Seed Thoughts for Singers

by Frank Herbert Tubbs

Voice culture is the preparation of the body and its expression—voice—for use in this delicate art. Voice culture is that through which we approach art. It cannot be roughly handled. If art is to be delicately used, it must be delicately approached. He whose vocal practice is forceful and rough will never know the delicacy of true art. He may become a vocalist after whom the ignorant public will clamor, but he can never be an artist. Seek the delicacy of true art, or decide to be forever a rough mechanic. One may hew wood or quarry rocks, or he may be a worker among jewels and precious stones. It is a time to say "Decide this day which you will serve." The two masters do not belong to the same firm and both cannot be served at the same time.

WORDS AND TONE SHOULD AGREE.

While singing, words and tone should agree. What does that mean, asks one. It can be well stated when we consider how they do not agree. If one sings "Sing ye aloud, with gladness," with a sombre tone the words and tone belie each other. This result invariably follows the attempt to cultivate the voice on vowels only, or on one single vowel. He who watches tone while cultivating his voice reaches this result. We express our thought while singing in words. Words are made by the organs of speech, the chief of which are the tongue and lips. The tone receives its expression from the pharyngeal cavity. If tone and words agree, the tongue, lips and pharynx will work harmoniously in accord. It is when one or the other does not work correctly that one belies the other.

Training of the organs of speech has been written upon so extensively that for now more need not be said. Suffice it to say, that the organs of speech can be trained upon a few enunciatory syllables in a short time, so that every word can be distinctly understood. There is no excuse whatever for our singers remaining so indistinct in their singing. The way of getting the tone to agree with the words, is what may be considered now. As said above, tone is regulated, so far as quality goes, in the pharynx. That organ can be put into working order and kept so through the expression of the face. The same thought is expressed on the throat which is expressed on the face. The same set of nerves operates the two organs. To show what is meant, recall that if you hear someone utter a cry, you know from its sound whether it is a cry of fright, of happiness, of fear, of greeting, of anger, or whatever it may be. The position and shape of the pharynx has made the cry what it is. One standing near the person would see on his face the look which corresponds with the cry uttered. In this case the word and the tone correspond. It is not easy to reach the pharynx for voice culture, except through the face. It can be reached in that way. The tone for general use in voice culture should be the bright one. Then the expression during vocal practice should be a bright one. All vocal exercises should be, on this account, practised with the face pleasant and expressing happiness. This fact led many teachers, years ago, to have their pupils smile while singing. It led to most ludicrous results. The teachers said, "Draw back the corners of the mouth, as if smiling." Very well. That may be good, but it has no particular beneficial influence on the pharynx, or upon the tone produced. The mouth is not the seat of expression in the face. Not that there is no expression to the mouth, but its changes are limited. The eyes are much more thoroughly the seat of expression, and through them the pharynx can be reached. Let the eyes smile. Let the whole face take position as if one saw something irresistibly funny, at which he must laugh. Practice with the eyes in this way will brighten the whole voice. It will relieve strain upon all the facial muscles and will render the organs of speech more pliable, too. Having obtained such control of the eyes that one expression can be placed in them, the student can attempt other desirable expressions. He will find that whatever is used in and about the eyes will affect the kind and quality of tone. He may arouse his interest in some particular thought and hold that in mind as he sings; the voice will then have warmth of tone and will readily receive meanings. He may express varying degrees of surprise in the face and he will find varying degrees, to correspond, of fulness and roundness go into the voice. The use of expression in the face as a means of giving character and quality to tone opens a field of experiment and experience which will lead any teacher to practical and beneficial result. It is not a new idea. Salvini, the great actor, has given some very useful thought on that subject. Little of such instruction, important as it is, has gone into print. Yet it is so important.

PREPARATION FOR TEACHING.

There are many who become teachers of singing without knowing what they are doing. No one who wishes to enter the profession should be kept out of it. There is room in it for many times the number engaged. It is to be earnestly recommended, however, that he who intends to become a teacher should decide beforehand what kind of work he intends to do, and after he has begun, he should bend his energy to make that branch successful. There are, at least, three distinct specialties of the singing teacher. First, rudimental music; second, voice culture; third, artistic singing. He who thinks he can excel in all has very great confidence in his own ability. Perhaps most of those who become teachers have no adequate knowledge of what the profession is, but enter into it for the purpose of making a living. After becoming a teacher he discovers that something is wrong, and the last person whom he thinks wrong is himself. Probably he has never decided on a specialty and properly prepared himself for that. Thus we see men who know something about music, teaching singing. They know nothing of practical voice culture, but attempt to teach singing. They ruin voices and wreck their own happiness. The first duty of a singing teacher is to study enough of anatomy and physiology to enable him to know exactly what parts of the body enter into voice culture, where they are and how they work. The dentist makes his specialty, filling teeth. But he would not be given his diploma if he did not know anatomy. His course in the medical college is the same as that of the physician. It differs in degree, but not in kind. Such should be the education, to a certain extent, of the vocal teacher. This education cannot be had from any books now published. Plain anatomy can be given in books, but the student should also see the parts described in the subject. He should then examine, so far as may be, the action of these parts in the living body. He must then make his own deductions. It may seem strange that that is necessary, but such is the subtlety of voice culture, that hardly two theorists agree in their deductions. Until some recognized body of men decides on definite things in voice culture, reducing one's theoretical study to practical uses must stand.

As important as such study, too, is the preparation of the artist mind. One can teach voice culture mechanically and obtain good result, but be very deficient in the art of music. It is often said that "Artists are born, not made." That is a mistake. No man was ever an artist by birth. Some men may be more appreciative of beauty than others but all men have enough within them to serve as the basis of artistic education. That education should be carried to a considerable distance before teaching is commenced. Almost as soon as the voice is capable of making any tone, music must be put into study. Appreciation of music itself as an art, must be a part of the good teacher's preparation. Knowledge of greater and better music comes from that appreciation with the years of experience in teaching. If the artist mind has not begun to assert itself before business is attempted, business will be likely to absorb the teacher, and he stands the chance of never being an artist. One who combines scientific knowledge of voice culture and an understanding of the art of music is well equipped for entering the profession of teaching vocal music. Only such should enter it. With that as foundation, the experience of each year will make him a better teacher. Without that as foundation he will probably remain, vocally and musically, about where he was when he began. Financial success may come, but musical success never can.

EXPERIENCE.

A very good reason, but one which individuals can attend to, why we have so few artists among singers, is that so few take time to gain experience. There must be many appearances before audiences before the amateurishness is worn off. Singers often think, when they hear a noted singer, that they could do just as well as that and perhaps better, and yet they cannot get professional engagements. It may all be true, that they can do just as well as the artist, but in appearance and self-command they may be deficient. Experience cannot come in a day or a season. If it could what a crowd of singers would become noted. It takes much time—years of time. One cannot safely feel that he has had experience enough to place himself among the professional singers until he has appeared at least fifty times. How many of our readers have done that? Many visit the large cities and seek engagements who have great talent and have the probability of complete success in them, but who have had so little proper experience that their first appearance in the large city, would be a failure. Managers of experience perceive this state of affairs and refuse to give engagements on that account. Gain that appearance necessary to the artist by singing before public audiences everywhere, at church festivals, benefit concerts, parlor receptions, college recitals, anywhere where an audience can be entertained. Study your influence over your audience and learn how to so express your art in your voice and singing that your audiences are your subjects. Concert after concert must pass before you know your own power in song. Year after year will go bye, before it is safe to approach the critical audiences of large cities.

BEFORE AN AUDIENCE.