1854-1900]
I had my first experience in 1894 with the voice of a young girl that
had a perpetual tremolo. I was thoroughly amazed at the unsteady
wavering of each note. At last I asked her why she did not sing in a
steady tone. Her reply was she could not help it. I then inquired if
she had former instructions. She replied she had. After trying in vain
to get a pure tone, I told her I'd rather not teach her as I had no
knowledge of how to relieve her of this defect which could not be
allowed in a perfect singer. Her disappointment was so great as to
cause her to weep. My heart was touched for her misfortune and I told
her I had only one remedy and if she would try that I'd undertake the
work of restoring her voice to its normal state if possible. This was
Tuesday. I asked her to return on Friday and if I saw any improvement
I'd teach her if she would obey orders. I gave her a lesson in the art
of breathing, something which had been entirely neglected before,
and sent her away. On the following Friday she took her second lesson,
and the voice was as steady as if she had never done the other work. I
continued to teach her for two and a half years and at my first
recital she and I sang the duet, Qui est Homo, from Rossini's Stabat
Mater, and although my age was sixty and hers twenty, I was able to
use my usual strength in singing the song as if she had been a mature
singer. At the close of the number we were greeted with bravos and
applause that lasted for some time. It was the crowning reward for my
weeks of patient training and careful watchfulness. I never taught her
after that evening and I heard she had several other instructors. I
heard, however, that she had never returned to the tremolo after I had
once placed her voice in the right path. Had she been a student I
think the state of California would have been proud to have claimed
her, but she lacked stability in her work. She still sings but I have
not heard her for years. This was my first experience.
In the year 1907 I cured twenty-five young people, both girls and
boys, of this dreadful habit, which seems to be the death knell of all
of our California young singers. Every one of these became addicted to
this habit through wrong instruction by persons who were not teachers
at all in the true sense of the word, not knowing the construction of
the voice themselves so as to lead the pupil into the proper channel,
having lost their own voices by these methods they were not competent
to instruct others. How is it possible for them to guide the young
singer when they cannot give a pure tone example themselves for the
pupil to follow? Freshness and steadiness are the most valuable
properties of a voice, but are also the most delicate and easily
injured and quickly lost. When once really impaired they can never be
restored. This is the condition of a voice which is said to be lost.
The prostration of the vocal organs are thus brought on by injudicious
training if not the result of organic disease. This must be understood
by the competent teacher who should not be mistaken in the nature of
the organ or attempt by obstinate perseverance to convert a low voice
into a high one, or vice versa. The error is equally disastrous, the
result being utterly to destroy the voice. The teacher's vocation is
first to find the natural limits of the voice in question and then
seek to develop them into their most beautiful tone production before
attempting to develop either higher or lower tones until these have
been properly understood by both teacher and pupil. The pupil should
also at once comprehend the importance of guarding the voice from
injury and not transform or extend his gifts beyond their natural
power and capability. The voice is often seriously impaired in using
the high notes in both chest and head registers, by forcing of the
high notes, and exaggerating the timbres and, if often renewed, will
eventually destroy the best voice and the tremolo follows in
consequence and the once promising voice is lost and forever
inevitably destroyed.