Scan 15
Musical Courier 1897-11-03: Vol 35 Iss 922, 1897
56 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 16. See the scan on archive.org.
1the horn (arytenoid) cartilages are capable of motion in two different planes, which are at right angles to each other.
3When the vocal bands are tensed or shortened, the rotary motion of the horns is in a horizontal plane (assuming that the larynx is at that moment so held that the vocal bands are horizontal), while when acted upon by the ring-shield (cricothyroid) muscles the horns are not only tilted but carried bodily backward and downward in a vertical plane, which is at once at right angles to the horizontal plane, through the bands, and also to a vertical plane supposedly passed through the ears. Dr. Muckey describes the latter part of this action ("R. S. V. P.," p. 5), and it is very well illustrated by Dr. Curtis ("V. B. and T. P.," p. 25) as follows:
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7ACTION OF CRICO-THYROID MUSCLES IN TUNING THE VOCAL CORDS.
9Such being the case, Dr. Curtis' remark ("V. B. and T. P.," p. 130), to which Dr. Muckey objects, namely, "we should liken the action of the tyro-arytenoid (shield-horn or Muckey's vocal muscle) muscles in limiting the vibrating surface of the vocal cords to that of the wire which is used in some organ pipes to press against the reed to lengthen or shorten it, and thus to vary its rate of vibration," by varying its width seems simply a different but quite accurate description of the same facts that Dr. Muckey describes. Of course it is an analogy in result. Dr. Curtis does not suggest that there is any sliding of muscles over each other, as Dr. Muckey supposes or wishes to make others believe.
11All then agree that the width of the vocal bands in vibration (not width of swing of the bands) varies at different points in the pitch scale in changing the pitch of the fundamental tone, and that it is brought about by means of the "shield-horn," "thyro-arytenoid" or "vocal muscle."
13Let us consider the variation of the amount of this width. Referring to Dr. Muckey's diagram we find that he has made the distances re equal st equals t u, but uk less than tu.
15Hence as the vocal muscle is exerted the width of the vocal band (corresponding to its length when considered as a reed) is lessened, and that as the vocal muscle action is increased the width of the band in vibration is successively (1) rk, (2) sk, (3) tk and (4) uk. In other words, Dr. Muckey's own diagram shows that he correctly understands that the mechanism which controls the amount of width in vibration makes those amounts non-aliquot (unequal) parts, and yet he says Dr. Curtis is wrong when he (Curtis) says exactly the same thing, and affirms that it is so seen in the stroboscope.
17When Dr. Muckey has admitted that uk is greater than tk he admits the one fact on account of which the majority of writers have deemed it preferable to call the vocal bands reeds rather than strings. They certainly will not object to his doing otherwise, but he 'must make a much stronger presentation of reasons than he has yet done to induce any close thinker to change over to his string theory. And will he please remember that it is not the reed theory that is on the defense, but his string theory, which he is to-day practically alone in upholding. If he is not satisfied of this will he please quote the authorities who to-day class the vocal bands as strings?
19Dr. Curtis and others base the proof of the amount of vocal band width in action on the testimony of the eye, in both the case of laryngoscopic examination and the more perfect laryngo-stroboscopic method. Dr. Muckey bases his belief in the string theory on the testimony of the ear, or indirectly by the overtone photo record. The weakness of so doing lies in the fact that the record of the overtones in the vocal tone produced by a voice proves only that some mechanism is present which has produced them, but offers absolutely no evidence that they are produced by the particular mechanism of the sub-segmentation of the vocal bands, regarded as strings, rather than by some other separate mechanism, such as he himself has described ("V. P. and A.," p. 378, Looker-On, Vol. III., No. 5, Nov. 18, '96) when he wrote "leaving the klangtint (overtones J. S. B.) or articulation to the extrinsic voluntary muscles of the pharynx, mouth," &c., or does he now wish to withdraw that statement? To quote Dr. Muckey again (his Art. 4, MUSICAL COURIER, Vol. XXXV., No. 8, p. 6, Aug. 25, '97): "All of the changes made to produce the different qualities of the tone were made in the cavities above the vocal cords (italics, J. S. B.), or on the opposite side of the cords from the compressed air which sets the cords in vibration." He is certainly right in so stating. Does he wish now to admit that he was in error when he wrote those words?
21Dr. Muckey seems to base his string theory on experiments with a monocord. We accept his statement (his Art. No. 8, Part I, MUSICAL COURIER, Vol. XXXV., No. 15, p. 33, Oct. 15, '97) "that the fundamental tone has nothing to do with the production of the overtones." By this he means that the mechanism which will produce one or any combination of overtones desired will do so with equal facility for a fundamental pitched anywhere in the absolute tone scale within the natural working limits of the voice.
23To go back to the string, the pitch of the fundamental is fixed once you settle upon the length, tension and width (diameter) of the string, and we will assume these decided upon. The overtones then will depend on starting that string into vibrations so as to produce the nodes and loops requisite for the particular combination of overtones desired. The means in any stringed instrument, whether monocord or violin, are:
241. The finger or its equivalent for damping to produce a node, and
252. The bow or its equivalent for plucking to produce a loop.
27Reduced to simple form we have four rules:
281. To form a partial without making any lower partial (or without its prime), pluck its loop-point while dampening the requisite node-point or points.
292. To soften (reduce the loudness of) or to destroy an existing partial (or the prime), dampen its loop point.
303. To prevent any partial from forming, pluck its node point.
314. To find out whether a partial exists or to make an existing partial audible (whether of odd or even series), dampen its node point so as to destroy all vibrations lower than it in pitch, including its prime.
33What we have termed for short a "loop point" is that point of a string which the books commonly designate as "the central point of a ventral segment" or "anti-node." A "node point" is any point of a string where a node (point of non-vibration by equal opposite vibrational interference) is or may be formed. Will Dr. Muckey describe what mechanism is used in the vocal instrument to act as the fingers and the bow act on a violin in producing the overtones in the human vocal instrument?
35He has asserted that they are produced by the sub-vibration of the vocal bands in a manner analogous to a string. It must be done either directly by means of certain muscles or by means of the way in which the breath is caused to impinge upon or push up against the underside of the vocal bands.
37Until a rational detailed explanation of this is offered, no one need consider the string theory seriously. Up to date the only reason he has offered is that only the overtones of the string are heard in the voice, and never those of the reed, and in reply we have explained in our last article that the reed overtones are not heard because they are not made, because while the vocal bands segment as reeds they do not produce the overtones, and that the vocal instrument has been called a membranous reed not because anyone thought that it produced such (reed) overtones, for all students of the subject know that it does not, but that it is so called because when vibrating the bands do so in non-aliquot parts, just as a metal reed does. And finally the presence of string overtones was accounted for by the fact that the vocal tubes, considered as "pipes," are of the proper kind ("open" type) to produce the same series of overtones as does a string.
39So long as the vibrator (membranous reed) is not supposed to generate the overtones, it is immaterial whether the vocal bands vibrate like a metal reed or like a string. Dr. Muckey's correct description shows that they do segment for different prime pitches exactly like a metal reed, which coupled with his other correct statement that the overtones of the metal reed are never found in the voice would lead most people to suppose that the overtones were due to some other mechanism than the subvibration of the vocal bands or vibrator. He, however, has jumped to the conclusion that the overtones must be due to the vibrator in the case of the voice, because they are due to this cause in the case of a string, a conclusion which cannot be accepted until he explains how the subvibration is brought about.
41He says (in Art. 6, MUSICAL COURIER, Vol. XXXV., No. 12, p. 6, September 22, 1897): "I think that all will admit that the 'air blast' bears just the same relation to the vocal cords as the violin bow does to the string." If this be true (which we do not believe) the air blast must produce the cordal segmentation which makes the overtones. Will Dr. Muckey explain in detail by what means he would change the air blast so as to obtain thereby say the second or fifth or any other overtone or combination of overtones which he prefers?
43With regard to Dr. Muckey's questions (Art. 6, MUSICAL COURIER, Vol. XXXV., No. 12, p. 6, September 22, 1897) with regard to Dr. Curtis' figures illustrating the action of the vocal bands in the different registers
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47(1) CHEST REGISTER ACTION.
49(2) MIDDLE REGISTER ACTION.
51(3) UPPER REGISTER ACTION.
53Dr. Muckey asks: "Does the author (Dr. Curtis) wish us to understand that the chest register is composed of but one pitch?" Certainly not, as Dr. Muckey perfectly well knows, but only that throughout the chest register range the tones are produced by the bands vibrating always with their full width, the differences in pitch (of fundamental) being determined by the number of times they swing per second.
55Dr. Muckey writes (ibid.): "Segmentation of the cords has nothing to do with the pitch (he means pitch of the prime, J. S. B.) of the complex tone * * * because that is determined entirely by the length, weight and tension of the vibrating cords," and yet he tells us all sorts of nonsense which he thinks, or would have his readers think, Dr. Curtis meant when giving these illustrations showing the differences in the width of the bands when vibrating at different points of the pitch scale. Will Dr. Muckey please refer us to the passage where anyone but himself and his collaborator claim that the overtones originate in the subvibration of the vocal bands? And we must deny emphatically that he has "shown the observations made by Professor Oertil with the stroboscope
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