adjustment and absolute automatic breath-control.
More has probably been written and said upon this important question of
breathing in singing than upon any other question in the broad field of the
vocal art; and yet the fact remains that it is less understood than any of
the really great principles of correct singing. This is due to the fact
that most writers, teachers, and singers believe that they must do
something--something out of the ordinary--to develop the breathing powers.
The result is, that most systems of breathing are artificial; therefore
unnatural. Most systems of breathing attempt to do by direct effort that
which Nature alone can do correctly. Most breathing in singing is the
result of direct conscious effort.