plays a most important part in singing. Upon it depends all the beauty,
and quality, and richness of the voice. The singer will do well to
constantly think about the larynx, to watch it, to feel that it is well
down below the mouth before commencing the first note of a song, which
note must, under such circumstances, be rich, round, and penetrating.
Then the larynx must never be allowed to rise above this fixed point. It
may be deepened, and must be, for the higher notes, but it must never
ascend, or nearly approach the roof of the mouth, or the sound-passage
is closed, and the sounds become at once impure, vitiated, and without
body or foundation.
Try and guard against the bad habit of pushing forward the chin when
singing, otherwise the tone cannot fail to be faulty. The chin should be
well down on the chest, and the larynx quite low, to lead to an easy
and pure production of tone. To be constantly moving both the jaws for
every note, continually displaces the larynx, impairs the purity of the
tone, spoils the articulation of the words, and, what is worse than all,
produces a hideous expression of the features, which latter fault would
alone be sufficient to prejudice seriously the chances of any singing
artists. The lower parts of the jaws, not the upper ones, should do the
work; and when a high passage or note is before the singer, the lower
parts of the jaws should be exercised to drop as the notes increase in
height. The singer's face should be controlled, if no other member can
be so regulated.
=Singing in the Head.=--There is, in all beginners, a tendency to sing too
much in the head, that is, to have the foundation of the tones too high
up in the throat. This fault is due to the difficulty experienced by
beginners in keeping the larynx sufficiently below the mouth. The
fulness of tone, the rich, round, and mellow quality which is so much
admired in all good singers, is almost entirely owing to the voice being
pitched low down, and not high up in the throat, towards the back of the
head (as it _appears_ to be).
A few trials of this will soon convince the student of the vast
difference in the character and _timbre_ of the tones of these two ways,
and also of the economy of the plan here recommended, so far as regards
the wear and tear of the voice in practice.
=Throatiness.=--Throatiness, or singing in the throat, is the common enemy
of all English singers. Our language is the chief cause of this
disagreeable habit, which we begin to acquire as soon as we learn to
talk. Still, by diligence, the evil can be cured, and no better plan can
be followed than to constantly practise singing the vowel-sounds Ah, A,
E, O, throughout the compass of the voice, taking every possible
care--and this is the point--never to allow the _tone_ to vary, nor to
leave the teeth, and not to screw up the throat, especially in high
notes. It is impossible to produce a "throaty" quality of voice if the
throat is well open, and the tone is firmly directed, and kept on the
upper teeth and front of the mouth. On the other hand, if the student
screws up the throat, rolls the tongue, or practises singing without
being constantly on the look-out for the "voice on the teeth," the
result must be a "throatiness," which is most disagreeable to all people
who have any real knowledge of what singing should be.
=Clearing the Throat.=--Singers, good and bad, are often troubled with an
apparent stoppage in the throat, and this inconvenience seems to be at
its worst just at that moment when they wish to sing. To displace or to
cure this stoppage, they begin hacking and coughing ("clearing the
throat" as it is called), which proceeding, however, only makes bad
worse for the time being, and finally grows into a habit, till at last
such people cannot venture to open their mouths without first subjecting
the throat to a series of these irritating "hacks." A good master will
soon cure this complaint by refusing to continue the lesson whenever the
pupil gives way to the bad habit. It is in many cases simply a nervous
trick, and if the singer will accustom himself to _swallow_ instead of
coughing, whenever he feels the sensation of which we are speaking, he
will soon get rid of it. If it results in any case from real weakness of
the throat, it may be beneficial to gargle three or four times a day
with moderately strong salt and water, especially before singing. This
does no harm to the voice, and by bracing and strengthening the muscles
of the throat renders them more obedient to the singer's will.
=High Notes.=--Many people find great difficulty in counting, with any
degree of certainty, upon the top notes of their register. I know of no
greater assistance towards bringing these out than that of well
contracting the mouth and lips at the beginning of the passage in which
these high notes occur, dropping the lower jaws, and securing a good
play of the mouth as the highest note is reached, at the same time
keeping the throat as open as possible, ejecting the sound to the
audience with as much "lip-force" as can be secured, being careful that
the tone is safe "on the teeth" before the note is "opened."
=The Scale.=--There can be no doubt whatever that the grand groundwork of
all singing is the diatonic scale. On it is built all the graceful forms
and figures which belong to the great artist. Yet how few seem to know
and to appreciate this fact! To excel, the diatonic scale must be
practised most seriously and assiduously in its plain and simple form;
nor must it be left until the student can sing every note therein
purely, without wavering or flutter, and with precision, in the soft,
medium, and loud voices.
=Forte, Mezzo-Voce, and Piano.=--The singer will derive much advantage by
bearing in mind that the voice has three main gradations which the
Italians class as the _forte_, the _mezzo di voce_, and the _piano_. The
management of these three is of vital importance, and the singer should
certainly practise the scales in all three voices, and have each at
command for every exercise and passage which he studies.
=Tone.=--The tone of the voice must never be vitiated or rendered impure
from any cause whatever. There is always a danger of this in passages of
great energy and passion, but it should be remembered that whatever be
the effect aimed at, it cannot be attained by any means which involves a
change in the tone of the voice. The first and chief consideration must
always be to produce a good tone in the right manner. If the tone be not
good, the singing cannot be agreeable; and if it be not produced in the
right manner, you have no security that it will be equally good
throughout the voice, or in passages of all kinds.
=Chest, Falsetto, and Head Voice.=--I have already said that there is a
good deal of confusion existing as to the use of the terms "chest,"
"falsetto," and "head voice." And this is scarcely to be wondered at,
seeing that nobody has yet decided _how_ the three qualities of sound
are produced, while everybody knows that the names are so far
misleading, in that no sound whatever is really made in the _chest_ or
in the _head_, but that all are due to the passage of air through the
larynx, in which are placed the vocal cords upon which the air plays.
The changes of sound which are spoken of as "chest," "falsetto," and
"head" voices are due to changes in the position of the larynx and its
surroundings, and in the action of the vocal cords. What those changes
are, and how or why they cause the results which we hear, has yet to be
discovered: there are several theories, but no one has yet ventured to
claim the certainty of truth for any one of them. There is an excellent
article on "The Larynx" in Stainer and Barrett's "Dictionary of Musical
Terms," to which I would refer those who wish to understand these
various theories. For my present purpose it is sufficient to point out
that each of the names is an utter misnomer. The "chest" voice is
probably so called because the vibrations of the notes in that register
may be distinctly felt in the chest; and because the breath passes
directly from the chest, as it seems, without any opposition in the
throat, producing the sound on its way. The "falsetto," or range of
notes above the chest, is so called (and rightly so) because in that
register of voice the tone _feigns_, or imitates, the tone of the
"chest" notes below, although it is certain that the sounds are not
produced in the same way, for the position of the vocal cords and their
attendant parts is different, and changes suddenly on the passage of the
voice from the chest to the upper register. A falsetto, rightly trained
and used, is one, therefore, which is true to its name, and so well
imitates the "chest," that the hearer cannot distinguish the "false"
from the real "chest tone." The "head voice," which many people persist
in confusing with the falsetto, is so called because to the singer it
feels as though the notes so produced came from the head. This is due to
the larynx itself rising up in the throat and approaching the back of
the head. It comprises, in reality, _all_ that part of the voice which
lies above the "chest" register, all the lower part of it being shared
by the "falsetto," exactly as the falsetto shares the greater part of
the chest register. The falsetto, therefore, belongs to both, and its
use is to carry, by its power of imitation, the tone of the lower or
chest register into the upper or head register, so combining them that
no audible change of quality, or "break," is perceptible.
=Scale Practice.=--It cannot be too strongly impressed upon, or too
frequently pointed out to, the singer (no matter what may be the stage
of his or her artistic development) how desirable and advantageous it is
to be constantly singing exercises and solfeggi in preference to songs.
It is a popular fallacy, especially among amateurs, that the practice of
scales and intervals should be left behind as soon as possible. Pray do
not be mistaken. The never-failing daily practice of singing open chords
in solfeggi, scales, and exercises, is fraught with advantages which
cannot be gained by the study of yards, or even miles, of song tunes. As
an instance of how much may be done in the study of scale practice, the
writer would point out that this particular exercise should not be left
until the student can sing the diatonic scales throughout the whole
extent of the voice in one unbroken breath, and with one quality,
character, and volume of voice. When this point has been reached, its
peculiar efficacy will be so apparent as not to require any
recommendation or advice for its daily continuance.
=First Exercises.=--This is a book of advice, not of exercises, nor do I
profess to teach you, but only to point out to you, how you must prepare
to be taught. I cannot too often repeat that no book by itself can teach
you singing, and my object is not to supersede a master, but to induce
you to place yourself under a good one. However, it may happen that
circumstances of time, place, or pocket prevent your doing so as soon as
you would wish, and it is far better even to learn from a book what you
can in the way of rules and exercises, than to go on singing by the
light of nature, or under a cheap and inefficient master, or working at
exercises too advanced for a beginner (which is as bad as not working at
any at all). I therefore give here a few simple but most important
exercises, which you may work at until you are able to place yourself
under the care of a good master. Bear in mind, first, all that has
already been said here about taking your breath, the position of
standing, the form of your mouth, and place of throat, tongue, teeth,
&c., and study the following exercises daily say to the extent of thirty
minutes three times a day, with full attention to all the above points:
[Music: C major scale, beginning at C4, in semibreves]
Sing this fully and firmly. It should be begun and ended with the same
quality and "thickness" of sound, as suggested by the even line over
each note. You should be able to hold each note out in one breath for
twenty seconds without the slightest alteration being perceptible in the
tone, any more than there would be if it was a note proceeding from an
organ-pipe. Practise it on each of the following sounds consecutively:
"A" in "Bard," "A" in "Fate," "E" in "Steel," "I" in "Life," "O" in
"Pole," "U" in "Rule," prefixing each sound by L, and so singing Lah,
Lay, Lee, Li, Lo, Loo. In singing this first exercise, which for basses
and barytones will be, of course, an octave lower, be careful not to
force the lower notes, and do not seek to get a powerful tone thereupon.
The tone does not need to be full and heavy on these notes, but rather
should be a WELL-PRODUCED, light, and thin quality of note. The way to
proceed is: (1) To inspire the breath from the bottom of the lungs as it
were--not raising the shoulders. (2) Steady the breath for a second or
so in the chest while you THINK the note you are about to sing, and
while you prepare your throat and mouth for singing by lowering the
larynx and opening the throat. (3) Then begin to sound the note--not
from the back of the mouth, but from the tip of the tongue and the front
teeth--thus taking the whole of the tone out of the mouth, which is what
is required to be done. Sustain the note till you have only a little
breath left--then finish off in a clean manner, and allow the remaining
breath to leave the lungs and body in an orderly way.--Repeat the same
operation for _every_ note, and if you desire to make progress, give a
minute's attention of this kind to every single note.
[Music: 2--Broken C major triad in semibreves beginning and ending on
C4, then raising a semitone to continue the pattern.]
and so on, rising by semitones until you come to this:
[Music: Broken G major triad in semibreves beginning and ending on G4.]
which is certainly the highest that you ought to attempt at present.
Exercise No. 2 is a first step towards joining notes, and is another
difficulty in the matter of _production_. The object to be aimed at is
to sing the two notes which are bound (or tied) together with the same
breath, and the same body and quality of tone. To step from C to E, the
first movement in the exercise is to raise the voice a major third; but
the student must pass from his mind any notion of raising the throat in
order to sound the higher third. As the note E is higher than the C, the
tone of the former must be generated lower in the chest than had been
the case with the C. The higher the note to be sung, the lower must be
its generating-point in the chest. This is the only way to OPEN the
voice, and I need scarcely say that it produces an entirely different
tone and method than are secured by the common habit of screwing and
tightening the throat, in proportion as the notes ascend in pitch.
Another good exercise which may be combined with the last-given is the
following:
[Music: 3--Broken C Major Triad in semibreves beginning and ending on
C4, followed by a broken F Major Triad in semibreves beginning and
ending on C4. Broken G minor triad in semibreves beginning and ending on
C4, followed by a broken A minor triad in semibreves beginning and
ending on C4.]
This exercise (3) must be sung in the same manner as indicated with No.
2, care being taken as each note gets higher to pass _under_ the
preceding note, and not as it were to generate a high note over a lower
one.
After which you may take this:
[Music: 4--C major arpeggio in semibreves, beginning on C4 and landing
on C5. C5 is held for six beats prior to descending in crotchets in a C
major scale, and holding the bottom C4 for four beats.]
but sing it very slowly and deliberately, bearing in mind the production
of the high notes.
As you begin to get all these notes firm and round, you may take these
same exercises in D, D flat, and E flat, but be very careful not
to force the upper notes.
[Music: 5--Interval practice by holding C4 for four beats and slurring
to D4. After breathing, slur C4 to E4. After breathing, slur C4 to F4.
After breathing, slur C4 to G4. Continue this pattern until C5 is
reached. Then, begin on C5 and slur to B4. After breathing, slur from C5
to A4. Continue this pattern until C4 is reached.]
Exercise 5 is one where the question of the breath and its proper
management becomes of vital importance. The reader will observe the
notes are bound together, and the student's attention should be turned
towards passing from one note to the other, without any appreciable
difference in the _quality_--I do not say pitch--of the tone. Having
inspired in the manner already explained, the singer will sound the
_Do_ with a pure, sympathetic, not harsh or forced sound; and by
_pressing down_ the breath, will _lift_ the voice on to the _Re_. When
he has succeeded with the step of a second, he can go on to the step of
a third, fourth, &c. The care must be to utilize the breath, always
supporting the tone with the breath. If the sound wavers, then there is
something wrong with the breath. You are either singing with too little,
or are forcing the breath.
[Music: 6--Beginning on C4 and holding each note for two beats, go up by
semitones until E4 is reached and held for four beats. Begin pattern
again, but begin on D4 flat. Continue until A is reached.]
And so on.
[Music: 7--Beginning on C5 and holding each note for two beats, go down
by semitones until A4 flat is reached and held for four beats. Begin
pattern again, but begin on a B4. Continue until G4 flat is reached.]
And so on, descending the scale by semitones.
[Music: 8--In minims, sing C4, E4, G4, C5, B4, G4, F4, D4. Begin the
pattern again starting a semitone higher on D4 flat.]
Practise No. 8 slowly and steadily, with perfectly even tone throughout,
without any crescendo or diminuendo.
* * * * *
Let all the above exercises be taken successively, _forte_, _a
mezzo-voce_, and _piano_, preserving exactly the same amount of tone
throughout each passage, and holding the notes with the same force with
which you attack them steadily to the end, not letting them die away.
The trick of letting notes die away is easily learnt afterwards, but at
present you have to master the far greater difficulty of holding notes
firmly with unvarying tone. Practise these exercises on all the
vowel-sounds already given. All such exercises are of course only
variations of the diatonic and chromatic scales, so arranged as to
prepare the voice for executing those scales evenly and perfectly, with
equality of tone on every note; for till you can sing scales, you are
not fit to sing songs of any kind.
=Duration of Practice.=--Always guard against over-straining and
over-working the voice. Do not sing or practise for a longer time than
half an hour without allowing the voice rest for some time. If you have
three hours at your disposal daily to devote to singing, the most
economical use of the time is to divide it equally between the morning,
afternoon, and evening.
=Singing in Tune=.--Correct intonation is of the greatest possible
importance in singing. Every singer should pay especial attention to
this point. The heavier the voice, the more necessary becomes such
attention, and therefore contralti and basses are strongly advised to
lose no time in facing this (to them) considerable difficulty. Deep
basses, indeed, are rarely perfectly in tune for any long time together,
and some of the most famous bass singers have left behind them
recollections of this painful defect. Therefore, whatever be your voice,
do not take for granted that even the possession of a good ear will
always ensure your singing in tune. Sometimes excellent singers, and
good musicians too, will sing out of tune, perfectly aware that they
are doing so, but, for a time, unable to prevent it from physical
causes--relaxation of the throat, fatigue, indisposition, &c., under
which conditions the muscles are unable to obey the will as usual. Do
not, then, make too light of this matter, because you may think yourself
quite incapable of singing out of tune; it is at all events wiser to be
on the safe side. Therefore, never practise (nor sing, if you can help
it) with a pianoforte which is not well in tune and well "up to pitch."
And be very constant in practising intervals, such as major and minor
sixths and sevenths, so as to be able to strike them as perfectly in
tune and as unvarying in quality as the notes of an organ diapason.
=How to Begin.=--Many people never make a good start when beginning to
sing any piece. Now a very good remedy for a part of this evil is not to
prepare yourself too soon. Use the bar immediately preceding that in
which your part commences to gather up your faculties, and, to use a
common phrase, "to pull yourself together;" then let the muscles of the
body gently settle down. The ease and freedom acquired by this momentary
call upon the system is very remarkable; and for the singer especially
the hint cannot be too often acted upon.
=Variety Indispensable.=--An unchanging volume of sound is very soon
wearying to the ear; and therefore a singer who scarcely ever varies the
pitch of his voice will find that however loudly he may sing, his
audience will have a feeling of dissatisfaction, as though they could
not hear him distinctly--the fact being that their ears, being fatigued
with the uniformity of the noise, cannot do their proper work, and the
attention therefore flags. One great secret of being agreeably heard by
an audience is to vary the body of tone (not the _quality_ of it,
observe). As a rule singers are left tolerably free to do as they like
in this respect. Composers of songs rarely give them any help in the
matter. In fact, nowadays so many people compose "vocal music" without
knowing anything about the vocal instrument for which they compose, that
it is not wonderful that they ignore their power of helping the singer
by properly combining duly marked _forte_, _piano_, and _mezzo-voce_
passages, so as to ensure a variety of effect. Therefore, in most modern
music, a singer has to take his own "reading" of a song, and to make it
as effective as he can by varying the power of his voice. It might even
be taken as a rule that every _forte_ passage should be succeeded by a
soft one. The voice should rise and fall, and be varied in its
inflexions in that agreeable manner which is so marked in good orators
and dramatic elocutionists.
=Chorus Singing.=--If you are studying seriously for solo singing, you
must discontinue all chorus singing, especially during training. Singing
in church choirs and choral societies must be abandoned. And this not
because there is no good to be learned there, but because the little
good is by no means commensurate with the great amount of harm which is
acquired along with the good. To enumerate here all the evil habits so
easily learnt would be impossible. Not the least of them, however, is
the tendency to shout louder than your neighbour, to use yourself to the
bad habits of those on each side of you; to produce a bad tone; to
"chop" the passages instead of phrasing them; to attack notes
carelessly; to sing coarsely; to depend on others; to get into a
machine-like regularity of rendering the music. All these evil habits
are the result of chorus singing; and while many of them are detrimental
to the voice itself, it may be safely said that any one of these habits
is fatal to good solo singing.
=Humming.=--Some people have a wretched habit of continually humming
tunes. Pray do not get into this habit of singing unconsciously--than
which nothing is more prejudicial to the voice. You should never sound a
note without being perfectly aware of what you are doing, and that it is
being done in the right manner. The faults acquired by "humming over,"
as it is called, are of the worst kind, and, moreover, they are far
sooner acquired than eradicated.
=Studying Songs.=--Be careful, in studying a new song, not to waste either
time or strength by a trifling and superficial treatment of it.
"Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well." First of all,
_sol-fa_ the melody a few times in a full _mezzo-voce_. Then study it
with rather stronger tone, paying attention to lights and shades, yet at
the same time being chiefly occupied with the melody itself. Then make
your breath-marks, and adhere to the same unfailingly. Then sing the
melody once throughout, in order to find the weak places; having found
which, you need no more practise the whole of the melody, but give all
the attention to these latter phrases. Having mastered these, the melody
will be complete. It will then be necessary to determine where the notes
shall be made to _bend_ into each other, to add the _nuances_, a few
graceful figures and effects which belong alone to the true artist.