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Transcriber's note:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
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ADVICE TO SINGERS
by
FREDERICK J. CROWEST
Author of "The Great Tone Poets" "Musical Groundwork"
Editor of "The Master Musicians" Series, etc.
"Since singing is so good a thing
I wish all men would learn to sing"
[Illustration: Publisher's Device]
Seventeenth Thousand
London
Frederick Warne and Co.
and New York
1904
PREFACE.
Singing cannot be learnt from a book, and so far from attempting any
such impossible feat as writing a book which might be called "_Singing
without a Master_," the author's object--frequently insisted upon
herein--is to point out the impossibility of overcoming the difficulties
of singing without a teacher. At the same time, there are points upon
which a master would not feel called upon to speak; nor would he
(except, perhaps, in the course of a very long period of training) be
likely to touch on many matters which, though closely connected with the
life or business of an accomplished singer, yet lie rather outside the
province of the voice-trainer.
In a work consisting of detached paragraphs, and not being a continuous
essay, it is not always possible to enter into full explanations of the
reasons for certain statements; and (for the want of such explanation)
one paragraph may _appear_ to contradict another. However, I can assure
the reader that such paragraphs are only _apparent_ contradictions; and
if he will take the trouble to think such points out for himself, he
will find that they are easily reconcileable.
There is no subject, perhaps, on which opinions are so divided, and
prejudices run so high, as the proper method of training and using the
voice; nor is there perhaps one more wrapped in mystery than is the art
of singing. This is probably the result of that readiness with which
almost every music teacher has hitherto undertaken to teach Singing.
This book will not, I am sure, add to the mystery. A careful perusal of
its contents should clear away many misconceptions, and place the
student on the right road to that end which he or she has in view.
PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.
That another large edition of this little Manual should be called for in
so comparatively short a time is sufficiently encouraging testimony of
the worth of the book and the favour it has found at the hands of
students of singing and others--a result the more gratifying to the
publishers since hitherto it has been issued with an anonymous
title-page. Often has the authorship of the little volume been
industriously defended and disputed--not by myself--both in this country
and America; but, on the whole, the identity of its originator has been
well maintained. For my part matters might have remained so, especially
as I am not insensible to the fact that there is much "preaching"
herein--as indeed there must be in such a work, and some of the advice
is of such a nature that its giver runs the risk of being placed upon an
exceeding high pinnacle of moral excellence, or of being accounted the
personification of all the virtues--both of which distinctions might
scarcely be merited. The appearance of my name upon the title-sheet is
the result of no wish of mine, and I have consented to it only out of
deference to the pressing request of the publishers.
A chapter on the Physiological Surroundings of the Voice has been added
to this edition.
FREDERICK J. CROWEST.
PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION.
Once again my publishers have informed me of the necessity for
reprinting this Manual, which has been so successful both here, in
America, and in the Colonies. I have nothing to alter in the work, but I
must express my thanks for the marked support that has been given to
this straightforward advice. Did space permit, much might be said
relative to that growing complaint, "Teachers' (or Board School)
Laryngitis" as it is called. For some time past I have been authorized
to make observations at the chief Throat Hospitals in connection with
this constantly increasing mischief, arising from an injurious use of
the voice in Teaching, and which only proper Voice Production will
remedy. While I cannot give advice here, I shall be happy to answer any
communications of sufferers from this complaint.
FREDERICK J. CROWEST.
24 AMPTHILL SQUARE, LONDON, N.W.
CONTENTS.
_Page_
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 9
ON HABITS, DIET, &c. 13
Early Rising--Cleanliness--The Hair--The Teeth--Exercise--Dress--
Diet--Smoking--Late Hours--General Morality.
PRONUNCIATION AND STUDY OF WORDS 21
Nervousness--Pronunciation--Vowel-Sounds--Consonants--English--
Emphasis--Position of Lips--Study of "Words"--General
Education--Dramatic Study.
VOICES AND THEIR VARIOUS QUALITIES 28
Voices and their Names--Compass--Soprano--Mezzo-Soprano--
Mezzo-Contralto--Contralto--Alto--Tenore-Leggiero--Tenore-Robusto--
Barytone and Basso-Cantante--Bass--Buffo--Qualities of Voices.
INSTRUCTION, BOOKS AND MASTERS 47
Schools of Singing--Masters--Institutions--A First Opinion--Bad
Lessons--Bad Teachers--Books of Exercises.
PRACTICE 53
Individuality--Perseverance--Facial Expression--Self-Accompaniment--
Position of Body, Arms, Hands, Throat, Tongue, Larynx--
Head-Singing--Throatiness--Clearing the Throat--High Notes--The
Scale--Forte, Mezzo-Voce, and Piano--Tone--Chest, Falsetto, and
Head--Scale Practice--First Exercises (_with Examples_)--Duration
of Practice--Singing in Tune--How to Begin--Variety--Chorus
Singing--Humming--Studying Songs--Imitation--General Musical Study.
ON STYLE AND EXPRESSION 71
Traditional Styles--Modern German _Lieder_--"The Cathedral
School"--Oratorio (_with Examples_)--Opera--Ballads--Recitative
(_with Examples_)--Slurring--Sentiment--Decision--Imitation--Public
Singing--"Holding" an Audience--Mistakes in Public.
ON TIME IN SINGING 87
The Metronome--Accent--Exercises: four beats to the bar; three
beats to the bar; two beats to the bar.
ON THE CHOICE OF MUSIC 103
Music to Suit the Voice--"Original Keys"--Execution--Fashion--
Forming a "Repertoire."
PHYSIOLOGICAL SURROUNDINGS 109
The Larynx--The Thyroid--The Pharynx--The Voice; A Wind, Reed,
or String Instrument.
EXERCISES 115
Exercises 1, 2, for Uniting Notes--Exercise 3, for Flexibility,
&c.--Exercise 4, on Intervals of Thirds--Exercise 5, on Intervals
of Fourths--Exercise 6, on Intervals of Fifths--Exercise 7, on
Intervals of Sixths--Exercise 8, on Intervals of Sevenths.
INDEX 126
ADVICE TO SINGERS.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
Whatever be the actual difference between the professional and the
amateur singer, if a person is worthy of the name of singer at all,
there should be no difference in their views of Art, and in their
devotion to practice. Singing is an art, and one of the most difficult
of the arts to master; and any one who attempts to learn it must be
prepared to give the same devotion to it as is demanded by the sister
arts of painting and sculpture. I do not mean exactly devotion of the
whole time and energy of life to it; because, however necessary that may
be for the professional, who has to make his living by it, such entire
devotion to an accomplishment or an amusement (for such singing is to
the amateur) would, for a non-professional, be frequently impossible,
and very often wrong, as it would lead to a neglect of the duties of
life. But, while the entire devotion of time and energy of a
professional singer is demanded to master the various styles, and the
immense mass of music, with which he or she will have to deal in the
exercise of the profession, the amateur should bear in mind that such
time and energy as he can devote to singing must be firmly restricted to
doing what he undertakes thoroughly well--as well, in fact, as a
professional. The amateur's position, which forbids him to make singing
the work of his life, limits the range of his work, not the quality of
it. He cannot, even if he have the voice of a Rubini or a Braham, master
the difficulties of opera, oratorio, and ballad alike. Circumstances
forbid him to conquer the world, but there is no reason why he should
not be a king in his own special realm. To be that he will have to
follow the same rules as though he were able to attack the whole
universe of vocal music; for he should feel that the only difference
between him and the professional singer lies in the sphere of their
work.
The same remarks apply to many professionals. _Very_ few can excel in
all styles, and few in more than one. To attempt all is a great mistake,
and will probably lead to failure, or at least mediocrity in all.
But the first point that I would insist upon is the necessity for
earnest devotion and regular work, both in professional and amateur, so
that the term _Artist_ may apply to both. I shall be at no great pains
to avoid occasional repetitions of incidental remarks. In a book
intended for constant reference rather than for one perusal, and one
divided, as this is, into short paragraphs, words may attract attention
in one place, while in another they may have been overlooked. If,
therefore, I err in this respect, I shall do so deliberately, my sole
aim being to help and impress the student as much as possible.
Remember that the human voice is the most delicate of all instruments,
susceptible to more and more varied influence than any other. The singer
has to combine in himself the instrument and the performer; and while
all the artistic and intellectual qualities necessary for the
instrumentalist are required by him, he is compelled beyond that to
realize that he is a living instrument, and to exercise over himself all
the care--and indeed far more than all--that players exercise over their
most cherished "weapons." He has not only to learn how to sing, but how
to be and to remain fit for singing. He, more than any other musical
artist, will find that he is affected by moral as well as physical and
intellectual causes, and he must face this fact boldly.
In writing down the brief hints which this little work offers to
singers, I shall therefore take in a range of subjects and enter into
many details which may seem to have little to do with the practice of
_Do_, _Re_, _Mi_. I do this advisedly, and I believe that such hints as
those on general culture and habits of living are by no means the least
important part of my work. I do not profess to teach my readers how to
sing--(any singer knows, and I should like the public to know too, that
singing cannot be taught by a book)--but to give "hints to singers," and
many of those hints are on such subjects as it would be an impertinence
on the part of a singing master to allude to. If the student takes
offence at the _book_, it happily does not reach the author.
Following out the previous thought, I shall try to turn the intending
singer's attention to several other subjects, before I touch upon that
of strictly musical interest. And if I here seem to "preach"
occasionally, I shall never do so without cause, and never, I trust, in
any spirit but that of the warmest sympathy with the aspirations and the
peculiar trials and difficulties of those who are still in full vigour
of youth and health.
Remember that I give _hints_, not _rules_. It is quite impossible to lay
down rules of living which shall apply alike to male and female, or to
variously constituted natures. But I hope I may trust to the common
sense of every individual to draw sound conclusions, and to form his or
her own rules, by the help of these hints, and, the rules once formed,
to adhere to them resolutely. If singing is to be done at all, it is
worth while to do it well, and to spare no pains to that end.
There is a good deal to be done by the student of singing before he
attacks the strictly musical part of his difficulties. General
education, if deficient, must be attended to; habits of living must be
formed and followed out; faults of character, such as laziness, ill
temper, slovenliness, impatience, and want of perseverance, must be
bravely fought; for the study of singing, perhaps more than of any other
art, will test the character severely in these respects.
The student must be prepared to exercise a good deal of self-denial; to
put aside all notions of self-merit for a long time to come; and to be
humble, and ready to take a hint from any source. Whatever merits he may
have at starting are certainly not due to his own skill; they are simply
natural gifts, and the better they are, the more is there for him to
learn in doing justice to them. Let him not waste time in admiring what
he is, or has done; but let him keep all his energy for what he may yet
be and for what he yet has to accomplish.
ON HABITS, DIET, &c.
The following paragraphs contain hints on various matters apparently
little connected with singing, yet all of more or less importance to the
singer. The voice, and the power of using it, depend so greatly upon
general health, and health is so easily affected by habits of living,
that I offer no apology for entering into some details which, though
easy enough to write down, and read when written, would be difficult for
a singing master to allude to or suggest without giving offence.
=Early Rising.=--Practise early rising, and, if possible, take a short
walk before breakfast. This tends to keep the circulation of the blood
in a good condition, and that is, of course, of great importance to the
lungs, and all the organs which singing requires to tax somewhat
severely.
=Cleanliness.=--Strict cleanliness is of the greatest importance. Take a
cold bath every morning directly you get out of bed. Do not stand
"pottering about," or you may catch cold, but go to your bath while the
skin is moist with the perspiration which the warmth of bed has drawn
out. If you let the perspiration dry, and then plunge into cold water,
you run a great risk of giving yourself a severe chill. Sponge yourself
well, and rapidly, all over, especially the chest, throat, back of the
neck, and all round the loins; and dry the body thoroughly and briskly
with a rough towel. Let no fear of damaging the complexion deter young
ladies from this most healthy and necessary operation.
In winter, if the circulation is naturally sluggish, it is as well not
to take the bath perfectly cold, but merely add enough hot water just to
remove the extreme chill. The bath ought to feel cold to you, even
though it be not the coldest possible.
It is well to take a warm bath once a week--if possible, just before
going to bed. Do not have it hot, but simply warm, and, of course, use
soap with it. Do not dawdle over it, but "have it and have done with
it," and then get to bed at once. If you find the effect of it to be
enervating or relaxing, take it less warm in future. The object of it is
simply to open and cleanse the pores of the skin--a matter of great
importance.
=The Hair.=--The same rule of extreme cleanliness applies to the hair, and
for the same reason, viz., its intimate connection with the circulation
of the blood and the pores of the skin. Keep the hair well brushed, and
have it frequently cut and shampooed. Avoid "pomatums," washes, and
greasy messes of every kind: their smell is objectionable and their
effect is generally to dirty the head. Moreover, the public have the
good taste to object to the appearance of an artist before them who is
evidently "got up" with pains for the occasion. A person who is
habitually as clean as he can be, need never fear to appear in public,
and may spare himself the disgusting application of "grease" to his head
to make himself fit to be seen.
If a moustache is worn, let it be kept within bounds, and not allowed to
fall over the mouth, where it would affect the tone of the voice. Do not
cut it straight along the lip, but train it right and left, allowing it
to grow naturally and uncut. The advantages of the moustache are two: it
acts to a certain extent as a respirator, and protects the mouth and
throat as the eyelash does the eye, and it helps to conceal any slight
distortion of the mouth in singing. This, I confess, is a doubtful
advantage:--there ought to be no distortion, and if any were seen, it
might, perhaps, be corrected. However, I give the opinion for what it is
worth.
=The Teeth.=--The teeth play such an important part in the production of
the voice that every care should be taken to preserve them sound and in
good condition--to say nothing of the part which they play in facial
expression, a point to which every singer should attend. A bad state of
the teeth at once affects the stomach, and that again the voice, so that
no apology is needed for drawing the student's attention to this matter.
Clean the teeth the first thing in the morning, and the last thing at
night. Use a moderately hard brush, better too soft than too hard, with
cold water, or better still, just lukewarm. Avoid all "dentifrices" and
advertised nastinesses in the way of powders and "fragrant" washes. A
mixture of powdered (not "prepared") chalk and orris-root, in the
proportion of about three to two, is the best thing to use, and any
chemist will make that up for you. Remember to brush the teeth inside
and along the top, as well as outside; and if you find this difficult
with the ordinary-shaped brush, get one of those which are sold for the
purpose. If you find, in spite of your care, that your teeth become
discoloured, the cause is probably that your stomach is out of order. In
that case, go straight to a doctor, for the consequence of such
derangement is that "tartar" is formed on the teeth, and this grows, and
pushes back the gums, altering the form of the cavity of the mouth, and
so affecting the tone of the voice.
=Exercise.=--Be as much as you can in the open air. Take moderate walking
exercise, but of course do not tire yourself before singing or
practising. For male singers, rowing, riding, football and cricket (but
without the shouting so often incidental to these games), racquets or
tennis, and above all an hour or two weekly in a gymnasium, are
excellent things; while for ladies, walking, riding, lawn-tennis, "la
grace," and calisthenics are equally useful. If you live in a town,
always walk in preference to taking a conveyance, when time and weather
permit it.
Never breathe through your mouth in walking, especially at night, or on
coming out into the open air after singing. Keep the lips closed, and
inhale the air through the nostrils. This is easily acquired, and to be
able to do this will be found of great service in taking breath for
singing; but out of doors it is most important, for the immediate rush
of cold or damp air to the delicate organs of the throat, especially
when the latter have been excited by the exertion of singing, is
dangerous. It is a good plan, and a profitable use of the time, to
practise breathing when walking, by filling the lungs, and utilizing
each inspiration for as long a distance as possible.
=Dress.=--Nothing can be said in favour of our climate for singing. With
proper precautions, however, a great deal of trouble arising from this
cause may be averted. In summer, as well as in winter, for instance, the
writer would strongly urge the wearing of moderately thick-soled boots
or shoes. Then, again, the neck and chest should never be exposed alike
to a June sun and a December frost; but, instead, it should be
moderately and reasonably covered. Great care should be taken never to
get wet, especially wet or damp feet.
In going out of hot rooms into the open air much pains should be
exercised to keep the chest and throat covered up with an overcoat or
cloak--however warm the weather may be. In _very severe_ winter weather
the singer will derive much comfort by wearing a flannel
chest-protector. Sitting about in gardens, and on lawns, in the evenings
on even the warmest days, is not a safe indulgence for the student who
is in earnest in the pursuit of his art.
One caution is necessary as to "wrapping up," however. Do not over-do
it. The constant use of a "comforter" renders the throat delicate and
susceptible. All you have to fear is damp, not cold, in the atmosphere.
A comforter, closely wound round the throat, promotes perspiration, and
the risk of chill in removing it is greater than in not wearing it at
all. Common sense must guide every one. It is impossible to make a rule
for all.
=Diet.=--As to diet: avoid everything that is at all indigestible. Live
well, and take plenty of varied nourishment. The singer's system _must_
be well nourished. Chocolate and coffee are better than tea; the latter
is too astringent, and affects the nerves too much, if taken in
abundance. Sugar, in moderation, should always be used with those
beverages, and they should never be taken very hot. Bread is better than
toast, but avoid hot or very new bread. Eggs and butter are good. Meat
should be plainly cooked and not too well done. Pork tries the digestion
too severely to be a desirable food for a singer, and the same may be
said of veal. Fish is good for the singer, and he should if possible let
it form a part of his daily _menu_. Creams and pastry are simply poison,
and cheese should only be taken in great moderation. Fruit is an
excellent thing if judiciously used. But here, again, hard and fast
rules are impossible, because constitutions vary. Only remember the old
proverb, "We must eat to live, and not live to eat."
Never practise or sing upon an empty stomach, or soon after a meal:
either of these habits will unfairly tax your digestive organs, and in
so doing damage your voice. After a meal, all the energy of the body is
required for the stomach; in a healthy person the extremities will
generally be cold after a full meal, and the reason is that the
digestive organs are using all the heat and blood that the body can give
for their special work. Nature thus points to a rest of every other
organ at that time, and you must not fight against Nature by attempting
any such severe physical strain as the practice of the voice demands.
All acids and astringents are bad for a healthy throat and stomach.
Vinegar, highly-flavoured sauces, almonds and raisins, nuts of every
kind should be avoided. Some of these are useful as remedies in relaxed
throat, or congestion of the throat, no doubt; but I am speaking simply
of what is desirable for a person in a state of health. In cases of
cold, hoarseness, or indisposition of any kind, my prescription is,
"Don't doctor yourself, but (as Abernethy said) '_Take advice_.'" Be
very careful and abstemious in the use of spirits. Brandy is decidedly
injurious, it heats and inflames the throat, and tends to constipate the
bowels. Gin or whiskey is the most wholesome spirit, but take as little
as possible of either. If you drink beer or stout, take draught and not
bottled, and always in great moderation. All effervescing liquors are
objectionable; therefore eschew champagne, Moselle, bottled ale and
stout, _et hoc genus omne_. The fluids called port and sherry are cruel
foes to singing. A glass of _good_ port is a fair medicine in certain
cases, and the same may be said of very dry Amontillado, but if
you have nothing the matter with you, avoid port and (so-called)
sherry--especially the hideous compound of alcohol and molasses known as
"brown" sherry--as you would poison.
The best drink for singers is claret, or any light wine, French, German,
or Italian. I myself find the latter on the whole the best, and such
wines as Barolo Secco or Chianté are pure and cheap, and contain all the
properties necessary for a singer's beverage. But in this as in all
else, _moderation_ is a _sine quâ non_. Fluids are apt to produce
congestion or mucus in the throat and glands of the mouth, and that of
course interferes with the free action of the muscles in singing.
=Smoking.=--As a general rule it may be laid down that smoking is a bad
habit for the singer, male or female (for there are females who are
proud of being able to smoke cigarettes nowadays!). With many instances
of great singers who have also been great smokers before us, it is
impossible to say decidedly that singers must not smoke; but the habit
is one to be very cautiously indulged in. If smoking in any case induces
expectoration, it should at once be given up, for the habit of spitting,
to which some smokers allow themselves (quite needlessly) to give way,
is, in reality, the greatest evil of smoking; it weakens the throat,
lungs, and chest. If a man can smoke without spitting or drinking, I
confess that I am no great enemy to tobacco; but the "if" is a big one.
A cigarette is certainly a safeguard against taking cold in coming out
of a hot room into the open air, especially after singing; but strong
cigars or strong tobacco in pipes are to be avoided, because of their
effect on the nerves.
=Late Hours.=--Avoid late hours. You require, not only a certain amount of
sleep, but to take that sleep before the body and mind are at all
overtaxed. From many causes, it is well known, the human frame is always
at its lowest from about 2 a.m. till 5 a.m., and the nearer you approach
those hours in going to bed, the less able are you to derive all the
benefit which you require from sleep. Twelve o'clock is late enough for
any one.
Another reason why late hours are bad is connected not with physical
facts so much as with morals. It is true, you may come to no actual
harm, or get into no positive mischief, by being out late at night, but
you place yourself in a position of risk--risk of cold, over-fatigue,
inhaling vitiated atmosphere, &c., as well as risk to moral character,
which latter, in its way as delicate as the voice, is injured not only
by actual violation of right, but by all society, conversation, and
literature which tend to dim its brightness, or (to use another
metaphor) to spoil the purity of its outline by roughly knocking off its
corners. At all events, as to the night side of "Life," you are better
out of it.
=Morality.=--Nothing can act more prejudicially upon a singer than those
influences which are understood by that very inclusive term, a "fast"
life. I would, therefore, urge upon the student the necessity of a
religious avoidance of those influences. They dull the purity of thought
which marks all true art; they deaden the intellect which art requires;
and they injure the physical powers, without which all a singer's study
may be suddenly rendered useless to him. All excess is bad, and
self-restraint and self-control are of the greatest importance both to
character and health. Many an anxious student has mastered the musical
side of his art, but has failed under the rigid demands which the moral
code makes upon an intending singer. It is of no use for a singer to be
strong musically, and weak morally: the two preparations must go
hand-in-hand; and while building up a structure of vocal greatness, his
care must always be that the moral foundation will always support the
weight of persistent study, and leave him favourably placed in the stern
competition going on around him for a front place in the race for
singing fame, and the inevitable honours. Keep these hints in mind,
think them carefully over, and be your own moral doctor. That will be
better than following any code of cut and dried rules. If you err at
all, let it be on the side of self-denial, the hardest and probably the
highest of all virtues.
ON THE STUDY OF PRONUNCIATION AND "WORDS" IN SINGING, &c.
The singer has to combine the arts of the musician, the public speaker,
and, to a certain extent, the actor. Clearness of pronunciation and
correctness of emphasis are included in the range of his study. Nor are
these so easy of acquirement as many persons suppose. To a novice, the
almost inevitable nervousness inseparable from the prominent position
which a solo singer necessarily holds in the company, or before the
audience to which he is singing, is very apt to render the enunciation
less distinct and more rapid than is natural to him. His ear guides him
less safely; and, in fact, every sense, influenced by the abnormal state
of his nerves, is apt to play him more or less false. It is only by
having carefully studied and mastered every detail of manner, posture,
and speech, as well as of the music to be performed, that a singer can
rise superior to the treachery of his nerves, in whatever form that
treachery may show itself.
=Nervousness.=--A few words as to nervousness. You will often hear persons
boast that they are not the least nervous in public; and, perhaps, will
feel inclined to envy them. Get rid of any such notion at once. If by
"nervous" is meant "frightened," that is another thing altogether; and
it is perfectly true that there are hundreds of persons who are not in
the least afraid of appearing in public, nor affected by timidity when
so appearing. But fear is only one form of nervousness. I firmly
believe that it is impossible for a real artist ever to appear in public
without being _nervous_. But the nerves act in many ways: the fervour of
an eloquent speaker carried away by his subject; the "_abandon_" of a
fine actor thoroughly entering into his part and identifying himself
with it; the sustained energy of a declamatory singer; the faultless and
unerring agility of a florid _soprano_, who astonishes her hearers by
wonder on wonder of execution--all these things are due, in their subtle
charm, to nervousness--_i.e._ to delicate nervous organization in active
play. These artists are not frightened, it is true, but excited,
stimulated, roused from the normal state of eating, walking, and
sleeping; something of the spiritual kindles the mere physical forces in
them--some breath of inspiration sustains that living power which so
influences the hearers. In some way or other every great artist is
always nervous; were it not so, the essence of their power would vanish.
Persons of cold and phlegmatic temperament lack the very life-breath of
art; and though they may train themselves into fair imitations of some
great artists, they will generally be detected with ease, by any hearer
of true sensibility, as imitations, not the real thing. Therefore do not
be ashamed to admit that you are nervous, if it be so. Nerves are a
cruel master, but a splendid servant; instead of letting them overcome
you, force them to do your bidding; and instead of "nervousness" meaning
"fear," you will find that it means courage and power to do your best.
=Pronunciation.=--Study correctness of pronunciation and propriety of
emphasis quite apart from singing. Remember that in speaking or singing
in a large space and to a number of persons, every sound must have not
only additional force, but additional volume. And that comes to mean
that every vowel-sound in the words sung must be intensified, and every
consonant be delivered with more accuracy than is necessary in ordinary
speaking. If you were to pronounce the syllable "die" (for instance), in
singing, _exactly_ as you do in speaking, you would produce on the
notes or note to which that word belonged a thinness of tone which would
be very ugly, and probably would not "carry" far. And the same with any
vowel-sound--even "Ah," or "Oh,"--which, though not producing a thin
tone, would certainly produce a coarse one, if sung exactly as spoken in
ordinary conversation.
=Vowel-Sounds.=--The reason of the need of this slight change is as
follows. Every vowel-sound, like every musical sound (for vowel-sounds
are nothing less than musical sounds) is composed of _two_ sounds.
Combined with the prominent and chief sound which first attracts the ear
is a second, which, though not prominent, lends point and force to the
other. Thus our English vowel-sound "A" is really _Éh-é_; "E" is _E-é_;
"I" is _Ah-é_; "O" is _O-óo_, or even _Aw-oo_; "U" is _Ée-óo_. Of
course, I do not mean to say that those absurd-looking syllables really
express exactly the sounds which we produce in speaking the vowels, for
no combination of letters can do that, or can bring within reach of the
eye the subtleties of sound in human speech; but if you attempt to
pronounce those syllables, you will find that you are really pronouncing
the vowels from which I "translated" them.
Now, in conversation or rapid speaking, the subordinate sound of the
vowel is scarcely noticeable, while the more prominent sound is heard
for the short interval of time required. But in singing or public
speaking, where the production of tone is more deliberate, the space to
be filled with sound larger, or, in other words, the column of air to be
set vibrating is greater and heavier, the _complex_ sound of the vowel
must not be ignored. It is impossible to lay down any set of rules by
which the student may overcome this difficulty; but every one, by
bearing in mind the absolute necessity of attention to this point, may
easily accustom himself to the slight change of pronunciation (as it
will at first appear) which is required to give vowel-sounds when sung,
or spoken "_ore rotundo_," the same tone, to the hearer's ear, as they
have in ordinary speaking. As a general rule this is done by keeping
the throat more open, the larynx (or "Adam's apple") as low down as
possible, and the root of the tongue flat, depressed, even hollowed like
the bowl of a spoon. The truth of all this may easily be tested by
singing any short passage deliberately and distinctly, with the exact
pronunciation of ordinary speaking, and then repeating it with attention
to the above hints. In the first instance the result will be meagre,
hard to be heard at a moderate distance, and very likely extremely
ludicrous to the hearer. In the second, you will find that the tone of
the notes gains in roundness and fulness, while the words are clearly
heard in every part of the room with the exact effect belonging to them.
I purposely refrain from attempting to write down the difference
discernible in any words so sung, because, as I have already said,
_letters_ cannot accurately express distinctions so delicate, yet so
all-important to the singer, speaker, and hearer.
=Consonants.=--In pronouncing consonants, be careful to give each its due
value, but without exaggeration. Be especially particular to sound the
_last_ letter of each word distinctly. But take care to avoid adding a
slight sound (as of an _e_ mute) after the final letter: for instance,
do not say "When other-_é_ lips," &c., or "bright-_é_ days," and so on.
Do not over-aspirate the letter "_H_." "_N_," "_L_," "_M_," "_B_,"
"_P_," and "_V_," are all letters requiring care in firm pronunciation.
Avoid prefixing a slight sound of "_N_" to the first word of a song or
passage in singing. It is a common trick with beginners to do this, and
they frequently do it without being in the least conscious of it. It is
produced by a kind of nervous feeling of the teeth with the tongue, as
if to make sure that all is right for the start! I have heard an
aspiring youth actually begin a well-known song thus: "_Nwaft her
Rangels Nthrough the sky_," &c.
=English Words.=--The English language is not the most suitable one under
the sun for singing purposes; nevertheless, it is not nearly so
intolerable and unfavourable an one as it is the fashion to make out.
The grand old Scripture passages which Handel, Mendelssohn, and others
have set to music testify to this. Yet musical care _is_ needed when
singing English words, and especially in pronouncing the "sibilants," as
_S_, &c. These "sibilants" must never be enunciated rapidly, or their
ill effects will soon be found in a series of _hissings_. Let it be your
study, then, to avoid this ill effect in singing English words, and to
utter such sounds slowly and carefully, with the endeavour to produce a
soft and agreeable effect; for it is, indeed, unpardonable to hear an
English singer unable to render perfectly the words (if =not= the music)
of his native country's songs and ballads.
=Emphasis.=--Having accustomed yourself to carefulness over each letter in
your pronunciation, the next thing is to study correctness of emphasis,
&c. All this is apart from the strictly musical portion of your studies,
and, while you can work at this without music, you will certainly spoil
the effect of your singing (however good your voice and voice production
may be), unless you do so study your "words." I should recommend you to
practise reading aloud for not less than a quarter of an hour at a time,
say once a day. Read _standing_; place your book on a desk, on a level
with your eyes, and speak out deliberately, and with full tone of voice,
and as much variety of intonation as the matter read requires.
Shakespeare is your best author for this study. You will feel at first
as if you were doing a very absurd thing, but never mind that--do it,
and do it as well and as carefully as you can.
=Position of the Lips.=--In speaking and reading aloud during your
preliminary training for singing, be very careful that there be no
change in the aperture of the mouth or position of the lips while
uttering any one sound, however prolonged. If the lips move from their
first position, however slightly, the tone immediately changes, and the
pronunciation ceases to be pure and refined.
=Study of Words.=--The words of a song are as much worthy of the singer's
study as the music, that is, if the song is worth singing at all. I do
not mean to say that in themselves they must necessarily be of equal
merit, but that they require as much attention on the part of the singer
to bring out their meaning. Study the text, therefore, apart from the
music. Read the words aloud deliberately; master the sentiment of them,
and note the prominent words and phrases, so as to be able to give them
their due value when you have to combine them with the music. Avoid
giving prominence to such words as "of," "for," "the," "and," "in," &c.,
&c., but yet let each be distinctly pronounced, and not slurred over in
an indefinite murmur. Learn the words of your song by memory. Master the
text, and consider the whole from an elocutionist's point of view before
you attack the musical side of the matter. A singer when singing in
public should not be troubled with his words and music too.
=General Education.=--An important branch of study is that of giving
expression to the passions, and of communicating your conceptions and
emotions to the minds of your listeners. No better training could a
young singer have for forming such ideas than the earnest perusal of the
works of Shakespeare, Dante, Goethe, Milton, Lytton, George Eliot, &c.;
or in watching carefully and intelligently the acting of our best stage
performers. For a singer to be successful, he or she must be in a
position to express, and bring home to an audience, such emotions as
love, hatred, anger, fear, grief, and pity; all these, and many other
such feelings, have constantly to be transmitted by the singer, and it
is to the most natural and faithful exposition of these, and that most
consistent with the other equally important points of the art of
singing, that the student's attention should for a long while be
patiently and perseveringly directed.
The singer should be a well-educated man, and he should know at least
one other language beside his native tongue. He should be well read,
too, in the best literature of these two languages. On questions of all
the arts he should seek to make his views sound and true. He should seek
to travel, and so enlarge his mind, for all this training will reflect
itself in the work of an artist so liberally educated. An inferior
education has been the bane of many a student, who has had the organ and
all the necessary musical ability.
=Dramatic Study.=--To be a successful public singer, even in the
concert-room, one must be more or less an actor; and, therefore, the
time and money bestowed in acquiring a sound knowledge of dramatic
action and elocution will be well spent. For the lyric stage, such a
study is imperative; but its utility to artists who aspire no higher
than to ballad or oratorio singing cannot be too highly estimated.
VOICES AND THEIR VARIOUS QUALITIES.
The life of the singing voice is so comparatively short, that the study
of singing is rendered more difficult than that of any other art. You
may buy a violin or a pianoforte, ready-made and perfect, in your
childhood, and nothing remains for you but to study the instrument
diligently under a good master. But the vocal instrument cannot be said
to exist at all, for purposes of singing study, before the age of
eighteen or twenty in males, and (in our climate) sixteen in females.
Even at those ages the organ is necessarily immature and undeveloped.
Consequently the study of the art has to be carried on during the
progress of the instrument to maturity.
To counterbalance this disadvantage, however, we must bear in mind that
that very study materially helps to perfect the instrument. Singing is
by no means all "style," and the study of it includes the formation of
the voice and production of a good tone, and it is, of course, easier to
manipulate an unfinished article than a finished one--to educate youth
and suppleness than to bring maturity and stiffness into subjection to
new conditions.
Therefore begin your study in the youth of your voice; but, recollecting
that its life is the most short-lived of your faculties, let your study
be most earnest and painstaking. Especially if singing is to be your
profession, act upon the wise advice of Dr. Burney, and "Never go to bed
till you have learned something which you did not know the previous
night."
=Voices.=--"What is your voice?" is a very common question, sometimes
expressed in the rather less polite but more intelligent form, "What do
you call your voice?" The answer almost invariably is either "Soprano,"
"Contralto," "Tenor," "Bass," or "Barytone." Here is a warning for you
at starting. Do not limit your notions of what voices are to those four
or five generic names. Because choral music is generally written in four
parts, for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, the non-musical public, and a
great many musical people (some composers included) seem to think that
those names are an inclusive description of every human voice.
This would be of very little consequence if it were only a question of
names; but it is of no use to say "What is in a name?" if the result of
a wrong name is to lead to mischief. The misfortune of wrongly naming
your voice is that it will lead you to practise wrongly, and to choose
the wrong style of music for study and performance. For instance, a
young lady may call herself a _soprano_ because she can "_sing up to
C_," and may therefore fancy that the whole repertoire of a Tietjens or
a Clara Novello is within her reach; and acting on this notion, she may
fatally damage a naturally bright and pleasing voice by giving it work
to do which belongs of right to a voice of totally different calibre,
the _mezzo-soprano_.
=Naming the Voice.=--Remember always that the character of a voice is
determined not by compass or range of notes, but by quality, or body and
_timbre_, of tone. Two ladies may have voices ranging from A to A--two
octaves--and yet one might be a pure light soprano, and the other a
genuine contralto; while in length of compass a mezzo-soprano may even
beat them both. And so with male voices (the variety in which is even
greater than in female), you may have a voice of pure tenor quality, and
yet of such limited compass that your energetic barytone friend next
door may make your life miserable with jealousy of the ease with which
he bellows high Gs, G sharps, and even on great occasions an A or so.
But compass has nothing whatever to do with the name of the voice: it
may limit the quantity of music which can be performed, but it should
have no influence on the choice of the style of music to be studied.
This is a point of the greatest importance, therefore I repeat it
briefly once more--_Your voice must be described and used with reference
to its quality, or volume and timbre, and not with reference to the
number of notes which you can sing._
=Male and Female Voices.=--The actual varieties in tone and quality in
different voices cannot, of course, be expressed on paper; but a careful
use of your ears in listening to good public singers will soon teach you
to discriminate. Female voices are of at least four kinds: soprano,
mezzo-soprano, mezzo-contralto, and contralto. Male are of five or six,
or even more. Alto; tenore-leggiero or light tenor; tenore-robusto or
strong heavy-voiced tenor; barytone--basso-cantante (erroneously
identified with the barytone by some persons); basso-profondo or bass.
Beside all these divisions or species, voices must be again classed
according to their power. Any one who has ever heard an opera singer in
a moderate-sized private drawing-room, will readily appreciate the
difference between a _voce di camera_, or "chamber voice," and a _voce
di teatro_.
=Compass.=--The respective compasses of the several voices may be roughly
set down as follows, but it should be borne in mind that it is by no
means a matter of course that a singer of any particular voice should
possess or cultivate the whole range of notes supposed to belong to that
voice. He or she may be none the less a tenor or a soprano because the
one cannot produce an "_Ut de poitrine_," or the other "_F_ in _Alt_."
There is a special individuality in every voice, as in every face, and
therefore every voice must be treated, by a good teacher, on its own
merits, as a thing in some respects unique.
Perhaps it will be best, therefore, instead of saying that the compass
of any given kind of voice is from ---- to ----, to say that music for
such and such a voice is generally written between such and such limits.
The range allotted by composers to the various voices is about two
octaves to each--for solo work, of course--and is as follows, it being
understood that the male voices are an octave lower in pitch than the
female:--
_Soprano_, and _Tenore-Leggiero_, and in operatic music a certain
kind of _Tenore-Robusto_.
{from
{[Music: C4]
{to
{[Music: C6]
_Mezzo-Soprano_ and _Tenore-Robusto_
{from
{[Music: A3]
{to
{[Music: A5]
_Mezzo-Contralto_ and _Barytone_
{from
{[Music: G3]
{to
{[Music: G5]
_Contralto_ and _Bass_
{from
{[Music: E3]
{to
{[Music: E5]
The basso-cantante is a low barytone, or high bass with a lighter
quality of tone than the basso-profondo. The alto voice, or
counter-tenor as it used to be called, is not a natural voice at all,
but is artificially produced by training the _falsetto_ to the exclusion
of the other parts of the voice. It is totally distinct from the
contralto voice of a female, in quality, average compass, and the style
of music best suited to it. It is of more use in part-singing and
cathedral music than for solo work, although in some oratorios solo
parts have been allotted to it. It is rarely pleasing when heard alone,
for very few alto singers are able to avoid the appearance of singing
with effort; and the whole performance, except in some instances,
appears unnatural and forced. The alto voice ranges generally
from
[Music: G3]
to
[Music: C5]
but its best notes are confined to the octave of B flat.