Having stated the first condition of a good timbre of the tones, we
come now to the second--the right direction of the vibrating columns of
air. A correct touch of the voice consists in causing the air, brought
into vibration by the vocal ligaments, to rebound from immediately
above the front upper teeth, where it must be concentrated as much as
possible, rebounding thence to form in the mouth continuous vibrations,
which are, at the same time, communicated to the external air. The
quicker and the more easily these movements take place, and the farther
forward in the mouth the vibrating column of air is reflected, the more
beautiful, full and telling is the tone. If the air rebounds farther
back in the mouth from any part of the roof of the mouth, then the high
inharmonic over-tones are prominent, and there arises either one or the
other of those hollow, disagreeable colorings of timbre which are known
as throat and nasal tones.
That the voice must be brought forward in the mouth--that is,
that the air expired in singing should have the above described
direction--is now acknowledged as necessary and aimed at by the
best teachers. But the reasons why the tones thus sound better
are not known. The Germans and the English, in consequence of
their accustomed modes of forming sounds in speaking, have, as
we shall see hereafter, more rarely than the Italians, a correct
disposition of the tones in singing. It is extremely difficult
for many persons to accustom themselves to such a direction of
the vibrating air-columns. But with the proper means the skilful
teacher always gains his end. These means are to let the pupil
practice those syllables which he is accustomed, _in his own
language_, to form wholly in front of the mouth.
The old Italian masters considered the management or touch of
the tone as one of the most important requirements in the
perfect cultivation of the voice. Distinctly, lightly, swiftly
and elastically must the column of tone, rightly directed,
strike the forward part of the mouth, which at the same moment
opens widely enough to communicate without delay the quick
agitation to the air external to it.
_Only by a correct movement of this kind (Ansatz) are those
forms of the vibrations obtained in which all the harmonic
over-tones belonging to a perfect tone sound together._ The
quicker, lighter and more distinct this movement of the tone is,
the more telling it is, and it may be heard quite strongly, even
when it is sung _piano_ with a full chorus and orchestra. Upon
the occasion of the great Musical Festival in Boston (1869), it
was a matter of universal wonder that with the powerful chorus
of many thousands of voices, Mad. Parepa-Rosa's tones were heard
so distinctly that even at a considerable distance the words
were plainly understood. As great artists often find the true
and only beautiful unconsciously, so Mad. Parepa-Rosa has
a perfectly correct touch, whereby she sets the surrounding air
vibrating more rapidly than it is possible for a chorus to do
with so many unschooled voices. The sounding waves of the tones
which this distinguished singer produced with the correct touch,
naturally reached the ear sooner and were earlier felt and taken
into the consciousness of the listener than those of the mighty
chorus, and thus it was that the music of a single voice kept
its significance even with the accompaniment of a multitude of
voices.
The great influence of the touch upon the fulness, and especially
upon the extent to which tones reach, is again best illustrated
by the movements of water. When we press on the surface of water
slowly, though with the greatest force, and at the same time
touch it in another place quickly and lightly, it is not only
far more strongly moved by the quick, light touch, but the waves
which are produced spread themselves out more rapidly, and run
more swiftly over the surface, than those of the slower and more
powerful pressure.
As the form of the vibrations necessary to a perfect tone in
singing depends mainly upon a right management of tone, it is
self-evident that here the greatest care should be taken in
teaching vocal music. Here is one of the most difficult tasks for
the teacher, and great perseverance and much practice are required
of the pupil. But when once a right production of tone has become
a habit, so that with every tone all the harmonic over-tones sound,
and more breath is then allowed to stream forth immediately after
the quick, light rebound of the vibrating column of tone, the
vibrations enlarge without changing their form, and so only the
strongest, fullest, most beautiful tone possible is obtained. But
a touch can only be learned by imitation. We can no more describe
the fine shades of tone than of color. And no art, least of all
the art of singing, can be learned from books alone.