The Child-Voice in Singing Part 5

This vowel is often badly sung, and its form is none too favorable to good tone even when made as large as distinctness will allow. The lips must be drawn a little away from the teeth as in a smile, _but don't overdo it_, and the teeth slightly parted. The lips should not be drawn back, exposing the teeth and gums, nor should they be contracted and pressed against the teeth. In _e_ and in all vowel singing the lips should be relaxed, not contracted, and kept about as far from the teeth as they are in repose. If the opening of the mouth, that is, if the cavity back of the teeth is kept too small and narrow, the tone will be nasal and tw.a.n.gy. The mouth must be opened enough to permit purity of tone and free emission. The sound should verge toward _i_ in _it_.

_I._

This sound is _e_ broadened. The teeth may be a little farther apart than when _e_ is sung.

_E or EH._

This is the sound of _e_ in the word _get_. It is also the initial sound of the vowel _a_ or long _a_. It is true that this sound is not usually so given, but if _a_ is sung with this sound as its initial sound, and the one to be prolonged, the very best vocal results can be obtained.

The vowel _a_ is more often poorly sung than otherwise. This is, perhaps, for the reason that comparatively few singers recognize that long _a_ stands for two sounds, and that the first, which may be spelled _eh_, can be sung with large form and placed well forward in the mouth, while the second sound _e_ is small in form, and not adapted to the finest tone-effects. In singing this element, the jaw should drop much lower than for _i_ and nearly as low as for _ah_.

_a or AH._

This is the tone universally accepted as the best for voice-development; but in school-singing it is not permissible to use the voice except in the lightest manner, therefore purity of tone must content our ambitions; power can come later in life. The mouth opens widely for this tone and the whole throat is expanded.

_A? or AW._

This element is formed very much like _ah_. It is _ah_ broadened a little. The jaw drops to a lower point and the mouth-cavity deepens, while at the same time the extension from side to side narrows a little.

_O and OO._

These sounds are better adapted to securing the use of the thin voice, where pupils have been accustomed to the use of the thick voice, than any other vowel-element. The mouth is well opened back of the lips, which should not be puckered as if to whistle, but relaxed instead.

In actual practice there may be observed a tendency, more or less marked, but pretty sure to manifest itself if practice on one sound is continued too long at a time, to deviate from any one toward some other vowel-element, as _i_ to _e_, _eh_ to _i_, _ah_ to _er_ or _er_ or _uh_, _aw_ to _uh_, _o_ to _oo_.

If this tendency to deviate from the right tone be permitted, the most slovenly habits will be formed, and all distinctions in vowel-sound disappear. Vowel-practice had better be omitted from cla.s.s-work unless carefully and conscientiously taught.

If the course of music embraces drill upon scales, vowel-practice may be incorporated into the course easily. For instance, the drill outlined upon p. 70 may one day be given with _e_ for a few moments, then with _o_. On another day the drill may be upon _ah_, followed by _eh_, and so on. It is unnecessary to particularize. Every teacher will at once see how to apply practically vowel-singing to his music course. The exercises and songs may be sung with vowel-sounds. Nearly all books advise the use of _la_, _lo_, etc., in vocal exercises; but while that method of singing is un.o.bjectionable, the vocalization of solfeggii, it may be observed, is established by the sanction of time and the experience of thousands of voice-trainers the world over.

The advantages which flow from vocalizing exercises and songs on a single vowel-sound are too many to be described in a word. No supervisor or teacher of music can afford to use _do_, _re_, _mi_, exclusively.

Another cla.s.s of exercises is now suggested which may be sung upon one breath. They will be found especially adapted to develop flexibility and a ready adjustment of the movable parts of the vocal tube to the positions suited to the formation of the different vowel-sounds. If three sounds are used as here given, they must be sung quite slowly, the change from one sound to the next being made by a quick, easy change of position of the jaw, tongue, etc., but without interrupting the continuity of the tone.

Sufficient pause to obtain a new breath must be made at the end of each group, and the mouth opened properly for the production of the first sound of the next group before it is attacked. The time should be

[Music: f' f' f' {sung on o, e, o}]

quite slow and as in ill.u.s.tration, or the breath will not be used, and at each succeeding group of tones the lungs will become too full of air.

The attack will then be explosive, and the tone too loud, if, indeed, the effort to control the breath does not contract and pinch the throat.

Eight groups are given for ascending a scale and eight for descending:

o e o o e i o i o o e oo o ah o _o_ ah _e_ o eh o o ah eh o aw o o ah aw o e eh o ah i o e ah o ah oo o e aw o eh e

It will be observed that a certain system of arrangement of the vowel-elements is followed. First, there are five groups, of which _o_ is the first and last sound, the others being placed between. Then _o_ is the first tone with _e_ as the second, the other sounds in turn ending the group. Next _ah_ is the second sound, then _eh_, _i_, _oo_ and _ah_ might be used as the second vowel-element, making thirty-five combinations with _o_ as the initial sound of each group. The same number of combinations can be made with _ah_ as the first tone, and so on with each of the seven vowel-elements.

Sixteen of these groups, changed from time to time as may be desired, can be written upon the blackboard and sung by the cla.s.s in the way set forth, the teacher meanwhile keeping time for and directing the cla.s.s.

It may be observed in this connection, that, as the voice ascends in pitch, there is a tendency to blend the various vowel-sounds into one sound. As the tones grow higher the sound-waves are focused at higher points upon the hard-palate, the sounding-board of the resonance cavities, and more difficulty is experienced in moulding these sound-waves into the forms characteristic of the different vowel-elements. As the parts concerned in tone-formation gain in flexibility, the result appears in the ease with which the alterations in shape of the resonance tube are made at higher pitches.

Fads and devices which divert attention from the subject and r.e.t.a.r.d rather than accelerate the progress of pupils are common enough in schools, but the following simple ill.u.s.trations of different vowel-forms may be found useful:

[Ill.u.s.tration: {mouth shapes} e i eh {mouth shapes} ah aw o oo]

The base line represents the floor or base of the mouth-cavity, and the arch, the height and width of the mouth for each sound; the depth is not indicated. The width of the mouth from side to side is represented as greatest in _e_, _i_ and _eh_, while the height is greater in _ah_ and _aw_, _o_ is pictured as nearly round, and _oo_ the same, only small.

It is not contended that these diagrams picture the actual form a.s.sumed by the resonance cavities very accurately. The various positions which the tongue and the soft-palate a.s.sume are not shown at all, nor, perhaps, is it necessary; for if the pupil is taught to drop the lower jaw to the right position for each sound, and to keep the tongue p.r.o.ne in the mouth, a mental picture of each tone will be formed, and the thought will regulate the action. When the pupil can think the sound desired, the conditions for its formation will be met by the vocal organs. The usefulness of diagrams will then cease.

_Consonants and Articulation._

"Consonants are the bones of speech. By means of consonants we articulate our words; that is, we give them joints. We utter vowels, we articulate consonants. If we utter a single vowel-sound and interrupt it by a consonant, we get an articulation. Consonants, then, not only give speech its articulation or joints, but they help words to stand and have form, just as a skeleton keeps the animal from falling into a shapeless ma.s.s of flesh; therefore, consonants are the bones of speech. The consonant is the distinguis.h.i.+ng element of human speech. Man has been defined in various ways according to various attributes, functions and habits. He might well be called the consonant-using animal. He alone of all animals uses consonants. It is the consonant which makes the chief difference between the cries of beasts and the speech of man."

--_Richard Grant White_.

Consonants are not to be sung. The effort so common among singers to p.r.o.nounce, by sustaining consonant sounds, is entirely misdirected.

_M_, _n_ and _ng_, which are made by shutting off the escape of the air-current at either the lips or the hard-palate, and so forcing it through the nose, are often sustained to the detriment of beauty of tone and clear p.r.o.nunciation as well.

Articulation, which is the p.r.o.nunciation of a consonantal sound, is accomplished by interrupting the air-current, whether vibratory or not, at certain points. The interruptions are made by the meeting of the lips with each other or with the teeth, by the tongue with the teeth or hard-palate, and the root of the tongue with the soft-palate. The interruption may be complete, as in _p_ or _t_, or only partial, as in _th_. The sound of the consonant results from the slight explosion or puff which follows the recoil of the movable parts from the point of contact.

All consonants may for singing purposes be considered as preceding or following some vowel-sound. If preceding, then after the sound is made the vocal organs must be adjusted at once for the proper formation of the succeeding vowel. If the consonant sound follows a vowel-tone, the movement of the vocal organs to the interrupting point must be quick and vocalization at once cease; for if the vowel-sound is prolonged after the production of the consonant, the effect will be an added syllable to the word as _at-at-er_, _up-up-pah_, etc. The movements of the organs of speech for both contact and recoil must be more rapid in singing to produce distinct articulation than in spoken language.

Slovenly habits of articulation in speech will reappear in song, and the converse is also true. The study and practice of phonics, which is now general in schools, is of the highest practical importance in singing, as well as in reading or speaking. As consonant sounds cannot be sung, they are best taught in spoken language. The application of the knowledge and skill thus gained is readily applied to the p.r.o.nunciation of words in singing. If the vowel-elements have been carefully practiced in vocalizes, there will be little effort required to secure the correct formation of all the vowel-sounds of words.

The nasal tw.a.n.g must, however, be ruthlessly suppressed. As before suggested, this will frequently appear in words containing the sound of _a_ as in _at, past, fast_, etc. It is recommended that such words be sung with _a_ as in _father_, or if not quite as broadly, at least approaching the sound of _ah_.

If the movements of the vocal organs are quick, flexible and without muscular tension or stiffness, and if the mouth opens neither too much nor too little for each vowel-sound, words may be sung and understood while beauty of tone is not sacrificed.

CHAPTER VII.

MUTATION OF THE VOICE.

The anatomical and physiological changes which occur in the larynx at p.u.b.erty have been described in the chapter on "Physiology of the Voice."

It may be added that at this period the resonance cavities also undergo considerable alteration in size and form.

As childhood is left behind the individual emerges. Divergences in face, in form and in mental characteristics become emphasized. The traits of race and family are manifested and self-consciousness becomes more acute. This period of development, bringing as it does so much disturbance to the vocal organs, is particularly inimical to singing; and yet public school music is expected to produce its most elaborate results in those grades where the pupils are just about to enter, or are pa.s.sing through this period of rapid growth and change. The singing in such grades may be discussed with reference first to the singing of girls and then to that of boys.

The vocal organs of girls often develop so gradually in size, and with so little congestion of the laryngeal substance, that no aversion is manifested to singing. In other cases the inflamed condition of the vocal organs is shown by the hoa.r.s.eness which follows their use, and the huskiness of the singing-tone. The voices of nearly all during the mutation period show more volume of tone on the lower tones and evidences of strain at the higher tones.

It is a good plan to put girls who show throat-weakness, characteristic of their age, upon that part which requires only a medium range of tones, and to repress all inclination to force and push the voice. The desire which girls often express to sing the upper soprano need not affect the teacher to any great extent. A mult.i.tude of strong and constantly-s.h.i.+fting ambitions are thronging through their minds. Some wish to sing the highest part because it seems to them to be the most prominent part; some wish to sing it because they can do so with the least mental effort, and so on. These whims and wishes must be treated tactfully, but if the teacher is sure that a certain course is right, there is no alternative but to carry it out, with as little friction as may be. Large voices, that is, voices that proceed from large resonance cavities, are often badly strained at this period of life by too loud and too high singing. It must not for a moment be forgotten that the age is a critical one for vocal effort, and a strain that the adult woman's voice will endure with apparent impunity may produce lasting evil effects on the voice of a girl of from fourteen to sixteen years of age.

If the requirements of the music are such that pitches above F, the fifth line G clef, must be occasionally sung, let the voices upon the part sing lightly. If some of the girls are put upon the lower of three parts, do not let them use the chest-voice, which is just beginning to develop, otherwise than lightly also.