THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES L|; . $3 ./CALIFORNIA THE CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING TKKATKU 1-ROM A PHYSIOLOGICAL A\M> A PRACTICAL STAMDI'OINT AND LSl'LCIALLY ADAI'TKD TO SCHOOLS AND BOY CHOIRS FRANCIS E. HOWARD SUI'KRVI-OK ill-' MI'slC IN THK ITUMC SCI[()OI.> AM> CHOIR. MASTI.R OK ST. JOHN'S AMI TRINITY CH f KCIIKS, IIRIDGEI'OKT, CONN. NK\Y ^'dKK : Till-: II. \V. OKAY CO. Si M.I Alil-NTS 1'Di; N( )\'KLLO \ CO., Ltd., London Madi- in lli<- Unitrd Slates of Amrnca COPYRIGHT, 1895 BY F. E. HOWARD COPYRIGHT, 1898 BY XOVELLO, EWER & CO. COPYRIGHT RENEWED, 1923 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION, E of the most encouraging signs of the growth of musical taste and understanding at the present time as regards the singing of children, is the almost unanimous acquiescence of choirmasters, supervisors, teachers, and others in the idea that children should sing softly, and avoid loud and harsh tones ; and the author vent- ures to hope that the first edition of this book has helped, in a measure at least, to bring about this state of opinion. It is true that for a long time the art of train- ing children's voices has been well understood by choirmasters of vested choirs, and by many others, but its basis was purely empirical. Something more, however, than the dictum of individual taste and judgment, is needed to con- vince the educators of our schools of the wisdom 4 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. of any departure from established customs and practices. The primary end, then, of the author has been to show a scientific basis for the use of what is herein called the head-voice of the child, and to adduce, from a study of the anatomy and physiology of the larynx and vocal organs, safe principles for the guidance of those who teach children to sing. The conditions under which music is taught in schools call for an appeal to the understanding first, and taste afterward. These conditions are : First, the actual teaching of music is done by class-room or grade teachers. The special teacher, who usually supervises also, visits each room, it may be as often as once a week, but in most towns and cities not oftener than once in three or four weeks. At any rate the class form their ideals and habits from the daily lessons, which are given by their grade teacher. Second, these teachers in the great majority of cases acquire their knowledge of music through teaching it, and must also, it can easily be under- stood, develop a sense of discrimination in musical matters in the same way. There is a strong PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 5 natural tendency in the school-rooms to emphasize the teaching of music*, or teaching about music, as contrasted with actual singing. The impor- tance of using the voice properly will not suggest itself to many teachers. Jt is necessary, then, that this, which is the essence of all instruction in vocal music, should he brought to the attention of the vast army of instructors in our public schools in as convincing a wav as is possible. Now the best, and in fact the only way to secure the assent of our educators to a new idea in school work, is to prove its truth. " It is useless to dispute about tastes," and so the less said about harsh tone to a teacher accus- tomed to hear it dailv, and to like it, the better; but prove to this teacher that the harsh tone is physically hurtful to the child, and that for physiological reasons the voice should be used softly and gently, and you have won a convert, one, too, who will (piicklv recognize the .esthetic phase of the change in voice use. The author knows from observation and experience that children in the public schools can. under existing conditions, be taught good habits of voice use. 6 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. There are wonderful possibilities of musical de- velopment, in the study of music in schools, and the active interest of every musician and music lover should be exercised to the end that its stand- ard may be kept high. PREFACE. TT will be generally admitted by those who are able to judge, that the singing of chil- dren is more often disagreeable than pleasant, and yet the charm of childhood and the effect of custom are so potent that many who are keenly alive to any deficiency in the adult ginger, listen with tolerance, and it would seem with a degree of pleasure even, to the harsh tones of children. This tolerance of rough, strident singing by children is as strange as the singing. It cannot be right for children to sing with the coarse, harsh tone that is so common, and it is not right, although there is a prevalent idea that such singing is natural, that is, unavoidable. This idea is false. The child singing-voice is not rough and harsh unless it is misused. The truth of this statement can be easily demon- strated. If it were not true it would be diffi- cult to ju.^tif'y the teaching of vocal music is 7 PREFACE. schools, or the employment of bov sopranos in church choirs. It seems to the author that the chief diffi- culty experienced by teachers and instructors of singing, in dealing with children, lies in the as- sumption, expressed or implied, that their voices are to be treated as we treat the voices of adults adult women ; but the vocal organs of the child differ widely from those of the adidt in structure, strength and general character. As a consequence, there is a marked difference in voice. Vocal music has been very generally intro- duced into the schools of our country during the past few years, and there is evidently a very general and earnest desire that children be taught to sing. It is also the wish of those who are teachers to do their work well. While there are many books tu aid educators upon every other subject taught in public schools, the literature on the voice, particularly the singing-voice, is meagre, and it is believed that some direct, practical hints on this topic may be welcome. PREFACE. 9 The following pages arc the result of several years' experience in teaching, and of careful study of children's voices. The author has at- tempted to describe the physiological character- istics of the child-voice and to give some practi- cal hints regarding its management. It is sin- rrivlv hoped that what is herein written may he useful and helpful to those engaged in teaching children to sing. FRANCIS E. HOW AIM), Bridgeport, Couo. December, 1S95. CONTENTS. PAOS PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 3 PREFACE, 7 CHAPTER I. PHYSIOLOGY OF THE VOICE, 13 CHAPTER II. REGISTERS OF THE VOICE, ..... '25 CHAPTER III. How TO SECURE GOOD TONE, .... 44 CHAPTER IV. COMPASS OK TIII: CHILD-VOICE, .... 72 CHAPTER V. POSITION, BRK.'.THING, ATTACK, TONE-FORMATION, . 81 CHAPTER VI. VOWELS, CONSONANTS, ARTICULATION, ... 95 12 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIL PAGE MUTATION OP THE VOICE, 112 CHAPTER VIIL TIIE ALTO VOICE IN MALE CHOIRS, . . . 125 CHAPTER IX. GENERAL REMARKS, -...-. 132 CHAPTER T. PHYSIOLOGY OF THK YOICE. TN former times tlie culture of the singing- voice was conducted upon purely empirical grounds. Teachers followed a few good rules which had been logically evolved from the ex- perience of many schools of singing. We are indebted to modern science, aided by the laryngoscope, for many facts concerning the action of the larynx, and more especially the vocal cords in tone-production. While the early discoveries regarding the mechanism of the voice were hopefully believed to have solved all prob- lems concerning its cultivation, experience has shown the futility of attempting to formulate a set oi rules for voice-culture based alone upon the incomplete data furnished by the laryn- goscope. This instrument is a small, round mir- ror which is introduced into the throat at such an angle, that if horizontal rays of li^ht are thrown upon it, the larynx, which lies directlv beneath, is illuminated and reflected in the mir- 13 14 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. ror at the back of the mouth the laryngoscope. Very many singers and teachers, of whom Manuel Garcia was the first, have made use of this instrument to observe the action of their vocal bands in the act of singing, and the results of these observations are of the greatest value. Still, as before said, the laryngoscope does not reveal all the secrets of voice-production. While it tells unerringly of any departure from the normal, or of pathological change in the larynx, it does not tell whether the larynx belongs to the greatest living singer or to one absolutely unendowed with the power of song. Also, the sub- ject of vocal registers is as vexing to-day as ever. While, then, we may confidently expect further and more complete elucidation of the physiology of the voice, there is yet sufficient data to guide us safely in vocal training, if we neglect not the empirical rules which the accumulated experi- ence of the past has established. The organ by which the singing-voice is pro- duced is the larynx. It forms the upper ex- tremity of the windpipe, which again is the up- per portion and beginning of the bronchial CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. ir, hibes, which, extending downward, branch off from its lower part to either side of the chest mid continually subdivide until they become like little twigs, around which cluster the con- stituent parts of the lungs, which form the bel- lows for the supply of air necessary to the per- formance of vocal functions. Above, the larynx opens into the throat and the cavities of the pharynx, mouth, nose, and its accessory cavities, 'which constitute the resonator for vocal vibrations set up within the larynx. The larynx itself consists of a framework of cartilages joined by elastic membranes or liga- ments, and joints. These cartilages move free- Iv toward and upon each other bv means of at- tached muscles. Also tlie larynx as a whole can be moved in various directions bv means of extrinsic muscles joined to points above and be- low. The vocal bands are two ligaments or folds of mucous membrane attached in front to the lar- gest cartilage of the larynx, called the thyroid, and which forms in man tlie protuberance coin nioidy called Adam's apple; and, extending 16 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. horizontally backward, are inserted posteriori}' into the aryteniod cartilages, the right vocal band into the right arytenoid cartilage and the left O v O band into the left cartilage. These arytenoid cartilages, by means of an articulation or joint, move freely upon the cricoid, the second large cartilage of the larynx, forming its base, and sometimes called the ring cartilage, from its re- semblance in shape to a seal ring. The vocal bands are composed of numberless elastic fibres running in part parallel to each other, and in part interwoven in various directions with each other. The fibres also vary in length; some are inserted into the extending projections, called processes of the arytenoid cartilages, and some extend further back and are inserted into the body of the cartilages. Tbe vocal bands, then, lie opposite each other, on a level, raised a little in front, and with a narrow slit between, called the glottis. The muscles controlling the action of the vo- cal bands, and M'liich regulate; the mechanism producing sound, are of three groups, vix., ab- ductors (drawing-apart muscles), adductors (draw- ing-together muscles), and tensors. CHILD- \ VICE IN SL\GIXG. 1 7 The abductors act to keep the bands apart during re.-piration, while the function of the ad- ductors and tensors is to bring the bands into po- sition for speech or singing. They are, since phonation is at will, voluntary muscles; but it is an interesting fact that the laryngeal muscles of either side invariably act together. It has been shown that it is not possible to move one vocal cord without the other at the same time exe- cuting the same movement. It is thus shown that the laryngeal muscles are, to a less extent, under the control of the will than are those of either hand or eye. The rational training of the singing-voice cannot, therefore, proceed upon any theory based upon the voluntary training of the muscles controlling the movements of the vocal cords. The mucous membrane which lines the larvnx is liberally ,-upplied with secreting glands, whose function i> to keep the parts moist. Abo\e the vocal bands, another pair of membranous ligaments are stretched across tin- larvnx form- ing, with its .-ides and the vocal bands, a pouch m 1 pocket. The upper ligaments are Miinetimes 18 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING, called the false vocal cords, but are more prop- erly termed ventricular bands. Their function has occasioned much speculation, but whatever modification of tone they may be supposed to produce, they no doubt protect the true vocal bands and permit their free vibration. The larynx, in the production of sound, may be com- pared to an organ-pipe. The two vocal cords which act simultaneously and are anatomically alike, when set in vibration by the blast of air coming from the lungs, correspond to the reed of the organ-pipe; the vibration of the cords, producing sound, which is communicated to the air enclosed in the cavities of the chest and head. Pitch of tone is determined by the ra- pidity of vibrations of the bands, according to acoustical law, and the length, size, and tension of the cords will determine the number of vibra- tions per second, /. e. , their rapidity. Strength or loudness of tone is determined primarily by the width or amplitude of the vi- brations of the vocal membrane, and quality or timbre is determined by the form of the vibra tion. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 19 The infinitely varying anatomical divergencies in the form and structure of the nasal, pharyn- geal and throat cavities, and possibly the com- position of the vocal hands, modifies, in number- less ways, the character of tone in speech or song. It is a fascinating topic, but must be dis- missed here with the remark that, as those ana- tomical differences in structure are far less marked in children than in adults, their voices are, in consequence, more alike in quality and strength. It takes long, patient training to blend adult voices, but children's voices, when properly used, are homogeneous in tone. The voices of boys and girls, prior to the atren^th and firmness of tis- ,-ue characteri/ing the entire l>ody. It is again proven liv the continual improvement in the power and timluv of the tone through thi> peri- 22 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. od, always premising, be it understood, that the voice is used properly, and never forced beyond its natural capabilities. The voice, at the age of eleven or twelve, is far stronger, and is capable of more sustained effort than at the age of six or seven years, and, for the year or two preceding the break of voice, the brilliance and power of boys' voices, especially in the higher tones, is often phenomenal, and in all cases is far superior to that of previous years. The resemblance between the voices of boys and girls, a resemblance which amounts to iden- tity, save that the voices of boys are stronger and more brilliant in quality, disappears at puberty. Among the physical changes which occur at O _L > O this period is a marked growth of the larynx, sufficient to alter entirely the pitch and charac- ter of the boy's voice. As a female larynx is affected to a lesser extent, the voices of girls undergo little change in pitcli, but become eventually more powerful, and richer in tone. This break of the voice, as it is called, occurs at about the age of iiften years in this climate, CHILD-VOICE IX SIXUIXG. 2:', but often ;i year or two earlier, and not infre- quently a year or two later. The growth of the larynx goes on, with greater or less rapidity, varying in different individuals, for from six months to two or three years, until it attains its final si/e. In hoys, the larynx doubles in size, and the vocal hands increase in the propor- tion of live to ten in length. This great gain in the length of the vocal cords is due to the lateral development of the larynx, for the male, larynx, in its entirety, increases more in depth than in height. The result is a drop of an octave in the average hoy's voice, the longer hands producing lower tones. The change in si/.e in the female larynx is in the proportion oi five to seven, and the increase is in height in- s-tead of depth or width as in the male larvnx. The vocal cords of women are, therefore, shorter, thinner and narrower than are those of men. The reason assigned for the peculiar antics of the hoy's voice, during the break, is unequal rapidity in the growth and development of the cartilages and of the muscles of the larvnx. The 24 JHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. muscles develop more slowly than do the car- tilages, and so abnormal physical conditions pro- duce abnormal results in phonation. No further changes occur in the laryngeal structure until middle life, when ossification of the cartilages commences. The thyroid is first affected, then the cricoid, and the arytenoids much later. The consequent rigidity of the larynx occa- sions diminished compass of the singing-voice, the notes of the upper register being the first to disappear. In some few cases of arrested de- velopment, the voice of the man retains the soprano compass of the boy through life. CHAPTER II. KKGISTKKS OF THK VOICE. IT may be observed, in listening to iin ascend- ing series of tones sung by an untrained oi by a badly-trained adult voice, that at certain pitches the tone-quality undergoes a radical change; while a well-trained .singer will sing the same series of tones without showing any appreciable break or change in tone-quality, al- though the highest note will present a marked contrast in timbre to the lowest. The breaks or changes in register so noticeable in the un- trained voice are covered or equalized in the voice trained bv correct methods. These breaks in both male and female voices occur at certain pitches where the tone-producing mechanism of the larynx changes action, and brings the vocal baiid> into a new vibratorv form. k> A register con>i>t> of a scries of tones produced bv the same mechanism.'" Kmil llehnke in " Voice, Song, and Speech.' 1 (i. Edward Stubbs, in commenting upon the above definition, savs; 25 26 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. "By mechanism is meant the action of the larynx which produces different sets of vibra- tions, and by register is meant the range of voice confined to a given set of vibrations. In pass- ing the voice from one register to another, the larynx changes its mechanism and calls into play a different form of vibration." The number of vocal registers, or vibratory forms, which the vocal bands assume, is still a matter of dispute, and their nomenclature is equally unsettled. The old Italian singing- masters gave names to parts of the vocal compass corresponding to the real or imaginary bodily sensations experienced in singing them; as chest-voice, throat-voice, head-voice. Madame Seiler, in "The Voice in Singing," gives as the result of original investigations with the laryngoscope iive different actions of the vocal bands which she classifies as "first and second series of the chest-register," " first and second series of the falsetto register" and "head-register." Browne and Behnke, in "Voice, Song, and Speech," divide the male voice into three registers, and the female into CHILD-VOICE IN SINGIXG. 27 five. They are termed "lower thick," " upper thick," "lower thin," "upper thin" and small." Other writers speak of three regis- ters, "chest," "medium" and "head," and >till others of two only, viz., the chest and the head. Modern research lias shown what was after all understood before, that, if the vibratory form assumed by the vocal bands for the natural pro- duction of a certain set of tones is pushed by muscular exertion above the point where it should cease, inflammation and weakening of the vocal organs will result, while voice-de- terioration is sure to follow. A physiological basis has reinforced the empirical deductions of the old Italian school. In dealing with chil- dren's voices, it is necessary to recognize only two registers, the thick, or chest-register, and the thin, or head-register. Further subdivisions will only complicate the subject without assist- ing in the practical management of their voices. Tones sung in the thick or chest -register are produced by the full, free vibration of the vocal bands in their entire length, breadth and thick- CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. ness. The tones of the thin or head-register re suit from the vibration of the vocal bands along their inner edges alone. We may then conclude from the foregoing that children up to the age of piiberty, at hast in class or chorus singing, should use the thin or head-register only. 1st. It is from a physiological standpoint en- tirely safe. The use of this register will not strain or overwork the delicate vocal organs of childhood. 2d. Its tones are musical, pure and sweet, and their use promotes the growth of musical sensibility and an appreciation of beauty in tone. 3d. The use of the thick or chest-voice in class-sinking is dangerous. It is wellnigh im- possible to confine it within proper limits. It is unnecessary to discuss the second point. Anyone who has noted the contrast between the harsh quality of tone emitted from childish throats when using the chest-voice, and the pure, flute-like sound produced when the head- tones are sung will agree that the last is music and the first noise. >r at any rate very noisy, barbaric music. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 2'J The third jxjint, if true, establishes the first, for, if the chest-voice cannot he safely used, it follows that children must use the head-register or stop sinking. It must he said, before pro- ceeding further, that it is not denied that the thick voice can be used by children without in- jury, if properly managed; that is, if the sing- ing be not too loud, and if it be not carried too high. It is also fully recognized, that, when theoretically the head-voice; alone is used, it yet, when carried to the lower tones, insensibly blends into the thick register; but if this equal- ization of registers is obtained so completely that no perceptible difference in quality of voice can be observed, why then the whole compass is practically the thin or head-register. .Now, can the thick voice be used in sch.xd- sin^ini:', and confined to the lower notes? And is it i'airlv easy to secure soft and pure vocaliza- tions in this register'? Let. the experience of thousands of teachers in the public schools of this and other lands answer rhe last question. It would be as easy to stop the growth of the average bov with a word, or to persuade a crowd 80 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. of youngsters to s]>eak softly at a game of base- ball, as to induce them, or girls either lor that matter, to use the voice gently, when singing with that register in which it is possible to push the tone and shout. There should be some good physiological reason for the habitual recourse to the strident chest-voice so common with boys, and nearly as usual with girls. And there is a good reason. It is lack of rigidity in the voice-lox or larynx.. Its cartilages harden slowly, and even just be- fore the age of puberty the larynx falls far short of the firmness and rigidity of structure, that characterize the organ in adult life. It it physically very difficult for the adult to force the chest-voice beyond its natural limits, which become fixed when full maturity of bodily development is reached, but the child, whose laryngeal cartilages are far more flexible, and move toward and upon each other with greater freedom, can force the chest - voice up with great ease. The altitude of pitch which is attained before breaking into the thin register is with young children regulated by the CHILD- I 'OIL' E IN SING IXG. 31 amount of muscular exertion they put forth, Even up to the change of voice, hoys can often force the thick register several notes higher than women sopranos. It must he home in mind that the thick voice is produced hy the full, free vihrations of the vocal hands in their entire length, breadth and thickness. Imagine children six years of age carrying (ones formed in this manner to the extreme limit of their voice ; yet they do it. The tone of infant classes in Sunday-schools, and the tone of the primarv schools, as they sing their morning hymns or sougs for recreation, is pro- duced in nine hundred and ninety-nine cases out of a thousand in exactly the way set forth. If the vocal hands of children were less elastic,, if they were composed of stronger iihres, and protected from undue exertion hv linn connect- ing cartilage: in short, if children were not chil- dren, such forcing would not he possible. If it were not for the wonderful recuperative power of childhood, serious effects would follow such vocal habits. 32 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. We are now prepared to understand that common phenomenon of the child-voice, termed the "movable break." Every public school teacher who has had experience in teaching singing must be familiar with the meaning of the term, though possibly unaware of it. Allusion has already been made to the fact that, in pri- mary grades, the thick quality, if permitted, will be carried as high as the children sing, to for example. If they are required to sing the the higher tones lightly, then the three or four tones, just below the pitch indicated, will be sung in a thin quality of voice. The place of the break or the absence of any break at all will de- pend upon the degree of loudness permitted. Pass now to a grade in which the pupils aver- age eleven years of age. These can use the thick tones as hi^h as only with great exertion, and, if required to sing softly, will pass into the thin register at a lower CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 3:' pitch than the primary class. Now, go to a room where the children range in age from thirteen to fifteen years. The girls will still use thick tones up to The pitch at which the hreak occurs will vary in individual cases according to physique or am- bition to sing well; hut the boys (excluding those whose voices have begun to break) will manifest the utmost repugnance to singing the higher notes. lt Can't sing high " will be the reply when you ask them why they do not sing. And they are correct. They cannot, not with the thick voice. Kven when putting forth con- siderable exertion, they will pass to the thin voice- at and lower, if thev sinir softlv. This phenomenon, then, i.- the ' ' movable break " of the child -voice. The pitch at which the child-voice passes from the thick to the thin voice depends fir.-t upon the age; second, upon the amount of physical 34 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. energy employed, and third, upon the bodily vigor of the child. It may also be added that boys' voices break lower than girls' during the year or two pre- ceding change of voice. When, now, it is re- membered that the adult female voice leaves the chest- register at it will be admitted by everyone who has had actual experience in class singing in schools or elsewhere, that the facts set forth in refer- ence to the ability of the child to carry the thick voice from one to eight tones higher than the adult, has a very important bearing on the subject of training children's voices. .But, is it physically injurious? It may be said that, as regards upward forcing of the vocal register, authorities upon the adult voice are anited. Leo Kofler, in kk The Art of Br4, after describing the action of the vocal ligaments in the production of the chest-voice and alluding to the fact that such action can he continued several tones higher than the proper transitional point, goes on: vv Hut such tones, especiallv in the female voice, have that roii^h 36 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. and common timbre, which we arc too often compelled to hear in our female singers. The glottis also in this case, as well as parts of the larynx near the glottis, betrays the effort very plainly; as the tones ascend, they grow more and more red. Thus, as at this jrfacc hi the chest-register, there occurs a visible and sensible straining of tJie organs, so also /* it in all the remaining transition.*, a.* soon as tin- attempt is made to extend the action lj which the lower tones arc formed beyond the given limits of the same.' 1 ' 1 And again : "In the ignorance exist- ing concerning the natural transitions of the reg- isters, and in the unnatural forcing of the voice, is found a chief cause of the decline in the art of singing, and the present inability to preserve the voice is the consequence of a method of teaching unnatural, and, therefore, imposing too great a strain upon the voice." Quotations in- numerable might be made, to give more empha- sis, were it needed, to the evils of register for- cing. The only point remaining is the one verv of- ten raised. Is it not natural for children to use- CHILD-VOICE IN SINKING. 3? the chest or thick voice? If their vocal organs are so flexible, may they not carry such tones higher than adults, and younger children higher than those a little older, and so on? It is quite obvious, for reasons herein set forth, that children do not experience the same degree of ditliculty in continuing the use of the thick voice to their higher tones as do adults, but as to the effect upon their vocal organs there need be no reasonable doubt. A. I>. Bach, in % Principles of Singing, 1 ' p. 14:2, says: "If children are allowed to sing their higher notes forte, before the voice is properly equalized, it will become hard, harsh and hoarse, and they will fail in correct intonation. A mistake in this direction not only ruins the middle register but destroys the voice altogether. The conse- quence of encouraging forte singing is to change a soprano rapidly to an alto; and they will generally sing alto equally forte because their vocal cords have lost their elasticity through overstraining and the notes will no longer answer to piano The fact is that reckless sinir'niir often breaks tender voices and 38 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. breaks them forever." It may be observed that the writer cited evidently accepts the same classification in register for children and adult women's voices, but this does not make the above extract any less applicable. The baneful effects of forcing the voice is clearly set forth. How to avoid it is another matter. Leo Roller, in the work previously mentioned, p. 1(>8, refers to this point as follows: " It fre- quently happens that the tones of the lower range, or the so-called chest-tones, are forced up too high into the middle range. This l>ad habit is often contracted while the singers are quite young. Boy trebles have this habit to an unendurable degree, usually screaming those horrible chest-tones up to middle C. Of all bad habits, this one is the most liable to injure a voice and to detract from artistic singing." To cite Madame Seiler once more, p. 1 T> : " While it often happens that at the most criti- cal age while the vocal organs are being de- veloped, children sing with all the strength they can command. I><>ys, however, in whom the larynx at a certain period undergoes an entire CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 39 transformation, reach only with difficulty the higher soprano or contralto tones, but are not assigned a lower part until perceiving them- selves the impossibility of singing in this way, they beg the teacher for the change, often too late, unhappily, to prevent an irreparable injury. Moderate singing without exertion, and above all things, within the natural limits of the voice and its registers, would even during the period of growth be as little hurtful as speaking, laugh- ing or any other exercise which cannot be for- bidden to the vocal organs." Browne and Behnke, who separately and to- gether have given most valuable additions t<> the literature of the voice, in a small book en- titled ' l The Child-Voice," have collated a large number of answers from distinguished singers, teachers and choir-trainers to various questions relating to the subject. The following citation is from this interesting work, p. ;>t> : kk The necessity of limiting the compass of children's voices is frequently insisted upon, no attention whatever being paid to rcyt'xtersj and yet in- finitely more mischief is done by forcing the 40 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. registers than would be accomplished by allow- ing children to exceed the compass generally as- signed to them, always provided that the sing- ing be the result of using the mechanism set apart by nature for different parts of the voice. ' ' There can really be no doubt that the use of the chest or thick voice upon the higher tones is injurious to a child of six years, or ten years, or of any other age. The theory that in the child - voice the breaks occur at higher fixed pitches than in the adult is shown to be untenable. The fact would seem to be that comparisons between the registers of the child and the adult voice are mis- leading, since the adult voice has fixed points of change in the vocal mechanism, which can be transcended only with great difficulty, while the child-voice has no Jised points of change in its vocal registers. This point must not be over- looked. It is the most important fact connected with the child-voice in speech or song. It is the fundamental idea of this work and is the basis for whatever suggestions are herein contained upon the management of the child-voice. The rie soft, and if proper directions he fol- lowed the (pialitv will he as good as the voice is capable of. Kvervoiie who has observed has also noticed 43 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. the contrast in the lower tones of children and women. The chest-voice of the woman, which she uses in sinking her lower register, is normally very beautiful in its quality. Its tones are the product of a perfectly developed, full-grown organ. The chest- voice of the child is an abnormal product of a weak, growing, undeveloped organ. It pos- sesses, even when used carefully, little of the tone tints of the adult voice. The chest-voice belongs to adult life, not to childhood. The so- called chest-voice of children is only embryonic. It cannot be musical, for the larynx has not reached that stage of growth and development where it can produce these tones musically. The constant use of this hybrid register with chil- dren is injurious in many ways. Its use is justi- fied in schools merely through custom, and it can not be doubted that as soon as the attention of teachers is called to its evils, they will no longer tolerate its use. The usual analogies then which are drawn be- tween the adult female voice and the child-voice, in so far as they imply a similar physiological con- CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 43 ilition of the vocal orpin and similar vocal train- ing, are not only useless, but misleading. He who tries to train the average child- voice on the theory of two, three or tive clearly -defined breaks, or natural changes in the forms for vocal vibration assumed by the vocal bands will get very little help from nature. AVith due consideration it is said that it is a harder task to train children's voices properly than to train the voices of adults. Where nature is so shifty in her ways, it requires keen penetration to discover her ends. The child -voice is a delicate instrument. It ought not to be played upon by every black- smith. HOW TO SECURE GOOD TONE. *nr"MIE practical application of the teaching <>i the two preceding chapters may at first thought seem to be difficult. On the contrary, it is quite easy, AV r e have favorable conditions in schools; graded courses in music, regular at tendance, discipline, and women and men in charge who are accustomed to teach. Tso more favorable conditions for teaching vocal music exist than are to he found in a well organized and well-disciplined school. The environments, of both pupils and teachers are exactly adapted 44 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 4:> to the ready reception of ideas, on the one hand, and the skilful imparting of them, on the other. Theahilitiesof the trained teachers of to-day are not half appreciated. They often possess pro- fessional skill of the highest order, and the supervisor of music in the public schools may count himself exceedingly fortunate in the means he has at hand for carrying on his work. ]>ut knowledge of voice- is no more evolved from one's inner consciousness than is knowledge of musical notation, or of the (ireek alphabet ; there- fore, if regular teachers in the school permit sing- ing which is unmusical and hurtful, it is chiefly because they are following the usual customs, and their ears have thereby become dulled, or it mav be that even if the sin^ini; is unpleasant to them, that they do not />'/">/>' Jimr to make it better. As before slid, all mercies have so far been directed to the teaching of music reading. Tone has been neglected, forgotten, or at most its improvement lias been sought spasmodicallv. Tin- carelessness regarding tone, which is so prevalent, is due to an almost entire absence of yood teaching on the Hibiect of the child-voice 46 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. to ignorar.ee, let us say not altogether in- excusable. ]S r o\v and then, when listening to the soprani of some well-trained boy-choir, sounding soft and mellow on the lower notes and ringing clear and tlutey on the higher, it may have dimly oc- curred to the teacher of public school music that there might be things as yet unheard of in his musical philosophy, a vague wonder and dis- satisfaction, which has slowly disappeared under the pressure of routine work. When one reflects upon the results which the patience and skill of our regular teachers have accomplished in teaching pupils to read music; it can never be reasonably doubted that the same patience and skill, if rightly directed, will be equally successful in teaching a correct use of the voice. Two principles form the basis of good tone- production as applied to children's voices. 1st. They must sing softly. 2d. They miist be restricted in compass of voice. If these two rules are correctly applied in CHILD- \ '<>!< 'K L\ SJXQING. 47 each th'm or head -register, and the tones of the thick or chest- register will never he heard. Hut the two rules must l>e as one, for if soft sin^inu' he carried too low with infant voices, they are forced to use the thick tones; and children of all ai^es, even if sin^in^ within the riidit compass oi voice, will use the thick regis- ter if permitted to sin<^ too loud. There is nothing particularly original in in sistiiii: upon soft sin^injj: from cliildren. The wi'iter 1ms neve) 1 seen a hook of school music that does not mention its desirability, nor hardlv a reference to the child-voice in the standard works or writings of the day of which this idea \\;\.> not formed a part. The ireneral direction ''Sin^ softly" 1 is iniod so far as it pes, hut is. tir>t, indefinite. Softlv and loudly ai'c relative terms, and suhject to wide diveisity of interpretation. The pianis- simo ot a cultivated .-in^er is silence compured 48 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. to the tone emitted by vocalists of the main strength order, when required to produce soft tone. Secondly, the direction is seldom or never found coupled with instruction upon the vocal compass of children. Hence, it does not seem very strange that the injunction "Sing softly " has not corrected vocal errors in school singing. It is not easy, it is even impossible, to ac- curately define soft singing, and no attempt will be made further than to describe as clearly as may be the degree of softness which it is neces- sary to insist upon if we would secure the use of the thin or head register. The subject of register has already been dis- cussed, but it may not be amiss to repeat just here that in the child larynx as in the adult the head-register is that series of tones which are produced by the vibration of the thin, inner edges of the vocal band. If breathing is natural, and if the throat is open and relaxed, no strain in singing this tone is possible. It is evident in a moment that children with their thin, delicate vocal ligaments can make tinstone CHILD-VOICE IN SL\OL\O. 19 even more easily than adult sopranos, whose vocal ligaments are longer and thicker; and it is also perfectly evident that no danger of strain to the vocal hands is incurred when this voice is used, for all the muscles and ligaments of the larynx are under far less tension than is re- quired for the production of tones in the thick register. It must also he remembered in connection with this fact, that children often enter school at live years of age, and that according to physiologists the larvnx docs not reach the full growth in xh<\ incidental to childhood until the ;ige of six years. We must then he particularly careful with infant classes for the vocal bands of children prior to six \ears of age are very, ver\ weak. Speaking of infant voices. Mr. AV. M. J\Iil- ler, in Browne and Behnke's afore-mentioned work, %> The Child - A'"oice/' is quoted as saving: '* Voire-//v///>/^y cannot be attempted, but voice- (lest ruction may be prevented. JSoft singing is the cure for all the ills of the vocal organs.'' IT would be hard to tind a more terse or truthful statement than the tirst sentence of the above as 50 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. regards the voices of little children from five to seven or eight years of age. It is unmitigated foolishness to talk about vocal training as ap- plied to children of that age. The voice- culture which is suited to little children is that port of culture which promotes growth food and sleep and play. As well train a six months' old colt for the race track, as attempt to develop the voice of a child of six or seven years with exercises on o, and alt, pianissimo and fortis- simo, crescendo, diminuendo and swell. Their voices must he used in singing as liuldlii ax O O t/ / possible. This answers the question, how softly should they sing? Children during the first two or three years of school -life may he permitted to bing from or if the new pitch is used from Two or three practical difficulties will at once occur to the teacher with reference to songs and exercises which range lower than E first line. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 51 ami with reference to the customary teaching of the scale of l 1 as the initial step in singing. The subject of compass of children's voices will he discussed at some length in a following chapter, hut for the present it may he said that tin- difficulty with songs and exercises ranging In-low the pitch indicated may he overcome easily hy pitching the songs, etc., a tone or two higher. If they then range too high, don't sing them, sing something else. In teaching tin- scale, take K or F as the keynote, and sing either one or the other of those scales first. The children must sing as softly as possible in all their sinking exercises, whether songs or note drill. They should he taught to open their mouths well, to sit or stand erect as the case may he, and under no circumstances should the instructor sing with them. Too much impor- tance can hardly he given to this last statement. If teachers per>i>t in leading the songs with their own voices and in singing exercises with the children, thev can and most probably will defeat all ell'orts to secure the riirht tone in either the iir.-t, or anv urade up to that in which changed 52 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. voices are found. This sounds rather cynical, and might seem to imply that instructors cannot sing well. The meaning, however, is quite different. The quality or timbre of the adult woman's voice is wholly unlike that of the child's thin register. Her medium tones, even when sung softly, have a fuller and more resonant quality, and if she lead in songs, etc,., the pupils, with the proverbial aptitude for imitation, will in- evitably endeavor to imitate her tone-quality. They can only do so by using the thick register, which it is so desirable to utterly avoid. Tt is worse yet for a man to lead the singing. Neither should one of the pupils he allowed to lead, for not only will the one leading force the voice in the effort, but a chance is offered to any ambitious youngster to pitch in and out- sing the leader; from all of which follows naturally the idea that all prominence of indi- vidual voice must be discouraged, forbidden even. The songs and exercises must be led, it is true, but by the teacher and silently. Then, again, unless the teacher is silent she cannot be CHILD-VOICE IX SIXU1XQ. M a good critic. Think of ;i voice-trainer singing each solfeggio and song with his pupil during the lesson. Certainly it is often necessary for the teacher to sing, but only to illustrate or correct, or to teach a song. In the last, if the teacher will remain silent while the class repeat the line sung to them, and will proceed in the same way until the whole is memorized by the class, not only will time be economized, but the tone can be kept as soft as is desired and individual shunters checked. Once more it must be insisted that soft, very soft singing only, can be allowed. And this applies to the entire compass used. Children of the ages mentioned can, as has al- ready been shown, break from the thin to the rhick voice at any pitch, it only requiring a lit- tle extra push for the upper tones. Finally, as an excellent test to settle if the tone is soft enough to ensure the use of the thin register beyond doubt, require the class to sini^ so that no particular voice can be distinguished trom the others, which will make the tone as that of one voice, and perhaps lead you to doubt 54 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING if all are singing, until convinced by the move- ment of their mouths. The tone will seem pretty light and thin, but will be sweet as the trill of a bird. To Distinguish Registers. The difficulty which may be experienced in attempting to distinguish between the two regis- ters must not be disregarded. If the voices of children were never entrusted to any save pro- fessional voice-teachers, a very few hints upon their management would perhaps suffice, for tin- ear of the teacher of voice and singing is pre- sumably trained in the differentiation in tone- quality occasioned by changes in the action of the vocal mechanism. AVhen, however, we re- flect that of the thousands of teachers in our public schools very few, indeed, have ever heard of voice-registers, and much less been accus- tomed to note distinctions in tone-timbre be- tween them, the need of a detailed plan of pro- cedure is seen. It is safe to assert that anyone witli a musi- cal ear can with a little patience learn to distin- CHILD-VOICE IN SIXG2XG. .v, guish one register from another. There is no vocal transition so marked as the change from thick to thin register in the child-voice, unless it he the change from the chest to the head or falsetto in the man's voice. Suppose we take a class of say twelve from the fourth year averaging nine years of age. (iive them the pitch of (J. Require them to sing up the scale loudly. As they reach the upper tone .-top them and ask them to sing that, and the two tones ahove /'ftl'J- The change in tone will l)t' quite apparent. The tone used in ascending the scale of ('. singing loudly, will he reedy, thick and harsh the thick register. The tone upon sinking vcrv softly, will he flute-like, thin and Hear the thin register. Airain, let them sing * O O 56 CHILD-VOICE IN SIXGING. E first lino with full strength of voice and then the octave lightly, or have them sing G second line, first softly and then loudly, or, again, let them ascend the scale of E singing as light a tone as possible, and then descend singing as loud as they can. In each case the change from thick to thin voice, or vice versa, will be illustrated ; and in singing the scale of E as suggested, the break of voice a little higher or lower in individual cases will be noticed. It is quite possible that some members of the class may use the thick voice on each tone of the de- scending scale beginning with the highest. Care must always be taken that in sininim t/ O O softly the mouth be well opened. The tend- ency will be to close it when required to sing lightly, but the tone, then, will be nothing but a humming noise. It may as well be said here that a great deal of future trouble and labor may be avoided, if, from the first, pupils are taught to keep the mouth fairly well opened, and the lips sufficiently apart to permit the free emission of tone. Let the lower jaw have a loose hinge, so to speak. It is well enough to CHILD-VOICE IX S/.Y.V/.Yu-'. - r >V point out also that when the lower j;iw drops, the tongue u'oes down with it, and should re- main extended along the floor of the mouth with the tip against the teeth while vowel-sounds are sung. There are many other ways than those al- 'eady suggested, in which the distinction be- tween the renters may le shown Let tin- whole class siiiir softly, and then me next lower tone or tones loudly. The thick (juality will lie heard ea.-ily enough. ( )r from the room select a pupil, one of the class who ]\\i>. in the phrase- ology ot the schoolroom, a li'ood yoice, to sing the M-ale of I) a>cendintr and descending. If the pupil he not timid, and the kind referred to are not u.-ually, and it loud >in^inu' has lieen cu.-tdiiiai'v, the tone will lie coar.-e and reedy throughout. No\\- let another pupil who has what i> called a li^lit yoiee. and who daily sirs modestly in the .-hade of his hoisteroiis lirotlu-r, ?iniT the >:'me scale. The f one in all lil\"lihicj f!S CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. will be pure and flutey, at least upon the highei notes. Take tlie scale of E now and have each pupil in the room sing it alone. There may certainly be some who cannot sing the scale, and if the daily singing has been harsh, the number may be large, but postponing the consideration of these so-called monotones and directing the at- tention wholly to the quality or timbre of tone used by the different pupils, it may be ob- served that some use the thick voice only, some use the thin voice, others break from the thick voice into the thin at one pitch as they ascend, and from the thin to thick voice at a lower pitch as they descend; and if required to sing again, may perhaps pass from one voice to the other at different pitches. Others again may exhibit a blending of the two voices at certain pitches. In fact, unless the degree of power is suddenly changed, a break from the thick tone upon one note to the thin tone upon the next note or vice versa seldom occurs. The same illustrative tests may be applied to children of any grade, or of any age up to the CHILD-VOICE IN SIXGIXG 59 period when the voice changes, only the break will occur lower with older pupils. Suppose, now, the teacher has obtained a tolerably clear idea of the differences between the registers ; she should then arouse a perception of tone-quality in her pupils. Let the beauty of soft, light tone as contrasted with loud, harsh tone be once clearly demonstrated to a class, and the interest and best efforts of every girl or boy who has the germ of music within them will be enlisted. Those who grumble because they may not sing out good and loud may be disregarded, and with a clear conscience. The future will most likely reveal such incipient lovers of noisy music as pounders of drums and blowers of brass. Select now a number of the class who upon trial have been found to have light, clear voices and who are not prone to shout. Let them sing mat and then slowly descend the scale of E or F, singing each tone softly, and those below C very lightly. This will insure the uninterrupted HO CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. use of the thin register to the lowest note. Let them now sing up and down the scale several times, observing the same caution when notes be- low C or B are sung, and also insisting that no push be given to the upper notes. Xow, first excusing monotones, let the other pupils in the room sing first down the scale and then up, imitating the quality and softness of tone of the picked class. Recollect, you are asking something of your pu- pils which it is perfectly easy for them to do. It may be that the strength of well-formed habits stands opposed to the change, but, on the other hand, every musical instinct latent, or partly awakened, is becoming alert and proving the truth of your teaching better and faster than can any finespun reasoning. Illustrate the differ- ence in tone-quality between the thick and thin register as often as it is necessary, to show your pupils what you wish to avoid and how you wish them to sing. When in doubt whether or not the thin quality is being sum;, require softer singing until you are sure. It is better to err upon the side of soft singing than to take any chances. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 61 In time teachers will become quick to detect the change in register, and in time also the M'.nils who are trained to sinir in the thin voice i 1 O will yield to the force of good habit, as they once did to bad habit, and seldom offend by too loud or too harsh tone. The inquiry may naturally have arisen ere this: Are syllables, i. e., <7o, re, ?ni, etc., to be used, or the vowel-sounds ? It is immaterial from the standpoint of tone-production, whether either or both are used. Until children are thoroughly accustomed to sing softly, they will be kept upon the thin register more easily when singing with a vowel-sound, than when using the syllables. The reason is that the articula- tion of the initial consonants of the syllables re- quires considerable movement of the organs of speech, viz., the tongue, lips, etc., and these movements are accompanied by a continually-in- creasing outrush of air from the lungs, occasion- ing a corresponding increase in the volume of sound. Adult voices show the same tendency to increase the volume of tone when first applv- ing words to a passage practiced pianissimo CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. with a vowel-sound. It is advisable then to sing scales and drill upon them with a vowel-sound, and to recur to the same drill for a corrective, when a tendency to use the thick voice in sing- ing note exercises appears. Scale drill may be carried on as follows : If the scales are written upon a blackboard staff, they may from day to day be in different keys. It is a very easy matter to extend the scale neither above nor below the pitches within which it is desired to confine the voice. For example, the scale of E or F may be written complete, that of G as follows : i i Mb or A ! ) I and so on. Kow let the teacher with a pointer direct the singing of the class upoji the selected scale in such a manner as to secure the desired result in tone, and incidentally a familiarity with pitch relations, etc. Of course, if charts are used the trouble of writing scales is saved, only it is advised that the notes lyinj outside the CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. G3 prescribed compass hi- omitted in the lower grades entirely, and in the upper until the habit of good tone is established, when, of course, the tones may be carried below F with safety. The extent and variety of vocal drill which can be given witli a pointer and a scale of notes is won- derful ; but nothing more need be now sug- gested, than those exercises which are peculiarly intended to secure good tone, and iix good vocal habits, although it must be evident that all such drill is very fur-reaching in its effects. A few exercises which are very simple are here suggested. First, taking the scale of for example. Let the teacher, after the pitch ot the keynote is given to the class, place the pointer upon F, and slowlv moving it from note to note, ascend and descend the scale, the class singing a continuous tone upon some vowel, /> for instance. The pointer should be passed irom note to note in Mich a manner that the eye can easily follow it. If the notes are indicated to the class bv a scries of dabs at the chart or <54 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. blackboard, the pointer each time being carried away from the note several inches, and then aimed at the next note and so on, the eye be- comes weary in trying to follow its movements, and the mental energy of the pupils, which should be concentrated upon tone, is wasted in watching the gyrations of the pointer. If, on the other hand, the pointer is made to glide from note to note, passing very quickly over intervening spaces, then the eye is not wearied in trying to follow it. These directions may seem pretty trivial, but practical experience has proved their importance. The vowel o is sug- gested because it has been found easier to secure the use of the head-register with this vowel than o with a/i, when it is sought to break up the habit of singing loudly and coarsely. The term continuous tone used to describe the style of singing desired is meant literally. If the class in this scale-drill all stop and take breath at the same time, making frequent breaks in the continuity of the tone, there will be found with each new attack a tendency to in- crease in volume of sound For certain reasons. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 65 which will bo explained in the chapter on breath- management, the attack of tone will become more and more explosive, demanding constant repression. This irritating tendency may, in a short time, be almost entirely overcome, if, in- stead of letting the class take breath and attack O simultaneously, each pupil is told to take breath only when lie or she is obliged to, and then at once and softly to join again with the others. This will effect the continuous tone, useful not alone as a corrective for the tendencies to loud singing, but also to establish good breathing- habits. This same swift, silent breath-taking and suc- ceeding soft attack of tone must be insisted upon in nil .-rhool singing. The exercise already suggested is slow singing or rapid singing of the scale with the vowel <> softly, and with continuous tones. Other simple exercises are obtained by repetitions of the fol- lowing exercise figures at higher or lower pitches throughout an entire scale, or parts of a scale, ascending and descending progressively : Ascending. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. FIGURE I. (Same figure tone higher.) (Again raised.) Descending. (Same figure tone lower.) The next figure, in which the voice ascends or descends four tones at each progressive repe- tition, has a different rhythm. FHM-RE II. Ascending. CHILD-VOICE IX SL\GL\G. 07 Another exercise figure is to use five ascend- ing and descending tones. In the illustration which follows, in tin; key of 1> ll;it, it is shown how the exercises may he Mini;-, he<;i lining upon the keynote, and keeping within the voice-compass. Fir.fKK ITI. (Saint 1 Kx. inverted.) Tlioc- e.\ei'ci>c'S are ti he snni;' M ith vowel- sonnds, >oftly. four measures with one breath, if |H i il>le, and in .-ti'ict time. Only M manv of these toi;e-^rouj>s mav lie suiii;' in any one scale, as lie within the extremes of pitch >et for tlie ^rade, hut if dilVerent scales fiS CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. and upward and downward extensions of the same be used, then all possible combinations oi tones in the major scale may be sung, that is, these exercise figures may upon a piano be re- peated seven times in any key, in phrases of four measures each, both ascending and descending^ but, owing to the limitations of the vocal com- pass, only a certain number of ascending or descending phrases can be sting in any one key. "While it is suggested that drill upon these musical figures or groups of tones may be given from scales, the teacher tracing out the tones with a pointer with a rhythmical movement, yet it. is still better to practice these groups or some of them from memory, the teacher keep- ing time for and directing the class. Pages of musical phrases adapted to vocal drill might be given, but to what end except to produce confusion. Our greatest singers use but few exercises to keep their voices in good condition, but they practice them very often. NOTE. The directions given are for rooms in which the teacher has only a pitch pipe or tuning- fork to get pitch from. If there is a piano the drill work for tone will be conducted a little differently. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING, CU The exercises suggested are intended for daily practice, and the fewer in number and simpler in form they are, the better will be the results in tone. This vocal drill which should precede or begin the daily music lesson must not be for over live minutes at most. Half of that time is enough, if it be spent in singing, and not frit- tered away in useless talk, and questions and answers. A practical application of the vocal drill is to be made to the note-singing from the book and chart, and to the school repertoire of songs. The phrases voice-culture, voice-training, voice-development, etc., have been avoided in treating the subject of children's voices, be- cause of possible misapprehension of their in- tended meaning. The terms are not, of course, inapplicable to children's voices, but they must convey quite a different significance than they do when applied to the adult voice. In each case, the end of voice-culture is the formation of correct vocal habits; but it would seem, that while it is po>>ibK: to develop the adult voice very considerably in power, range and llexi- 70 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. bility, we ought, in dealing with children's voices, to adopt those methods which will pro- tect weak and growing organs. The aim is not more power, but beauty and purity rather. It should not be inferred that beauty of tone is not equally the aim in culture of the adult voice, but in that case it is consistent with development of strength and brilliancy of voice, while with young children it is not. If the tone is clear, beautiful, well poised, and under the singer's con- trol, then the training is along safe lines. If the tone is bad, harsh, pinched or throaty, then the training is along unsafe lines. When the parts act harmoniously together, and there is a proper and normal adjustment of all the organs con- cerned in the production of tone, the result is good. Bad tone follows from the ill- adjustment of the parts concerned in voice production. It is the office of the teacher to correct this ill-adjustment and bring about a perfect, or nearly perfect func- tional action. The teacher must judge of the proper or improper action of the parts concerned in tone production by the sense of hearing. Xo accumulation of scientific knowledge can take the CHILD-VOH'K IN SINGING. 71 place of a careful aiul alert critical faeultv in training \oice. Tone color must guide the school teacher in determining register as it, does the professional voice trainer, lint we can also call the mental perceptions of the child to our aid, and will find a more lively sense of discrim- ination in tone <]iiality than the average adult shows. We can encourage the growth of high ideals of tone beauty. We can cultivate nice discrimination. AVe can, in short, use music in our schools not to dull, hut to quicken, the inusical sensibilities of childhood. CHAPTER IV. COMPASS OF THE CHILD-VOICE. r I ""HERE is the greatest diversity of opinion upon this subject among those who have any opinion at all. It might be supposed that, among the thousands of educators who are in- terested in school music and in the singing of children generally, many might be found who have given the subject careful attention, but such does not appear to be the case. If we con- sult the musical literature published for chil- dren, the prevalence of songs suited to the con- tralto voice is noticeable, indicating apparently that the compass of infant voices at least is about the same as that of the adult contralto. If there is any generally recognized theory upon the subject, it would seem to be this; but from a physiological standpoint the voices of children are totally unlike the woman contralto, and especially is this true of children of from six to eight years of age whose songs are usually writ- ten so low in range. An error, started any- CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 73 where or at any time, of theory or of practice, it it once become incorporated into the litera- ture, of a subject, is liable to be frequently copied, and enjoy a long and useless life. So with this treatment of the child-voice. The error is in supposing that it consists of a limited number of quite low tones. It has its origin in the sole use of the so-called chest-voice of the child, and when the evident strain under which a child of six or seven years labors to sing up is observed, the conclusion seems safe that they cannot sing high. While, on the other hand, thev manage with apparent ease t<; sinjf down even as low as This conception has in divers ways so im- bedded itself into tin; musical literature for lit- tle children, that all clVorts to uproot it have s< far been apparently futile. There are, how- ever, verv manv supervisors of school music, and the number is growing, who have recog- nix.ed that this treatment of little children's voices is a vocal barbarity, and the device of 74 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. pitching solids higher than they are written to overcome the difficulty is more common than might le supposed. There can he no donht that in a short time the practice of carrying the tones of little children three and four notes he- low the tirst line of the staff will not he tolerated. The common, even universal, tendency of primary classes to drop in pitch when singing with the usual thick tone miidit show anyone that the voice was beina' used in an abnormal manner. Furthermore, the intonation of chil- dren of any age is something horrible when the thick voice is used. Fven carefully-selected and trained boy choristers, if thev use this >oice. are frequently olf the kev even when supported by men's voices and the origan , So in addition to other realms for iisini;- the thin register may be added this, that habits of faulty intonation are surely fo>tered by the list' of the thick voice. Picture' to yourself the short, thin, weak vocal bands of a child of >i\ or seven vears attached to cartilaginous walls so devoid of rigidity that in that dreaded disease of childhood croup CHILD-VOICE L\ SL\<;i.\U. ?:. tliev often collapse. That is not an instrument tor the production of tones in the contralto < i pass. No wonder the pitch is wavering. It infant classes are to >in^ with the usual tones, the common advice to make the sinu'in^-exercise. short is extremely judicious. It would he het- ter to omit it. The intimation that, the last word can now In- said on this >ul > jeer is not for a moment in ten dei |, hut experience has <^iven some tolerably safe hints in reference to the compass of tiie child- voice in the thin register at the auvs mentioned, and it is advised never to carry the compa-s lowei than K first line, nor higher than F fifth line of the staff, and the upper extreme must l>c Hing sparingly. The easiest tones lie from The injunction to sin^ very sofrly need hardl\ he repeated. Passing now to children who raiine in am 1 from nine to eleven veaix who are found in the fourth and fifth years of school -lil'r. it mav be observed that there i- ouite a markeil increase in 76 CHILD- VOIC'E IN SINGING. the evenness and firmness of their tones. It is quite possible, especially at the age of about eleven years, to extent the compass to G above the staff and to D or C below ; but if it does no harm, it serves no particular good end either, and unless care is taken, the children will push the highest tones. All of the necessary music drill can be kept within the suggested range, and it is just as well to keep on the safe side. Then again, the extremes in age between children of the same class grow farther apart as we ascend in grade, and the compass must be kept within the vocal powers of the youngest, and, from a voice-standpoint, weakest pupils. Protect the voice, and nature will attend to its development. From the time children pass the age of twelve years on to the period of puberty, the child-voice is at its best, and if the use of the thin register has been faithfully adhered to in the lower grades, the singing-tone will now be both purr and brilliant. It will be found not at all dilli- cult to carry the same voice as low or lower than middle C without any perceptible change in tone- */ 1 V* quality, and G above the staff will be sung with CHILD-VOICE IN RlXtilxn. 77 absolute ease. IIow much higher, if any, the compass may be carried is open to discussion. It is not at all necessary in school music to go any higher, for, even where it is deemed best to raise the pitch of the soni; or exercise to avoid too lo\v tones, the pitch of the highest note will sel- dom be above G space above. . Still, it is the practice of choirmasters to carry the tone of soprano boys much higher in vowel- practice, as high even as and although that, is a pretty altitudinous pitch, there are very few choir-boys who, when taught to breathe properly, etc., will not take it oc- casionally with perfect ease. The head-register, even in woman's voice, is capable of great ex- pansion, if good habits of tone-production are followed. r.ut again it is well to be on the safe side; and choir-boys, who are selected because thrv have good vocal organs, and who are drilled far mre than schoolchildren, are hardly a criterion to go by. It must not be forgotten that the thin voice 78 CHILD-VOICE IN SINKING. can be pushed and forced. Good judgment must be exercised in controlling the power of voice, or children will strain the vocal mechanism in trying to outsing each other on Itiyli tones. The question, How high may boys or girls sing who have passed twelve years of age and whose voices show no.signs of break, is not so very im- portant after all, for if they have been well trained in soft tone, no danger of vocal strain need be feared even if an occasional high A or B flat is struck. The reason for the ease with which children sing the high head-tones is found in the struc- ture of the vocal bands. They are thin-. Con- sequently, there is, compared to the entire sub- stance of the vocal bands, a larger portion pro- portionately set in vibration than for the pro- duction of the head-tone in woman's voice. And when the; child-voice is so used that no strain of the laryngeal structure is occasioned, that is, when the vocal ligaments are exercised in a normal manner, it cannot but. happen that the muscles controlling the vocal bands will in- crease in strength, and that the bands them CHILD-VOICE IN S1NQ1XQ. 79 selves, composed as they are of numberless elastic fibres, will improve in general tone and elasticity. The suggestions made in regard to the com- pass of voice are, be it said, simply suggestions based on experimental teaching and are such as it is believed may be followed with safety in school singing. If they do not square with the music of books and charts, why, as before said, it is a very himple matter to give a higher key for any exercise, than the one in which it is written. A supervisor, by marking the exer- cises in the desk copy, can ensure the use of the kev he desires. If it is objected that the tones then sung will not represent the real pitch of the written notes, why that is at once admitted. What then? The idea of teaching absolute pitch is a chimera. Pianos are not alike in pitch, neither are tuning-forks. Classes will often for one cause or another end a half tone or atone lower than they be^an even if the pitch as written is given. It may not be desirable to sing in one key music that is read in another, b'at it certainly is less objectionable in every way 80 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. than is an unsafe use of the voice. The correct use of the voice must transcend all considera- tions in vocal music, and no sort of practice which misuses the vocal organs can be excused Cor a moment. CHAPTER V, POSITION, BRKATIIIXG, ATTACK, TON'K FORMATION. way to secure good position is to ro- quire the pupils to stand. Unless the singing-period directly follows a recess, or the drill in physical exercises, the pupils will wel coine the opportunity. As soon as standing he- comes irksome resume the seats. \o further direction in regard to sitting position is neces- sary than that the body should he held not stiffly, hut easily erect and self-supporting, rest- ing neither upon the hack of chair nor upon the desk in front. A doubled-up, cramped posi- tion is, of course, all wrong, and may he avoided if the pupils are permitted to alternate between sitting and standing positions; but, if required to sit as suggested for too long a time, the rule will >oon kt be honored more in the breach than in the observance." This brings us to the con sideration of Brant/ting, for the latter in its relations to vocali/ation do til 82 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. pends much upon position. The* breath is the motive power of the voice in speech or song, and the fundamental importance of managing it aright lias been understood J)y every teacher of voice since the time of Porpura. How for singing purposes breath shall be taken, how exhaled, how managed in short, is not yet entirely settled and presumably never will be, for people are not born wise, and some never acquire wisdom, of whom a few teach music. Browne and Behnke, in " Voice, Song, and Speech," p. 138142, describe the process of breathing as follows : "There are three ways of carrying on the process of respiration, namely, midriff breath- ing, rib-breathing, and collar-bone breathing. These three ways are not wholly independent of one another. They overlap or partly extend into one another. Nevertheless, they are sufficiently distinct and it is a general and convenient prac- tice to give to each a separate name, according to the means by which it is chiefly called into existence. The combined forms of midrilf and of rib-breathing constitute the right way, and CHILD-VOICE IN SINQINQ. 83 collar-bone breathing is totally wrong and vicious, and should not in a state of health be r-" made under any circumstances. When en- larging our chests ] / the descent of the midriff, we intlate our lungn where they are largest and where consequently we can get the largest amount of air into them. When expanding our chests by raising the shoulders and collar-bones, we inflate the lungs where they are smallest and where, consequently, we get the smallest amount of air into them.~"\ The criterion of correct 'in- spiration is an increase of size of the abdomen ami tit i'- lower part of the chest. Whoever draws '/ a the abdomen -xt breathes wrongly.** In normal breathing the body at inspiration increases in girth at the waist, and the abdomen moves slightly outward as the viscera are forced downward by the descent of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a large muscle which serves as :i partition between the thorax or chest-cavity and the abdomen. When relaxed its middle portion is extended upward into the chest- cavitv, presenting a concave surface to the al>- 84 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. domen. At inspiration it contracts, descending so as to assume very nearly a plane figure. At expiration the process is reversed, the diaphragm relaxes and the abdominal viscera, released from its pressure and forced by the abdominal muscles which contract as the diaphragm re- laxes, moves upward and inward. This kind of breathing in which the muscular contraction of the diaphragm calls in operation atmospheric pressure, supplies the body, when tranquil, with nearly or quite enough air. When for any reason a larger quantity of air is demanded, it may be secured by raising the ribs, thereby increasing the chest-cavity. In singing, the breath must be managed so that the air passing through the larynx at ex- piration shall be set into vibration at the vocal bands. Expiration, then, which ordinarily oc- curs very quickly must be retarded by slowly relaxing the muscles which contract at inspira- tion. At the same time the throat must be open, and the muscles surrounding the resonance cavities relaxed to allow free movement of the sound-waves set up at the vocal bands. Any CHILD-VOICE IN SINQIKG. 85 upward movement of the shoulders and chest at inspiration involving the contraction of many powerful muscles of hack and neck will occasion a stiffening of the throat, which prevents free vihration of the vocal hands and seriously inter- feres with the resonance of tone. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that in singing we should take breath exactly as in the ordinary quiet respiration, and avoid any lifting of the shoulders. This is at least enough to say to a class of children upon the suhject. The means adopted in education should he as simple and direct as possible. It will he found unnecessary to say very much about breathing in dealing with classes of children. In the first place, the moment the suhject is broached and the direction "take a good breath" or a similar one given, each child will draw up the die: c and shoulders prepared for a mighty effort; while, if nothing is said about it, position alone being attended to, the breathing will be all right. And again, while adult singers tor various reasons, one of which may be the supposition that the more energy 86 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. put forth the better the tone, often present themselves to the voice-teacher with a fine as- sortment of bad breathing-habits, children, on the contrary, are sent to school at so young an age that a little watchfulness on the part of the teacher only is necessary to avoid improper ways of taking breath and establish good habits. If young children, then, are not permitted to raise the shoulder^, they will perforce breathe properly. It seems inadvisable also to give any instruc- tion regarding the emission of air from the lungs in singing. ISTone but cultivated singers, after long practice and through a complete command of the muscles concerned, can vocalize all the air at the vocal bands. The absolute purity of tone which is thus secured is a result that may or may not be reached in any particular case. It de- pends upon the mental and physical organization of the pupil as well as upon the method of the teacher. Exercises which are adapted to the formation of good breathing-habits are much more to the point in practical teaching than efforts at expla CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 87 nation. Therefore, a few hints are given, which, it is hoped, may he of practical value, for it is very important that good breathing-habits be formed in school singing. The change in structure which the larynx undergoes at puberty, demolishing as it does the boy-voice, and rendering 'f no avail the train- ing of childhood in so far as it affects the larynx, does not extend in its effects to the breathing- apparatus. So, a habit of breath-management, good or bad, formed in school may continue through adult life. Special breathing-exercises are sometimes recommended, but their efficacy may be doubted, even if the length of time de- voted to the music lesson permits them. The inclination of pupils in such exercises is to raise the chest and lill the lungs too full of air. The result is too much air pressure at the vocal bands, and a stiffening of throat and jaw muscles. The tone then will be loud ; in fact, strong pressure of air at the vocal bands is almost sure to force them into the fullest vibration; that is, into the thick register, and, as a result of contracted throat, the tone will be pinched, or throaty. It 88 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. is recognized, however, that it is just as easy to teach good habits of breathing as bad. This exercise may occasionally be given : The pupils first standing, shoulders well set, hut with no pushing out of chest, place hands at the waist so that the. movements of normal breath- ing may be felt. Now let the pupils take a little breath quickly, The movement at the waist must be outward and downward, never inward, at inspiration. The breath may be held a few seconds by keeping the waist expanded keep- ing an imaginary belt filled, for instance and then let go by relaxing at the waist. If, how- ever, there is any stiffening of the throat, as if it were thought to cork up the air in the lungs, the object of the exercise, in so far as it relates to the formation of good breathing-habits suit- able for easy vocalization, is defeated. Every teacher must use his judgment in this matter of breath-management in singing. If pupils are, unguided, using correct, easy methods, there is then no need to interfere. If some are inclined to take too much breath and lift the shoulders, a few hints may put them on the right track. CHILD-VOICE IX SL\GL\(J 89 Loud singing and bad breathing -Juibits go to~ gdhff. If the first is desired, the lungs must work at full capacity, and hard blowing from the lungs forces the voice. On the contrary, soft singing promotes quiet habits of breathing; and, if the pressure of air at the larynx is mod- erate, soft tone is possible. If thin, soft sing- ing alone be allowed, quiet deep breathing will be j tract iced instinctively. The easy control of the muscles whose relaxa- tion permits the exhalation of air from the lungs is, as already said, gained by their proper exer- "ise in speaking and singing, for the same mechanism is called into operation in speech as in song. In childhood the lungs can neither hold as much, nor retain it so long and easily as in adult life. There is no better way, perhaps, to acquire the ability to regulate the air-pressure at the vocal bands than by soft, sustained singing. The "continuous tone" described in a preced- ing chapter, secured in scale drill by letting each child breathe at will, is an excellent exercise for developing good breathing-habits. As there is 90 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. no nervous tension whatever, each pupil will naturally sustain tone until the need of another breath is felt, when it will be taken quickly and the tone at once resumed. To sum up : Sit or stand in good position, the chest neither pushed out nor in a state of col- lapse. Avoid any, even the slightest, upward movement of the shoulders. Point out the movements at waist occurring at inspiration and at expiration if necessary, not otherwise. Let the breatli be taken quickly, not too much at a time, and as often as need be, and sing softly. Attack. The beginning of each tone is called attack. The common faults of attack in class-singing are sliding to the pitch instead of striking it ac curately, and beginning to sing with the mouth still closed, or only partly open. When the at- tack presents the combined effects of these two common habits, a quite realistic caterwaul is the result. Both faults may be general^ overcome or prevented by calling attention to them. Good CHILD-VOICE IN SIA'GINQ. 01 mental attention is the most infallible cure for slovenly habits of attack. It may be that there are in all schools a certain proportion of the pupils who have very weak and imperfect vocal organs; in their cases, even good attention cannot overcome physical inability. In repose the vocal bands are separated to allow the free passage of air to and from the lungs. At phonation the bands are drawn toward each other, meeting just as it com- mences. There need be no preliminary escape of air. Also the resonance cavities above should be open, that the vibrations generated at the vocal bands may find expansion and resonance. Tiie mouth and throat should then be opened a moment before tone is attacked, when, if the pitch to be sung is clearly pictured in the mind, both the "slide" and " hum " will be avoided. Tone- Formation. Beauty of tone implies absence of disagreeable qualities, and freedom from unpleasant sounds. Faulty tones are (railed nasal, guttural, palatal, throaty, muffled, and so on, the peculiar timbre 93 CHILD-VOICE IN SIEGING. of each suggesting the name. If the throat h relaxed, and if the soft parts of the vocal tube lying between the larynx and the teeth are kept out of the way, most of the disagreeable quali- ties of voice enumerated disappear. Certain requisites are necessary to good tone-formation. First, a movable lower jaw. It is astonishing that so many of young and old will, when they wish to open the mouth for song, try to keep it closed. Paradoxical as the statement is, it nevertheless describes a very common phenomenon the " fixed jaw," it may be called. As soon as the teeth are parted slightly, the muscles of the face and neck which control the movement of the lower jaw con- tract, holding it in a fixed position, and inci- dentally tightening the muscles of the throat until the larynx is in a grip as of rubber bands. The mouth must not be held open as if the jaws were pried apart. It is opened by the relaxa- tion of the closing muscles and should hang by its own weight, as it were. If then the lower jaw drops easily, and with no accompanying muscular contraction of face or throat, the tone CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 9:} may be formed or shaped well forward in the mouth, unless the soft parts referred to ob- struct it. These soft parts are the tongue and the soft- palate. The soft-palate is a structure which hangs from the posterior edge of the hard- palate. The uvula, the pillars of the palate, and the tonsils are parts of the structure. The tongue which, when the mouth is closed, nearly fills it, should in vocalization lie as much out of the way as is possible. If the tip bo pressed against the lower teeth and its sides upon the molars, it forms a floor to the cavity of the mouth. If the tip turns toward the roof of the mouth, or if it is drawn back and under, so as to arch the tongue, tone is seriously inter- fered with, while if the root of the tongue is drawn backward, the tone is .shut in. If the soft-palate is not raised in singing, the tone is diverted into the cavities of the nose, and that color given to the tone called nasal. If the lower jaw is held too high, the tone is again forced through the nose. A nasal quality can be modified by opening the mouth. The 94 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. muffled voice is sometimes the result of the tongue's unruly behavior. The throaty, pinched voice, due to a stiff and pinched throat, will hardly appear if good conditions as regards position, breathing, soft tone, open mouth, etc., are maintained. The tone should not be swal- lowed nor, on the other hand, blown out of the mouth. It should be formed in the mouth and kept vibrating within it. When the right con- ditions are hit upon, the tone seems to sing itself. Whether soft or loud, the tone should fill the mouth, so to speak. It must now be remembered that beauty of tone improves along with growth of thought and feeling. Encourage discrimination in tone- quality and help in any way advisable the growth of good ideals, and verily shalt thou be rewarded. CHAPTER VI. VOWELS, CONSONANTS, ARTICULATION. OOUXD-VIBftATIOXS generated at the larynx are modified as to their form, by the sixe and shape of the resonating cavities of the mouth and pharynx. Through the move- ments of the soft-palate, tongue, lower jaw and lips, the shape and sixe of the mouth can, within certain limits, he changed at will. As every vowel-sound requires a peculiar form of the resonating cavity for its production, it will he easily understood that each vowel-sound of which the human voice is capable can be made by a proper adjustment of the movable parts of the vocal organs. As all singing- tone is vocal or vowel in its character, the production of the various vowel-sounds takes precedence in the study of vocal music, .lust how much of this study can be carried on in school music will de- pend upon circumstances, the chief of which is the time assigned for music. It is very easy to suggest that it' the time given is not enough, that 96 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. longer lesson periods be demanded ; but it is quite probable that, o \ving to the pressure of elaborate courses of study, the request would be seldom granted. It remains, then, for those in charge of school music to expedite their work by means of simple and direct methods. Each division of the music work must bo carried so as to secure unity of result. The vocal drill, oral or written, will train the eye and ear for sight-singing, and the sight-singing be a practical application of correct vocal drill. The study and practice of the different vowel- sounds must then Jit in. with the scheme of study. The practice of singing the vowels by name as, a, <, v, o, M, is not to be recommended, as only one, namely i\ stands for a single sound- element; nor is it probable that the results will justify extensive drill upon the more obscure vowel-elements, if the term may be applied to those sounds which are differentiated only slightly from the more pronounced vowel- sounds. There are some twenty vowel-sounds that are used in English speech, but for various reasons CHILD-VOICE IN 81NQ1NQ. 01 a less number are employed in song. For, wliile it is desirable to give to each word and syllable its correct vowel-sound in singing, those which -ire unfavorable to good tone are usually approx- imated to the sound of those more favorable to good tone. If too marked distinctions in the vowel-sounds are made by the singer, the result is disagree- able; while if the voice preserves a similar hue or tone-color throughout, the elfect is pleasing. The listener is unaware of the slight devia- tions from the spoken vowel-sound which the singer makes, that the ;eily be explained when they ap- pear in the wonU of a >ong, if, indeed, the study f phonio has not already '-leared a\vay all ditli- culties. Jn .-inging, however, it is necessary to under- 98 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. stand which of the two sounds, the initial or the vanish, is to be sustained. In #, for instance, which is ch f o. The vowel- elements remaining are each so closely allied to some of those indicated that the attempt to differentiate them from the above in vowel-drill is hardly worth while. In fact, the use of i / as in it may be omitted if pu- pils have learned to sing e with fair breadth of sound, and oo may be dropped in grades above the primary. It is the final sound of <~>, as before said. This leaves live vowel-elements. E. This vowel is often badly sung, and its form is none too favorable to good tone even when made as lurirc as distinctness will allow. The 100 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. lips must be drawn a little away from the teeth as in a smile, but don't overdo it, and the teeth slightly parted. The lips should not be drawn back, exposing the teeth and gums, nor should they be contracted and pressed against the teeth. In e and in all vowel singing the lips should be relaxed, not contracted, and kept about as far from the teeth as they are in re- pose. If the opening of the mouth, that is, if the cavity back of the teeth is kept too small and narrow, the tone will be nasal and twanuv. O> The mouth must be opened enough to permit purity of tone and free emission. The sound should vere toward i in it. This sound is e broadened. The teeth maybe a little farther apart than when e is sung. K or Ell. This is the sound of e in the word get. It is also ihe initial sound of the vowel a or long a. It is true, that this sound is not usually so given, out if (1 is sung with this sound as its initial *ound, and the one to be prolonged, the very best vocal results can be obtained Tlu> vwe] CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 101 a is more often poorly sung than otherwise. This is, perhaps, for the reason that compara- tively few singers recognize that long a stands for two sounds, and that the first, which may he spelled t'//, can he sung with large form and placed well forward in the mouth, wl'ile the second sound c is small in form, and not adapted to the finest tone-effects. In sininni' this o o element, the jaw should drop much lower than for i and nearly as low as for ah. A or AIL This is the tone universally accepted as the best for voice-development; but in school-sing- ing it is not permissible to use the voice except in the lightest manner, therefore purity of tone nm.-t content our ambitions; power can come later in life. The mouth opens widely for this tone and the whole throat is expanded. A or A W. This element is formed very much like i7*. It is tilt broadened u little. The jaw drops to a lower point and the mouth-cavity deepens, while at the same time the extension from side to side aarrows a little. 202 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. D and OO. These sounds are better adapted to securing the use of the thin voice, where pupils have been accustomed to the use of the thick voice, than any other vowel-element. The mouth is well opened buck of the lips, which should not be puckered as if to whistle, but relaxed instead. In actual practice there may be observed a tendency, more or less marked, but pretty sure to manifest itself if practice on one sound is con tinned too long at a time, to deviate from any one toward some other vowel-element, as to e, eh to , ah to er or er or uh, aw to uh, o to oo. If this tendency to deviate from the r'ght tone be permitted- the most slovenly habits will be formed, and al". distinctions in vowel-sound disappear. Vowel -practice had better be t. nutted from class- work -.nless carefully and conscientiously taught. If the course of music embraces drill upon scales, vowel-practice may be incorporated into the course easily. For instance, the drill out- lined upon p 70 may one day be given with c for a few moments, then with '. On another CHILD-VOICE IN SIXGIXG. 1(W day tlic drill may be upon ah, followed by eh, and so on. It is unnecessary to particularize. Every teacher will at once see how to apply practically vowel-singing to his music course. The exercises and songs may be sung with vowel- sounds. Nearly all books advise the use of Id, l<>, etc., r vocal exercises; but while that method of singing is unobjectionable, the vocali- zation of solfeggi!, it may be observed, is estab- lished by the sanction of time and the experience of thousands of voice-trainers the world over. The advantages which tlow from vocalizing exercises and songs on a single vowel-sound are too many to be described in a word. Xo super- visor or teacher of music can afford t- use , *>", mi, exclusively. Another class <>f exercises is now suggested which may be sung upon one breath. Thev will be found especially adapted to develop flexibilitv an;l a ready adjustment of the movable! parts of the vocal tube to the positions suited to the formation of the dill'erent vowel-sounds If three >ounds are used as here ^iveii, thev must lie -ung (piitc slowly, the change from one sound 104 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. to the next being made by a quick, easy change of position of the jaw, tongue, etc., but without interrupting the continuity of the tone. Sufficient pause to obtain a new breath must be made at the end of each group, and the mouth opened properly for the production of the first sound of the next group before it is at tacked. The time should be quite slow and as in illustration, or the breath will not be used, and at each succeeding group of tones the lungs will become too full of air. o The attack will then be explosive, and the tone too loud, if, indeed, the effort to control die breath does not contract and pinch the rhroat. Eight groups are given for ascending 'i scale And eight for descending: 5 e e i o i e 00 6 ah ah e eh o ah eh aw o ah aw 6 e eli o ah I e ah 6 ah oo e aw o eh e CHILD-VOTCE IN SIXG1XQ. 105 It will be observed that ;i certain system of arrangement of the vowel-elements is followed. First, there are live groups, of which <> is thd iirst and last sound, the others beinj; placed be- tween. Then <> is the first tone with <: as the second, the other sounds in turn ending the uroiip. Next <> and all might be used as the second vowel-element, making thirty-live combinations with o as the initial sound of each ^roiip. The same number of combinations can bo made with W higher tlie sound- waves are focused at higher points upon the hard-palate, the sounding-board of the resonance 106 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. cavities, and more difficulty is experienced in moulding these sound-waves into the forms characteristic of the different vowel-elements. As the parts concerned in tone-formation gain in flexibility, the result appears in the ease with which the alterations in shape of the resonance tube are made at higher pitches. Fads and devices which divert attention from the subject and retard rather than accelerate the progress of pupils are common enough in schools, but the following simple illustrations of different vowel-forms may be found useful: eh Oo o ah aw o oo The base line represents the floor or base of the mouth-cavity, and the arch, the height and width of the mouth for each sound ; the depth is not indicated. The width of the mouth from CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 107 side to side is represented as greatest in <". / and ch, while the height is greater in ah and atr, o is pictured as nearly round, and oo the same, only small. It is not contended that these diagrams pict- ure the actual form assumed by the resonance cavities very accurately. The various positions which the tongue and the soft-palate assume are not shown at all, nor, perhaps, is it necessary; for it' the pupil is taught to drop the lower jaw to the right position for each sound, and to keep the tongue prone in the mouth, a mental picture of each tone will be formed, and the thought will regulate the action. When the pupil can think the sound desired, the conditions for its forma- tion will be met by the vocal organs. The use- fulness of diagrams will then cease. ''Consonants are the bones of speech. I>y means of consonants we articulate our words; that is, we give them joints. We utter vowels, we articulate consonants. If we utter a single vowel-sound and interrupt it by a consonant, we 108 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. get an articulation. Consonants, then, not only give speech its articulation or joints, but they help words to stand and have form, just as a skeleton keeps the animal from falling into a shapeless mass of flesh ; therefore, consonants are the bones of speech. The consonant is the distinguishing element of human speech. Man has been defined in various ways according to various attributes, functions and habits. He might well be called the consonant-using animal. lie alone of all animals uses consonants. It is the consonant which makes the chief difference between the cries of beasts and the speech of man." Richard Grunt White. Consonants are not to be sung. The effort so common among singers to pronounce, by sustain- ing consonant sounds, is entirely misdirected. J/, ?? and n//, which are made by shutting oil' the escape of the air-current at either the lips or the hard-palate, and so forcing it through the nose, are often sustained to the detriment ot beauty of tone and clear pronunciation as well. Articulation, which is the pronunciation of a consonantal sound, i- accomplished by interrupt- CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 100 ing the air-current, whether vibratory or not, at certain points. The interruptions are made by the meeting of the lips with each other or with the teeth, by the tongue with the teeth or hard- palate, and the root of the tongue witli the soft- palate. The interruption may be complete, as in p or i, or only partial, as in t/t. The sound of the consonant results from the slight explosion or pull which follows the recoil of the movable parts from the point of contact. All consonants may for singing purposes be considered as preceding or following some vowel- sound. If preceding, then after the sound is made the vocal organs must be adjusted at once for the propel 1 formation of the succeeding vowel. If the consonant sound follows a vowel-tone, the movement of the vocal organs to the inter- rupting point must be -'iij>-jHiJi, etc. The movements of the organs if speech tor both contact and recoil must be 110 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. more rapid in singing to produce distinct articu- lation than in spoken language. Slovenly habits of articulation in speech will reappear in song, and the converse is also true. The study and practice of phonics, which is now general in schools, is of the highest practical im- portance in singing, as well as in reading or speaking. As consonant sounds cannot be sung, they are best taught in spoken language. The application of the knowledge and skill thus gained is readily applied to the pronunciation of words in singing. If the vowel-elements have been carefully practiced in vocalizes, there will be little effort required to secure the correct forma- tion of all the vowel-sounds of words. The nasal twang must, however, be ruthlessly suppressed. As before suggested, this will fre- quently appear in words containing the sound of a as in at, past, fust, etc. It is recommended that such words be sung with a as in father, or if not quite as broadly, at least approaching the sound of t, while there is a corresponding gain of lower tones. This process, in many cases, goes on slowly and with so little active conges- tion ol the larynx that the voice changes from soprano to alto, and thence to tenor almost im- perceptibly. Voices which change in this wav often become tenor, but not invariably. Tin- question now arises, Should those bovs who can sing while the voice is breaking be re- quired to take part in school s.ini;in^ exercise:- ? T 16 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. In Browne and Behnke's work, " The Cliild- Yoice, " to which allusion has been made, there is given a resume of 152 replies to the question: Have you ever known of boys being made to sing through the period of puberty, and, if so, with what result ? The answers were : Forty correspondents have no knowledge. Five think the voice is improved by the ex- periment. Ten quote solitary instances where no harm has arisen. Ten know of the experiment having been made, and consider it has caused no harm to the voice. Eight mention results so variable as to admit of no conclusion. Seventy- nine say the experiment causes cer- tain injury, deterioration or ruin to the after voice, and of this number ten observe that they have suffered disastrous effects in their own person. These answers were from English choir- masters, organists, music teachers, singers, etc. CHILD-VOICE IN SISGING. 11? It will he noticed that only fifteen of those who give a positive opinion upon the subject think that boys can sing through the period of break safely ; while seventy-nine are positive that the result is unsafe. The other replies are vague. It must be remembered that many of the opinions are those of instructors in cathedral schools, where one or two rehearsals and a daily church service means a great deal of singing; while other answers come from choirmasters who require of their boys equally hard work, though less in quantity. Every individual voice must be judged by it- self, if such demands as choir-singing are made upon it; and, while there are some cases, as every choirmaster will probably agree, where no perceptible injury results from singing during the change, the rule is that even when possible, it is very unsafe. JJut the daily time given to sinking in schools is very short; the work bears no comparison with choir-singing. It might almost bethought as necessary to forbid reading and talking during 118 CHILD-VOICE IN SIXGIXG. the break of voice as to forbid its use in a daily drill of fifteen or twenty minutes in singing. Certainly it is absurd to advocate entire non- use of the voice at this period in either speech or song. It is rather correct to guard against its misuse. If boys have up to this time used only the thick register, they will in singing through the break intensify their bad habits; throatiness, harshness, nasality will become chronic. This would be bad enough, but each bad vocal habit results from the abnormal use of the vocal organs, and occasions hoarseness, chronic sore throat, catarrh, etc. It is quite customary in school music to assign the boys to the lower part, in part music. This practice continued from the time part-singing begins in the music course, compels the boys to use the thick register. As the larynx gains in firmness from year to year, they experience more and more difficulty with their upper tones those lying from F to (\ Having used only the thick voice in all their school singing, they know of no other, and very likely consider the thin voice which they are now obliged to use in sing- ClliLD-YOICK IN MNUIXn. 119 ing the higher tones as altogether too girlish for the prospective heirs of manly bass tones. The reluctance of hovs to sing the soprano would he amusing were it not, in the light of utterly false training, M> pitiful. School music is educational ; its scope is con- trolled hy those in charge. The puhlic expects good educational, rather than sho\v work, and employs those to supervise and teach who are supposed to know what good educational work is in vocal music. The supposition that children's voices can, owing to individual differences analogous to those existing among adults, he divided into alto and soprano voices, is erroneous; children can most assuredly sing in parts, hut the quality of tone which in the woman's voice is called alto or contralto cannot he secured for certain physical reasons previously explained ; and the use of the chest-tone, which resembles the adult woman's chest-voice as a clarinet resembles a viola, is whollv objectionable. If, however, the voices have been trained in the use of the thin register onlv, the manage- 120 CHILD-VOICE IN SING IN 0. inent of the boy's voice during the change is simplified; the influence of good vocal habits will be felt; the vocal bands which have never been strained will respond when their condition admits of tone-production. The boy who has been accustomed to sing with an easy action of the vocal ligaments and with open throat will at once become conscious of any unusual strain or wrong adjustment in the vocal organs. If he has learned to sing well, he has also learned not to sing badly. The test to apply to the subject of boys' sing- ing in school during the break may be: Can they sing without strain or push ? Can they sing easily, or does it hurt? There is a certain amount of humbug in boys that must be allowed for, but it does not affect calculations as to their singing-powers more than upon their other abilities, if singing is well taught. The speaking-voice also indicates the state of the vocal organs, and shows the effect of the break sooner than does the singing- voice. If the tones in speech are steady in pitch, singing is possible in all probability. If, on the contrary, CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 121 the speaking-voice is croaky and wavering, sing- ing is difficult, if not impossible. As the object of the study of vocal music in the public schools, in so far as it relates to the treatment of the voice, is to develop good vocal habits, not bad ones, it follows that if boys sing during the break it must be only upon those tones which lie within their compass at any time, and that the vocal organs must be used lightly, and without strain. In nearly every upper grade room there will be a percentage of boys whose voices are in a transition stage, some of whom can sing and others of whom cannot. It requires judgment and tact to handle these voices, but if boys have sung as they should up to this period, and have taken pleasure in it, the mutual good under- standing between them and their teacher need not be disturbed. They are likely to do their best. In this connection it should be said, that really it may be doubted if the common practice of assigning all bovs, whose voices show signs of breaking, to the bass part, is right. If boys have been kept upon the lower part, in 122 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. ail part singing and have never used other than the thick chest voice, then, when the voice begins to break up, it may be that they must sing bass or not sing at all. Boys trained in this way have never used the soprano head register and so if they sing alto, it will be with the thick chest voice of boyhood, which will now be the upper tones of the developing man's voice. Singing alto at the mutation period in this manner, strains the vocal bands beyond reason, and should not under any circumstances be allowed. It must be understood then in what follows, that singing alto in this, the chest voice, either before or during the break, is unqualifiedly condemned. But \ve will suppose now that boys have been permitted to sing only in the head register, that they have been assigned to the upper part in part singing, for notwithstanding that usage is to the contrary, this is what should be done. As has already been suggested the voices of girls change less, and at a younger age than do boys, and they begin to show weight of tone and increased volume, at an age when boys are at their best as CHILD-VOICE IN SINUING. 123 sopranos. Girls ut this period should sing the middle and lower parts, but it must be said in passing that much of the music contained in our text-books ranges too low in pitch for them, or any voice except a lo\v contralto or a tenor. They must not be jxjrmitted f .o use their voices at full strength, and special care should be taken of those who at this age show hoarseness. With girls as with boys, the change is accompanied with periods of great relaxation of the vocal bands, and during these periods the singing tone is either very light, or very loud. Returning to the subject of treatment of boys' voices during mutation, and premising that they have sunu; onlv in the head voice during child- hood, the question arises whether they are not in manv cases set to singing bass prematurelv. It is obvious that during this period the voice is actually lri~n, divided in two. The lower notes are produced in the chest or man's register, while more or less of the bov's voice remains as upper tones. These tones, by the way, never are lost, thev remain as the iaUetto or head voice of the man. 124 GUILD-VOICE IN SINGING. Now the vibratory action of the vocal ligaments is much larger for the chest voice than for the head, or as we ordinarily call it, the falsetto. There is then no question that during mutation a boy can confine himself to the use of his old voice, or so much of it as is available at any time with very little strain. The tone will be light, in fact, during the active periods of laryngeal growth which characterize mutation, there will perhaps be no voice at all, owing to the conges- tion of the parts, but in the periods of rest separating the periods of growth, the vocal bands will respond. The compass of the head voice at this time varies largely, but it corresponds pretty closely to that of the second soprano, in three part exercises, or from C to C. If it is attempted to carry the voice down it changes to the chest register unless used very lightly. Without attempting then to lay down positive rules for treating a voice which consists of frag- ments of voices, the above suggestions are made in the hope that they may receive the considera- tion of teachers and musicians. CHAPTER VIII. TIIK AI/FO VOICE IN MALE CHOIRS. r I "HE suggestions of the preceding chapters *~ are addressed directly to those who teach vocal music in public or private schools, but the general principles and rules are equally applicable to the training of soprano choir boys. The results in beauty and power of tone which may be obtained from carefully selected choir boys can seldom be equalled in the school-room, first, because training is required to develop voices in strength and purity of tone, and the time devoted generally to school singing, one hour a week possibly, is no more than that iriven to a i/ ~ O single rehearsal of choristers. Again school singing includes all members of the class, and while it is true that there may be but few pupils in e;wh room who cannot sing, yet there are likely to be some. These voices, which we call monotones dis- 125 126 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. appear almost entirely when pupils are trained to use the head voice. Still, there is a percentage in every class in school, whose inherited musical perceptions are very feeble, and their slowness cannot but retard the general progress. Many of the difficulties that beset the teacher of music in schools, then, are eliminated at the start by the choir trainer, when he selects boys with good voices, who sing in tune naturally. The increase in the number of vested choirs in this country has been very rapid during the past fe\v years, and fortunately, the ideas which have prevailed among the majority of choir-masters on the subject of the boy voice, have been just. This is easily understood when we reflect that we have made the best English standards our ideal. The leaven of sound doctrine on the boy voice is working rapidly, and there are many choirs both in our large and small cities that are excel- lent examples of well-trained soprano boys. There is, however, one problem of male choir training which is not yet satisfactorily solved, at least it is troublesome to those choirs which have a small or moderate appropriation for music. CHILD-VOICK IN SIXGING. 127 Boy sopranos are plentiful, basses and tenors are easily obtained, but good male altos, men, not boys, are almost unknown outside of a few larsre cities. Tli is state of affair lias led, in many cases, to the employment of boys as altos, and thev have of course sung with the thick or chest voice. It is an unmanageable and unmusical voice, it is harsh, unsympathetic, hard to keep in tune, its presence in a choir is a constant menace to the soprano tone, and were it not for the idea that there is no recourse from this voice, save in the employment of woman altos, it would not be tolerated by musicians. There is ;> recourse, however, and it is at the command of every choir trainer whose sopranos have been taught to sing with the head voice alone. Tt is to select certain sopranos, and when the voice breaks, let them pass to the alto part, and emit i nin' f<> axe tin: head voice. The objection which will naturally occur, is, th:tt no finding should be permitted during the break. AYell, let us consider. The period dur- ing which the voice, in common p:iri:mce, is breaking, is a period of laryngeal growth, just, as x28 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. inevitable and natural, as is the growth of the body generally. The voice may be fractured, but the larynx is not. Every choir trainer must have observed the pre- liminaries to this period. A boy for instance, shows all at once a sudden increase of volume and tinds it difficult to sing unless quite loudly or softly. This shows that the vocal bands are relaxed. Following this, the speaking voice will lower in pitch, and show hoarseness at times. As soon though, as this hoarseness passes away, that is, when the congestion at the larvnx has passed. O */ 1 the voice is better perhaps than before. Then comes another break, as we say, that is, a period of sore throat and hoarseness. After this has passed, it may be that the boy has lost his upper notes, but can sing the lower ones with ease; the tone too, is changed in tim- bre. It has the color of the man's head voice; or it may be that the boy can still sing his high notes, but that the lower ones are uncertain. Voice mutation is not one continuous period of growth of vocal bands and laryngeal cartilages. On the contrary, the periods of vocal disturbance CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 129 are separated by intervals when the throat is comparatively free from irritation. These inter- vals may be long or short. It evidently depends upon the rapidity or slowness of the general growth and development. There can be no doubt now, that during a time when the voice is uncertain and hoarse from the irritation of the vocal bands and surrounding parts, thjjt singing is positively harmful, but. dur- ing the intervals separating these periods, espe- ciallv where thev extend, as in many cases, over several months, it would seem that the singing voice might be used. Each individual case must be observed and judged by itself. This is entirely possible in choirs. If then the choir-master is careful to observe and to humor the changing voice at all critical times; if he will insist that the boy sing very lightly or not. at all if it hurts him, and if he will resolutely check anv tendency to break into the tenor or chest quality, he can train in a short time a good alto force from his choir, and these young men so trained may become eflicient male alto singers. 130 CHILD VOICE IN SINGING, It is true that in many cases boys may be carried through the mutation period, and at the end show such light tone upon the falsetto or head voice as to be of no value. The strength and timbre of the male falsetto depends partly upon the character of the vocal bands and partly of course upon the size and shape of the resonance cavities. Men who have voices of wide range and good volume in the chest or usual singing voice, gener- ally possess strong head or falsetto tones, and it may be that soprano boys who possess large voices, that is those which show volume of tone along with purity, whose resonance cavities are large, will prove to develop a better falsetto, as men, than those boys whose voices are thinner. One other point remains to be disposed of. Will the use of this voice bv vouth or adult, injure his t- t> J other voice, be it naturally bass, baritone, or tenor? No, it will not, and yet the average choir-master will most assuredlv be met with this objection or fear. Tt is surprising that so many of those who art; in the business of trving to teach voice, should be ignorant of the character and CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 131 range of the male falsetto or head voice, hut in spite of this ignorance, and more or less prejudice against its use. the fear that by using it one impairs the tones of the chest register or the usual sing- ing voice, is utterly unfounded. It is produced with far less effort and tension of the vocal hands than is the chest voice, and is physiologically per- fectly safe. The mechanism which the larynx employs to produce the falsetto is just as natural as the mechanism employed to produce the chest voice. That it is an unusual voice with us is due to circumstances of musical development. The advent of the male vested choir has, however, Created a demand for it, and it may he met as indicated, hv keeping hovs upon the head voice during mutation or so much of the time as is safe, and afterward, when the age of adolescence is pa.t. even if some prefer to sin^ bass or tenor, the number of those available for the alto parts will be sufficient to meet all requirements. CHAPTER IX. GENERAL REMARKS. the preceding chapters, dealing as they do with special subjects or subdivisions of the main topic, the effort has been to point out and to suggest some ways in which good vocal habits may be taught, and simple and effective vocal training carried on with whatever materials there may be at hand in the shape of books, charts, blackboards, staves, etc. The leading idea is the correct use of the voice ; the partic- ular song or exercise which maybe cnng is of no special importance ; the way in which it is sung is everything. The benefits of ceiebing music reading in the schools are a matter of daily comment. Is it, then, likely that the good resulting from tin; formation of correct ha bits in the use of the voice will fail of recognition? Xot so. For the eil'ect of good vocal training in school music would be 132 tfJfTILD-VOICE IN SINGING. j:<3 so general and so beneficent that even unfriendly critics might be silenced. The first effect upon singing when the thick tone is forbidden and the attempt made to sub- stitute the use of the voice in the thin or head register may be disappointing. It will seem to take awav all life and vi^or from the sinmiiijr. / o o o Teachers who enjoy hearty singing will get nerv- ous; they will doubt the value of the innova- tion. In those grades where children range in age from twelve to fourteen years, the apparent loss in vocal power will disconcert the pupils even. Never mind ; the KM of the thin register will demonstrate its excellences, and it will, if slowlv yet surely, increase in brilliance and tell- ing Duality of tone. Again, the compass downward needs to lie more restricted at first than after the children have become habituated to its use. As long as there is any marked tendency to break into the chest-voice at certain pitches, the compass should be kept above them; as the tendency weakens, the voice may with due caution be carried to the lower tones, in higher grades be it understood. 134 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. The tone should grow softer as the voice de- scends when the lower notes will sound mellow and sweet. At first they may be quite breathy, but as the vocal bands become accustomed to the new action, the breathiness will disappear. One thing at a time is enough to attempt in music, and while a change in the use of the voice is being sought, it may happen that sacrifices must be made in other directions; part-singing, until the voices become equalized, that is, of a similar tone-quality throughout the entire compass, may, as it requires the singing of tones so low as to occasion easy recurrence to the thick voice, be so antagonistic to the desired end that it must be dropped for a time. After the use of the thin voice has become firmly established, part-singing may be resumed. How low in pitch the lower part may with safety be carried depends partly upon the age of the pupils; but until the chest- voice begins to develop at puberty, all part-sing- ing must be sung very lightly as to the lower part or voice. There is a class of pupils always to be found in our schools who cannot sing in tune; they CHILD- VOICE IN S INGIXG. 1 3r, Fary in the degree of their inability from those who can sing only in monotone, to those who can sing in tune when singing with those whose sense of pitch is good, hut alone, cannot. AVhile tin: nuniher of entire or partial monotone voices de- creases under daily drill and instruction, yet there always remains a troublesome few, insensible to distinctions in pitch; it is, in view of the jisi- ble improvement they may make, a ditlicult mat- ter to deal with them; for if they are forbidden to sing, the chance to improve is denied them, and if they sing and constantly drag down the pitch, why the intonation of those who would otherwise sing true is injuriously affected. Manv who sing monotone when the thick voice is used, do so because the throat is weak and cannot ea.-ily sustain t'le muscular strain; if they are trained to the use of the li^ht. thir, tone, they can sing in tune. After children have been under daily music drill for two or three years in school, if they still .-inu' monotone, it would seem inadvisable to let, them participate with the class in siti^in^-. Thev do themselves no good, and they certainly injure the singing of 136 CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. the others; for, as before suggested, constant falling from pitch will in time dull the musical perceptions of those most gifted by nature. During the early years of school-life the pu- pils may often sing out of tune because the vocal bands and controlling muscles are very weak. It is an excellent idea to separate the pupils into two classes : First, those who can sing with reasonably good intonation ; and second, those who can sing only a few tones, or only one. Let the second class frequently listen while the others sing. They will thus be taught to note both tone and pitch, and if any musical sense is dormant, this should arouse it; but, if after long and patient effort a pupil cannot sing, let him remain silent during the singing period. Every possible eifort should certainly be put forth to teach children to sing in tune, but yet it is now, and will doubtless remain true, that a small per cent, cannot be so taught. The primary causes of monotone singing may be physical or mental; in many cases, weak vocal organs and feeble nervous power, in others lack of pitch-perception tonal blindness. CHILD-VOICE IN SINGING. 131 The secondary causes include the influences of environment and heredity. The contempt in which music has been held by a portion of the English-speaking people from the time of the ^Reformation until quite recently, or shall we say until even now, has made its powerful impress upon opinions, tastes, and natural powers. Sing- ing, with a part of our population, is literally a lost art, lost through generations of disuse. J O O It is often urged by educators that each study must help other studies. The various subjects which are taught must move along, as it were, like the parts in a musical composition, depend- ent upon, sustaining, and harmonious with each other. .Now, while it is not within the scope of this work to discuss the relation of music to other >tudies in all of its bearings, it is yet clearly ir, line with its general tenor to suggest that the tone in singing will react upon the speaking- voice, and vice vrrwt. Now, if pupils recite and speak with a noisv, rough tone, it will not be easy to secure sweet, pure tone from them when they sing; but, on the other hand, while they may be specialty 138 CHILD-VOICE IN S1XGING. trained in good singing-tone, it will not, as a re- sult, follow that the speaking-voice will be simi- larly modified. Special attention must be given to this also ; but if children invariably sing with pure tone, it must be very easy to direct them into good vocal habits in speaking and reading. It is no more neces.-ary for children to recite in that horrible, rasping tone sometimes heard, than it is to sing with harsh tone; and if the same principles are applied to the speaking-voice as are herein given for the management of the singing-voice, in so far as they may be appli- cable, this harshness and coarseness may be avoided. It is the pushed, forced tone in spec cli or song that is disagreeable. If teachers will consign to well-merited obliv- ion those two phrases, "speak up'" and "sing out," and will, instead, secure purity and easy production of tone, with distinctness of articula- tion, they will do wisely. Let us not hesitate to teach our pupils to know and to feel that which is beautiful, and good, and true, that our schools may promote the growth of good taste, and stand for the highest morality and the best culture. INSTRUCTION BOOKS THE VOICE ASPA. ROSARIO. Exercises and Ob- servations, intended to assist in the cultivation of the voice . BATES, JAMES. Voice Culture for Children. A practical Priv er on the Cu'.tivation and Preservation of YOUIIK' Voices for the use of Schools. Choirs, and Solo Boys. Part I. Instructions (.M.P.. No. 71 I paper boards - Part II. Exercises with Pianoforte Accompaniment ( M.I'., No. 7lM Accompaniment i M.I'., No. 71 ) paper hoards Part III. Appendix. Two-Part Studies, with Accompaniment, in- cluding Seven specially composed by Dr. Hunh Blair < M.I'., No. 7M) The Three Parts complete . paper hoards BAVIN, J. T. The Elements of Sing- ing. A:: Introduction to Voice and Choir Training, and Siyht-SinginK BELLAIRS. R. H. I'Arranmyl by). Singing Exercises for Choir Boys, comhining Melody, Rhythm, Ear Training, and Voice Production. ( Hi Card . BENNETT, GEORGE J. The Choir Boy's Elements of Music. M.P., No. (Hi . BLAIR, HUGH. Three-part Studies for the use of Schools and Ladies Choirs. Staff and Tonic Sol-fa , ,mbined< M.P., No. M) .... Two-part Studies .sir Bates' Voice Culture, Par; III.). BORDOGNI. Twenty-four Vocal Ex- ercises for Mezzo-Soprano. I-Mit- e! with Marks , .f Kxpres-.j. ,n and Phrasi::,', by Alberto Kundct:- BRIDGE J. F. Musical Gestures. A Kudimer.tso;' Music; M.l'./X '. i:'{i Book i. Elementary Exercises for Soprano or Tenor. ' 2. Elementary Exercises for Alto ' 3. Elementary Exercises for Bass or Baritone. 4. Advanced Exercises for Soprano or Tenor. 5. Advanced Exercises for Alto 6. Advanced Exercises for Bass or Baritone. CARTER, W. Vocal and Theoretical Exercises, for the use of Singing Classes COLLETT, C. D. Elementary Vocal Exercises, selected chietlv Winter '. CONCONE'S LESSONS. New Edi- tion, with Marks of Kxprcvsp.r. and Phrasing by Alberto Kander- tfer: 50 Lessons for the Medium Part of the Voice leloth, cilt. si ,">o. 25 Lessons. A Sequel 15 Vocalises. A Sequel to -.IK- IS Vocalises for Contralto or Mezzo-Soprano 40 Lessons for Contralto 40 Lessons for Bass or Baritone COWARD, HENRY. Chorsl Tech- nique and Interpretation. A NY: CURRY, T. The i Little Choir Book, CURWEN, JOHN. Tonic Sol-fa. M P.. No. l.x) DAMROSCH, FRANK. Vocal Exer- cises as used by The PC ; '< ;' Chora! L'nion, N. V. Drill Chart for the Study of In- tervals in Sight Singing Exercises. Set I 3 ' 4 ' 5 . ELLIS, A. J. Speech in Song. Rudiments in Rhyme. GADSBY, HENRY. Book of Ext-rcisi Supplemental BROEKHOVEN, J. VAN The True Method of Tone Production. ' '. GARCIA, G. Guide M.P.. N .. s.-, GILBERT, ALFRED. A Situ-iiu-, Bn,,k, for Public School and Choir Bovs.. GREENWOOD, JAMES. The Sol-fa System of Teaching Singing, as used in Lancashire and Yorkshire. (M.P., Xo. 19) paper boards Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Two-Part Exercises for Choirs and Schools. May be used with any system of Sol-fa. (M.P., No. 23) paper boards HALL, WALTER HENRY. The Es- sentials of Choir Boy Training. (A Net Book) cloth HAM, ALBERT. A Manual on the Boy s Voice HENSCHEL, G. Progressive Studies for the Voice, with Pianoforte Accompaniment. In Two Parts. Part I., Studies in Sustained Sing- inn- Part II., Studies in Florid Singing: Part I. (High Voice) . . . (Medium Voice) (Lou Voice) .... Part II. (High Voice) .... (Medium Voice) (Low Voice) .... HIGGS, JAMES. A Collection of Two- part Sol-feggi in the principal ma- jor keys, designed for the practice of choristers and vocal classes generally. Selected from Durante, Handel, Leo, Scarlatti. StelTani, Xares, \Vebbe.etc. (M.P., Xo. 51) HOWARD, F. E. Child Voice in Sing- ing, The. Treated from a physio- logical and a practical standpoint and especially adapted to Schools and Boy Choirs. (A Net Hook) doth Handbook on the Training of the Child Voice in Singing. lA Xi t Book) doth HUGHES, MARGARET A. Physical Exercises in the Infant School. (E.M., Xo. 11) HULBERT, H. H. Breathing for Voice Production cloth HUNT, Mrs. ELAINE. Observations on the Vocal Shake, with examples and exercises JACKSON, W. The Singing Class Manual LANE, GEORGE. An Elementary Mixed-Voice Sight Singing Course. StafI .Notation through Tonic Sol- fa. (E.M., Xos. :j and -I) In TV o Parts ..... . each The exercises are written in tl:e treble ar.d baression and Phrasing. l>y Al- berto Randetiner. In Two Parts. Part I., containing N'os. 1 to 26 " II., " 27 to 40 Forty-two Melodic and Progres- sive Vocal Exercises. For Con- trait", Baritone, or Bass. Ivhted. with Marks of Expression and Phrasing, by Alberto Randegser. In Two Pan's. Part I., containing Xos. 1 to 29 " II., " " 30 to 42 Fifty Vocalises. For Two Voices. Soprano and Mc/zo-Soprano or Tenor and Soprano, or Tenor and Baritone. Kdited. with Marks of Expression and Phrasing, by Al- berto Randerner. In Two Parts. Part I., containing' Xos. 1 to 30 " II., " " 31 to 50 PENNA, F. Vocal Exercises . . . PITCHER, R. J. Recitative and its Rendering. Illustrated with nu- RANDEGGER, ALBERTO. Singing. ( M.P.. No. .-,i REEVES, HERBERT SIMS. Hints on Singing RENDALL, EDWARD DAVEY. The Elementary Principles of Music for Public Schools. A manual to be employed in choirs and sincini: classes, uith appendices contain- im; music for practical use . paper boards ROBERTS, J. VARLEY. A Treatise on a Practical Method of Training Choristers .'i.OO .30 1.00 SIMPSON, J. H. First Steps for Choir Boys SMITH, J. SUTCLIFFE. Singing from the Staff. Sta^e I STAINER, J. Choral Society Vocalisa- tion. Instructions and Kxer, ises in Voice Training, to be use 1 at ordi- nary rehearsals. I^M.P., No. ."ili>. paper boards Or, in Four Parts, paper covers, each The Exercises in the "Choral So- ciety Vocalisation " Primer. Adapted and arranged for the use of Choirs anal Classes of Female Voices by Arthur \V Marchant. (M.P., No. 5l)a) . . paper boards STAINER, J., and THOMAS CURRY. The Little Choir Book. Rudiments for Choir Boys . . . I, Net i STOCKHAUSEN, JULIUS. Method of Singing. Translated into Kiu:- Hsh by Sophie Lowe. 'M-I'-. No. <)7) ... ... paper boards STUBBS, G. EDWARD. How to Sing the Choral Service. A Manual of Intoniiu; for Clergymen (A Net Book) . . . cloth Practical Hints on the Training of Choir Boys. A Net Book) . cloth The Adult Male Alto or Counter Tenor Voice. (A Net Book, cloth TAYLOR, DAVID C. New Light on the Old Italian Method. (A Net Book) . . cl.th Self Help for Singers. (A NY: Book) . ' Cloth VERNHAM, J.E. Seventy Three-Part Studies u ithin tin 1 compass ! a:: Octave. For Si^ht-SinKin^ Classes. (M.P., No. HO paper boards VINNING, C. S. Singing Card for Choir Boys WEBER, F. Melody and Harmony in Speech and How to learn to think in music. Voice training tor speak- ing and sii^:inn bv self-hi !p WINTER. Elementary Vocal Exer- cises WITT, MARIA. The Singers Guide The H. W. Gray Go. 15') Fast 4Sth St., New York Sole Agents for NOVKLLO