SIXTH PRINCIPLE
The _pitch_ and the _dimensions_ of the singing _voice_—the
_volume_, the _quality_, and _loudness_—are determined by the
_speaking voice_. Speaking _high_ or _low_, _resonant_, _loud_
or _soft_, in any gradation of sentiment and shade of color,
lays the ground for singing in _high_ or _low_ pitch, _loud_,
_resonant_ or _soft_, in any musical color and expression.
In a previous chapter it has been demonstrated that
fundamentally there is no difference between the speaking and
the singing voice. Likewise no difference can exist in their
dimensions.
The speaking and the singing voice being a similar phonetic act
of the same function, their pitches and dimensions must stand in
the same fundamental relationship. The speaking voice, which
constitutes the purely physical element of the voice, furnishes
to the pitch the raw material to which the singing voice—the
artistic element—lends the musical character and color.
By talking high or low, or in any intermediate _altitude_ of the
speaking voice, we produce its various pitches. If our talking
is rhythmical and the vocal vibrations are equivalent in number
to those required for producing the different notes of the
musical scale, the pitches we determine are exactly the same as
those of the singing voice. Talking, then, ceases to be “speech”
and becomes “singing.”
It is generally agreed at present among scientists that the
pitch of the voice is determined by the number of vibrations
given by the vocal cords. These vibrations, reinforced by the
resonating power, determine also, in addition to the pitch, the
loudness, volume, and quality of the voice, all the physical
properties called the dimensions of sound.
The author’s views on this subject are partly different and this
difference is of basic importance, as it affects the theory we
have demonstrated in our First Principle, that _voice_ and sound
are not exactly the same thing and consequently their _pitches_
are not the same either.
As in singing we aim to express our feeling through _words_, it
should be the concern of voice experts to find out what the
pitch of the _words_, that is, voice, is rather than that of the
sounds.
The sounds become voice after a phonetic transformation in the
mouth; their pitch, therefore, as determined by the number of
vibrations of the vocal cords only, represents only the pitch of
the _laryngeal_ sounds, in which is lacking the phonetic support
of the words. When these tones materialize into words and are
transformed into the speaking voice, their pitches, produced by
the _ensemble_ of physical functions that form the voice, become
the pitches of the singing voice.
It is obvious, then, that the same difference that distinguishes
the sound from the voice also exists between the pitch of the
sound and the pitch of the voice. This consideration is of the
greatest importance in voice production, as it devolves upon the
speaking voice the task of determining the pitch.
Dr. Scripture has already aroused doubts about the existing
theories of the pitch by demonstrating, through experiments
based on the transmission of the vibrations of the vocal cords,
that the pitch is also determined by the vibrations of the
resonance chambers which are set in vibration by the sound waves
coming from the larynx.
Dr. Scripture’s new point of view has aroused interest among
voice experts, and we notice that it has been indorsed by no
less an authority than Dr. Mills, who, in his book on voice,
says: “To Prof. Scripture belongs the credit of demonstrating
that the resonance chambers determine pitch also,” and later on:
“Such views have become more widely known, and it is hoped that,
as they are very radical, they may be established by other
methods.”
Dr. Scripture’s theory, however, differs from ours in the same
respect as those of other experts, inasmuch as he too treats of
the pitch and the dimensions of the _sound_ instead of the
_voice_.
According to our conception, which relies on the speaking voice
for the determination of the pitch, any of its altitudes
constitutes the intrinsic basis for the corresponding pitch of
the singing voice. The vocal cords, however, by furnishing the
vibrations for the embryonic sound, determine its pitch in the
_embryonic form_; the more the vibrations the higher the sound.
But the _real_ pitch of the voice is established by the various
altitudes reached by the words, when the vibrations are
transformed in the mouth into voice. Speaking _high_ or _low_,
or in any other degree of the range, constitutes the true pitch;
it has the true substance of voice-quality and not the shrill
characteristics of a whistling sound.
Those who never gave much attention to the innate similarity of
the speaking and singing voice cannot think of the possibility
of an analogous pitch quality, volume and loudness for both,
having the impression that, in speaking, voices cannot be raised
to as high a pitch as in singing, and that loud, voluminous
voices cannot be produced in speaking. This belief is erroneous
and is contradicted both scientifically and practically.
The great variety of inflections resorted to by great orators
and dramatic artists in order to bring out striking effects or
to emphasize the meaning of certain words is dependent upon a
large range of pitches and a richness of color and shades.[3]
Talking in falsetto, imitating the voices of singers, women or
children is nothing else than producing the various pitches
which naturally exist in our voices but are not used.
In reality the use of different pitches in talking is very much
neglected in general, except among the Latin races, who inherit
with their languages and their vivacious temperaments, the
natural disposition for warmth and color in their speech; their
voices, therefore, possess naturally the flexibility of the
different pitches.
We cannot help remarking that this natural cold, colorless and
almost monotonous way of speaking is highly detrimental when
singers and dramatic artists are concerned. The advantages of a
well-modulated speaking voice are of inestimable value in the
dramatic as well as in the lyric art, as no other natural gift
has the psychological power and influence of a beautiful
speaking or singing voice to reach the depth of a human heart.
Artists like Tommaso Salvini, Eleonora Duse and Sarah Bernhardt
have realized it; in this country we may mention Julia Marlowe,
Julia Arthur, and a few others. To attain superior success these
artists first availed themselves of the most important element
of the art—their voices. It is to the exceptional coloring of
her voice—her most striking asset—that Sarah Bernhardt owes the
largest share of her fame.
The various nuances of the speaking voice, with all the
gradations of its pitches, give the true expression of life to
all the emotions of human psychology—love, sorrow or joy,
without the aid of music, but almost in the same keys as in the
singing voice. The fact that insufficient consideration is given
to the great importance of voice modulation by the dramatic
profession of this country is to be highly regretted, as
undoubtedly the lack of life, brilliancy and expression in the
speaking voices of most of the actors on the American stage can
be ascribed as one of the main reasons for the monotony and the
rudimentary heaviness that characterize the American dramatic
art of to-day. Educated audiences tire of them and with good
reason; nobody cares to listen for hours at a stretch to the
monotonous and uniform voices of actors in which the spice of
the coloring and intonations given by varying pitches is almost
totally lacking, just as very few would care to look at a sky
constantly blue or to travel through prairies monotonously flat
without a hill or a tree.
These same artists could achieve better results by educating
their voices in the use of different pitches than by struggling
for sensational effects obtained by growling or roaring
spasmodically in their throats.
It is of great advantage, therefore, to take into consideration
the importance of cultivating the pitches of the speaking voice,
as they are of the utmost assistance in the dramatic art and
also of inestimable value in the formation of the pitches in the
singing voice.
The dimensions of the voice—volume, quality and loudness—like
the pitch, originate with the speaking voice and are transferred
to the singing voice. We think it preferable and more precise to
designate these dimensions as the _characteristics of the
voice_, because they represent the essential attributes which
differentiate voice from sound and even one voice from another.
The characteristics of the voice, which are less prominent in
speaking merely because they are not emphasized enough, become
distinctly marked in singing, when the moving, producing, and
resonating power are compelled to coöperate with higher
efficiency under the strong psychological influence of the
music.
We can, therefore, consider the pitch and the dimensions of the
_singing voice_ as determined by the number, length, amplitude,
and intensity of the vibrations of the vocal cords augmented in
number and improved in quality by the resonating power; but
_ruled entirely_ by the psychological influence of the words.
This statement will meet with objections; but it is the author’s
conviction that if we were to rely on the pitch and the
dimensions of the sound as produced by the vibrations of the
vocal cords alone, the quality, volume, and loudness of the
sounds would be proportioned to their very limited sounding
power, and would consequently be detrimental to the voice. In
other words, the voice would be thin, poor, and insufficient, as
the producing power of the vocal cords is actually of so little
value in the emission of rich and ample sounds that it would
almost be impossible to conceive of the existence of resonant
and strong voices were the efficiency and the strength of the
vocal cords to be considered as the only factor.
The author calls the attention of the reader to one more point,
which tends to show that the determination of the pitch cannot
be confined only to the number of vibrations given by the vocal
cords. The idea is based on the law of acoustics relative to the
resonating tubes.
The altitude (pitch) of a sound produced by resonating tubes is
proportional to their size; the smaller the tube, the higher the
pitch.
Applying this law to the human resonating tube we see that as
long as the sounds produced by the vocal cords are kept within
the space of the larynx, they are ruled in their pitch only by
the number of vibrations of the vocal cords, and by the
resonance they get within that organ. But as soon as they reach
the pharynx on their way to the mouth, the resonance chambers
and the lower cavities, in their expansion toward the chest, by
getting into a tube of larger size they undergo a physical
change in pitch, which is similar to the change in tone produced
by substituting a resonating tube of larger size for one
smaller. The pitch becomes somewhat lower. The human resonating
tube, being composed of elastic tissues—the lungs, trachea,
larynx, pharynx—and movable tissues—the mouth with the tongue,
palate, lips—is apt to change easily in size. By this change the
original laryngeal sounds can be altered in their pitches,
becoming higher or lower, according to the change in size to
which the vocal organs adjust themselves. This shows that the
privilege of determining the pitch of the voice cannot belong
entirely to the number of vibrations produced by the vocal
cords; there are other physical properties of the sound, related
to the other parts of the vocal apparatus, which are concerned
also. In fact, to give a practical example, if, in producing a
tone in the human tube, we contract the throat and close the
mouth, and then gradually relax the former and open the latter,
we hear a certain difference in the pitch of the tone, without
having altered the number of its vibrations, however.
The same experiment can be made by singing or whistling a tone
into the cavity formed by the palms of both hands, while they
are held close together only on their outer edges, thus creating
the largest space possible. By contracting them gradually and
reducing the space inside, or _vice versa_, while producing the
tone, a change of pitch is perceived which evidently is not
related to any increase in the number of vibrations, but only to
the increase or decrease in the amount of space created by the
hands.
These experiments should induce singers not to diminish the size
and dimensions of their vocal organs, by contracting them, if
they wish to keep their voices in their natural form. It is true
that in singing higher tones the vocal organs adjust themselves
to a smaller size, but this adjustment is almost imperceptible,
and is purely instinctive and involuntary, and must not,
therefore, be artificially exaggerated by a conscious influence,
which most of the time is the result of an erroneous conception
of voice production.
Condensing in one illustration the relationship of the pitch of
the sound with the pitch of the voice, we conceive of the first
as the germ, from which the second takes origin and develops. In
its fundamental essence, the pitch of the voice is the pitch of
the sound, but it is not exactly the same thing, as in its
formation are included, besides the vibrations produced by the
vocal cords, perhaps some new vibrations created by the
resonance chambers. If no new vibrations are created, though it
is certain that the original ones of the sound are largely
emphasized in size, length and intensity, bringing about a
decided, if not a radical, change in the dimensions of the
pitch, which becomes comparatively larger, louder and more
powerful, and all the characteristics of the voice, such as
volume, quality, and, to a certain extent, loudness, are more
prominently displayed with it.
The following sketch gives a rough idea of this relationship:
[Illustration:
FIG. 12.—THE RELATION OF THE PITCH OF THE SOUND WITH THE PITCH OF
THE VOICE
]
_aaa._ _The sound_ and the _sound waves_ going through the
pharynx on their way to mouth. Pitch of sound is shown
here in its original form as determined by the number of
vibrations of the vocal cords. Its dimensions exist in
their embryonic form. This is the first phase of voice
production
_B._ _Sound_, in its original pitch after reaching mouth to be
transformed into voice
_C._ _Voice._ Voice contains within itself the sound
_D._ _The pitch of the voice_ which includes the pitch of the
sound, plus the vibrations created by the resonance
chambers. The volume and quality of voice are very
prominent in this second phase of voice production
_E._ The vocal cords
The real conception of the pitch, then, can be summed up as
follows:
Sound is the result of the vibrations of the vocal cords, and is
confined to the laryngeal cavity. Its pitch is related to the
number of these vibrations, and is merely a _sound_ pitch,
lacking the dimensions of the voice, in quality and in volume.
Voice is the result of the sound produced by the vocal cords,
reinforced through its phonetic change into full voice, by the
vibrations of the resonating power. Its pitch is related to
the vibrations of the vocal cords, plus the vibrations of the
chambers of resonance. The embryonic sound produced in a
determined pitch, if it is transmitted freely to the mouth, is
transformed into real voice, and retains its pitch, enriched
by the resonating power of the mouth and of the resonance
chambers. The resonating power establishes for the voice its
characteristics: volume, quality, loudness, etc., and
determines also its real pitch in every tone of its range. All
of this mechanism is ruled by the speaking voice and
transferred to the singing voice, the speaking lending to the
singing its pitches, its characteristics or dimensions in
their normal degree, and the singing emphasizing them.
In voice culture the determination of the pitch by the speaking
voice, especially in raising the voice to high altitudes, brings
such surprising advantages as to render worthy of consideration
the adoption of rules for making the speaking voice the guiding
element for producing high pitches in singing.
No doubt the difficult task of reaching the high tones has
always been to singers _la bête noire_ of their careers. Yet, we
contend, this difficult problem can be solved satisfactorily by
using the speaking voice as the medium for reaching high
pitches.
A rough demonstration can be given by this practical experiment.
After reciting a phrase distinctly in a low pitch, sing it
immediately in the same pitch. A musically educated ear can very
easily ascertain the similarity of pitch. Then, raising the
pitch of the speaking voice to some point at about the middle of
the range of the voice, recite and then sing the phrase in the
same pitch. Finally, raising the pitch gradually, continue up to
the highest pitch possible for the speaking voice, and place the
singing voice at the same height.
It is surprising what results can be obtained by this process.
Even the highest pitches of the singing voice will present no
difficulties when their production is performed along the track
of the speaking voice. Singers who cannot conceive of the
possibility of reaching certain high tones will be astonished at
the results of this experiment, which is made possible only
because the singing voice is carried to its high altitudes
through the speaking voice, by placing the pitch of the former
on the pitch of the latter.
In the first act of “Aïda,” the closing phrase of the famous
aria, “Celeste Aïda,” “_Un trono vicino al sol_”—a difficult
task for any tenor because of its high pitch—if spoken first at
its approximate altitude, and then sung at the same height,
proves easy when compared with the usual rule of attempting that
pitch by means of the singing voice alone.
Thus through this method great elasticity can be given to the
singing voice in making its pitch, while, if singers attempt to
raise their voices merely by forcing the sounds produced by the
vocal cords, discarding the auxiliary help of the speaking
voice, they will always find great difficulty in reaching their
much coveted B flats or high C’s.
The misconception about the pitch of the voice is responsible
for this difficulty, and by giving to the speaking voice the
task of determining the pitch it will positively disappear. The
speaking voice is the real mold of the singing voice, in all its
characteristics and dimensions; therefore, it must also be the
factor for its different pitches.