"I have also said that there are three great factors which should form
the foundation stones upon which the singer should rear his structure of
musical achievement. These factors are Memory, Imagination, Analysis. I
have put memory first because it is the whole thing, so to say. The
singer without memory--a cultivated memory--does not get far. Memory
lies at the very foundation of his work, and must continue with it the
whole journey through, from the bottom to the top. In the beginning you
think a beautiful tone, you try to reproduce it. When you come to it
again you must remember just how you did it before. Each time you repeat
the tone this effort of memory comes in, until at last it has become
second nature to remember and produce the result; you now begin to do so
automatically.
"As you advance there are words to remember as well as notes and tones.
Memory, of course, is just as necessary for the pianist. He must be able
to commit large numbers of notes, phrases and passages. In his case
there are a number of keys to grasp at once, but the singer can sing but
one tone at a time. Both notes and words should be memorized, so the
singer can come before the audience without being confined to the
printed page. When acting is added there is still more to remember. Back
of memory study lies concentration; without concentration little can be
accomplished in any branch of art.