Excentro-concentric Wide open, fingers stretched apart and
contracted: Execration.
Excentro-normal Fingers stretched apart and straight: Exaltation.
Excentro-excentric Fingers stretched wide apart and backward:
Exasperation.
Lesson IV.
The Arms.
Let the arms swing backward from their natural position, with the palm
of the hands turned toward the front; head raised. Say: "It is
impossible!"
There is no doubt whatever about it.
[Illustration]
Arms at the side in their natural position, palms toward the front; head
straight, Say: "It is not so."
Arms slightly forward; head very slightly bent. Say: "It is
improbable."
Forearms slightly raised. Say: "Maybe."
Forearms still higher. Say: "It is probable."
Forearms at right angles with upper arms, palms always upward; head
bent. Say: "It is so."
Forearms higher. Say: "It is certain."
Forearms still higher (upper arms follow); head bent forward. Say: "It
is evident!"
Forearms still higher (by this time the upper arms are horizontal); head
bent way forward. Say: "There is no doubt whatever!"
[Illustration]
As will be noticed, the head moves in the opposite direction from the
arms. The face must express what the words say. The movements of the
arms alone, without the expression of the face, do not mean anything.
Lesson V.
Inflections of the Hand.--Combinations of the Arm and Hand.
1. _Acceptance_. Put the arm out naturally, palm upward.
2. _Caress_. Raise the shoulder; bend the head, keep the elbow close to
the side; raise the hand as high as the face and, with palm outward,
bring it slowly down again as if stroking an object, at the same time
raising the head.
3. _Negation_. Draw a horizontal line in the air, the movement finishing
in an outward direction.
4. _Self-control_. Arm hanging at the side, hand in the concentro-normal
condition, denoting authority, power over one's self.
5. _Authority_. Extend the arm and raise it in front a little higher
than the level of the shoulder; then raise the hand, which should be in
the concentro-normal state, from the wrist and let it fall again with
decision.
6. _Menace_. The arm is kept in the same position, the fist clenched
(hand concentro-concentric).
7. _Execration_. Arm extended from the previous position sideward; hand
excentro-concentric, palm toward the back; head turned in opposite
direction,
8. _Horror_. Arm outstretched in front; hand excentric, palm outward;
head thrown back.
9. _Desire_. Arm in same position; hand assumes the normal condition
and turns its palm upward; head still thrown back.
These movements should blend one into the other, and should be executed
without any affectation. The law of opposition should be observed here;
for example: In the ascending movement of the arm the hand falls from
the wrist; when the arm descends, the hand points upward.
Lesson VI.
Basic Attitudes.
1. _Weakness_. Feet close together, weight of body on both. This
attitude is that of childhood and old age.
2. _Perfect calm and repose._ Rest weight on one foot (settling at the
hip), bend the knee of the other leg and advance the foot.
3. _Vehemence_. Move the body forward so that the weight rests on the
foot that is in front; the heel of the foot that is behind is thus
raised.
4. _Prostration_. Throw one foot far behind the other, with the knee
bent and the weight of the body upon it. This attitude, when properly
taken, leads to the kneeling position.
5. _Transitive position._ In walking, stop midway between two steps and
you have the 5th attitude or transitive position. It is the one that
leads to all kinds of walks, and especially to the reverential or
oblique walk.
_6. Reverential walk_. Let the foot which is behind take a step forward
in this manner: With the toe describe on the ground a semi-circle that
bends inward toward you; this will cause the heel to pass over the
instep of the other foot. The other foot now takes a straight step
forward, and you pause in a respectful attitude before the personage of
importance whom you wish to salute. Several steps may be taken in
succession before the final pause. The ceremonious step is always taken
with the foot you begin with (the one toward the person you salute); the
other foot always takes natural steps. This walk is only meant for men,
and only on grand occasions.
7. _Intoxication, vertigo_. The feet are planted on the ground and
apart. This attitude expresses familiarity.
8. _The alternative_. One foot in a straight line behind the other, the
weight of the body on both. This attitude is offensive and defensive.
9. _Defiance_. The weight of the body on the foot that is behind, the
other foot diagonally forward; head thrown back.
Delsarte never classed the basic attitudes under the heads of
concentric, normal or excentric, any more than he so classed gestures.
He simply gave them in the above sequence.
Lesson VII.
The Medallion of Inflection.
"_The Key to all Gestures_"
[Illustration]
[Illustration] ↓ Affirmation.
[Illustration] ⇄ Negation.
[Illustration] ↑ Hope.
[Illustration] ↙ Rejection of things that harm us.
[Illustration] ↗ Rejection of things that we despise.
[Illustration] ⌣ Ease, comfort (resembles a hammock).
[Illustration] ⌢ Silence, secrecy.
[Illustration] () Plenitude, amplitude.
[Illustration] )( Delicacy, grace.
[Illustration] ⤶ Physical beauty.
[Illustration] ⤴ Beauty of intellect.
[Illustration]
[Illustration] ↓ "You may believe
[Illustration] → that no lord
[Illustration] had as much glory or happiness."
Mme. Géraldy's Lessons On Lafontaine's Fables.
The Wolf and the Lamb.
Might makes right; we shall prove this presently.
A Lamb was quenching his thirst in a stream of pure water. A Wolf, in
quest of adventures, happened by, drawn to the spot by hunger.
"What makes thee so bold as to pollute the water I drink?" said he,
angrily. "Thy impudence deserves to be punished."
"Sire," answered the Lamb, "soften your wrath, and consider that I am
drinking the water more than twenty feet below your Majesty, and can,
therefore, in no way pollute your Majesty's drink."
"You do pollute it!" replied the savage animal, "and I know that last
year you slandered me."
"How could I when I was not born?" replied the Lamb. "I am still a
suckling babe."
"If it was not you, then it was your brother."
"I have none."
"Then it was some member of your family, for you do not spare me--you,
your shepherds and your dogs. I have been told so. I must revenge
myself."
Thereupon the Wolf carried him into the depths of the forest, and ate
him without further trial.
Lesson Given By Mme. Géraldy.
In the narrative portions of a recitation, the eyes of the speaker
should meet the eyes of the audience. In this way he fixes their
attention and engages their sympathy.
Looking straight at the audience: "Might makes right [deplore the fact].
We shall prove this presently. A Lamb [by tone of voice and gesture show
what a weak, gentle creature a lamb is] was quenching his thirst in a
stream of pure water. A Wolf [a strong, cruel animal], in quest of
adventures, happened by, drawn to the spot by hunger." [Fold the arms;
gesture should always precede speech.] "'What makes thee so bold as to
pollute the water I drink?' said he, angrily. 'Thy impudence deserves to
be punished.'
"'Sire,' answered the Lamb [humbly], 'soften your wrath
and--[conjunctions should almost always be followed by a pause] consider
that I am drinking the water more than _twenty feet_ ["Mark me!"] below
your Majesty, and can, therefore, in no way pollute your Majesty's
drink.'
"'You _do_ pollute it!' replied the savage animal, 'and--I know that,
last _year_, you _slandered_ me.' [With this line Delsarte always gave a
progressive gesture, which can best be described in this way:
Give the gesture of affirmation ↓ [Illustration] [see Lesson VII.],
stopping twice in the downward movement, on the words _that_ and _year_,
thus:
| I
| know
v that
| last
v year
| you
v slandered me.]
"'How could I when I was not born?' replied the Lamb [gentle voice]. 'I
am still a suckling babe.'
"'If it was not you, then it was your brother' [gruff voice].
"'I have none.'
"'Then it was some member of your family, for--you do not spare me, you,
your shepherds and your dogs. [There is no pause after the conjunction
_and_ here, as it simply joins together words in a list.] I have been
told so [impatiently; the wolf is tired of parleying so long]. I must
revenge myself.'
"'Thereupon [lower the voice to fix the attention] the Wolf carried him
into the depths of the forest and--ate him [deplore the fact] without
further trial'" [voice low].
The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit.
The palace of a young Rabbit was taken possession of, one fine morning,
by Dame Weasel; she is a sly one. The master being absent, it was an
easy thing for her to do. She carried her belongings there one day when
he had gone to do homage to Aurora, amid the thyme and the dew. After
having nibbled, and trotted, and made all his rounds, Bunny Rabbit
returned to his subterranean dwelling. Mrs. Weasel was looking out of
the window.
"Hospitable gods! what do I see!" exclaimed the animal, who had been
shut out from his ancestors' home. "Hello there, Madam Weasel, come out
without delay, or I shall notify all the rats in the country."
The lady with the pointed nose replied that land belonged to the first
occupant; that a lodging which he himself could enter only on his
stomach was a fine subject for war. "And even if it were a kingdom, I
should like to know why," said she, "it should belong forever to John,
son or nephew of Peter or William, more than to Paul, more than to me?"
Bunny Rabbit alleged the rights of use and custom. "It is these laws,"
said he, "that have made me lord and master of this dwelling; passing
from father to son, it was transmitted from Peter to Simon and then to
me, John. Is the right of the first occupant a wiser law?"
"Oh! well, instead of disputing any more," said she, "let us have the
matter settled by Raminagrobis Grippeminaud."
The latter was a cat who lived as a devout hermit; a cat whose ways and
words were smooth; a pious cat, warmly clothed and fat and comfortable;
an umpire, expert in all cases. Bunny Rabbit accepted him as judge, and
they both went before his furred Majesty.
Said Grippeminaud to them: "Come nearer, my children, come nearer; I am
deaf; it is the result of old age."
They both drew nearer, suspecting nothing. As soon as he saw the
contestants within reach, Grippeminaud, the sly fellow, throwing out his
paws on both sides at once, caused the two suitors to be of one mind by
eating them both up.
Lesson Given By Mme. Géraldy.
[Begin slowly, making frequent pauses] "The palace--of a young Rabbit [a
nice little animal]--was taken possession of, one fine morning, by Dame
Weasel [a personage with nose and manners sharp]; she is a sly one. The
master being absent, it was an easy thing for her to do. She carried her
belongings there [without asking by your leave!] one day when he had
gone to do homage to Aurora, amid the thyme and the dew. [I do not know
if you see the poetry here, but we French people consider this last line
one of the loveliest bits of Lafontaine.] After having nibbled, and
trotted, and made all his rounds, Bunny Rabbit returned to his
subterranean dwelling. Mrs. Weasel was looking out of the window. [Start
back in surprise, raise the arms and shoulders high, eyes wide open with
astonishment, excentro-excentric; see Lesson I.]
"'Hospitable gods! what do I see!' exclaimed the animal who had been
shut out from his ancestors' home. 'Hello there, Madam Weasel [with one
arm raised, beckon to her to come down], come out without delay, or--I
shall notify all the rats in the country.'"
"The lady with the pointed nose replied that land belonged to the first
occupant; that a lodging which he himself could enter only [scornfully;
eyes concentro-excentric, see Lesson I.] on his stomach was a fine
subject for war! 'And even if it were a kingdom [the weasel talks very
fast], I should like to know why,' said she, 'it should belong forever
to John, son or nephew of Peter or William [talk very fast, with a great
many gesticulations], more than to Paul, more than to me? '
"Bunny Rabbit alleged the rights of use and custom. 'It is these laws,'
said he [the rabbit talks slowly], 'that have made me lord and master of
this dwelling; passing from father to son [count on your fingers], it
was transmitted from Peter to Simon, and then--to me, John, Is the right
of the first occupant a wiser law?'"
"'Oh! well! instead of disputing any more,' said she [it is the weasel
who disputes; she talks in a high key and very fast] 'let us have the
matter settled by Raminagrobis Grippeminaud.'"
The latter was a cat who lived as a devout hermit; a cat whose ways and
words were smooth; a pious cat [assert the fact], warmly clothed and fat
and comfortable [said with the gesture expressive of plenitude made with
both arms [Illustration]; see Lesson VII.]; an umpire, expert in all
cases. Bunny Rabbit accepted him as judge, and--they both went before
his furred Majesty.
"Said Grippeminaud [the concentric state; take the attitude of one who
is wrapped up in himself, head bent, shoulders warped, hands holding
each other; hardly unclasp to make the sign of beckoning] to them: 'Come
nearer, my children, come nearer; [point to the ears] I am deaf; it is
the result of old age.'
"They both drew nearer, suspecting nothing. As soon as he saw the
contestants within reach, [prepare the claws] Grippeminaud, the sly
fellow [act the following] throwing out his paws on both sides at once,
caused the two suitors to be of one mind by eating them both up."
Delsarte's Daughter In America.
By Adèle M. Woodward.
Mme. Géraldy being asked, during her recent visit to this country, what
she thought of the system of gymnastics called "Delsarte," said (to
translate literally the expressive French): "It makes me jump! And yet
you have my father's method," she continued, showing two of the
principal works on the subject published in this country.[9] "All that
is correct (pointing to some of the charts); what more do you want?"
The trouble lies here: Americans wanted more. They added, they devised,
they evolved from the few gestures given by the French master a whole
system of movements which they called by his name, and which has become
very popular in young ladies' seminaries and young ladies' clubs. The
name of Delsarte has been so strongly associated with this system, that
to most people the word "Delsarte" without the word "gymnastics" would
not mean anything.
Mme. Géraldy came to our country to tell us what the name of Delsarte
means. Delsarte never taught gymnastics. His whole life was devoted to
the study of the laws that govern expression. His pupils were men of all
professions, ministerial and legal orators, actors, singers, etc. "The
first half of his lesson," said she, "was always devoted to theory, the
second to practice."
Mme. Géraldy is a tall, dark-haired, middle-aged woman, with an
interesting face and a charming French manner. She wears mourning for
her mother, who died in 1891.
"My mother," she said, "was a remarkable woman; she ought to be as well
known as my father is. I would rather my father were not known at all,"
she continued, "than to be known as he is in your country, that is, as a
professor of gymnastics."
She said she had heard of the American "Delsarte gymnastics" while in
Paris (Americans passing through the city had often come to her and
asked questions), but she had no idea, until she came here, that they
were pushed so far. She was quite amused at having dumb-bells given her
at one of her lectures in a town in Pennsylvania. "In a gymnasium, as
usual," she said, smiling. Anybody who had ever been through the
Delsarte gymnastics and afterward followed the course of lessons that
Mme. Géraldy gave to a class while in New York, would have been struck
by the beauty and simplicity of her father's method, and her clear and
direct exposition of it. Here was no affectation. "I abhor all that is
affected," she said. There were no intricate convolutions, no
flourishes, and, above all, no "decomposing exercises."
An interesting fact to note is that Mme. Géraldy began by teaching her
pupils the expressions of the eyes, and when she gave them attitudes or
gestures, she always called for the facial expression to accompany them.
A woman, well-known in her profession throughout the country, is said to
have made the remark that Mme. Géraldy was wrong in beginning with the
eyes; she should begin with the feet. Only after showing the
possibilities of expression by face, head, hands, arms and shoulders,
did Mme. Géraldy give the basic attitudes. She was very patient and
painstaking with her pupils, and showed herself interested in every one.
She would often pause, while showing some expressive gestures, and say,
smiling: "But you Americans do not express yourselves in gestures. You
do not 'move' as much as we do." And again, when insisting on the
expressiveness of the shoulders when raised ("the shoulders are the
thermometer of passion," said Delsarte) she would conclude: "But all
this is not American; you Americans do not shrug your shoulders."
In giving the gesture of caress, she quoted her father as saying that
the attitude of the hands in prayer is a certain form of caress. In our
desire to have the thing we pray for, we clasp our hands together and
press them to our bosom as if we already held it.[10]
She was sometimes amused at the numerous questions that were asked her
during the lessons. "What searching minds you Americans have!" she would
remark, admiringly. "You must know the why and the wherefore of
everything. We French people are of much lighter mind and take things
more for granted."
During the lesson on basic attitudes, the following question was put:
"In the attitude of repose is the mind in a passive state, and in the
attitude expressive of vehemence is the mind in an active state?" The
simple answer was: "It is the mind that governs the feet and not the
feet that govern the mind."
Mme. Géraldy always insisted on the law of opposition in movements,
nature's and her father's great law. She gave, for example, an
interesting series of gestures, which might be called the ascending
scale from doubt to conviction, in which the head moves simultaneously
with the arms and in an inverse direction. The figure on page 547*
represents the angles made by the arms and shoulders and, at the same
time, those made by the head and shoulders to express the accompanying
ideas.
Delsarte used to say: "When I am speaking, stop me in the moment of my
greatest exaltation, and I defy you to find me, from my head to my feet,
in a position contrary to my method."
"Voice-culture for the speaking-voice is not an art that is cultivated
in France," Mme. Géraldy said, "What can you do to change your voice? It
was given to you by nature; you cannot change your vocal cords."
Mme. Géraldy returned to France, bearing with her the hope that her
efforts have not been altogether unsuccessful in making the great work
of her father's life better known to Americans, better understood and
appreciated by them.
Part Seventh.
Addenda.
Trueness in Singing.
Notes of a Lecture by Delsarte, Taken by His Pupil A. Giraudet, of The
National Academy of Music, Paris.
By a most reasonable deduction derived from his admirable principles,
Delsarte reckoned three modes or degrees of correct singing:
1. Absolute trueness;
2. Temperate trueness;
3. Passional trueness.
Absolute trueness is that adopted by theorists, who divide the gamut
into five notes and two semi-notes; the note into nine commas, or shades
of tone; the chromatic semi-tone into five, and the diatonic semi-tone
into four.
Thus from C to C# they count five shades of tone; whereas from C to Db
they count but four. Likewise, from D to Db they count five shades of
tone, and from D to C# but four.
[Illustration]
The difference of a comma between the D flat and the C sharp, seemingly
a very slight difference, is, nevertheless, most important in singing,
as we shall see later on. But performers, to simplify our musical
system, have divided this comma into two, making synonymous notes of D
flat and C sharp; that is to say, notes having the same sound. The note
is, therefore, practically divided into two semitones of four commas and
a half. This is what is known as moderation or temperate trueness.
[Illustration]
Temperate trueness is defective from many points of view. This is the
universal opinion, but we are forced to accept this method by the
absolute impossibility of any improvement, especially with the key-board
instruments now in vogue; and it must be accepted until some new
invention shall revolutionize the piano by modulating its tones, a
transformation which would give that instrument not only the musical
design, but also the color and warmth which it now lacks.
Let us pass to passional trueness, leaving science to enter the domain
of art. "Passional trueness," said Delsarte, "consists in giving each
semitone three, four, five, six, or even seven commas, according to its
tendency." As we see, the precept is daring, and an inattentive scholar
would only have to forget the last words of the definition to make
people say that the great master of lyric art taught his pupils to sing
false.
Every rule has its reason and its consequences. St. Augustine, who knew
the Beautiful, of which art is only the expression, and who could
explain it well, has given us a brief but admirable definition of music:
"Music is a succession of sounds each calling forth the other." Simple
yet profound words! The sounds call each other forth, desire and
mutually attract each other, and in every age this attraction has been
so clearly evident, that the seventh note in the scale, when it meets
the others each of which has its particular name relating to its
particular function, tonic, dominant, etc., is simply called the
sensitive note, from its tendency to pass into the atonic.
Passional trueness is based upon this tendency of the notes to pass into
those which succeed them, and upon this reciprocal attraction of sounds.
Thus, notes, which have a tendency toward the acute or shrill, may be
raised two commas or more above temperate trueness. Notes which have a
tendency toward the grave may be lowered in the same proportion.
(Example, taken from "The Prophet," by Meyerbeer.)
Ex. No. 1.
[Music]
Ah! mon fils
Ex. No. 2
[Music]
il re-nia ta me-re
Here, the B may be but two commas distant from the C; and in the second
example given, the A flat may also be but two commas removed from the
G, and this change far from producing a disagreeable effect upon the
ear, will make a most striking impression and the accent will be far
more dramatic than before. Try the reverse, that is, divide the interval
B sharp-C into seven commas on the semitones A flat-G; it will be
unendurable. Whence we may deduce the fact that to sing false is to sing
above or below a note in the inverse direction to its attraction.
Delsarte, in his definition, speaks only of the semitone, and we
ourselves give examples of that sort of attraction only; but it does not
follow that the other intervals are not equally subject to the same law.
Their attraction may not be shown by the same effects.
The master added, in speaking of trueness in singing: "The triad is the
breathing-place of the tonality; the notes composing it should be
absolutely true. They are the singer's invariable and necessary law.
They characterize repose. Their office is that of attraction, and they
can only be attracted mutually, with the exception of the tonic, which
is the centre of attraction not only for various notes, but for the
phrase and the entire composition."
Delsarte was very severe in regard to those who sang false; but to sing
true was not, to his thinking, a good quality. He said, on this point,
that no one would compliment an architect because he had built a house
in accordance with geometrical rules. Whence he concluded that trueness
is the least of good qualities, and the lack of it the greatest of
vices, and he added in regard to style: "The most important quality is
expression, and a lack of expression is the least of vices."
Let us add that the application of passional trueness depends upon a
thousand conditions of rhythm and harmony, to analyze which would lead
us much too far. The artist must make use of it according to his
aptitudes and his tendencies, for he must preserve his individuality. He
must learn by observation and the study of his own faculties to apply
theoretical rules founded upon natural laws.
Practical trueness, while it allows us to depart from legitimate
trueness, has strong analogies with the _tempo rubato_. The _tempo
rubato_, which Delsarte employed in a remarkable and striking way in
dramatic passages, actually permits the musician, in certain cases and
in the desired proportion, to change the value of the notes while
respecting the principle of time, which is invariable. But the
application of these rules is subject to the emotional intensity; it is,
therefore, impossible to determine theoretically and absolutely its
various bearings.
Delsarte.
[From the _Atlantic Monthly_ for May, 1871, by permission of Houghton,
Mifflin & Co.]
By Francis A. Durivage.
It was not until last summer, and then under peculiarly impressive
circumstances, that I saw, for the first time, a remarkable man whose
name is indissolubly associated with French art--François Delsarte, of
Paris. My curiosity had been deeply excited by what I had heard of him.
I was told that, after long years of patient toil and profound thought,
his genius had discovered and developed a scientific basis for
histrionic art, that he had substituted law for empiricism in the domain
of the most potential of the fine arts; and when the names of Rachel and
Macready were quoted in his list of pupils, I was eager to behold the
master and to learn something of the system which has yielded such
fruits to the modern stage.
The kindness of a friend procured me the rare privilege of admission to
the last session of Delsarte's course, which closed in July. It was on
one of those weary summer days when the hush of expectation, following
the fierce excitement caused by the declaration of war, had eclipsed the
gayety of Paris.
The notes of the Marseillaise had ceased to stir the blood like the
sound of a trumpet. The glare and glitter of French chivalry, which had
masked the feebleness of the Imperial military system, had vanished. The
superb Cent Gardes, the brilliant lancers, the savage Turcos, and the
dashing Spahis had been replaced by the coarsely clad troops of the
line. It was "grim-visaged war" and not its pageantry that we beheld;
heavy guns rumbling slowly across the Place de la Concorde; dark masses
of men moving like shadows on their funeral march to the perilous edge
of battle. It was a relief to exchange these sad scenes for that quiet
interior of the Boulevard de Courcelles, where a little group of persons
devoted to æsthetic culture were gathered around their teacher, perhaps
for the last time.
The personal appearance of Delsarte is impressive. Years have not
deprived his massive form of its vigor, nor dimmed the fire of his eye.
His head is cast in a Roman mould; indeed, the fine medallion likeness
executed by his daughter might well pass for an antique in the eyes of a
stranger. In his personal bearing there is nothing of that
self-assertion, that posing, which is a common defect of his
distinguished countrymen.
The pupils whom I met were ladies, with the single exception of a young
American, Mr. James S. MacKaye, to whom, as his favorite disciple and
one designated to succeed him in his profession, Delsarte has imparted
all the minutiae of his science. To this gentleman was assigned the
honor of opening the _séance_ by a brief exposition of the system, and
of closing it by reciting in French a brilliant tragic monologue, the
effect of which, in spite of the absence of appropriate costume and
scenic illusion, electrified the audience. In this scene, "Les Terreurs
de Thoas," those rapidly changing expressions of the features, those
statuesque attitudes melting into each other, which we all remember in
Rachel, indicated a common origin. It needed not the added eloquence of
words and the sombre music of the voice to tell the tragic story of the
victim of the Eumenides. After listening to the recitation, I was not
surprised to learn that the young student was to appear, under the
auspices of his teacher, at the Théâtre Français, during the approaching
winter,--an honor never before conceded to any foreigner. The large
American colony in Paris was looking forward to this _début_ with a
natural pride, and Delsarte with the calm assurance of his favorite's
triumph. Alas! we all reckoned without taking King William, the Crown
Prince, the Fed Prince, von Moltke, and von Bismarck into our account.
We never fancied, on that bright July morning, that Krupp of Essen's
cannon and the needle-gun were soon to give laws to Paris. But _inter
arma silent artes_ as well as _leges_. Nearer and deadlier tragedies
than those of Corneille and Racine were soon to be enacted; and the
poor players were summoned to perform their parts upon no mimic stage.
However, "what though the field be lost? all is not lost." The _venue_,
to borrow a legal phrase, has been changed, but the cause has not been
abandoned. Our young countryman has returned to his native land,
bringing with him the fruits of his long studies, to appeal to an
American audience, and it is quite possible that his teacher may be
induced to transfer his school of art to the United States.
Although at this _séance_ Delsarte appeared disposed to efface himself
in favor of his brilliant representative, he kindly consented to speak a
few words (and what a charming French lesson was his _causerie_!) and to
present a specimen of his pantomimic powers. The latter exhibition was
really surprising. He depicted the various passions and emotions of the
human soul, by means of expression and gesture only, without uttering a
single syllable; moving the spectators to tears, exciting them to
enthusiasm, or thrilling them with terror at his will; in a word,
completely magnetizing them. Not a discord in his diatonic scale. You
were forced to admit that every gesture, every movement of a facial
muscle, had a true purpose, a _raison d'être_. It was a triumphant
demonstration.
The life of this great master and teacher, hereafter to be known as the
founder of the Science of Dramatic Art, crowded with strange
vicissitudes and romantic episodes, forms a record full of interest.
François Delsarte was born at Solesmes, Department of the North, France,
in 1811. His father was a physician, and his mother a woman of rare
abilities, who taught herself to speak and write several languages.
Shortly after the battle of Waterloo a detachment of the allied troops
was passing through Solesmes, in the midst of a dead and sullen silence,
when the commandant's quick ear caught the sound of a childish voice
crying, "Vive l'Em-pe-weur! Vive Na-po-lé-on!" Every one smiled at the
juvenile speaker's audacity, except the stern officer whose name has,
unfortunately, escaped the infamous celebrity it deserved. By his
orders, a platoon of soldiers sought out the child's home and burned it
to the ground; and thus little François Delsarte became the innocent
cause of the ruin of his family.
The atrocities committed during the White Terror, of which this incident
is an example, though passed over by history, are not forgotten by the
survivors of that cruel period. The leaders in the second terror could
not plead the ignorance of Robespierre's followers in excuse of their
excesses, for they were nobles, magistrates, priests and officers of
rank.
Delsarte's early years were passed in the midst of cruel privations and
domestic troubles, for even love forsook a home blighted by poverty. His
father, naturally proud and imperious, irritated by straitened
circumstances, out of which there seemed no issue, crushed by the weight
of obligations to others, lost heart and hope, became morose, sceptical
and bitter, and treated his wife and family with such harshness and
injustice, that Delsarte's mother was finally compelled to abandon her
husband. She fled with her two boys to Paris, hoping there to make her
talents available. All her efforts, however, were fruitless, and she
found herself on the verge of starvation.
One evening, as she sat with her two boys in her wretched room, tortured
by their questions after their father, she could not suppress her tears.
François, the eldest, then nine years of age, tried to console her. He
told her that he was almost a man, able to earn his food and to take
care of her and his little brother. She listened to his prattle with a
sad smile, kissed him and embraced him.
During all of the sleepless night which followed, François was revolving
his hidden projects of independence, and at gray dawn, confiding his
purpose only to his brother, and bidding him tell his mother, when she
awoke, that he would soon be back with money to buy bread for them, the
child stole forth to seek his fortune in the great dreary world of
Paris.
He wandered about all day, and at night, hungry and weary, entered a
jeweler's shop in the Palais Royal, kept by an old woman, to whom he
appealed for employment--vainly at first. Finally, however, she
consented to engage him as a drudge and errand boy, allowed him to sleep
in an _armoire_ over the door, and gave him four pounds of bread a week
in lieu of wages. Four pounds of bread a week! The allowance appeared
munificent, and he accepted the offer with gratitude. A brief experience
dispelled his illusions. He was always weary and always hungry. After a
few weeks' trial, he left his first benefactress and secured some kind
of employment at five sous a day, out of which he contrived to save two.
In two weeks he had saved nearly a franc and a half for his dear mother.
One day, while executing a commission for his employer, he found his
little brother alone in the street crying bitterly.
"How is dear mamma?" was his first question.
"Dead, and carried away by ugly men."
The winter of 1821 was unusually severe for Paris. One night Delsarte
and his brother fell asleep in each other's arms in the wretched loft
they occupied; but when the former opened his eyes to the morning's
light he was holding a corpse to his heart. The little boy had perished
of cold and starvation. Almost mad with terror and grief, the survivor
rushed into the streets to summon the neighbors.
The next day a little hatless boy, in rags and nearly barefooted,
followed two men bearing a small pine coffin which they deposited in the
_fosse commune_ of _Pére la Chaise_.
After seeing the grave covered, Delsarte left the cemetery and wandered
wearily through the snow, now utterly alone in the world, across the
plain of St. Denis. Overcome by cold, hunger, and grief, he sank to the
ground, and then, before he lost consciousness, a strain of music, real
or imaginary, met his ear and charmed him to a forgetfulness of misery,
bereavement, all the evils that environed him. It was the first
awakening of his artist soul, and to this day Delsarte believes that it
was no earthly music that he heard.
Rousing himself from a sort of stupor into which he had fallen, he saw a
_chiffonnier_ bending over him. The man had for a moment mistaken the
prostrate form for a bundle of rags; but taking pity on the half-frozen
lad, he placed him in his basket and carried him to his miserable home.
And so the future artist commenced his professional career as a Parisian
rag-picker.
While wandering about the great city in the interest of his employer,
his only solace was to listen to the songs of itinerant vocalists and
the occasional music of a military band. Music became his passion. From
some of the gamins he learned the seven notes of the scale, and, to
preserve the melodies that delighted him, he invented a system of
musical notation. On a certain holiday, when he was twelve years old,
while listening to the delightful music in the garden of the Tuileries,
the little _chiffonnier_ busied himself with drawing figures in the
dust. An old man of eccentric appearance, noticing his earnest
diligence, accosted him.
"What are you doing there, boy?" he asked.
Terrified at first, but reassured by the kind manner of the stranger,
Delsarte replied: "Writing down the music, sir."
"Do you mean to say those marks have any significance? That you can read
them?"
"Certainly, sir."
"Let me hear you."
Encouraged by the interest manifested in him, the lad sang in a sweet
and pure but sad voice the strains just played by the military band. The
old man was amazed.
"Who taught you this process?"
"Nobody, sir; found it out myself."
Bambini--for it was the then distinguished, but now almost forgotten,
professor--offered to take the boy home with him; and he who had entered
the garden of the Tuileries a rag-picker, left it a recognized musician.
In the dust of Paris were first written the elements of a system
destined to regenerate art. Bambini taught his protégé all he knew, but
the pupil soon surpassed the master and became his instructor in turn;
for if the one had talent, the other possessed genius.
Bambini predicted the future of Delsarte. One day when they were walking
arm-in-arm in the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, the former said: "Do you
see all those people in carriages, with their fine liveries and
magnificent clothes? Well, the day will come when they will only be too
happy to listen to you, proud of your presence in their _salons_,
envying your fame as a great artist."
Bambini's death left Delsarte poor and friendless. At fourteen, however,
he managed to get admitted into the Conservatoire, where, though he
labored hard, he met with harsh treatment and discouragement. The
professors disliked him for his reflective nature and persistent
questionings which brought to light the superficiality of their
acquirements; his fellow-pupils, for his exclusive devotion to study and
his reserve, the result of diffidence rather than of _hauteur_. His
professors were dictators, who, while differing from each other as
teachers, were yet united in frowning upon any attempt on the part of
their pupil to emancipate himself from the thraldom of conventionalism
and routine. Genius was a heresy for which they had no mercy.
Thrown upon his own resources, he soon developed, by careful observation
of nature and a constant study of cause and effect, a system and a style
radically differing from those of the professors and their servile
imitators.
One day, after having sung in his own style at one of the public
exhibitions--applauded, however, only by a single auditor,--he was
walking sadly and slowly in the court-yard of the Conservatoire, when a
lady and a gentleman approached him.
"Courage, my friend," said the lady. "Your singing has given me the
highest pleasure. You will be a great artist."
So spake Marie Malibran, the queen of song.
"My friend," said her companion, "It was I who applauded you just now.
In my opinion, you are a singer _hors de ligne_. When my children are
ready to learn music, you, above all others, shall be their professor."
These were the words of Adolphe Nourrit. The praises of Malibran and
Nourrit gave Delsarte courage, revived his hopes, and decided him to
follow implicitly the promptings of his genius. His extreme poverty
compelled him at last to apply to the Conservatoire for a diploma which
would enable him to secure a situation at one of the lyric theatres. It
was refused.
The autumn of 1829 found him a shabby, almost ragged applicant for
employment at the stage-door of the Opéra Comique. Repeated rebuffs
failed to baffle his desperate pertinacity.
One day the director, hearing of the annoyance to which his
subordinates were subjected by Delsarte, determined to abate the
nuisance by one of those cruel _coups-de-main_ of which Frenchmen are
pre-eminently capable. The next night, during the performance, when
Delsarte called, he was, to his surprise and delight, shown into the
great man's presence.
"Well, sir, what do you want?"
"Pardon, Monsieur, I came to seek a place at your theatre."
"There is but one vacant, and you don't seem capable of filling that. I
want only a call-boy."
"Sir, I am prepared to fill the position of a _premier sujet_ among your
singers."
"_Imbécile!_"
"Monsieur, if my clothes are poor, my art is genuine."
"Well, sir, if you will sing for me, I will hear you shortly."
He left Delsarte alone, overjoyed at having secured the manager's ear.
In a few moments a surly fellow told him he was wanted below, and he
soon found himself with the manager upon the stage behind the green
curtain.
"You are to sing here," said the director. "There is your piano. In one
moment the curtain will be rung up. I am tired of your importunities. I
give you one chance to show the stuff you're made of. If you discard
this opportunity, the next time you show your face at my door you shall
be arrested and imprisoned as a vagrant."
The indignation excited in Delsarte by this cruel trick instantly gave
way before the reflection that success was a matter of life and death
with him, and that perhaps his last chance lay within his grasp. He
forgot his rags; every nerve became iron; and when the curtain was rung
up, a beggar with the bearing of a prince advanced to the foot-lights,
was received with derisive laughter by some, with glances of surprise
and indignation by others, and, with a sad and patient smile on his
countenance, gracefully saluted the brilliant audience. The courtliness
of his manner disarmed hostility; but when he sat down to the piano, ran
his fingers over the keys, and sang a few bars, the exquisite voice
found its way to every heart. With every moment his voice became more
powerful. Each gradation of emotion was rendered with an ease, an art,
an expression, that made every heartstring vibrate. Then he suddenly
stopped, bowed, and retired. The house rang with bravos. The
dress-circle forgot its reticence and joined in the tumult of applause.
He was recalled. This time he sang a grand lyric composition with the
full volume of his voice, aided in effect by those imperial gestures of
which he had already discovered the secret. The audience were
electrified. They declared that Talma was resuscitated. But when he was
a second time recalled, his tragic mood had melted; there were "tears
in his voice" as well as on his cheeks.
After the fall of the curtain the director grasped his hand, loaded him
with compliments, and offered him an engagement for a year at a salary
of ten thousand francs. He went home to occupy his wretched attic for
the last time, and falling on his knees poured forth his soul in prayer.
The next day Delsarte, neatly dressed, paid a visit to the directors of
the Conservatoire.
"Gentlemen," said he, "_you_ would not give me a recommendation as a
_chorister_; the _public_ have accorded me _this_." And he displayed his
commission as _Comédien du Roi_.
Delsarte remained upon the lyric stage until 1834, when the failure of
his voice, which had been strained at the Conservatoire, compelled him
to retire. He continued, however, the study of music, and his
productions, particularly a "Dies Irae," placed him in the front rank of
composers. At this period of his life, meditation and study resulted in
a firm religious faith, which never wavered afterward.
He now applied himself to the task of establishing a scientific basis
for lyric and dramatic art, and after years of patient labor perfected a
system on which probably his fame will ultimately rest. His _cours_ for
instruction in the principles of art was first opened in 1839. From the
outset he was appreciated by the highly cultivated few, nor was it long
before the circle extended and the new master won a European
reputation. Some of his pupils were destined for a professional career;
but many, men and women of rank and fortune, sought to learn from him
the means of rendering their brilliant _salons_ yet more attractive.
Members of most of the reigning families of Europe were numbered among
his pupils, and his apartments in Paris were filled, when I saw them,
with pictures, photographs, and other souvenirs of esteem and
friendship, from the highest dignitaries of Europe. When he consented,
on one occasion, to appear at a _soirée_ at the Tuileries, Louis
Philippe received him at the foot of the grand staircase, as if he had
been his peer, and bestowed on him during the evening the same
attentions he would have accorded to a fellow-sovereign. The citizen
king recognized the royalty of art. And it may be noted that Delsarte
would not have appeared on this occasion, except on the condition that
no remuneration should be offered to him for the exercise of his
talents.
Malibran, whose kind word in the courtyard of the Conservatoire had
revived Delsarte's fainting hopes, attended his early course of
lectures. I have already mentioned Rachel and Macready as his pupils. I
now recall the names of Sontag, of the gifted Madeleine Brohan, of
Carvalho, Barbot, Pasca (who owed everything to Delsarte), and Pajol. He
was the instructor in pulpit oratory of Père Lacordaire, Père
Hyacinthe, and the present abbé of Nôtre Dame.
Notwithstanding the labor exacted by his great specialty, he has done
much good work in various other directions. Among his mechanical
inventions are a sonotype, a tuning instrument by means of which any one
can tune a piano accurately, an improved level, theodolite and sextant,
a scale for measuring the differences in the solidity of fluids, etc.
Of the conscientiousness with which he works, it may be mentioned that
he devoted five years to the study of anatomy and physiology, to obtain
a perfect knowledge of all the muscles, their uses and capabilities,--a
knowledge of which he has utilized with remarkable success.
It is now time to give some idea of his system, which can be done most
satisfactorily, perhaps, through the medium of an article which appeared
in the _Gazette Musicale_, from the authoritative pen of A. Guéroult.
After having analyzed the maestro's theory of vocal art, he says:
"The study of gesture and its agents has been subjected by M. Delsarte
to an analysis no less profound. Thus he recognizes in the human body
three principal agents of expression, the head, the torso and the limbs,
which perform each a distinct part in the economy of a character.
Gesture, sometimes expressive, sometimes excentric, and sometimes
compressive, assumes in each case special forms, which have been
classified and described by M. Delsarte with a care and perspicuity
which make his labors on this subject entirely new, and for which I know
no equivalent anywhere. Permit me to explain more fully the utility of
this study, to cite an application, for examples are always more
eloquent than generalities. In the play of the physiognomy every portion
of the face performs a separate part. Thus, for instance, it is not
useless to know what function nature has assigned to the eye, the nose,
the mouth, in the expression of certain emotions of the soul. True
passion, which never errs, has no need of recurring to such studies; but
they are indispensable to the feigned passion of the actor. How useful
would it not be to the actor who wishes to represent madness or wrath,
to know that the eye never expresses the sentiment experienced, but
simply indicates the object of this sentiment! Cover the lower part of
your face with your hand, and impart to your look all the energy of
which it is susceptible, still it will be impossible for the most
sagacious observer to discover whether your look expresses anger or
attention. On the other hand, uncover the lower part of the face, and if
the nostrils are dilated, if the contracted lips are drawn up, there is
no doubt that anger is written on your countenance. An observation which
confirms the purely indicative part performed by the eye is, that among
raving madmen the lower part of the face is violently contracted, while
the vague and uncertain look shows clearly that their fury has no
object. It is easy to conceive what a wonderful interest the actor,
painter, or sculptor must find in the study of the human body thus
analysed from head to foot in its innumerable ways of expression.
Hence, the eloquent secrets of pantomime, those imperceptible movements
of great actors which produce such powerful impressions, are decomposed
and subjected to laws whose evidence and simplicity are a twofold source
of admiration.
"Finally, in what concerns articulate language M. Delsarte has assumed a
yet more novel task. We all know the power of certain inflections; we
know that a phrase which accented in a certain way is null, accented in
another way produces irresistible effects upon the stage. It is the
property of great artists to discover this preëminent accentuation; but
never, to my knowledge, did anyone think of referring these happy
inspirations of genius to positive laws. Yet, whence comes it that a
certain inflection, a certain word placed in relief, affects us? How
shall we explain this emotion, if not by a certain relation existing
between the laws of our organization, the laws of general grammar, and
those of musical inflection? There is always, in a phrase loudly
enunciated, one word which sustains the passionate accent. But how shall
we detach and recognize it in the midst of the phrase? How distribute
the forces of accentuation on all the words of which it is composed? How
classify and arrange them in relation to that sympathetic inflection,
without which the most energetic thought halts at our intelligence
without reaching our heart? M. Delsarte has had recourse to the same
method which guided him in the study of gesture. He did not study
declamation on the stage, but in real life, where unpremeditated
inflections spring directly from feeling; then, fortified by innumerable
observations, he rearranged grammar and rhetoric from this special point
of view, and has obtained results as simple in their principles as they
are fertile in their application.
"If I wished to classify the nature and value of M. Delsarte's labors in
relation to what has been spoken or written up to this time on the art
of singing or acting, I should say that the numerous precepts which have
been formulated on dramatic art have had hardly any object other than
the manner in which each character ought to be conceived. Ingenious and
multiplied observations have been employed to bring forth the delicacies
of the part and its unpcrceived features. The intellectual strength of
the actor or vocalist has been directed to the author's conception. He
has been told to be pathetic here, menacing there; here to assume a
slight tinge of irony transpiercing apparent politeness, or, again, to
make his gesture a seeming contradiction of his words. Such an analysis
of the poet's work is certainly imperative, but how far from adequate!
And what an immense distance there is from the intelligence which
comprehends to the gesture which translates, from the song which moves
to the inflection which interprets! It is with the new purpose which M.
Delsarte has embraced that, without neglecting an understanding of the
author, he says to the actor: 'This is what you must express. Now, how
will you do it? What will you do with your arms, with your head, with
your voice? Do you know the laws of your organization? Do you know how
to go to work to be pathetic, dignified, comic, or familiar, to
represent the clemency of Augustus or the drunkenness of a coachman?' In
a word, he teaches the vocalist or actor the laws of this language, of
this eloquence which nature places in our eyes, in our gestures, in the
suppressed or expansive tones of our voice, in the accent of speech. He
teaches the actor, or, to speak more properly, the man, to know himself,
to manage artistically that inimitable instrument which is man himself,
all of whose parts contribute to a harmonious unity. Hence, aware of the
gravity of such an assertion, I do not hesitate to proclaim here that I
believe M. Delsarte's work will remain among the fundamental bases; I
believe that his labors are destined to give a solid foundation to
theatric art, to elevate and to ennoble it; I believe that there is no
actor, no singer, however eminent, who cannot derive from the
acquirements and luminous studies of M. Delsarte, positive germs of
development and progress. I believe that whoever makes the external
interpretation of the sentiments of the human soul his business and
profession, whether painter, sculptor, orator, or actor, that all men of
taste who support them will applaud this attempt to create the _science
of expressive man_; a science from which antiquity seems to have lifted
the veil, and what appears willing to revive in our days, in the hands
of a man worthy by his patient and conscientious efforts to discover
some of its most precious secrets."
* * * * *
Delsarte has sought neither fame nor wealth. He could easily have
secured both by remaining on the stage as an actor, after he had lost
his power as a vocalist. He preferred to surrender himself in
comparative retirement to the study of science and art, and the
instruction of those who sought his aid in mastering the principles of
the latter. To the needy this instruction was imparted gratuitously, and
more than one successful actress has been raised from penury to fortune
by the benevolence of her teacher.
It would be easy to cite many illustrations of the goodness and
tenderness of this man. Religious fervor has largely influenced his life
and is the key-note of his character; but his faith is not hampered by
bigotry. Like all minds of high rank, he holds that science and art are
the handmaids of religion.
I have said that this remarkable man did not seek fame; it has come to
him unsought. Pages might be filled with voluntary tributes to his
genius from the foremost minds of France,--Jules Janin, Théophile
Gautier, Mme. Emile de Girardin. Lamartine pronounced him "a sublime
orator." Fiorentino, the keen, delicate, and calm critic, spoke of him
as "this master, whose feeling is so true, whose style is so elevated,
whose passion is so profound, that there is nothing in art so beautiful
and so perfect."
If we hazarded an intrusion into the domestic circle of Delsarte, we
should find one of those pure and happy family groups, fortunately for
France by no means rare even in her capital; one of those French homes
the existence of which nearly all Englishmen and many Americans deny. We
should find a bond of sympathy and a community of talent uniting father
and mother, two fair daughters, and three brave sons. Or, rather, we
should have found this happy gathering, for the iron hand of war has
broken the charmed ring. The dear old home on the Boulevard de
Courcelles is deserted. Father, mother, and daughters were compelled to
seek refuge in the North of France, the sons to march against the
Prussians. Let us trust that long ere this they have reached home
unwounded, and that the grand old maestro has no further ills in store
for his declining years.
Delsarte's Method for Tuning Stringed Instruments Without the Aid of
The Ear.[11]
By Hector Berlioz.
Do you hear, you pianists, guitarists, violinists, violoncellists,
contra-bassists, harpists, tuners, and you, too, conductors of
orchestras--without the aid of the ear! What a vast, incomparable, nay,
priceless discovery, especially for the rest of us wretched listeners to
pianos out of tune, to violins and 'cellos out of tune, to harps out of
tune, to whole orchestras out of tune! Delsarte's invention will now
make it your positive duty to cease torturing us, to cease making us
sweat with agony, to cease driving us to suicide.
Not only is the ear of no use in tuning instruments, but it is even
dangerous to consult it; it must by no possible chance be consulted.
What an advantage for those who have no ear! Hitherto, it has been just
the opposite, and we forgave you the torments that you inflicted on us.
But in future, if your instruments be out of tune, you will have no
excuse, and we shall hand you over to public vengeance. Without the aid
of the ear, mark you--aid so often useless and deceptive.
Delsarte's discovery holds good only for stringed instruments, but this
is much; this is an enormous gain. Hence, it follows that in orchestras
directed and tuned without the aid of the ear, there will be no more
discords, save between the flutes, hautboys, clarionets, bassoons,
horns, cornets, trumpets, trombones, kettle-drums and bass drums. The
triangle might, at a pinch, be tuned by the new method; but it is
generally acknowledged that this is not necessary, just as with bells, a
discord between the triangle and the other instruments is a good thing;
it is popular in all lyric theatres.
And the singers, whom you do not mention, someone may ask, will it be
possible to make them sing true, to put them in tune? Two or three of
them are naturally in tune. Some few, by great care and exactness, may
be brought very nearly into tune. But all the others were not, are not,
and will not be in tune, either individually, or with each other, or
with the instruments, or with the leader of the orchestra, or with the
rhythm, or with the harmony, or with the accent, or with the expression,
or with the pitch, or with the language, or with anything resembling
precision and good sense.
Delsarte has made it especially easy to tune the piano, by means of an
instrument that he calls the phonopticon, which it would take too long
to describe here. Suffice it to say, that it contains an index-hand
that marks the exact instant when two or more strings are in perfect
unison. It may be added that the invariable result is so absolutely
correct, no matter who may try it or under what conditions, that the
most practiced ear could not possibly attain to similar perfection.
Acousticians should not fail to examine this invention at once, the use
of which cannot be long in becoming universal.
Index.
A.
Abdominal centre, the, life,
Accent,
Accord of nine, the,
Actors, bad,
Adjective, the,
Adverb, the,
Æsthetic division, chart of,
Æsthetic fact of first rank,
Æsthetics,
course of, applied,
lay of,
Alto voice, the,
Anatomy,
Angelo, Michael,
Angels, the,
Anger,
Animals do not laugh,
Ankylosed limbs,
Apollo, the,
Appoggiatura,
Aquinas, St. Thomas,
Archimedean lever,
Architecture, application of the law to,
Aristocrats lie,
Aristotle,
Arms, movements of the,
five million movements of the agents of the,
division of,
three centres in the,
Art,
the true aim of,
all, has the same principle,
definition of,
how Delsarte considered,
religious sentiment in,
the death of,
elements of,
the plastic,
the grand,
the supreme,
dramatic, lyric and oratorical,
best conditions for a work of,
object of,
sources of fine,
not imitation of nature,
Article, the,
Articulate language, weakness of,
origin and organic apparatus of,
elements of,
Articulation, in the service of thought,
Articulations, the,
Artificial breath,
Artistic personages, classification of,
Artist, the proclivities necessary to an,
Art-writings of the Greeks,
Attraction,
Attractive centres,
Attribute, the,
Attributes of reason, the,
Audience, an, different from an individual--the greater the numbers the
less the intelligence,
B.
Bacchus, the,
Balzac,
Bambini, Father,
Barbier,
Barbot, Mme.,
Bass voice, the,
Baudelaire, Charles,
Baxile, M.,
Beautiful, the,
Beauty exists only in fragments,
moral and intellectual,
Belot, Adolphe,
Béranger,
Berlioz,
Bizet, George,
Blanchecotte, Mme.,
Blangini,
Body, the,
divisions of the,
retroactive movement of,
Boileau,
Bonnat,
Breathing
Brohan, Madeleine,
Brucker, Raymond,
Buccal (cheek) zone, the,
machinery (articulate speech), the language of the mind,
C.
Calculation and artifice, if detected, quicksands to the orator,
Canova,
Captain Renard, fable of,
Captivating an audience, secret of,
Caress, the,
Carvalho, Mme.,
Charts classifying celestial spirits,
Charts list of,
Chastity, concave,
Chaudesaigues, Mlle.,
Chest, the,
the three attitudes of,
divisions of,
Chest, a passive agent
Chest-voice, the
the expression of the sensitive life
should be little used
the eccentric voice
Chevé, M. and Mme.
Children, why are they graceful?
Chopin
Chorography
Chorre, Mother
Cicero
Circle, the, for exalting and caressing
Colin
Colors, symbolism of
the primitive
the three that symbolize the life, soul and mind
Color charts, the
Concentric state, the
Conjunction, the
the soul of the discourse
Consonants, musical
are gestures
the initial
variation in the value of
beat time for the pronunciation of
every first, is strong
two things to be observed in
Contemplation and retroaction
Corneille
Costal breathing
Courier, Paul Louis
Cousin, Victor
Cries
Cros, Antoine
Czartoriska, Princess
D.
Dailly, Dr.
Darcier
Davout, Marshal
Death, the sign language of
De Bammeville, July
De Blocqueville, Mme.
De Chimay, Princess
Degrees, theory of
D'Haussonville, Countess
Déjazet
De Lamartine, Mme.
De la Madelène, Jules
Delaunay, Charles
Delivery, a hasty
De Leomenil, Mme. Laure
Delsarte, biographical sketch of
criterion of
method of
took much time in educating a pupil
was he a philosopher?
lectures of
teachings of
the press on
the discoverer of the law
can never be reproduced
birth, death, name, early history of
how he learned music
enters the conservatory
theatre and school of
becomes a teacher of singing and elocution
history of the voice of
dramatic career of
recitations of
sings at the Court
marriage and family of
religion of
friends of
the "Talma of music"
anecdotes of
scholars of
"Stanzas to Eternity" of
"dear and last pupil" of
musical compositions of
an instance of the singing of
shapeless coat of
imitating defects
singing during lessons
inventions of
Berlioz's treatment of
before the Philotechnic Association
and the four professors
last years of
a concert of
character and merit of
"Episodes of a Revelator" of
America's offer to
return to Paris of
last letter to the King of Hanover of
struggles with his teachers
visit to the dissecting room
a pensioner of the conservatory
mystical or religious musings of
the way of making his discovery
is grateful because he had not written
his book not spontaneous
on trueness in singing
Delsarte, Mme., maiden name of
beauty and talent of
Delsarte, Gustave
De Meyendorf, Mme.
Demosthenes
De Musset, Alfred
De Riancey, Henry
Desbarolles
Descartes
Deshayes, M.
De Staël, Mme.
Devotion
Diaphragmatic breathing
Dictation exercises
Discovery, dawn of Delsarte's
Dissecting room, Delsarte's visit to the
Divine Majesty, reflection of the
Divine reason
Donoso-Cortes, M.
Donot
Dramatic singing
Dugrand, Delsarte's struggles with papa
Dupré
Duprez
Dynamic apparatus, its composition
harmony
wealth
E.
Ear, the most delicate sense
Eccentric state, the
E flat
Elbow, the
thermometer of the relative life
sign of humility, pride, etc.
Ellipsis
Eloquence holds first rank among the arts
to be taught and learned
is composed of three languages
does not always accompany intellect
Emotions, tender, expressed by high notes
Emphasis, example of
E mute before a consonant
before a vowel
Epic, the
Epicondyle, the eye of the arm
Epigastric centre, the, soul
Epiglottis, contracting the
Epilogue
Episodes of a Revelator
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Episode IV
Episode V
Episode VI
Episode VII
Equilibrium, the laws of
Error must rest upon some truth
Etruscans, the
Evolutions, passional
Expiration, the sign of
Exclamations
Expression, very difficult
the whole secret of
Expressive centres
Eye, the tolerance of
Eyes, the
the nine expressions of
parallelism between the voice and the
chart of the
Eyebrow, the
the thermometer of the mind
F.
Fables, recitation of
Face, divided into three zones
Fact, the value of a
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Fingers, the
Florentine
Force and interest consist in suspension
Form, the vestment of substance
definition of
Fourier, Charles
Free-thinkers, blindness of
French prosody
French versification
Fright
Frontal (forehead) zone, the
G.
Galen
Garrick
Gautier, Théophile
Genal (chin) zone, the
Géraldon
Gesture, in general
is for sentiments
its services to humanity
reveals the inner man
the direct agent of the heart
the interpreter of speech
the interpreter of emotion
an elliptical language
division of
harmony and dissonance of
origin and oratorical value of
superior to the other languages
is magnetic
the laws of
must always precede speech
retroaction
joy and fright require backward movement
equilibrium the great law of
the hirmonic law of
parallelism of
numbers of
lack of intelligence indicated by many
duration of
the rhythm of
importance of the laws of
the semeiotic or reason of
the types that characterize
its modifying apparatus
the inflections of
delineation of
spheroidal form of
the sense of the heart
the spirit of
the inflection of the deaf
a series of, for exercises
the static the life of
the semeiotic the spirit and rationale of
the series of, applied to the sentiments oftenest expressed
the, of interpellation
the, of thanks, affectionate and ceremonious
the, of attraction
the, of surprise and assurance
the, of devotion
the, of interrogative surprise
the, of reiterated interrogation
the, of anger
the, of menace
the, of an order for leaving
the, of reiteration
the, of fright
three important rules for
how produced
dilatory
difficulty in
object of
definition of
without a motive
Giraudet, Alfred
report of Delsarte's lecture
Gluck
God, the spirit of, in all things
how He reveals things
a pretext for every Utopia
the archetype
Good, the
Gospel, the, directs investigation
Gounod
Grace
Great movements for exaltation of sentiment
Greeks, the, had no school of æsthetics
Groans
Guéroult, Adolphe
Guide-accord, the, of Delsarte
Gymnastics, the grand law of organic
the practice of
H.
Habit
Halévy
Hand, the, another expression of the face
expressions of the
its three presentations
criterion of the
chart of
the digital face
the back and the palmar face
the three rhythmic actions
the, in natural surprise
the, in death
attitudes of the
in affirmation
the nine physiognomies of
Handel
Harmony
Harmony, born of contrasts
is in opposition
Head, the, movements of
the occipital, parietal and temporal zones
the primary agent of movement
action of, in surprise
which side is for the soul and which for the senses?
attitudes of
Head voice, the
how produced
interprets mental phenomena
the concentric voice
Heart, when to carry the hand to the
Hegel
Hervet
High head, small brain
Hippias
Hoffman
Horace
Hugo
Humanity is crippled
Human reason
Human science, the alpha and omega of
Human triplicity, the
Human word composed of three languages
I.
Ideal, the
Imitation, the melody of the eye
uselessness of
Immanences, the
Impressionalism
Impressions and sensations
Individual type, how formed
Infant, the, has neither speech nor gesture
Infinitesimal quantities
Inflection, a modification of sound
their importance
illustrations of
rules of
must not be multiplied
special
life revealed through four millions of
the melody of the ear
the gesture of the blind
differentiating the
high
life of speech
medallion of
Ingres
Inspiration, when allowable
the sign of
Interjection, the
Interpellation
Interrogative surprise
Intonations, caressing
Italian, no two equal sounds in
J.
Jacob, Mlle.
Jacotot
Jesus of Nazareth
Joncières
Joy, the greatest in sorrow
Joys, keen
K.
Kant
King of Hanover
Delsarte's last letter to the
King Louis Philippe
Kreutzer
L.
Lablache
Laboring men, the ways of
Lachrymose tone disgusting
Lacordaire
La Fontaine
La Harpe
Lamaitre, Frederick
Lamartine
Lamentation
Language
Laocoon, the
Larynx, the
coloring of
lowering the
the thermometer of the sensitive life
Larynxes, artificial
Latin prosody
Laugh, signification of the
its composition
Law, definition of
application of the, to various arts
Legouvé
Legs, the, and their attitudes
Leibnitz
Leroux, Pierre
Liars do not elevate their shoulders
Life, the sensitive state
principal elements of
the phenomena of
Light
Lind, Jenny
Literary remains of Delsarte
Literature, the law applied to
Littré's Dictionary
Logic often in default
Longus
Louvre, false pictures in the
Love gives more than it receives
Lovers, the gaze of
Loyson, Father
Lucht, Auguste
Lully
Lungs, the
Lyric art
M.
Malherbe
Malibran
Man
the three phases of
either painter, poet, scientist, or mystic
three types in
the object of art
a triplicity of persons
the agent of Æsthetics
when a man shrinks
unfamiliar to himself
Marcello
Marie, Franck
Mars
Martellato
Massenet
Materialism
Measure
in oratorical diction
Medallion of inflection
Mediocrity
Medium voice, the expression of moral emotions
the normal voice
Melody
Menace, the head and hand
Mengs
Mental or reflective state
Mercié
Mind, the intellectual state
Mode simpliste
Modest people turn out the elbow
Mohere
Monsabre, Father
Moral or affective state
Mother, the voice of the
Mother vowel, the
Motion, distinction and vulgarity of
Mouth, the
no contraction of back part
openings of, for various vowels
a vital thermometer
Movements from various centres
flexor, rotary, and abductory
initial forms of
Mucous membrane, transmitter of sound
Muscular machinery (gesture), the language of emotion
Music, the seven notes of
a succession of sounds
Musset
N.
Napoleon III
Nasal cavities, the
Naturalism
Ninefold accord, the
Normal state, the
Nose, a complex and important agent
nine divisions of
Nose, a moral thermometer
Notes, high, for tender emotions
Nourrit, Adolph
Number
O.
Occipital zone, the life
Ontology
Opposition of agents
Orator, the, should be a man of worth
Oratorical sessions
Oratory, definition of
the science of, not yet taught
the essentials
the fundamental laws of
the criterion of
the student of, should not be a servile copyist
three important rules for the student of
symbolism of colors applied to
perseverance and work necessary to the student of
Order for leaving, an
Organic chart
P.
Painter, how a, examines his work
Painting, application of the law to
Palate, the
Pantomime, secrets of
Parietal zone, the soul
Particle, the
Pasca, Mme.
Passion
of signs
Passive attitude, the type of energetic natures
Pasta, Mme.
People, vulgar and uncultured
Pergolesi
Phenomena, natural, contain lessons
Phidias
Philotechnic Association
Physiology
Plato
Poe, Edgar A.
Poets are born, orators are made
Poise
lack of, in body
Powers, the
Praxiteles
Preacher, a, must not be an actor
Preposition, the
Pricette, Father
Principiants and principiates
Processional relations, theory of
reversal of
Professors, Delsarte and the four
Progressions
Pronoun, the
Pronunciation
Proudhon
Pythagoras
Q.
Quintilian
R.
R, cure of the faulty
Rachel
Racine
Rainbow, the
the colors of
Rameau
Random notes
Raphael's picture of Moses, a fault in
Ravignan
Reaction
Realism
Reason
a blind faculty
an act of faith
the attributes of
Reber
Reboul
Recitative
Reiterated interrogation
Reiteration
Respect, a sort of weakness
Respiration
suppressing the
and silence
three movements of
multiplied
to facilitate
vocal, logical, passional
Respiratory acts, their signification
Retroaction
Reverence, the sign of
Reynaud, Jean
Rhythmus
Romagnesi
Rossini
Roulade
Routine
Royer, Mme., Clémence
S.
St. Augustine
St. Saens
St.-Simonism
St. Thomas
Salutation, the sign of
Sand, George
Schiller
Science, bases of the
and art
Scientists, cause of the failure of
Sculptor, aims of the
Sculpture, application of the law to
Semeiotics
of the shoulder
Senses, the
Sensibility, thermometer of
Sensitive nature betrayed by voice
Sensitive or vital state
Sensualism, convex
Sensuality
Sentiment
Shades and inflections
Shakespeare
Shoulder, the
thermometer of love
the sensitive life
the sign of passion
action of, in surprise
thermometer of emotions
semeiotics of
in the aristocratic world
Sigh, the
Signs of passion
Silence, the father of speech
the speech of God
the rule of
Simplisme
Sincerity intolerable
Singing
Sob, the
Societies, meeting of the learned
Socrates
Sontag, Mme.
Soprano voice, the
Sorbonne, the
Soul, the moral state
Souhe, Frederic
Sound, the first language of man
revelation of the sensitive life
is painting
should be homogeneous
every sound is a song
the sense of the life
reflection of divine image
Souvestre, Emile
Speech
the omnipotence of
inferior to gesture
anticipated by gesture
the sense of the intelligence
the three agents of
oratorical value of
soul of
visible thought
Spontini
Standard, value of a
Subject, the
Subjectivity in Æsthetics
Substantive, the
Sue, Eugene
Sully-Prudhomme
Surprise and assurance
System
T.
Talma
Teachers, ignorance of the
Tears, accessory matters
to be shed only at home
Temporal region, the mind
Tenderness
Tenor voice, the
Thanks, affectionate and ceremonious
Thermometers, the three
the articular arm centres called
Thermometric system of the shoulder
Theresa
Thoracic centre, the mind
Threatening with the shoulder
Thumb, the thermometer of the will
has much expression
the sign of life
the, in death
living mimetics of
the thermometer of life and death
Thyrcis
Tone, position of
Tones, the lowest, best understood
prologation of
Torso, the,
divisions of
chart of
"Treatise on Reason"
Tremolo, the
Trinitarians, the
Trinity, the
the holy, recovered in sound
True, the
Trueness in singing
Truth, men are divided in regard to
Types, the, in man
Typical arrangements
phrases
U.
Uchard, Mario
Ugly, the
Uprightness, perpendicular
Uvula, raising the
V.
Values, the law of
resume of the degrees of
Verb, the
Verdi
Véron, Eugene
Vertebrae, three sorts of
Vice, hideousness of
Vicious arrangements
Violent emotion, in, the voice stifled
Virtues, the
Vision, three sorts of
Vital breath
Vocal cords, fatiguing the
Vocal music
Vocal organ, the
Vocal shades, law of
Vocal tube, the, must not vary for a loud tone
Voice, the charms of
organic apparatus of
a mysterious hand
the kinds of
the registers of
meaning of the high and deep
the language of the sensitive life
the chest, the medium, the head
the white
dimensions and intensity of
how to obtain a stronger
three modes of developing
method of diminishing
the less the emotion, the stronger the
how to gain resonance
a tearful, a defect
the tremulous, of the aged
the rhythm of its tones
must not be jerky
inflections of
great affinity between the arms and the
exercises for
the mixed
tenuity and acuteness of
shades of
definition of the
shading of the
pathetic effects in the
tearing of the
two kinds of loud
Voltaire
Volubility, too much
Vowels correspond to the moral state
length of the initial
W.
Wartel
Weight
"What I Propose"
Will, the
Winkelmann
Wisdom
Wolf and the lamb, the fable of the
Words, the value of, in phrases
dwelling on the final
Worlds, three, presented
Wrist, the
thermometer of the physical life
Writing, a dead letter
Z.
Zaccone, Pierre
Zeuxis
Zola, M.
Footnotes
[1] The sensitive is also called the vital, the mental, the reflective,
and the moral the affective state. The vital sustains, the mental
guides, the moral impels.--TRANSLATOR.
[2] The registers here given undoubtedly refer to the singing voice, as
the range of notes in the speaking voice is very much more limited. Very
frequently voices are found whose range in singing is very much greater
than that which the author has given here; however, on the other hand,
many are found with even a more limited range.--TRANSLATOR.
[3] The sounds here given are those of the French vowels.
_A_ has two sounds, heard in _mat_ and _far_.
_E_ with the acute accent (é) is like _a_ in _fate_,
_E_ with the grave accent (è) is like _e_ in _there_.
_I_ has two sounds--the first like _ee_ in _reed_, the second
like _ee_ in _feel_.
_O_ has a sound between that of _o_ in _rob_ and _robe_.
_O_ with the circumflex (ô) is sounded like _o_ in _no_.
The exact sound of _u_ is not found in English.
_Ou_ is sounded like _oo_ in _cool_.
The nasal sound _an_ is pronounced nearly like _an_ in _want_.
The nasal _in_ is pronounced somewhat like _an_ in _crank_.
The nasal _on_ is pronounced nearly like _on_ in _song_.
The nasal _un_is pronounced nearly like _un_ in _wrung_.
Consult some work on French pronunciation, or, as is far preferable,
learn these sounds from the living voice of the teacher--Translator.
[4] From γἑνειου, the chin.
[5] Many of these papers were entrusted by the family to a former pupil
of Delsarte, who took them to America.
[6] Notes taken by his pupils, during the latter years of his lessons
prove that the master touched upon this question. I do not copy them
because, being somewhat confused, they might give rise to
misunderstandings; neither do they in any way contradict anything that I
have said above; they confirm, on the contrary, what remains in my
memory of the interpretation of Delsarte, who never belied himself.
[7] The existence of the persons of the Trinity, the one in the other.
These charts and diagrams are given in Part Fifth.
[8] For a fuller report of this lecture, see "Delsarte System of
Expression," by Genevieve Stebbins, second edition, $2. Edgar S. Werner,
Publisher, 48 University Place, New York.
[9] "Delsarte System of Oratory" and "Delsarte System of Expression."
[10] See page 549 for complete lesson.
[11] This extract shows that Delsarte was not unknown to Berlioz. Mme.
Arnaud refers to the coldness with which Berlioz treated Delsarte. The
article given here has been translated so as to preserve as nearly as
possible the quaint, half sarcastic style of the author.--PUBLISHER.