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Musical Courier 1896-07-01: Vol 33 Iss 852, 1896
52 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 25. See the scan on archive.org.
1Everyone Should Sing
2IN fairy days when the fox wished to make his voice sweet he went to the miller and asked for chalk. This he ate with such satisfactory results that his next call was made without any of the unlucky effects generally produced by his naturally harsh voice. It is very evident from all that one hears and reads nowadays that this end of the century is expecting to be told of some royal road to voice improvement. Why should not such a road be found? In these days of Roentgen rays and consumption cures, why should not the art of music advance tremendously?
4The human voice is used for two purposes—by everyone to speak with, by many to sing with. That many wish to sing, but find themselves unable to do so, is unhappily true. That all these could learn to sing is also true, though this is not without question in many minds.
6Much has been written lately in criticism of the disagreeable qualities of the speaking voice, especially the harshness of the voices of American women. Little has been suggested, however, to remedy the defects. As for the singing voice, it has lately been stated that "of all branches of musical study the most discouraging perhaps is the cultivation of the voice."
8Here is something which interests thousands of persons, and when we include in our subject the improvement of the speaking voice it is one which should interest millions. People are scarce who really care nothing about music; they are scarcer still who do not carry a musical instrument about with them wherever they go. The singer is at no trouble or expense to procure an instrument upon which to perform; all he needs to do is to open his mouth and it is ready. Moreover, this instrument, rightly treated, needs far less practice than any piano or violin; and there is a method of right treatment which can be described to "out-of-the-way students." This method consists of just two things—relax the throat, begin all practice at the top of the voice.
10In order to gain a relaxed throat simply try to stretch the throat open, as in yawning, and to sing as low down in the throat as possible. Never imagine that any tones proceed from or go to the top of the head; but think that they all start from a point low in the throat, and must come directly out of the mouth, toward the front teeth. A contracted throat produces a rough, rasping or nasal voice; an open, relaxed throat produces a round, smooth, clear voice.
12The second injunction, begin all practice at the top of the voice, is most important. More harm has been done by the training of voices upward than the world has yet any idea, and it is marvelous that we have not learned this fact before the end of the nineteenth century. Scales should never be sung upward by beginners, because this tends to emphasize, instead of to bridge over, any breaks that the voice may have. By always training the voice downward the difficulties with regard to breaks and registers are overcome without any theorizing and experimenting on the part of the student. An exercise which can be practiced with immense benefit by every student is to begin at the highest tone that the singer can take easily and sing each successive tone downward to the syllable "ha" low down in the throat as possible, using a great deal of breath for each syllable and taking fresh breath for each one. The extra breath helps to relax the throat.
14Besides the question how best to improve the singing voice, persons are seeking answers to two other questions—how can we improve our speaking voices, and can we all learn to sing?
16The speaking voice can be made pleasant and agreeable in the same way that the singing voice is improved. It is most emphatically true that many persons speak habitually in tones that are unnecessarily shrill and rasping. This is caused by throat contraction, which squeezes the tone and renders it rough. To relax the throat by stretching it open as in yawning and to speak low in the throat allows the tone to be smooth, round and clear. A very unwise injunction is often given in this connection—viz., "Do not speak in such a high key." The very opposite of this should be inculcated. Voices are never shrill because they are high; they only sound shrilly because the throat is apt to be contracted more on high tones. This weakens the high tones, and the effort to speak loudly causes forcing of the voice. If people would relax the throat and then strengthen the high tones by their free and proper use they would soon notice a vast improvement in tone quality.
18"Can everyone learn to sing?" Unquestionably, yes. Everyone who can speak can also learn to sing, if he will take a little trouble, for the very same instrument, the larynx, furnishes the voice for both speech and song. The only difference between the speaking voice and the singing voice is that the former uses the lower and medium tones, and the latter uses chiefly the higher and medium tones. If a person thinks he cannot sing, let him, in the first place, be satisfied to begin at the beginning instead of at the end. Let him not be discouraged because he cannot at once sing a whole tune correctly, but let him believe that if, as must be the case, he can form any single tone or two tones correctly, he can improve upon this ability, just as anyone who can add two and two can also add three and three, and then four and four. The main thing to understand is that inability to sing is not generally caused, as is so often supposed, by want of voice or want of ear, but simply by lack of flexibility of voice—that is, weakness of the muscles which tighten and relax the vocal cords.—Herald.
20Home Items.
21Nahan Franko Back.—Nahan Franko has returned from Europe and will direct his orchestra during the summer season at Narragansett.
23Hotel Earlington Music.—The season of musicales for which the Hotel Earlington, Richfield Springs, is famous will be inaugurated by a piano and song recital on Friday, July 3. Mr. Albert Gerald Thiers, of New York, will be the vocal artist.
25Virgil Practice Clavier Indorsed.—At a recital given in Philadelphia on the evening of May 27 by the pupils of Mr. S. Tudor Strang, Miss Helen B. Lawrence demonstrated above all others her proficiency a: a pianist and the benefits derived from using the Virgil Practice Clavier. Miss Lawrence has been under Mr. Strang's tuition since September last, and previous to that time had taken but two quarters. So her progress has been almost phenomenal.
27Mr. Strang delivered a lecture on this occasion on the Clavier method, in which he is deeply interested and very successfully teaching.
29Bowman Temple Choir.—The first season of Mr. E. M. Bowman's large church chorus known as the Temple Choir, probably the largest trained choir extant, came to a close on Sunday evening with an elaborate service of song on the theme Praise to God. Every item in the order of service was relevant to this theme, and the impression produced is said to have been profound. The service is spoken of as one of the finest ever heard in Brooklyn. Mr. Bowman's big choir certainly sang with rare power and artistic intelligence.
31At a meeting to say good-bye to the conductor some reports of the season were read by the registrar, H. P. Toombs, showing the remarkable record in average attendance of nearly 95 per cent. The choir is now thoroughly organized, and has enjoyed a prosperous season. The different musical organizations now under Mr. Bowman's drill in the Temple aggregate nearly 400 voices. A concert was given last Wednesday evening by the junior section, which showed excellent progress and attainment. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman and their daughter leave to-day for their summer home on Squirrel Island. They will be absent until September 10.
33Music on the Hudson.—An interesting concert was given under the auspices of the Altar Guild of Grace Church at Nyack on the Hudson, on Monday evening. It was a big success. The following was the program:
35Angel Serenade, piano, violin and 'cello, Braga, Miss Babcock, Mr. Noll, Mr. Simonson; Call Me Back, Denza, Miss Law; Des Abends, In the Troika (piano), Schumann, Mrs. Richard Harvey; quartet, Ballad of the Weaver, Miss At Lee, Mrs. Hawthorne, Mr. Hawthorne, Mr. Simonson; King of the Sea, Ransford, Mr. Simonson; Lullaby, Gay Little Dandelion, Chadwick, Miss At Lee; Ah, 'Tis a Dream, Hawley; Mrs. Bayard Hawthorne; violin solo, selected, Miss Belle Babcock; quartet, There is Music By the River, Lullaby, Miss At Lee, Mrs. Hawthorne, Mr. Hawthorne, Mr. Simonson.
37Later News from Wolfsohn.—On page 12 of this issue appears an announcement that Mr. Henry Wolfsohn, the music manager, of this city, had returned from Europe. That information came in our regular news service, but at the hour of going to press it was corrected by a cablegram from Mr. Wolfsohn, stating that he had been unavoidably detained in Europe, and would not sail for home until tomorrow, July 2.
39Seidl Played the Wissner Grand.—Anton Seidl accompanied Mme. Clementine De Vere-Sapio in her five Wagner numbers at Brighton Beach on Thursday night on the Wissner grand piano, which is being used there for the season.
41Under the conductor's touch the instrument gave forth a beautiful tone that filled the large hall and more than one remark of admiration was passed on the instrument.
43It was the second night of the big Wagner festival which opened the Seidl season at the beach, and an immense audience was present. Mme. Sapio's songs were Der Engel, Im Triebschause, Schmerzen, Träume and Wiegenlied.
45Gertrude May Stein sang Adriano's air from Rienzi, and sang with Mme. Sapio in the duet from Lohengrin. Miss Stein was Elsa and Mme. Sapio Ortrud. Emil Fischer also took part in the program.
47PIANIST, who has just returned to America after a course of study under the eminent master, Karl Klindworth, and highly recommended by him, will take college or conservatory position. References and testimonials furnished upon application. Communications stating terms, &c., should be addressed D. L. H., THE MUSICAL COURIER, Union Square, New York.
49Mannheim.—Hugo Wolf's Corregidor had a brilliant reception at Mannheim. The work is overpoweringly comic, and displays melodic wealth and clever instrumentation. The composer refused a call after the first act, but came out repeatedly at the end of the second and third acts.
51Adam de la Halle.—The town of Arras is about to erect a monument to the memory of one of its most illustrious sons, the trouvère Adam de la Halle, poet and musician and the author of the first work that can be described as belonging to the class opéra comique. One of his little scenic poems, the Jeu d'Adam, may be considered as the oldest French comédie, while his Le Jeu de Robin et de Marison is the rudimentary type of opéra comique, although it carries us back 600 years, for the composer died at Naples in 1285. A committee has been organized at Paris to give a grand performance at the theatre on Sunday, June 21, with the assistance of which members of the Opéra Comique and the Comédie Française, at which Le Jeu de Robin et Marison, adapted as to the text by M. Blémont, and as to the music by M. Tiersot, who has added an orchestral accompaniment and interpolated two popular songs, Rossignol et der bois joli and En passant par la Lorraine, will be produced.
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