THE VOWELS
Every tone in singing usually takes the sound of some vowel. By the greater or less distinctness of one or another of the over-tones, sounding with the fundamental tone, various timbres of the vowel are produced. But certain vowels in certain parts of the scale can be sung far more easily and sweetly than others. The investigation of this fact has taught us that a tone gains in richness when the tone corresponding to the vowel belongs to the over-tones of the fundamental tone. In the human voice, however, the tones favorable to the several vowels do not admit of being precisely determined.
In different languages and dialects the vowels have different shades, and a scarcely perceptible variation, especially in the clearer vowels, is sufficient to cause the over-tones to be heard more or less distinctly. After I had learned, with the kind assistance of Professor Helmholtz, by means of his artificial apparatus for the sharpening of the ear, to find out over-tones and to know their peculiarities, I was soon able, without any artificial help, to discover the vowels favorable to them by the fuller sound of certain tones. In the female voice all tones below the c1
take the character of o. At the c1
, a, pronounced as in the English word hall, sounds the best, and at d
1 e1
passes in to a, as in man, and at f1
into a, as in may. With the g1
the a sounds again as in man; a1 b
1 b1 c2
are favorable to all the vowels, while d2 e
2 e2
sound best with e. After e2
every tone takes the coloring of a, as in father, and sounds well only with this vowel; b
2 c3
d3
sound again better with e. As thus, above e2 f2
all the tones take the coloring of a in father, so the tones below c1
take the timbre of o, and the most skilful artists are not able to sing all the vowels in these tones with equal clearness and purity. The female voice, therefore, has only a few tones more than an octave, upon which every one of the vowels can be distinctly sung; and again, all these tones do not afford an equally sonorous tone with every vowel.
As unfortunately our Song composers do not always keep this fact in view, as the old Italians did, and since words with the most unfavorable vowels often underlie the notes, it as often becomes necessary to mingle with the unfavorable vowel something of the sound (Klang) of the vowel properly belonging to the note; as, for example, in the word “ring” upon f2
, to sing the i with a mixture of the sound (Klang) of a. Artists do this in a way of which they are for the most part unconscious, and which is always unobserved by the hearer. That in every voice there are several tones upon which every vowel sounds well, finds an explanation in an observation of Professor Helmholtz. The ear is attuned to a certain tone, designated as e4 f4. To persons with very susceptible nerves these tones are often insupportable, and we often see dogs, whose sense of hearing is especially acute, run howling away when the above e4 is struck upon a violin, while to other tones they seem wholly insensible. But all the tones which are accompanied by that tone as an over-tone to which the ear is attuned, sound harmonious even with unfavorable vowels.