SINGING METHOD OF THE SCIENTIFIC CULTURE OF VOICE; FUNDAMENTAL RULES
FOR CORRECT VOICE PRODUCTION
The first singers of past ages knew nothing about singing
methods. Instinct suggested that they embellish their speaking
voices with musical colors and rhythms, thus originating the
primitive forms of singing, ruled by individual methods. These
methods were merely the spontaneous outcome of natural
inspiration, sentiment and emotion, musically expressed
according to the singers’ intelligence.
A vocal method, therefore, which aims to build up a _natural_
form of singing, must have at its command pupils who possess, in
addition to an adaptable speaking voice, the required
inspiration, sentiment and intelligence; and it must be applied
individually also, though molded on general fundamental
principles alike for all singers.
The aim of this method is to guarantee that the natural
equipment, the voice, is trained and developed according to the
dictates of Nature, so that it will improve instead of
deteriorating from its original form and beauty. As for the
inspiration, sentiment, and intelligence, Nature alone can
bestow these on pupils. Teachers, however, can direct and
develop the psychological dispositions of pupils with advice
based on their own experience.
The speaking voice—the primary element for singing—is the basis
for voice culture in this method, which in its principles does
not differ from any other method for musical instruments.
A close examination of the modern teaching of piano, violin,
etc., makes it evident that freedom and ease are the
indispensable requisites for a thorough and correct technique.
No physical exercises are recommended for strengthening the
fingers of a violinist or pianist; it is understood that they
will gradually develop their power by long training. Therefore,
students of singing, contrary to the general practice, will not
be requested by this method to undergo any physical or breathing
exercises for putting the vocal organs in readiness for voice
culture.
This new point of view about the breath may surprise the
majority of readers, but it is our conception that through the
normal function of singing, which requires a specific amount of
breath, the vocal organs gradually develop, by constant use,
enough resistance for any emergency that may arise in the vocal
training of pupils. In professional singing, of course, there is
some slight difference in the use of breath, as it frequently
occurs that a stronger amount of it is required for certain
intense musical phrases of operas of dramatic character; but
these emergencies concern only finished singers who, after long
study and practice, have their voices in readiness for any
emergency. Beginners have no right to attempt trials which, in
reality, are a danger to even the vocal organs of advanced and
well-trained singers. Sensational outbursts are very commonplace
among inexperienced and enthusiastic students; but these
temperamental pupils should recall the fate of Icarus who tried
to fly with artificial wings of wax, which melted when he flew
too near the sun, so that he fell into the sea and was drowned.
Furthermore, they must remember that the vocal organs of
professional singers who, on occasion, indulge in strenuous
efforts, are physically hardened from long training, while the
same effort on the part of beginners brings on fatigue, and
paves the way for more disastrous consequences.
Therefore, beginners must start their course of study as real
beginners, proceeding in voice culture as they would in learning
a new language, art or science. From the most elementary and
simple exercises they must gradually advance to more difficult
ones, never losing sight, however, of the basic principle, that
ease and freedom are the basis of voice production.
Ease and freedom must be psychological as well as physical, each
depending so closely on the other as to make it difficult to
ascertain which is the actual support in their coöperative
mission.
A singer who is positive that he can rely on the full control
of his voice and on the normal efficiency of his vocal organs
gets from this assurance the strongest assistance in
singing—confidence and courage. Hence his physical freedom,
the result of his correct mechanism of voice production,
becomes the support of his mental freedom which, relieved of
the worry of safely getting through the difficult passages,
helps to make his singing technically perfect. Thus his mind
is concentrated on the meaning of the words, which lends to
his singing impressiveness and style.
But in the absence of the support of correct voice production,
the singer feels under a nervous strain which destroys his
mental and physical freedom. It is true, however, that some
singers, by natural disposition, are so affected by outside
influences, especially by that inexplicable sensation of stage
fright, that they lose complete control of their voices. In some
cases this abnormal psychological state of mind influences even
singers of renown and renders them entirely helpless, though
they can otherwise fully rely on their voices. Good singers,
however, may overcome such conditions by long training and will
power; but in cases in which the absence of confidence is due to
lack of correct voice production, no improvement can be hoped
for, unless a new method of singing, the correct one, is
adopted.
What is the correct method of singing?
The method of voice production which borrows from the speaking
voice the physiological and psychological elements essential to
the art of singing, that is, the voice in its physical form, the
pathos, expression, clearness, and meaning of its words, and
combines them with musical rhythms, colors, and artistic style,
is the correct method of singing.
The Scientific Culture of Voice takes its starting point from
this conception; thus it begins where the phonetic rules for
talking end, without, however, causing any breach, as the
culture of the singing voice is but a continuation of the
speaking voice’s proper formation.
Three conditions are practically indispensable for achieving
correct singing.
1. The amount of breath employed must be proportional to the
exact number of vibrations required by the tones to be produced;
balanced in distribution, and under steady control.
2. The vocal apparatus must act normally, as in talking, with no
strain or abrupt adjustments of its organs.
3. The resonating apparatus, made up of all the cavities of the
body, must be easily accessible to the vibrations, and must not
be hampered in its free distribution of the sounding waves
during their expansion.
The first and second conditions are essential in the production
of sounds, but the resonating apparatus is the power which lends
to the voice its volume, quality, beauty, and all its
psychological characteristics; therefore, it is the most
valuable coefficient in singing.
In a very sensible criticism, made by E. W. Myer, about the
vocal-effort school, as he calls it, and the relaxed school, he
very strongly condemns, on one hand, the muscular school which
makes of man a mere machine instead of a living, emotional,
thinking soul, and, on the other, he makes some interesting
comments on complete relaxation in singing. He says that
“flexible firmness without rigidity, vitalized position, and
action is the only condition for singing, and that the tone of
the relaxation school lacks vitality.”
We agree on the whole with this statement of E. W. Myer, but we
discriminate between the conditions ruling the singing of
finished singers, and the essentials needed for voice culture of
beginners. In voice culture we discard entirely all emotional
influence during the preliminary work of students, in which the
full relaxation of the vocal organs is indispensable for
properly placing the voice and establishing a correct mechanism
for singing. The training of beginners, at least for the first
year, must be confined to the simplest form of musical
expression, exempt from any strong psychological influence. This
period of time is no specific; it is related to the intelligence
of the pupils, and their conscientiousness in studying.
The correct phonetic use of the voice and its most accurate
mechanism in regard to its placement and production must be the
only aim on which they must concentrate their minds and work.
This represents the first period of voice culture, in which
singing must have the form of musical talking, avoiding all
sustained tones and musical effects. When the thorough
technique—natural, not artificial technique—is attained, so that
a free, natural voice production is assured, then pupils can
gradually be led into exercises and practices of more marked
musical and psychological character. The “flexible firmness and
vitalized action” claimed by E. W. Myer can at this period be
gradually employed.
Therefore, the principle we advocate for beginners is the
complete relaxation of the vocal organs, leaving the flexible
firmness and vitalized action to finished singers who are
entitled, by reason of their competence, to make use of all the
technical dexterity for embellishing their voices and their
style of singing.
The first condition for correct singing, as we stated before, is
related to the amount of breath used and its distribution.
The proper amount of breath cannot be mathematically
established; if it were possible it would perhaps solve the most
perplexing problem of correct voice production. The author,
however, believes that as long as its quantity is fully
sufficient for the support of the voice, the less breath used,
the better the singing. There are two reasons for this:
1. The minimum of breath places the voice on its exact pitch,
producing only as many vibrations as are required for a
determined note, and not more. The vogue of screaming which
prevails at present is principally dependent on the large amount
of breath singers use, under strong pressure. The surplus of air
is instinctively augmented in the ascending altitudes of the
scale, producing very sharp tones, and establishing that
mechanism, so universal nowadays, which makes of most singers
strenuous, sharp-pitched blowers.
2. The minimum of breath establishes also a balanced function
for all the other vocal organs, besides the lungs, which take
part in voice production, that is, those forming the voice—the
vocal cords, larynx, and mouth—and those providing its
resonance—the body cavities. Therefore, the efficient
coöperation of the breath, the throat, the mouth and the
resonance cavities is primarily governed by the balanced power
of the breath.
At the beginning of the training, in order to produce the
singing voice the same amount of breath must be used as in
speaking the syllables or words of the exercises. For instance,
if the exercise is made up of the syllables Ma, Me, Mi, Mo, Mu,
or La, Le, Li, Lo, Lu, the same amount of breath used for
pronouncing them distinctly must be used also for singing them.
To carry this out correctly the tones must be sung in staccato
rhythm, which has the advantage of freeing the vocal organs by
using them in rapid adjustments, not allowing them enough time
to become rigid. Singing staccato helps likewise to place the
voice, for when the syllables to be sung are first spoken
correctly, in staccato rhythm, they can easily be kept in the
same place for singing. The singer then has no chance to drag
the voice backward into the throat, as he often does in singing
sustained tones. At times when even the attack of the tone is
correct, prolonging the sound of the vowel toward the end makes
it throaty. A great soprano used to call this “swallowing the
little tails of the vowels.”
When the vocal organs begin to operate in complete freedom, and
pupils are thoroughly accustomed to the correct distribution of
a normal quantity of breath, then sustained tones must enter
into the vocal training, as there is no longer danger of a
forced production.
Pupils, we repeat again, must not forget that it is not the
quantity and power of breath that is of great importance in
making voices big and beautiful. It is, rather, its intelligent
and balanced distribution, combined with freedom in singing,
and, above all, with the largest amount of resonance possible.
They must begin their training with the conception that singing
is nothing more than musical speech.
The posture of their bodies, therefore, must be natural, as in
talking, without artificial maneuvers, just assuming the same
attitude as in addressing some one. That helps in getting
psychological freedom also.
The vowels and consonants being the fundamental elements of the
singing voice, correct voice production is dependent principally
on their proper formation.
Just as in a pearl necklace the rarity of its pearls, their
size, shape, smoothness, luster, and arrangement make the
necklace beautiful and valuable, so in the human voice the
perfection of the elements of which it is composed—vowels and
consonants—by their clear enunciation, their volume, resonance,
quality, and smoothness, lay the ground for perfect and artistic
singing. Therefore, pupils must practice very accurately the
phonetic rules already given for the speaking voice, and take
infinite pains with their production.
Associating the vowels with the labial consonants, at the
beginning, helps to make the voice placement easier and more
precise, the labials being articulated by the lips.
For pupils to whom the pronunciation of the phonetic elements
proves an easy matter, it is a good scheme to try, in the first
exercises, to associate all the vowels with the consonant L,
which though more difficult to articulate, and having a tendency
to stiffen the tongue in its production, creates on the contrary
a marked flexibility of that muscle when correctly produced.
The flexibility of the tongue is of most essential importance in
voice production, as this organ is decidedly the worst enemy of
singers, often constituting the most obstinate impediment to the
freedom of their voices. By an instinctive act they usually
retract the tongue toward the throat, and keep it in tension,
thus preventing the laryngeal sounds from freely coming out and
reaching the mouth. This causes a serious interference, which
must be overcome at any cost at the beginning of voice training,
for the flexibility of the tongue assures the freedom of voice
production. Demosthenes, the greatest orator of Ancient Greece,
thought the tongue such an important organ for the voice that he
used to practice his orations with a pebble in his mouth to make
his tongue more relaxed and flexible.
It is certain that in the singing of Caruso one of the actual
causes of the ease and brilliant enunciation of his voice was
the flexibility of his tongue. It was his servant, and without
constraint he could shape it in any way he pleased. His
marvelous rendition of the “Tarantella” of Rossini was the most
striking evidence. One of his peculiarities was his morning
inspection of his vocal cords, which he could easily examine by
keeping his tongue so flat on the floor of his mouth as to make
it possible to see his larynx in the laryngoscope without
protruding his tongue, a maneuver which is very difficult even
when performed by a laryngologist.
Before a performance the author often saw him pull his tongue
repeatedly, to make it more relaxed. By natural instinct he put
great faith in the flexibility of this organ, and trained it so
well that as a “stunt” he used to hold the center of his tongue
concave, and curl the end and side up, forming a cup, triangular
in shape.
The tongue, in singing, must be kept in relaxation on the floor
of the mouth, except in the production of the vowel I, in which
it must be raised slightly, though in relaxation, toward the
palate, and in the lingual consonants N, L, R, in which its
movement is indispensable for their formation (see illustration
of tongue X-ray, Fig. 27).
This method of singing, built up on the speaking voice, calls
also for a demonstration of the use of two other important
phonetic organs—the palate and the lips.
The palate, which when naturally conformed and well arched,
improves the resonance of the voice remarkably by creating a
larger space in the mouth, must be in relaxation also. Exception
is made during the enunciation of the vowels A, O, U, in which
the soft palate raises the uvula but very slightly, while the
tongue is left entirely flat or concave on the floor of the
mouth, thus creating the largest space possible. Space in the
mouth proves a great coefficient for the volume, softness and
darkness of the voice, owing to the magnified resonance.
The lips must always be left in normal relaxation, as in
talking. They are of great importance in the formation of the
vowels O and U, for, by approaching them without squeezing, a
tube is formed in front of the mouth which acts as a megaphone
for their resonance, making these vowels soft, dark in quality,
and larger in volume.
The attention to teachers and beginners is called to another
important matter in regard to the section of the range which
must be used at the beginning of vocal training.
The author believes it is a necessity to confine the preliminary
exercises to the lowest tones of the range, beginning at the
altitude of B or C below the staff, and descending to its lowest
part, until the voice gradually disappears. In the case of a
soprano or tenor, if the tones are not forced this takes place
at approximately E below the staff.
That voice production should commence in the lowest section of
the range is advisable for at least two reasons:
1. In the low tones it is easy for pupils to employ the normal
amount of breath required to place their voices on the exact
natural pitch, while in the higher tones it is more difficult to
control this amount, owing to a psychological influence which
suggests to singers, in general, to give more breath than is
necessary in ascending to the high sections of the range.
2. It is important also to develop the voice (always without
forcing), first in its very low part, which, although not used
later in singing, for physiological reasons forms the support of
the higher section of the range. It has been demonstrated in the
first part of this book that the lower the level of the voice,
the higher its range can develop; the more correctly the vocal
organs produce the lower tones (that means without forcing), the
further can the upper range be extended, without effort.
It is similar to the construction of a building. The deeper the
foundation, the higher the building. In voice production this
proves to be the case, because, having trained the vocal organs
to the maximum of relaxation and freedom through the lower
tones, by keeping the same mechanism of voice production all
through the range, pupils can find no difficulty in producing
the tones at the altitude intended by natural laws. As a rule,
only artificial interferences make the range of the voice
shorter; therefore, the common belief that Nature creates _short
voices_ is erroneous. Short voices are the result of false
mechanisms of voice production.
Pupils, at the beginning of their training, must not expect to
produce big tones. Their attention and care must be concentrated
only in having their vocal organs operate in complete
relaxation, and placing the voice in its correct center, guided
by the speaking voice, which, if correctly produced, can
establish both the place and pitch of the singing voice.
This new conception of determining the pitch of the singing
voice by that of the speaking voice is of the greatest
assistance in producing the voice, especially in high tones. It
is a fact that if pupils hear the tone they are to sing,
produced by the piano, and succeed in saying the syllable in
that pitch, or if by mental influence they direct the pitch of
their singing to the altitude designated by the speaking voice,
the resulting tone will be easy in production and correct in
pitch. In the first part of this book, in the chapter related to
the pitch of the voice (p. 123), this subject is amply
illustrated. Beginners and singers should, therefore, learn to
talk in any pitch, consequently enabling them to mold every tone
of their singing on the pitch of the speaking voice. The
advantages are manifold.
A habit common to beginners, and also to singers, is that of
neglecting to open the mouth sufficiently when it is essential,
as, for instance, in the vowel A, or of opening it forcibly.
Some teachers object to the opening of the mouth. It is an
error. The mouth is the door of the voice; it must be opened to
allow it to escape. Even instinct suggests that the mouth be
opened in producing the voice. When a child starts to cry, which
is a primitive psychological expression, he opens his mouth
wide. In singing this must be done naturally; not forcibly. In
eating we open our mouth spontaneously and instinctively by
dropping the lower jaw; the same must be done in opening the
mouth for singing, thus avoiding a rigid, muscular mechanism.
In the case of professional singers who wish to learn and
practice this method, we caution them that the task is _much
more difficult_ than for real beginners. Singers, undertaking
this, must forget and renounce entirely their previous method of
singing; they must put themselves in the place of beginners,
which is usually very difficult to do. The more primitive an
element they will become, the more will the progressive
influence of this method, by gradually substituting new rules
for voice production, destroy their originally faulty mechanism.
Their practicing at the beginning must be colorless, and more
like musical speech. This is very important, because the mere
suggestion that they are singing will unconsciously bring them
back to their original faults.
It will also be difficult for them to discard the influence of
the diaphragm and breath pressure; therefore, it is a good
policy for them to remain seated while performing their
exercises, as if they were merely talking to the teacher. In
this manner they will be kept away from the unconscious
psychological influence of their professional singing.
Fundamental voice production at the beginning must be correct,
not artistic. Gradually, after the pressure of the breath is
controlled, the voice correctly placed, and freedom in singing
is acquired, exercises of more musical style can be attempted,
beginning with sustained tones in the lower part of the range.
This constitutes the second phase of their new training. In the
third phase, when this method of practicing the exercises is
applied to songs or operas, they have nothing to fear, as their
solid preliminary training will have prepared their voices for
any vocal emergency.
With these general hints for correct voice production, we have
prepared the ground for our vocal exercises.
Care must be taken that they are strictly and constantly
observed, if progress is desired. Until pupils get the proper
mechanism of voice production they must think of nothing else,
nor be influenced by any other ambition. Later they will realize
the value of these suggestions.