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Scan 308
American History and Encyclopedia of Music, 1910
16 lines. Read by computer on 9 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1PRIMARY VOICE CULTURE
3Following is a specimen passage that may be effective by good attack or spoiled by bad attack:
5From "Impatience," by Schubert:
7Thine is my heart, Thine is my heart
9SUSTAINING TONE.
11The speaking and the singing voice are produced by the same mechanism. One distinct difference in the use of the vocal organs for speech and song is in the sustained continuous flow of tone required by the latter as contrasted with the ejaculatory joltings so common in the former. The steady outpour of tone from the violin and the noble sostenuto of the organ show an essential element in good musical performance. Vocal artists often refer fondly to ideal song as bel canto, a term in which sustained tone is the fundamental idea. Declamatory song, in which is more accent than sostenuto, has its place in vocalism. But any departure from steady continuity of tone in singing is a concession which should be made as sparingly as possible.
13In the study of singing, the pupil is largely concerned with learning to sustain the voice well and to treat vowels and consonants in a manner to attain a good legato style.
15There are many particulars to be learned in this connection. Naturally, the first consideration is the breath. Next comes the placing of the voice, which, in connection with breath management, enables the singer to keep the tone steady, free from tremulousness on single tones, and, on successions of tones, free from a wabbly, jerky utterance. Above all there should be in the singer's mind an ideal of smoothness and proportion without which technic will not avail.
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