tone; capable, if rightly produced, of "carrying" far without any
appearance of force or effort. Its lower register is often weak and
ineffective, and the forcing of those notes by a bad singer often
damages the voice, and spoils the evenness of tone, which is of far more
importance than power and noise in singing. Low notes, even if
naturally weak, may be trained to take their proper share of the work of
the voice, and every year will add to their natural power. Most soprano
voices have a "break" on
[Music: G4]
and another, and more difficult one to deal with, on
[Music: E5]
or
[Music: F5]
The lower notes are the (so-called) "chest" register; the middle ones,
between the breaks, the "falsetto," and the upper ones the "head" notes.
I shall speak of these often-used and frequently-misapplied words
presently; I merely mention them now for the sake of pointing out to
soprani, what many young lady amateurs utterly ignore, that they have
these "breaks," and possess "chest," "falsetto," and "head" notes, as
well as male singers.
Soprano voices are frequently capable of great flexibility, and passages
are easy to them which tax the powers even of a light mezzo-soprano
severely. The high notes, especially, are in many cases easily produced
in a staccato manner, like notes of a piccolo flute, and an effect is
thus made, which, though pretty and pleasing if judiciously employed,
becomes a great snare to many singers, who for the sake of astonishing
their audience work the upper part of their voices unfairly, and,
neglecting steady use and practice of the lower registers, will very
soon find that they have weakened the power and thinned the tone of the
whole voice.
But there are many voices of pure soprano tone which lack this
flexibility: let the fair owners console themselves with the
recollection that good _sostenuto_ singing is quite as pleasing, in the
long run, as displays of vocal gymnastics. You may not be able to
attempt the "_Dinorah_" Shadow Song, or the "Rejoice Greatly" in the
"_Messiah_," but you will find that you have plenty of good work left
for you in such music as "Dove Sono," "Deh vieni, non tardar"
("_Figaro_"), or "Jerusalem" ("_St. Paul_").
Moreover, you may possibly have what is a much rarer gift (in a pure
soprano) than flexibility--you may have a tone of voice capable of
executing declamatory music with fine effect. Music of this kind is
generally appropriated by some mezzo-soprano of high compass, and more
properly belongs to voices of that class; nevertheless, the effect of
sustained declamatory music, well executed by a real soprano, is
unrivalled in its way.
=Mezzo-Soprano.=--The mezzo-soprano voice is perhaps the commonest of all
female voices, and yet one of the rarest met with in perfection. It is
fuller and rounder in quality than the soprano--less flexible, and more
adapted to a _sostenuto_ or declamatory style. Mezzo-soprano voices vary
so much that it is difficult to name any note on which the "break" will
be found. Sometimes it is on the same notes as a soprano--sometimes on
the same as a contralto--on the average, perhaps, nearer the former.
Wherever it may be, however, a judicious teacher will soon point it out,
and put the student into the way of rightly treating it. Teaching, and
_good_ teaching, is especially necessary for voices of this class, for
their fortunate possessors are generally ignorant of the value of the
treasure which they possess in a good mezzo-soprano; and if it be of
light quality, they fancy themselves soprani, and force the upper
register of the voice in trying to "stretch their compass;" or if their
low notes develop first, they think that "with practice" they are to be
contralti; and by over-exercise and fondness for displaying those deep
notes, they run the risk of widening the break, and rendering the
quality of the whole voice hopelessly uneven.
What lies within the sphere of a good mezzo-soprano has been shown in
late years by a Grisi and a Tietjens, the latter of whom will live in
the recollection of all who ever heard her, as the perfect model for
every mezzo-soprano in the production of the pure tone and even quality.
=Mezzo-Contralto.=--The name mezzo-contralto speaks for itself. It is by
no means an uncommon voice, and if used with discrimination is an
effective and useful one. Both in compass and quality it lies between
the contralto and the mezzo-soprano. Heavier in tone, less resonant, and
less flexible than the mezzo-soprano, it is yet lighter than the
contralto. Pure contralto voices are so rare that many mezzo-contralto
singers appear as exponents of contralto music, and by paying chief
attention to the lower register of their voices, they become fair
imitations, and more than passable substitutes, for the real article.
The possessor of this voice must be guided by the advice of a good
teacher as to the direction in which her voice should be trained.
Sometimes the natural quality of the voice renders it advisable to
attempt rivalry with the mezzo-soprano, rather than with the contralto;
sometimes the reverse. It is a question for decision by a competent
adviser in each individual case, and therefore I shall not attempt to
lay down any decided rule, except my oft-repeated one, "GO TO A MASTER,
AND A FIRST RATE-ONE,"--a point on which I shall have more to say
further on. How impossible it is to lay down rules for a mezzo-contralto
is shown by the fact that an eminent living "mezzo-contralto" is gladly
accepted on our opera stage as a leading contralto, and yet succeeds
admirably in such a part as Rossini wrote for a mezzo-soprano of the
most florid kind--_Rosina_ in "_Il Barbiere_."
=Contralto.=--The quality of a true contralto voice is so peculiar that it
is impossible to mistake it for any other voice, although other voices
may be mistaken for it. Of course, there are exceptional cases in which
the contralto and mezzo-contralto are combined in one voice: the lower
range being of full and pure contralto quality, while instead of the
somewhat limited upper notes of the contralto, a rich mezzo-contralto
range of notes may develop themselves; and in such a case careful
training will be able to soften these two into each other, so that a
complete voice of peculiar charm and great usefulness will result. But
such cases, if not rare, are certainly the exception and not the rule,
the deep and powerfully resonant tone of the true contralto being
comparatively seldom met with. There is generally an awkward break
between the low B and the D above it in this voice, and E flat or E
are the highest notes within reach of the average contralto. Voices of
this class are better adapted for a species of ballads, for solemn
declamation, or music of a calm and flowing character, than for
elaborate execution or lively melodies. But here again exceptions must
be made in favour of those who have the physical means, as well as the
artistic skill, to study such music as that of the _Page_ in "_Les
Huguenots_," _Arsace_ in "_Semiramide_," or "_La Cenerentola_." For an
average English contralto, however, the best line of study is in good
songs and ballads, and, chief of all, oratorio music.
=Alto.=--The alto, or counter-tenor voice, is said by a well-known English
alto singer to be "simply a development of the _falsetto_--generally the
_falsetto_ of an inferior bass voice." It is said to be almost peculiar
to English singers, and to that fact is ascribed its extensive and
effective use in the fine works of the English Cathedral School of
composers. Of course, in a voice which is so artificial, there must be
expected a worse "break" than usual--the break in this case being the
point below which the falsetto cannot be extended, and where the natural
"chest" quality of tone has to be used. This break generally lies near
the same place as the contralto break--if anything, rather higher--say
between C and E in the middle of the voice. The effective notes of an
alto usually lie in the octave of B or B flat, and the repertoire of
music for which this voice is suited is comparatively limited. That
repertoire, however, includes the greater number of oratorios, a good
deal of fine old Italian music, and a few old English songs; while a
singer of cleverness and cultivation will find many ballads which he may
make his own by the help of transposition and style of delivery.
Great pains must be taken by the possessor of an alto voice in the
formation and production of a good tone. The voice must be made to sound
as _natural_ as possible; and, if necessary, power must unhesitatingly
be sacrificed to sweetness. There is great danger of producing a harsh,
reedy, or nasal tone, which, to the hearer, is simply distressing or
offensive.
Above all, let him be content to develop his own means, and to keep to
music suited to or written for his voice. A good alto will make no
effect, and will do his voice and style harm, if he "poaches on the
preserves" of other voices--tenors, for instance, or basses--(singing
the songs of the latter an octave higher). I once heard an alto--a fair
singer so long as he stuck to his own work--make an absurd exhibition of
himself by attempting the great song "Love Sounds the Alarm," in "_Acis
and Galatea_," at a public concert!
Let him also beware of the snare of contralto music. The alto in a man
is totally distinct from the contralto in a woman. The tone is utterly
different--the best notes of the one are certainly not the best notes of
the other; and although in certain cases a contralto may sing with good
effect music written for a male alto (_e.g._ in some oratorios), yet the
converse is scarcely ever true. The low notes, which are so fine in a
contralto, and so unlike any other tone except perhaps a few notes of
some tenors, are utterly wanting in charm, and generally in power, in a
male alto; while the sweet and ringing middle notes of the latter are
far more effective in alto music than the (frequently) weak and
uncertain middle notes of a contralto. Choose your music as you name
your voice, by the quality of tone you can produce, and not by the range
of notes.
=Tenore-Leggiero.=--The _tenore-leggiero_ or "light tenor," is the male
voice corresponding to the female soprano; it is perhaps the most
delicate and difficult to manage of all human voices. In the present
day, when fashion is all in favour of noise, it is difficult for any but
the strong-minded to stand firm against the tendency to shout and bawl,
which appears to be the highest aim of many singers, and the highest
admiration of most audiences. Now for a light tenor to attempt this
style of singing is simply suggestive of the old fable of the frog who
tried to make himself as big as the bull, and burst in the attempt.
There is a modern school of singing which, though it may be suitable
enough for heavy voices such as basses and robust tenors, is fatal to
light and delicate voices. The style of singing, and of music to be
sung, by this voice, is quite different from that appropriate to strong
and full organs; and, if you are the possessor of a light tenor, you
must at once rid yourself of the common amateur fancy (a fancy, too, by
no means confined to amateurs) that you must imitate a certain
ever-popular living tenor, whose name has passed almost into a proverb
as typical of the perfection of English singing. You _cannot_ be a
"Reeves" or a "Braham," therefore it is only waste of time and strength
for you to try. But there is a great deal of music which neither a
"Reeves" nor a "Braham" could sing, which is well within your reach; and
more than that, there is a great deal of excellent music which, though
you cannot sing it _like_ them, you may render very effective in a
totally different style. Very often a _pianissimo_ is quite as
expressive as a _fortissimo_, and grace and sweetness are frequently an
excellent substitute for power and force. You must be content to
recognize that the latter are out of your reach, and that the effects
which you can produce are to be attained by other means.
However, while assuring you that power and force are not given to you, I
do not mean to say that voices of your class need be at all inaudible in
a space however large. The tone of a light tenor is generally clear,
resonant, and penetrating; sometimes there is a metallic ring about it
which is extremely pretty, if not forced. I have heard a light tenor,
singing at the back of the Covent Garden stage, send his voice clearly
out into the great theatre, with apparently more ease than his "robust"
friend, who was shortly afterwards vociferating at the footlights.
A light tenor must be careful not to force up the lower register of his
voice beyond its natural and easy limit. The charm of the voice is in
the perfect blending together of the lower, middle, and upper registers,
and to do this the upper notes of each register should be equally at
command, as the upper notes of that register or the lower notes of the
one above it. In order to attain this, the change from one register to
another should generally be made considerably lower than the place where
the real "break" in the voice comes. For instance, supposing the "break"
to be on E flat, the singer should be able to change his register as
low as B or B flat, and to take all the notes between those two
places, either in the upper or lower register, with equal effect.
In voices of this character there is often one note which requires to be
_made_--_i.e._, which is so naturally defective in tone and quality that
it can only be produced effectively by imitating as nearly as possible
the quality of the register above or below it. This note is generally E,
F, F#, or (sometimes) G, between the middle and upper registers; and if
you find that you unfortunately have such a refractory note, remember
not to try and force the tone of it from the next note above or below;
_e.g._, if your bad note is F, do not try to improve it by singing E
well and then passing on to the F; but try and form the note from the
fifth above or below (whichever it happens to resemble most in tone).
Rounden the refractory note--give it a full tone in practising, and
produce it well from the chest, letting the sound reverberate from the
centre of the roof of the mouth--neither too far back towards the
throat, nor too much on the teeth. Your teacher, if he knows his
business, will soon put you into the way of this. Voices vary so much
that these very general remarks must suffice here; but each voice, if it
has its peculiar difficulties, has also, doubtless, its peculiar charm;
and for light tenors, rich in both charms and difficulties, the rule is
all-important: Do not try to imitate anybody else, but let your aim be
to do the best that can be done with such natural gifts as you may have,
aided by the best training that you can procure for them.
=Tenore-Robusto.=--The robust or strong tenor is the male voice
corresponding to the mezzo-soprano of a female. It is not an uncommon
voice, but is rarely met with in anything like perfection. A robust
tenor voice of large compass and round full tone is a treasure of the
utmost value. The fact is, that too frequently the possessor of a good
voice of this kind, instead of taking care of it and training it for the
future, begins using it too soon, strains and forces it into coarseness,
and spoils it for ever. People do not realize that a voice may be strong
in quality and powerful in tone, and yet in itself be an excessively
delicate thing to keep in order.
Moreover, voices of this kind in their youth frequently resemble
barytones, and their owners, fired with ambition to rival some popular
barytone singer, mistake their vocation, and shout and bellow on the
very part of the voice--the upper "chest" register--which requires the
tenderest nursing to fit it for future difficulties. Consequently, when
the voice develops with age, and the singer finds that barytone work is
too heavy for the lower part of the voice, and that he can without much
difficulty extend his compass beyond the barytone limits, he discovers
that what he has been using as the top of his voice is nearer the middle
of it, and that the mode of using those notes which he has practised is
excessively difficult, if not impossible, with those which now lie above
them. The result is either the creation of a very awkward "break," which
even time and practice can never entirely remove, or else (and this is a
commoner case) the same process of forcing which has been employed
hitherto is applied to the upper notes, as far as strength can take it!
This is the reason why so many tenor singers are utterly unable to
produce the real tenor "tone," and sound like barytones forced up to a
higher compass. There is no sweetness in the upper notes so
produced--nothing but force and noise; while the hapless perpetrator of
the howls which represent high notes turns scarlet in the face, and
quivers all over with his exertions. I therefore give to tenors of this
class exactly the same warning that I gave to soprani:--Do not ignore
the fact that you have three, or at all events two, distinct registers
of the voice, the (so-called) "chest," "throat," and "head." Do not
suppose, when you hear a great singer produce on a high note exactly the
same quality of tone as he produced on a low one, that he did it exactly
the same way, or "got it from the same place," as some people say. The
perfection of his training and the diligence of his practice have
enabled him to assimilate the quality of one register to that of another
so completely as to deceive your ear. The proof that this is true may be
found in inspecting a great deal of music written for and sung by the
most famous operatic tenors of the past--the singers of that pure
Italian school of which so few disciples now remain.
There are notes and passages in that music which no "chest" register
could by any physical possibility execute, but some of which have been
sung within the recollection even of the "rising generation" with all
the effect intended, and with the very tone that critical slang calls
"chest notes," (simply because it so closely resembles the tone of chest
notes that few, if any, can detect that they are differently produced
from the low notes.)
For obvious reasons I abstain from mentioning the names of any living
singers, but I can name one, not very long since dead, who attained the
highest reputation here as a _tenore di forza_--whose "chest notes" were
chronicled by the newspaper critics, and were the envy of aspiring
youths--and yet who has ever been heard distinctly to deny that he ever
produced those notes in the same way as the lower ones, and to laugh at
the idea that such a thing was possible; and this was Mongini.
I have entered into this at some length because it is a point which is
more and more ignored by the singers and teachers of this generation. I
might almost say that a school of singing exists the whole aim of which
is to abolish the natural upper part of the voice, in order to stretch
and force the one lower register up beyond its natural compass. I do not
deny that in certain cases a voice results from this treatment which is
powerful, effective, and capable of executing a good deal of music with
much success and satisfaction to the performer; but for one case where
this treatment so far succeeds, it fails in twenty to produce a voice
both pleasing and useful; it is, moreover, in singers trained on this
method that we most commonly hear the odious (and involuntary) trembling
of the upper notes commonly called the _vibrato_.
Therefore, to sum up those who find, when their voices begin to form,
that the natural quality of their voice is lighter than that of a bass,
had better make up their minds at once to give the voice fair play, and
let it alone for a time; then consult a good master, or one really
experienced in hearing singers, as to what the future of the voice is to
be. It is by no means easy always to decide at that early period whether
the permanent quality of the voice will be tenor or barytone, and
therefore it is folly to try and settle the question for yourself by
singing, in untaught style, music which may prove to have been all along
unsuited to you. Your patience in waiting till the voice really declares
itself will amply repay you afterwards by the absence of the
difficulties which too early a use of the voice would have created for
you to overcome.
=Barytone and Basso-Cantante.=--The barytone voice is thus described in
Stainer and Barrett's "Dictionary of Musical Terms:" "A voice of fuller
quality than a tenor, and lighter than a bass, having a compass partly
included in both.... This voice has only been distinguished by name as
being of a separate character within the present century. Early writers
indicate its existence by the use of its special clef. The term barytone
is unmeaning unless it be looked upon as a corruption of barytenor; but
it is quite possible it was borrowed from the instrument barytone or
bardone, which occupied a place between the tenor and bass viols."
The derivation of the name from "barytenor" is slightly absurd,
considering that half that extraordinary word is Greek and the other
half Latin; whereas the name barytone is a Greek word, used by
Aristotle, and meaning "deep-sounding."
The distinctive character which this voice has assumed within the
present century is due, I believe, to the great change in the pitch of
musical instruments which has taken place. In the last century the
pitch was so much lower than that at present in use, that a "high
barytone" was much the same as a "robust tenor." Consequently, music was
not written exclusively for the barytone voice, its existence as a
separate class of voice not being sufficiently recognized. Gradually, as
the pitch was raised, the barytone separated itself clearly from other
voices, and has now a repertoire of music and a style of singing of its
own; and instead of appropriating tenor music, it, if anything, has
stolen away some of the property of the bass; for the raising of the
pitch which placed tenor music beyond the reach of a barytone has also
rendered a good deal of music originally written for a bass far more
suitable for a barytone, or at all events for a basso-cantante. I am
well aware that by many musicians the basso-cantante is identified with
the barytone. The distinction is so slight that it is not worth while to
quarrel over names; but that the two voices are distinct I am persuaded.
The basso-cantante is of fuller and rounder quality than the barytone
proper; less flexible, less metallic in tone, and generally rather lower
in compass. But the method of using both voices is the same, and for all
purposes of amateur singers no distinction need be insisted upon.
Professionals, however, who have to deal with heavy work on a large
scale, will soon find that there is a good range of music more suited to
the rich voice of greater volume and less flexibility (which I
distinguished as the basso-cantante) than to the bright, flexible voice
which has something of the tone of a full "tenore-robusto," and which is
the barytone proper. Neither of these voices is much troubled with a
"break," although there is a perceptible difference between the natural
quality of the lower and upper octaves of the voice when quite
uncultivated. This difference, however, which makes itself felt in the
region of these notes, is got rid of in practice without any of the same
difficulty which is encountered by tenors or contralti in managing the
decided breaks in their voices. The possessors of barytone voices may
therefore be looked upon as having comparatively "easy times of it."
There is a large repertoire of music at their disposal, including much
of the most popular ballad music of this century and the last; the voice
is generally a favourite with an audience; the style of barytone singing
is undisputed, and the singer will not find himself violently criticised
by the partizans of a rival school of singing to that in which he
himself has been trained, which is inevitably the fate of tenors!
[Music: F3 G3 A3]