"You have remarked lately that 'singers are realizing that the lost art
of _bel canto_ is the thing to strive for and they are now searching for
it.' Can you give a little more light on this point?"
"I hardly meant to say that in any sense the art of bel canto was lost;
how could it be? Many singers seem to attach some uncanny significance
to the term. Bel canto means simply _beautiful singing_. When you have
perfect breath control, and distinct, artistic enunciation, you will
possess bel canto, because you will produce your tones and your words
beautifully.
"Because these magic words are in the Italian tongue does not mean that
they apply to something only possessed by Italians. Not at all. Any one
can sing beautifully who does so with ease and naturalness, the American
just as well as those of any other countries. In fact I consider
American voices, in general, better trained than those of Italy, Germany
or France. The Italian, in particular, has very little knowledge of the
scientific side; he usually sings by intuition.
"We ought to have our own standards in judging American voices; until we
do so, we will be constantly comparing them with the voices of foreign
singers. The quality of the American voice is different from the quality
found in the voices of other countries. To my mind the best women's
voices are found right here in our midst.