Home Arts for Old and Young

by Caroline L. Smith

4.—POLYPHONIC IMITATIONS.

Mr. Love, the great polyphonist, delighted in his youth to imitate the buzzing of insects and the cries of animals. Such accomplishments are easily acquired, and we think if our young boy friends will follow our directions, they will acquire at least polyphonic powers to amuse their friends at home and abroad.

To imitate a “tormenting bee,” a boy must use considerable pressure on his chest, as if he was about to groan suddenly, but instead of which the sound must be confined and prolonged in the throat; the greater the pressure, the higher will be the faint note produced, and which will perfectly resemble the buzzing of the bee or wasp. In all imitations of insect noises, the bee should be heard to hum gently at first, so as in a private party not to attract attention till the right pitch is obtained. The sound will penetrate every corner of a large room. To assist the illusion, the person imitating a bee should pretend to try to catch the insect. To imitate the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly, it will be necessary for the sound to be made with the lips instead of the throat: this is done by closing the lips very tight, except at one corner, where a small aperture is left; fill that cheek full of wind, but not the other, then slowly blow or force the wind contained in the cheek out of the aperture; if this is done properly, it will cause a sound exactly like the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly.

To make the above perfectly effective, the person imitating a fly or bee, should turn his face to the wall; with a handkerchief strike at the pretended bee or fly, at the same time pretend to follow his victim, first this way and then that, and finally to “dab” his pocket handkerchief on the wall, as though he had killed it; the sound should be at times suddenly louder and then softer, which will make it appear as it is heard in different parts of the room.

“The Spectre Carpenter.” The noise caused by planing and sawing wood we often hear imitated. Yet but few boys know how easily it is done. Much amusement is often caused by this imitation. To imitate planing, a boy must stand at a table a little distance from the audience, and appear to take hold of a plane and push it forward; the sound, as of a plane, is made as though you were dwelling on the last part of the word hash. Dwell upon the sh a little, tsh, and then clip it short by causing the tongue to close with the palate, then over again. Letters will not carry the peculiar sound of sawing; but any bright boy, by carefully listening to the sound made by carpenters, with these suggestions, can, with practice, imitate the sound perfectly. To make the deception more perfect, put some shavings in your pocket to sprinkle as you pretend to saw, also a piece of wood to fall when the sawing is ended. A friend of ours told us of a negro, well known as a famous whistler about the streets of Boston years ago, who would place both hands tightly over his ears, incline his head downwards, and imitate with great precision a music-box; but he said it pained him to do this.

5.—TO IMITATE AN ECHO.

It is impossible for a ventriloquist to produce an echo in a room of ordinary size, as the walls, being so near, would cause the sounds to be blended, and would only produce one impression on the ear; and yet a skilful ventriloquist can with ease imitate, in a room, a mountain echo. We will give the instructions, as it is very amusing.

Turn your back to the listeners; whistle loud several short, quick notes, just as if you were whistling to a dog; then as quick as possible, after the last note, and as softly and subdued as possible to be heard, whistle about a third the number of notes, but it must be in the same note or pitch; this will cause the last whistle to appear just like an echo at a great distance. This imitation, if well done, causes much surprise to those listening. The same thing can be done by shouting any sentence, such as, “Halloa, you, there!” or, “Ship, ahoy!” Let your voice be formed close to the lips; then quickly, and in the same pitch or note, speak the same words very subdued, and formed at the back of the mouth. This is very simple, yet effective.