With a normal attack—the spiritus lenis in contradistinction to the spiritus asper—the glottis is in position for phonation at the moment breath passes through it. No unvocalized breath precedes it and no explosion follows it. The vowel-attack is clear, precise and distinct. Not only is the voice-emission pure, but there is no needless fatigue of voice, because all superfluous movement of the glottis is avoided.
The "check glottid" or glottic shock, on the other hand, involves an undue effort of the vocal muscles, and the compression of the vocal cords causes irritation. The audible shock of the glottis cannot be avoided when it is necessary to accentuate a word beginning with an initial vowel. Constantly used, however, it is part of the misuse of the voice. Dr. Van Baggen recommends, as a method of correcting
the too frequent use of the audible shock, that when a word beginning with an initial vowel appears in the middle of a phrase, this word should be united to the preceding one, somewhat after the manner (but more lightly) of the French verbal "liaison," in which the final consonant of a word becomes the initial consonant of the following word beginning with a vowel. For example in "vous avez," the s of "vous" is drawn over to and pronounced with the a of "avez," the effect being "vou-z-avez." If the phrase that is to be sung commences with a word beginning with an initial vowel, care must be taken to employ the normal coup de glotte, or spiritus lenis.
Although I have devoted two chapters to the registers of the voice, I shall also quote Dr. Van Baggen on the faulty use of these and the physical ills that result therefrom, since there are but few singers who do not know the difficulties which the registers of the voice offer; and many who spoil their voices forever by the misuse of those registers. Generally, the misuse consists in the exaggeration of a lower register at the expense of the higher; that is, in order to produce "big tone," forcing a register up instead of bringing the higher one down. Especially with dramatic singers, this fault
is frequent. There is no voice, however strong it may be, which can endure this overstraining of the registers, and sooner or later the singer must experience the disastrous results of his or her fault—hoarseness, fatigue, roughness, and impureness in singing, and last, but not least, premature wearing out of the vocal organs.
The exaggeration of the registers is generally united with faulty breathing, which first of all must be corrected. Only after good results have been obtained with regard to breath practice, can exercises for the correction of the use of the registers be made with success.
When the fault consists in the exaggeration of the low register, the singing in this register must be avoided for some time; when both the low and middle registers have been used beyond their limit, exercises can at first be sung only in the high register.
The pupil, while practising (in the first case in the middle and high register, in the second only in the high register), must limit himself to a few tones, singing always downwards and very softly. The tones will be weak, husky, and often impure in the beginning; by and by, however, they will improve. When those few tones are pure and clear, the
pupil may extend the exercises downwards, always singing pianissimo and avoiding the lower register. The high and middle registers, or only the high register, must be extended downwards as far as possible. Only after all the tones, sung as indicated, are clear and pure and have gained sufficiently in strength, may the low or the low and middle registers be used again, but even then not more than is strictly necessary.
The extending downwards of a higher register is also an excellent help in smoothing out the break in the voice at the passage from one register to the other. This extending downwards of the higher registers always can be done without any danger to the voice. The "timbre" of the voice will even gain considerably in brilliancy and fullness by exercising in this way.