from the ,google ,print project47 ,illustration3 image of ,millie ,ryan ,what ,every ,singer ,should ,know ,illustration3 music-harp ,published by ,,franklin ,,publishing ,,co4 ,,omaha1 ,,nebr4 ,copyrighted #aiaj by ,,millie ,,ryan ,,dedication4 ,i ,,lovingly ,,dedicate ,,this ,,book ,,to ,,my ,,son1 ,,edward ,,ryan1 ,,jr4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents4 ,is it ,worth ,my ,while to ,have ,my ,voice ,cultivated #a ,can ,i ,become a ,grand ,opera ,singer8 #h ,at ,what ,age ,shall ,i ,take ,up the ,study of ,voice ,culture8 #ab ,singing ,lessons as a ,health ,culture #bc ,advice to ,parents #be ,is it ,necessary to go ,abroad to ,study8 #bh ,chorus ,singing #cd ,stage ,fright #cf ,the ,accompanist #db ,selecting a ,teacher #de ,art for ,art's ,sake #eb ,educating the ,masses #eg ,hints and ,helps #fd ,what and ,how to ,practice #gc ,the ,breath #hc ,a ,few ,practical ,exercises and ,illustrations #hh ,,introduction4 ,this book is not for the purpose of instruction in singing1 as singing is an art which cannot be taught from book or correspondence4 ,neither is it a technical treatise on the voice1 but instead ,i aim through the medium of my book to have a heart-to-heart talk with the beginner1 and with those who contemplate the study of voice culture4 ,books abounding in technical terms are valueless to a beginner1 and the finished artist does not need such a book4 ,there are many valuable books published1 but very few which are written in a manner simple enough for the beginner to grasp4 ,i wish to give all the valuable hints and helps that it has taken years of experience to gather1 covering all the questions that are absolutely necessary to know1 making it brief1 simple and understandable4 ,illustration3 ,,madame ,,lillian ,,nordica ,who is carrying out her plans of establishing a conservatory of music and festival house for operatic performances1 at ,neal1 ,n4,j4 ,mme4 ,nordica says3 ,i am confident that there is a crying need in this country for this sort of musical establishment4 ,present conditions make it impossible to enable the public to enjoy opera in ,english or to hear the singing of that great host of talented ,americans who are forced to address their efforts to ,european audiences4 ,,is ,,it ,,worth ,,my ,,while ,,to ,,have ,,my ,,voice ,,cultivated8 ,the first question which arises with all those who possess an average singing voice is1 ,will it pay me to study voice culture8 ,the answer may be found in the following3 ,if you possess a good voice1 do not hesitate a moment to cultivate it1 regarding it as the most beautiful gift granted you by ,heaven4--,schumann4 ,but1 says the applicant1 ,i must make my own living4 ,have ,i enough material to cultivate and be able to realize returns8 ,this depends entirely on yourself and what your ambitions are4 ,there is a great field in music1 and if you have ear1 voice1 and talent1 ,,study4 ,and1 if in addition to these you have ambition1 determination and application1 you are sure of success4 ,what your field of operation will be1 whether church1 concert or opera1 time will decide4 ,the power to win is yours--determine to succeed and you cannot fail4 ,in order to make a success of anything1 you must give it your undivided attention1 and while doing so1 your aim must be fixed constantly on the goal which you desire to attain4 ,rome was not built in one day1 neither can the elementary training of a voice be accomplished in a year4 ,if you are in good health1 you must never allow the warm days of summer to be an obstacle to your practice4 ,can you imagine the successful banker1 rising young doctor1 lawyer or actor stopping their work because of a warm day8 ,there may be some who do1 but they are not the ones who are successful4 ,when you hear a great singer1 think of the obstacles she must have overcome in reaching her position of excellence4 ,never doubt yourself or your ability1 but say that what determination and application have done for others can be done for me4 ,you must have confidence in yourself if you want others to have confidence in you4 ,never lose your temper4 ,adeline ,patti was asked how she preserved her charm long after the springtime of youth deserts the average woman4 ,she replied1 ,i keep my temper4 ,don't expect to grasp1 assimilate and put into practice in one lesson what it has taken years for your teacher to accomplish4 ,i remember one pupil who said her purse would not allow anything better than a hall room in ,new ,york for a whole winter's study1 and that she really had no chance to practice1 as her room was too small4 ,this was a very poor excuse1 as that was merely one obstacle to be overcome4 ,the artists who have reached the top are those who have had innumerable obstacles to overcome4 ,in ,switzerland1 over a little barber shop1 in a room so small that there was not room for two chairs in addition to the piano1 ,madame ,nordica1 with ,madame ,cosima ,wagner1 and a coacher1 practiced daily4 ,the following winter she won one of the successes of her career1 as ,isolde4 ,to reach the top in the profession1 you must have more than voice and application1 for a singer may have the greatest of technique1 yet lack soul and intelligence4 ,the latter two you must possess1 as these the teacher is unable to give you4 ,the beginner1 in singing1 needs a model to imitate1 just as much as the painter or sculptor4 ,everything is imitation until you develop in your work2 your individuality will assert itself as you become proficient4 ,do not allow anyone to frighten you by telling you never imitate or you will simply be a parrot4 ,only the very poor teacher who knows her own weakness as a model would make such an assertion4 ,if the beginner is fortunate enough to secure a teacher who can demonstrate a perfect tone1 do not be afraid to imitate4 ,in order to fully interpret the emotions it is necessary to have knowledge outside of the singing lesson4 ,it is for this reason that singers seldom reach the stage of artist until they are pretty well advanced in years4 ,it is not how many lessons you take1 but the gradual development1 which you attain through experience4 ,you must feel the heartbeats of others1 must know intimately joy1 pain and sorrow in order to fully express these emotions4 ,there is no rule of right and wrong in the interpretation of a song1 it being simply a matter of opinion4 ,that is where the individuality asserts itself4 ,i remember taking the old warhorse1 ,una ,voce ,poco ,fa1 from ,il ,barbiere 7,rossini7 to three of the greatest living singing masters in ,italy4 ,each one interpreted the aria a little differently1 and ,i am positive each thought he was the nearest to the composer's idea4 ,which one was correct8 ,when you sing you are delivering a message1 and you must make your audience understand and feel it1 as it is our 'feelings' above all that are immediately affected by music4--,von ,weber4 ,do not be too anxious to realize financially4 ,consider that ,wagner's salary as choir-master in the city of ,warsaw was less than #ab4jj a month4 ,the great drawback to many of the students in ,america is the desire to work on the surface only--they don't seem willing to start at the beginning and work their way up4 ,the matter of studying voice culture for a year does not make it possible for the singer to step before an audience and attain immediate success without other preparation4 ,it takes more than the studio to make a star4 ,no artist ever began as a master4 ,in addition to being a singer1 you must possess talent1 character and the ability to manage4 ,if there is one of these qualities lacking1 you must remain only an artist4 ,it takes all three in accord to produce a ,,star4 ,,can ,i ,,become ,a ,,grand ,,opera ,,singer8 ,the average teacher1 in fact1 most teachers1 will say1 ,yes1 if you study1 but this is not true1 as you have only about one chance in a thousand4 ,have you any idea of the requirements necessary in order to become a star of the ,metropolitan ,opera ,company8 ,you must have a fine voice1 a big voice1 a voice of great power and endurance1 fine enunciation1 clear and correct pronunciation1 knowledge of the modern languages1 have at least twenty-five operas committed to memory1 fine dramatic ability1 good physique1 size1 personality and pull4 ,and you must also be on the other side of the ocean to accept the engagement2 and then1 your acceptance by a director to star is about as difficult as an audience with a king4 ,illustration3 ,,albert ,,mildenberg ,the well known composer who has enaugerated a plan to establish ,municipal ,grand ,opera in ,new ,york ,city4 ,mr4 ,mildenberg's experience as conductor in the ,municipal ,opera ,houses in ,france and ,italy has fitted him well for this laudable undertaking which will pave the way for the training and placing of many talented pupils in this country1 who have heretofore been compelled to go abroad in order to secure positions on the ,grand ,opera ,stage4 ,there is no reason why a person with voice and talent who has to make his own living1 could not do so after several years of study4 ,i have over one hundred pupils who are making a good living by singing1 and as many more holding church positions paying them enough to enable them to continue their studies4 ,show me a pupil who has to make his own living1 and who has studied with one teacher for eight or nine years and is not making his living by singing1 and you are showing me one who never will4 ,there is1 of course1 no end to the study of voice culture4 ,i have studied more or less for over twenty years and am still studying1 but if you have to make your own living1 secure whatever position may be open to you4 ,the church or concert position is equally valuable as the opera4 ,in ,europe1 where you hear grand opera all the year around1 it becomes a second nature1 but here in our western cities1 until recently1 grand opera was almost unknown2 two or three performances a year was about all we could hope for4 ,this was not enough to thoroughly acquaint the people with the operas1 and not enough to create a demand4 ,in a western city of #bjj1jjj inhabitants where five years ago it was impossible to draw an audience of a hundred persons unless heralded by spectacular advertising1 ,i had the pleasure of witnessing this year ,standing ,room ,only during the performance of the dear old operas1 ,il ,trovatore1 ,faust and ,carmen4 ,the operas that the people have become acquainted with through the phonographs1 the orchestras and the grand opera study clubs1 organized by the more up-to-date teachers4 ,mr4 ,albert ,mildenberg is taking up a most commendable work1 that of establishing the municipal grand opera in ,new ,york ,city2 he will eventually succeed1 and1 with ,herr ,andreas ,dippel organizing permanent grand opera in the larger cities west of ,new ,york1 it will not be long before the grand opera positions will be plentiful4 ,within the next year1 through the efforts of ,victor ,maurel1 the grand opera sung in ,english will also gain ground1 and divide honors with the ,french1 ,german and ,italian1 giving those who have not studied the foreign languages1 but who are otherwise prepared1 a chance for positions on the grand opera stage4 ,some cranks insist that the days of the old ,italian opera1 with its arias and glorious coloratura work1 are passing in order to give place for the new music drama4 ,this is not correct1 and will not be possible as long as there are excellent singers who can sing these operas4 ,we have room for both the grand opera and the music drama4 ,to be an artist is the aim the student has in view1 and study is the means to that end4 ,,at ,,what ,,age ,,shall ,i ,,take ,,up ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,voice ,,culture8 ,mrs4 ,l4 and her #ae-year-old daughter called at my studio4 ,the mother explained that her little girl had been leading the singing in school ever since she was eleven years old1 but that her voice was not as good as it used to be1 and that she would like to have her study1 but thought she was too young4 ,i tried the girl's voice and found two registers used so differently that a person sitting in the next room would think they were listening to two persons singing4 ,she had a terrible break between the chest and head tones1 and for four years had been developing in this bad way of singing4 ,now1 this child should either have taken up voice culture at eleven years of age or not lead the singing in school4 ,children1 with very few exceptions1 in going from chest to head tones1 will sing with the throat1 not understanding how to make the change1 or rather how to place the tone2 in this way producing a break1 which later in life1 when they take up voice culture1 will cause endless1 and in some cases1 permanent trouble4 ,i know of many children who sing at entertainments1 school1 church1 etc41 and you will hear their parents say1 ,scarcely a week passes that my daughter does not sing at some entertainment4 ,if she were a little older1 we would have her take up voice culture4 ,now1 if your daughter is old enough to sing at entertainments1 she is old enough to study4 ,either do not let her sing1 or put her under the care of a good teacher4 ,how shall ,i know if she is under proper instruction8 ,a good teacher will1 first of all1 not allow her to sing at the top of her voice1 which all children seem to delight in doing4 ,a good teacher will not develop on the extreme high or extreme low tones4 ,a good teacher will even up the medium register1 teach her how to use the breath on the tone1 how to place the tone1 overcoming all seeming change from chest to head1 will give her perfect pronunciation and enunciation4 ,this can be done at any age from eleven years1 depending on the individual4 ,a girl who has good ear1 and who does not lead the singing in school at eleven and sing at entertainments1 can begin at sixteen or seventeen and develop into a very fine singer4 ,should my son take up voice culture before his voice has changed8 ,this case is just the same as with the girl1 if he sings4 ,in fact1 ,i have found in my twenty years' experience as singer and teacher that the boy who studies voice culture before his voice changes has an easy road to travel after his voice has changed4 ,many boys' voices have not finished changing until they are eighteen or nineteen years of age4 ,the boy who studied before his voice began changing understands the breath control1 the placing of the tone1 and the pronunciation and enunciation4 ,these four fundamentals are absolutely necessary in order to sing well2 and whether his voice1 after the change1 develops into tenor or bass1 these fundamentals remain the same1 and enable him to continue1 instead of merely begin4 ,the boy1 who has studied1 or is under a good instructor1 will know when to stop singing4 ,i have known many boys with promising voices1 who have ruined them entirely by singing or trying to sing during the change4 ,but they were not boys who were under instruction1 or they would have known better4 ,i do not claim that it is necessary to begin the study of voice culture as a child1 as this is entirely a matter of the individual1 but ,i do claim that you can count on one hand the singers who have reached distinction and whose voices have lasted any length of time1 who started their singing lessons after they were out of their teens4 ,i have pupils who are making a good living as church soloists and on the concert stage1 who commenced their study after they were twenty years old1 but they are the exception1 and not the rule4 ,i think a woman has the greatest success in teaching children4 ,this may be partly due to her maternal instincts4 ,her illustrations and demonstrations are more simple than a man's4 ,her patience with children also fits her wonderfully well to teach the child4 ,you can accomplish nothing with the voice through fear4 ,if the young boy or girl loves the work1 looks forward to the lessons1 they cannot fail in whatever they undertake4 ,to satisfy those who disagree with me in regard to the value of early study1 ,i would ask them to read the lives of the great singers1 and they will find that with very few exceptions they took up the study of voice culture before and during their early teens4 ,space forbids me to give a complete list4 ,however1 for the benefit of those who have no access to the biographies of the singers1 ,i will select the names that ,i am sure you are familiar with1 beginning at #agdj1 and down to the present time3 ,malibran1 one of the world's most famous singers1 at the age of seven was studying ,solfeggio with ,panseron at ,naples1 ,italy1 and made her debut in grand opera in her fifteenth year4 ,pesaroni made her grand opera debut at sixteen1 and twenty-five years later we find her still one of the leading grand opera singers4 ,teresa ,titjens made her debut in grand opera at the age of fifteen4 ,pauline ,lucca was singing at thirteen1 and made her debut at the age of sixteen4 ,kellog made her debut as ,gilda in ,rigoletto at the age of eighteen4 ,minnie ,hauk took up voice study at the age of twelve1 and was singing in grand opera during her seventeenth year4 ,christine ,nilson1 as a child1 sang on the streets1 was placed under an instructor1 and six months later sang at ,court4 ,albini1 during her twenty-second year1 was engaged by the ,royal ,italian ,grand ,opera at ,covent ,garden1 to sing the leading roles of the grand opera4 ,scalchi studied while a mere child1 and made her grand opera debut at the age of sixteen4 ,melba made her debut in grand opera when she was twenty-two years of age4 ,nevada sang in public at the age of six1 and has been singing ever since4 ,patti made a three-year concert tour under the direction of ,strakosh1 between the ages of eight and eleven1 and made her grand opera debut at nineteen4 ,nordica made her debut at fifteen1 and is still one of the greatest and loveliest of our singers4 ,sembrich sang solos in church when she could scarcely see over the railing1 and was in grand opera at the age of twenty4 ,you may have doubts as to the art of singing of those whom you have read about1 but ,i am sure you have heard at least ,scalchi1 ,melba1 ,patti1 ,nordica and ,sembrich1 and you can have no doubt as to their being classed both as singers and artists4 ,it is needless to say that these people must have studied these operas in order to sing them1 and when you take into consideration that they were not music dramas that require really more proficiency in acting than in singing1 but the ,italian operas1 requiring most perfect coloratura work1 and the ,wagner operas1 demanding heavy dramatic singing1 ,i think you must be convinced that if early study were injurious to the voice1 these great songsters would not be living examples of my assertion4 ,someone will say1 ,this may be the case with women1 but what of the men8 ,we find the great ,german tenor1 ,albert ,nieman1 singing the grand opera roles at eighteen4 ,heinrich ,vogl1 styled the ,interpreter of ,wagner1 sang these opera roles at the age of twenty4 ,italo ,campanini was singing in grand opera at twenty-one4 ,guilliam ,ibos1 the grand ,french tenor1 and ,van ,dyck1 were both singing the grand opera roles at the age of twenty-two4 ,jean de ,reszke was soloist at the cathedral at ,warsaw at the age of twelve1 and was singing in grand opera at twenty-two4 ,i am sure many of you have heard him sing after his forty-fifth year1 and will not deny that he is both singer and artist4 ,then ,i hear someone say1 ,perhaps their voices did not change1 as they were tenors4 ,there is some change at maturity in all voices4 ,very well1 what about ,victor ,maurel8 ,he was singing the grand opera roles at twenty-one4 ,jean ,baptiste ,faure took up the study of the voice at thirteen1 and at twenty-two created the part of ,mephistopheles in ,faust4 ,these men and women1 whose names stand out as brilliant stars in the firmament of music1 studied and sang before and in their early teens1 and these are the voices that have been everlasting4 ,within the past six or eight years some beautiful singers have appeared in the grand opera--one tenor who claims to have studied less than six months before he appeared in grand opera1 and a soprano1 making the same claim1 and this study is supposed to have taken place after they were out of their teens4 ,it will be of interest to wait and watch these voices to see if they will withstand the wear of twenty-five years' service1 and still be beautiful1 or like the fire-fly1 radiate their beautiful light but for a moment and then disappear4 ,,singing ,,lessons ,,as ,a ,,health ,,culture4 ,i should like to take up the study of voice culture1 but am not very strong4 ,that is the very reason you should take up singing4 ,i have seen anmic girls take up the study of voice culture1 and at the end of one year's study develop perfect breathing1 a fine full chest1 rosy lips1 warm hands1 an elegant digestion1 and a good disposition4 ,there is no tonic for the nerves equal to voice culture4 ,at one of the large sanitariums where eight hundred and five patients were suffering from tuberculosis1 there was but one who had been a singer4 ,the nasal breathing prevents adenoids from developing4 ,the deep respiration oxygenates the blood and gives us power to resist diseases4 ,we stand and walk better4 ,we derive unusual pleasure for ourselves1 with the power to entertain others4 ,as the study is unlimited1 our interest cannot fail to increase with each year4 ,it fills our lives as nothing else can do4 ,though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive1 even the smallest task in music is so absorbing and carries us so far away from town1 country and earth1 and all earthly things that it is truly a blessed gift of ,god4--,mendelsohn4 ,it is a fact that more people become patients through boredom than through fever4 ,it is the monotony of the daily routine and lack of interest which is the root of most of the illness and nerves of our present day young women4 ,try the study of voice culture as an interesting and permanent remedy4 ,the cause of musical indigestion is the attending of concerts where one is compelled to listen to singing or playing1 which is poorly executed or too far beyond one to be properly understood4 ,,advice ,,to ,,parents4 ,parents should encourage their children who are taking up the study of voice culture1 as home encouragement is necessary to children4 ,i know that parents are inclined to think that when they pay for the music lessons1 nothing further should be expected of them4 ,but this is positively a wrong idea4 ,do not make the great mistake of forcing your children too soon upon the public4 ,many excellent young voices have been ruined in this manner4 ,a child eleven years of age was brought to my studio4 ,she had ear1 voice and talent1 but was almost sung out4 ,she had a bad break in her voice1 and performed the most unusual contortions in taking a tone1 produced by pushing the throat4 ,the mother assured me that everybody thought she sang just grand4 ,she was to sing at an entertainment in a month1 and they thought a few lessons in voice culture would be of great value4 ,it took an hour of my valuable time to convince them that she must not sing at present1 as it was positively necessary to overcome the break in her voice1 keep her from singing too much1 and cure her audible breathing4 ,they finally arranged for her instruction1 but made semi-monthly trips during three months to ascertain if she was ready to sing in public1 and left with the remark that they knew of many teachers who would be glad to have her sing for them as an advertisement4 ,even the child was disappointed1 as undoubtedly she heard nothing but this at home4 ,parents should be sensible enough to remember that their little girl cannot finish school in three months1 that their son cannot go through college in three months1 and that they cannot learn to play the piano in three months4 ,that she is young and people will not expect much is not an excuse4 ,the public judge by what they see and hear and not by what she may be able to accomplish if she is given time4 ,how often we have heard father say1 ,johnny1 go and play a piece for the company4 ,poor ,johnny would rather take a licking4 ,he knows he is not ready to play for company1 but father says1 ,here ,i have been paying for ,johnny's piano lessons and ,mary's singing lessons for nearly three months1 and ,i haven't heard a song or piece yet4 ,if they are not learning anything1 they had better quit taking lessons4 ,and poor ,johnny and ,mary inflict on the company what might be expected after only three months of training4 ,parents1 select a reputable teacher--the highest priced is often the cheapest in the end4 ,when you know that they are under perfect instruction1 leave it to the teacher as to when they should play or sing in public1 and you will find that just as soon as they are able1 the teacher will be as anxious and pleased as yourself to have them appear4 ,,is ,,it ,,necessary ,,to ,,go ,,abroad ,,to ,,study8 ,this1 of course1 depends entirely upon your ambition4 ,there are very few ,american singers who have reached positions on the grand opera stage without having previously studied abroad4 ,it is well in any case to get your preliminary training at home4 ,for tone placing and singing you can do equally as well in this country as abroad1 as we have excellent teachers here from all parts of the globe4 ,i would advise the boy or girl who has a good home and lives in a community where it is possible to get proper instruction to take their first two or three years of work in this country4 ,take up the study of languages and if your progress warrants your making a life work of music1 then ,i would suggest that you go to ,europe in order to get the broadening and the finishing touches that are necessary in order to become an artist4 ,illustration3 ,,victor ,,maurel ,the noted baritone for whom ,verdi composed ,otello and ,falstaff1 thinks that ,americans are as much entitled to hear their language at the ,opera ,houses as the ,german1 ,french and ,italians4 ,to further this project he will include opera in ,english during his present ,grand ,opera season in ,new ,york ,city4 ,mr4 ,maurel also believes strongly in giving young ,american artists of real promise1 an occasion to make their dbut in this country and under favorable artistic patronage and he is going to give them a chance to do so4 ,for your ,german songs and operas you should go to ,germany4 ,for the ,italian operas to ,italy1 where it is possible for you to live in the atmosphere of the opera and hear the language every day4 ,the same also applies to the ,french1 who1 of all people insist emphatically on perfect diction4 ,you can1 of course1 take up and to some extent learn the languages here1 but you are liable to meet with the same disappointment as a young lady from the west who studied ,french in school for several years and thought herself proficient in that language4 ,she went to ,paris to study music and it was fully six months before she was able to either understand or to be understood in common1 every-day conversation4 ,i am in favor of the class lessons so popular in ,europe1 and hope some day we will be able to make them universal4 ,ten or twelve pupils assemble at one time and each takes his lesson in turn4 ,in this way each gets the benefit of the other lessons4 ,this also enables the pupils to become accustomed to singing before each other1 which is invaluable in overcoming nervousness4 ,some pupils desire to take their lessons in private1 as they do not care to sing before a class4 ,this feeling will gradually disappear and it is much better to have it over with in the beginning1 than later when you are expected to go before a critic or manager to sing4 ,the expense of studying abroad may be adjusted entirely according to your pocketbook4 ,when anyone tells you it is cheaper to study on the other side1 they display their ignorance of the subject4 ,i have studied in this country1 ,germany1 ,france and ,italy1 and ,i have found that1 including everything1 it costs about the same everywhere4 ,you can secure board and room from five dollars a week up to any price you wish to pay4 ,it is also possible to live cheaper than this if necessary1 but for the student of singing it is of great importance to eat good1 nourishing food1 as it is impossible to sing well unless you are in excellent condition physically4 ,several of the old ,italian music masters do not hesitate to say that it is the ,american with the large purse who has forced them to raise their prices1 when they were perfectly satisfied to charge much less4 ,miss ,moneybag arrives in ,italy to take up voice culture4 ,she calls on one of the old masters2 he asks her seventeen lire 7about #c4jj7 per lesson4 ,this sounds cheap to her as she has been paying #e4jj a lesson at home1 so she starts out again looking for a higher-priced teacher4 ,she finds one who has had a little more experience with the ,americans1 he sizes her up and asks her thirty-five lira2 this sounds more in accordance with her pocketbook1 and she lists for the season4 ,this sizing up of the ,american pocketbook has been going on for some time and the old ,maestro who was perfectly satisfied with #c4jj is waking to the fact that if he wants these ,americans he must raise his prices4 ,and so we find at present1 lessons costing about the same the world over4 ,however1 when ,miss ,small ,pocketbook and real talent arrives1 she can always arrange terms in accordance with her pocketbook1 when she proves she is there to accomplish results4 ,this is not merely hearsay1 but facts gathered in my interviews with some of the most noted singing-masters4 ,if you intend to go into the grand opera it is advisable to go abroad1 as it gives you the prestige which is necessary at present1 in order to secure these positions of which we have a fair illustration in the case of a beautiful mezzo soprano who had been singing with the ,english ,grand ,opera ,company1 and though in every way qualified to sing with the ,metropolitan ,grand ,opera ,company1 was unable to secure an engagement with them4 ,she went abroad1 changed her name1 and returned the following season as one of the ,metropolitan ,grand ,opera stars1 and is still one of the favorites in that company4 ,this seems rather inconsistent1 but is nevertheless true4 ,if you are fortunate enough to make your debut abroad you will have practically no trouble in securing a position with any manager on this side of the ocean4 ,,chorus ,,singing4 ,it is of great value to the singer to belong to a good chorus1 provided you know enough not to attempt to be the whole chorus yourself1 and are willing to give the others a chance4 ,to be a success in the chorus you must observe the following rules3 ,be punctual4 ,stand erect1 and on both feet4 ,let your chest lead4 ,make yourself a part of the chorus4 ,this is not a solo4 ,don't annoy those around you by wiggling or fidgeting4 ,rise and sit down in unison with the others4 ,do not look all over the place1 but keep your eyes on the conductor4 ,do not cover your face with your music4 ,remember it is the conductor's duty to beat time4 ,keep head1 arms and feet still4 ,do not try to sing louder than the others4 ,you will not be heard any better and will strain your voice4 ,remember to hold the long note for its full count4 ,time and rhythm are the two great factors in chorus singing4 ,remember that rests are of as great importance as notes in music4 ,do not start before or hang on after the others have ceased to sing4 ,do not fail to slightly accentuate the first beat of each measure except where accents are especially marked on other beats4 ,don't look bored because you must stand up to sing4 ,determine whether you are going to be too tired to do your part before becoming a member of a chorus4 ,keep your eyes on the conductor4 ,,stage ,,fright4 ,i have never met a singer1 amateur or professional1 who does not or has not at some time suffered from this dreadful malady4 ,there is no positive cure but constantly appearing before an audience1 and then some of the singers never overcome this form of nervousness4 ,the only consolation is in knowing that a person entirely void of this feeling will never make an artist1 as they are lacking in temperament4 ,emotion is the flesh and blood of music and the condition is one in which self-consciousness1 nervous energy and emotion play a large part4 ,however1 as you gain confidence in yourself and your work1 and feel that you are in rapport with your audience1 this sensation will wear off to a great extent4 ,very few children before their teens are troubled with stage fright4 ,in fact1 they seem to glory in appearing before an audience4 ,this is the best time to continue the work that will be of inestimable value the balance of their lives4 ,let them appear before the classes in the studio until they are prepared to appear in public4 ,when one begins to discuss nervousness1 suggestion takes it up and it spreads like wildfire4 ,a young singer who had appeared several times in the same solo and done excellent work was stepping on the stage to sing when one of her friends thoughtlessly remarked3 ,aren't you nervous about that high ',c8' ,the suggestion immediately lodged in her brain and she could think of nothing but that high ,c4 ,her fear increased and she sang it with an almost heroic physical effort1 a tone that had never given her the least trouble before4 ,it is the confident friend who helps you to win your audience by the encouraging remark1 ,i know you will be a success1 while the one who asks1 ,aren't you afraid you are going to break down8 in reality will assist you in doing so4 ,always try and have the confident friends around you1 especially in the earlier stage of your career4 ,there is an erroneous idea about not eating before singing4 ,if you are nervous there is nothing so dangerous as trying to sing on an empty stomach4 ,i know of singers who eat nothing on the day they are going to sing1 the result being increased nervousness caused from weakness4 ,i would not advise a big meal before singing1 but ,i would advise taking something1 depending entirely on the individual4 ,a cup of black coffee1 a glass of water1 a glass of claret1 an orange1 a raw egg1 or anything that agrees with you4 ,give the stomach some work to do and that giddy feeling will entirely disappear4 ,i always take a raw egg before singing4 ,one of our noted tenors1 before walking out on the stage1 lights a cigarette1 takes three puffs and throws it away4 ,three puffs could be of very little value1 but he imagines he sings better4 ,judging from his age and voice1 and its endurance1 it has evidently not injured him1 though ,i would not advise singers to use tobacco4 ,those suffering from phlegm in the throat will find almost instant relief in eating a dry prune4 ,i acquired this habit in ,italy1 where it is very popular with the singers4 ,dried prunes are beneficial for the general health as well as the throat4 ,find what agrees with you1 for what might be agreeable to one may be disagreeable to another4 ,when you step out on the stage take time to fully relax1 get your mind on the introduction your accompanist is playing4 ,this prepares you for your song4 ,look beyond your audience1 not at them4 ,by this time you will have fairly good control of yourself4 ,think of what you are going to sing1 and not of how you are feeling4 ,sing to your audience as if you were telling them a story4 ,speak distinctly and make them understand and feel what you are saying4 ,don't wear anything that binds you1 such as tight shoes1 tight corsets or tight collars1 as they all tend to contract instead of relax4 ,it is through nervousness that singers have wobbled off the stage after their solo1 before the accompanist has finished4 ,remember in the interval between the end of your solo and the last note of the accompaniment you should stand perfectly still4 ,say to your audience 7mentally71 ,don't move until the accompaniment is finished4 ,you will be surprised to see how well you can hold them4 ,all these little thoughts will help make you forget yourself4 ,i once read an article on stage fright4 ,the author advised the singer to look at his audience as though they were so many cabbage heads4 ,i cannot agree with him4 ,you1 no doubt1 have heard people sing as though they were inspired4 ,i have felt that way many times when singing1 and ,i am sure my audience inspired me4 ,it would have been impossible to sing like that to empty chairs or a field of cabbage heads4 ,analyze yourself and your work as much as you please at home1 but when you go before an audience1 forget yourself and let your aim be to win them4 ,,the ,,accompanist4 ,i find that only about one in every hundred1 who study voice culture1 are able to accompany themselves on the piano4 ,nearly all know the keyboard and can get along after a fashion1 therefore it is necessary that the student of voice culture should secure a first-class accompanist4 ,your voice teacher here1 or abroad1 is always in a position to furnish you with one4 ,you must arrange for his services at least twice a week4 ,you can have no idea of the progress this will mean in your work4 ,if you are asked to sing at an entertainment1 do not take anyone's word that there will be a good accompanist on hand1 but see to it yourself4 ,if it is not possible for you to have your own accompanist1 be sure that you have ample time for rehearsal1 and if the accompanist present is not a good one1 do not sing4 ,a poor accompanist has been the cause of the failure of many young singers who are anxious to get before the public4 ,the young and inexperienced singer cannot be too particular on this point1 and ,i would suggest that amateurs during their first few appearances before the public sing only with an accompanist with whom they have become accustomed to sing4 ,all young singers are more or less nervous2 in fact1 ,i know very few old ones who are not1 and this is where your own accompanist proves of the greatest value4 ,one of my pupils who made her debut said1 ,i had a sensation as of a lump in my throat1 and felt that at the end of the pause ,i must swallow or choke4 ,my accompanist had played for me before and seemed to anticipate my predicament1 so gave me a little more time on that 'pause' and ,i was saved4 ,with a strange accompanist1 ,i would have gone to pieces4 ,because a singer is an amateur1 their parents and friends seem to think that anyone can play their accompaniments4 ,the truth of the matter is1 the less experienced the singer1 the better the accompanist must be4 ,good accompanists are born1 not made4 ,to be sure1 practice makes perfect1 but ,i know of many fine pianists who read well1 have time1 rhythm1 technique1 execution1 and yet who will never make good accompanists4 ,it takes all of these and more4 ,nothing makes failure more certain than the blundering of an inexperienced and unskilled accompanist4 ,,selecting ,a ,,teacher4 ,it is not always that the best read man on voice culture makes the best teacher2 in fact1 we find that teachers1 who have not been singers themselves1 but who have devoted years to the study of the physical and technical side of the question have turned out very few good singers4 ,in order to make a good teacher1 one must first have command of his own voice in order to make perfect demonstrations which are essential to the beginner4 ,further1 a teacher in order to be successful must have practical experience with the world and singers4 ,no two voices can be treated in the same manner4 ,therefore1 the teacher with the practical experience is naturally far better equipped to teach than the one who has merely studied the mechanism of the throat4 ,it is positively harmful for a teacher to make any attempt to explain the technical side of the voice to a beginner4 ,better develop the ear and memory4 ,a teacher must have patience and tact in order to be able to deal with the different natures1 dispositions and moods that are encountered in the studio4 ,one word of kindness and encouragement will invariably do more toward putting a pupil at his ease and secure the best results from his work than any number of severe sermons and sarcastic criticisms4 ,the pupils are paying for their lessons and are entitled to courteous treatment4 ,avoid the nervous1 irritable teacher4 ,the teacher who becomes impatient or ruffled because a pupil cannot instantly grasp his meaning1 walking up and down the floor with clenched fists chastising the air1 and in every way displaying his own nerves and lack of self-control1 is not a teacher1 but a fool4 ,such a person has either forgotten his own earlier struggles or had never studied4 ,avoid the teacher with a hobby4 ,there is nothing so barren in the world as one idea1 spring from one idea1 nourished by one idea and aiming at one idea4 ,this includes the teacher who believes in keeping the pupil on one tone for six months4 ,while your tone needs more than six months to become perfect1 dwelling on that one tone alone for that length of time would be decidedly wrong4 ,we frequently accept students who have acquired numerous bad habits in breathing or singing4 ,they often know their trouble and ask how long it will take to undo this work and get back into the right way4 ,they seem to think it is a matter of a certain time working back to the beginning and then starting over again4 ,this is not true4 ,it is a matter of beginning now and beginning right4 ,the thoughts of a pupil should be advance1 not retreat4 ,you must not think of what you have done1 but what you must do4 ,avoid the teacher who advances theories and mechanical contrivances4 ,a laryngoscope in the hands of a physician might save many lives1 but in the hands of a singing teacher may ruin many voices4 ,the perfect teacher uses the simplest demonstrations1 realizing that technical terms go entirely over the heads of the beginner4 ,the following suggestions are entirely useless3 ,sing the tone forward4 ,sing the tone on the teeth4 ,sing over your larynx4 ,sing that tone with the epiglottis lowered1 the palate raised1 and on the end of the breath4 ,i have personally heard these instructions given to pupils1 and ,i assure you the pupil did not gain anything by it4 ,it is positively absurd to insist on a beginner knowing the structures of the vocal chords1 neither will the patting1 pinching or massaging of the neck and facial muscles1 that some teachers advocate1 make you sing any better4 ,it is undoubtedly of some benefit to wrinkles1 but not to the voice4 ,garcia1 admitted to be one of the greatest singing masters of his time1 said1 regarding the position of larynx being higher or lower or the more or less raising of the palate1 that the singer need only follow natural effects1 and larynx1 palate and the rest will take care of themselves4 ,do not complicate it with theories4 ,a new pupil went into the studio of a well-known teacher for a hearing4 ,she took with her a popular song--the only song which she knew4 ,the teacher cried ,trash1 and would not even talk the matter over4 ,this was foolish1 selfish and unreasonable4 ,every voice which comes under our care includes the personality behind the voice1 and is of distinct and special interest4 ,this pupil's environment had undoubtedly been such that she was not further developed and could hardly be expected to love and understand the music1 which the teacher was accustomed to perform or teach4 ,however1 many a singer1 who first brought the popular song1 has developed into a successful church and concert singer4 ,this was not brought about by reprimands and unkind criticisms of their short-comings1 but by patient consideration and gradual development4 ,give the pupil a chance to learn to perform good music before you demand that they should appreciate it4 ,a good teacher will encourage questions4 ,if there are any questions pertaining to the study of voice culture that he cannot answer it is time he should know4 ,unless a teacher is a perfect accompanist1 so that he can keep his eyes away from the keyboard1 he should employ an accompanist1 for the teacher should see as well as hear the pupil sing the finished numbers4 ,and last1 but not least1 select a teacher who tries to understand you1 who makes you feel at ease1 and who shows as much interest in your voice as in your pocketbook4 ,,art ,,for ,,art',s ,,sake4 ,how many musicians live up to this much-abused term8 ,in my travels here and abroad ,i have found just two whose lives were entirely devoted to art for art's sake4 ,they both reminded me of the last act of ,beau ,brummell1 and certainly did not suggest happiness4 ,to fully live up to art for art's sake1 one must necessarily have means1 and you would be surprised to know how few of those who are in position to live up to it1 do so4 ,singers1 in whom you would expect to find a demonstration1--real musicians1 to whom the whole world has bent its knee1--will stand up before an audience and sing a little popular waltz song1 a la ,after the ,ball1--a song we would consider too inferior to allow one of our pupils to sing4 ,is this art for art's sake8 ,where then should we look for a demonstration1 if not in the finished singer or artist8 ,do not these singers know better8 ,certainly1 but they study their audience1 give the few their best1 and the masses what they want4 ,in search for art for art's sake1 we turn to the artist1 and we find him trying to please the audience4 ,we are living in a very material age4 ,if you can afford to do so1 live art for art's sake in your home1 but if you have to make your living1 and cope with the world to make a success1 you must study your audience2 they paid their money and want to be entertained4 ,you can strike a happy medium1 where you will not lower your dignity1 as a singer and an artist4 ,i notice that those who rant and storm on the subject of art for art's sake seldom live it1 of which we were given a fair demonstration when one of our disciples of art for art's sake went on a concert tour and was so anxious to please his audience1 that the program was a perfect vaudeville performance4 ,it is needless to say that the artist was severely criticised4 ,don't bill yourself as a concert singer and then give a vaudeville performance4 ,use judgment4 ,watch the teacher who is constantly talking art for art's sake4 ,note to how many struggling musicians he holds out a helping hand and how much of his time and life he devotes to art for art's sake4 ,we teachers charge enough for our lessons to make it possible for us to devote an evening a week to art for art's sake2 invite our pupils1 talk1 sing1 take up the biographies of the old masters1 do ensemble work2 study the oratories and operas4 ,i am sure this would help create a greater love and understanding of the better things in music1 for the more we hear it1 the more we love it4 ,this would go further in helping to create a love and understanding of art for art's sake1 and would be a greater test of our sincerity4 ,debussy1 the well-known composer of ,peleas and ,melisande1 says in an article on ,art for ,art's ,sake3 ,don't talk to me about elevating public taste4 ,that is the greatest 'bluff' one can din into your ears4 ,just think for a moment what the public is composed of4 ,how many in the audience understand music8 ,how many devote themselves to music during the day8 ,an infinitesimal number4 ,the rest1 where do they come from8 ,from offices1 stores1 business houses of some kind1 or they come from teas and gossip1 and then they go to hear the opera4 ,most of them are tired after a day's work or idleness1 and such people you expect to take an interest in serious music4 ,impossible6 ,no2 the only thing you can do for the public is to lift it1 for one moment1 out of its daily thoughts1 and with that we have to be content4 ,under such conditions1 what difference does it make whether you have ,german1 ,italian or ,french opera8 ,there is no immovable truth in art4 ,you cannot say this is so or so1 and what difference do the means make as long as the end is accomplished8 ,if ,italian opera is more effective than ,german opera1 what does it matter8 ,all art is untruth4 ,you may have been told that art is eternal because it is true1 but there you are mistaken4 ,illustration3 ,,andreas ,,dippel ,of the ,metropolitan ,grand ,opera and ,general ,manager of the ,chicago ,grand ,opera1 who through his tireless and skillful service is meeting with great success in the establishing of permanent ,grand ,opera in the larger cities west of ,new ,york1 is an enthusiastic supporter of the ,grand ,opera in the vernacular1 giving the many excellent ,american singers an opportunity to make their dbut in this country and in their own language4 ,mr4 ,dippel predicts the time is not far distant when ,new ,york will establish the home of the ,national ,grand ,opera4 ,,educating ,,the ,,masses4 ,the musician who refuses to make certain concessions to the public gives proof of courage1 but not of wisdom4 ,one cannot expect to go before an audience and sing over their heads1 and by so doing educate them up to one's own standard of music4 ,you must reach down from your lofty ideals and meet the public on its own ground4 ,for example1 in creating a love for the grand opera 7which the people1 especially of the west1 up to a few years ago have had no chance of hearing71 you must proceed gradually1 carefully and with tact4 ,teachers of voice culture should organize grand opera study clubs1 give concerts1 using selections from the popular grand opera--,i mean by popular grand opera ,il ,trovatore1 ,carmen1 ,faust1 etc4 ,these operas contain airs that are attractive1 and can be followed by the masses4 ,it would not be long before the grand opera would share honors with the now flourishing musical comedy in the affections of the music-loving public1 and the term grand opera would not sound to them like a bugaboo4 ,in ,brooklyn one afternoon ,i passed a number of boys coming from school1 and was astonished to hear them whistling ,tannhauser4 ,while this would be quite natural in ,europe it is rather unusual here1 where the popular song has the upper hand with the young folks4 ,i made inquiries and found that a phonograph had been installed in the school and that every morning the pupils listened to selections from the grand operas4 ,my already good opinion of the value of the phonograph was strengthened1 as ,i fully realize what effect hearing good music in the public schools would have on the coming generation4 ,in order to fully appreciate a difficult composition one must have made a study of music1 same as a doctor1 in order to appreciate a lecture on some intricate subject about his profession1 must have made a study of that profession4 ,the painter sees in a great painting the beauties of execution that entirely escape the eyes of the uninitiated2 yet the musician will go before an audience of whom two-thirds have probably never studied music at all1 and expect them to appreciate the classical music1 and because they do not1 he would brand them as unappreciative1 absurd2 he expects the impossible4 ,the average audience does not care for the name of a composition as long as the music appeals to them1 and this is generally a matter of how it is interpreted4 ,the power of a beautiful interpretation does not make itself felt in singing classics alone4 ,many persons harbor the notion that interpretation relates to the work of the dead masters only4 ,this is not true4 ,the simplest song needs interpretation1 as well as the oratorio or opera and the difference between good and bad artists is largely a matter of interpretation4 ,a simple song that emanates from the heart and soul1 will have a reciprocal effect on others and will outlive all sermons in the memory4 ,the average audience goes to the concert1 not to be educated1 but to be entertained4 ,entertain them1 interest them1 win them and they will come again4 ,after you have endeared yourself to them1 you can begin to sing more pretentious music1 and before they realize it1 they are listening to and enjoying the works of the great masters4 ,i have seen a vast audience go to hear ,patti sing ,home1 ,sweet ,home1 and while listening they became acquainted with other songs1 that by hearing again and again1 have helped to educate them to appreciate the better music4 ,i love the oratorios and grand operas particularly4 ,they are part of my life4 ,but ,i do not expect all with whom ,i come in contact to feel the same4 ,i have seen more people asleep at a piano recital than ,i have at church1 and ,i did not blame them1 when some amateur would be wrestling with a twenty-page selection of which he had not the slightest conception1 with the exception of being able to read the notes and find them on the instrument4 ,let us not become so blinded that we can see only one way--our way4 ,in educating the masses let us not begin by driving them away with compositions which they cannot understand4 ,art has no fatherland1 and all that is beautiful should be prized by us1 no matter how simple or what clime or region produced it4 ,when you hear someone dwelling on the fact that ,mansfield did not ask his audience what play they wanted1 neither did ,patti ask them what she should sing1 the argument is ridiculous4 ,bear this in mind3 ,the audience did not go to hear ,il ,barbiere or ,peer ,gynt1 they went to hear ,patti and see ,mansfield1 and what they rendered was only incidental to the fact that they were ,patti and ,mansfield1 people in whom the public was interested4 ,but while they were listening to these artists they became acquainted with the better works4 ,so leave it to the finished artist to produce the great works4 ,you are an amateur and have your little share to do in educating the masses4 ,don't begin by giving a difficult program4 ,sing something simple1 that you are perfectly familiar with1 and don't be afraid of the new compositions4 ,it is surprising that even old singers fear a new song4 ,select something with pretty melody and rhythm and you are perfectly safe4 ,always be on the lookout for something you can identify with yourself1 just as the artists all have some favorite song4 ,,hints ,,and ,,helps4 ,get out in the fresh air at least once a day1 summer and winter4 ,if you are in good health1 walk in preference to riding4 ,get plenty of sleep4 ,it is better than all other tonics4 ,if you are out of sorts1 try a little new thought1 or mental science4 ,it may be all you need4 ,sponge your neck1 chest and back with cold water every morning4 ,girls1 accustom yourselves to wearing your waists minus collars4 ,boys1 wear your collars loose4 ,the artists all do4 ,never bundle your neck in winter4 ,a light covering will do4 ,eat what agrees with you1 and avoid going on diets1 if possible4 ,if you desire to gain weight or put on more flesh1 you must eat plenty of nourishing food at least three times a day1 drink plenty of pure fresh water1 good rich milk1 ale1 malt extracts1 and everything that agrees with you4 ,should you desire to reduce your weight1 eat sparingly--a shredded wheat biscuit1 some dry toast with a cup of coffee in the morning4 ,at noon eat one or more oranges1 and nothing else4 ,for dinner take only one kind of meat or fish1 a vegetable1 a fruit1 a salad1 some dried toast1 with a cup of black coffee or tea4 ,use no potatoes1 butter or cream4 ,there is no special diet for singers4 ,it is only necessary to keep in good health1 take plenty of exercise1 and eat and drink only those things which agree with you4 ,pose your speaking voice low1 as it not only benefits the voice1 but it denotes refinement4 ,robusto tenors are high baritones with the head tones developed4 ,saddle riding1 walking1 physical culture1 fencing1 dancing1 elocution1 the study of any instrument will all be of some value in helping you to become an artist4 ,use your brains more than your throat4 ,don't be impatient because things do not come your way at once4 ,rome was not built in one day4 ,let your study of music cultivate within you a sympathy and love for all that is artistic4 ,do not be unjustly prejudiced against good music because you do not understand it4 ,hear that class of music more1 and it will overcome your prejudice4 ,acquaint yourself with the old masters and works before you take up the novelties4 ,keep young in mind and thought1 and the body will not grow old4 ,think for yourself and think4 ,don't worry1 for worry is born largely of misdirected ambition4 ,when someone is singing1 do not shrug your shoulders and assume a pained expression1 so as to impress those who may be sitting near you that you are a great critic4 ,have you ever thought what a desolate place this world would be without music8 ,never neglect an opportunity to hear a great singer4 ,if your means are limited1 subdue your pride1 for it is far better to sit in the gallery and be able to hear ten artist concerts than to sit in the orchestra and be able to hear only one4 ,be willing to sacrifice much for your music4 ,associate as much as possible with people who know more about music than you do4 ,read everything you can find on the subject4 ,you will find some truth in all of it4 ,when you attend a concert look forward for the best only--don't be a pessimist1 be an optimist1 and you will derive much more benefit4 ,don't criticize audibly when someone is singing4 ,an artist never does4 ,before going to hear an artist sing1 acquaint yourself as much as possible with the program4 ,while under one instructor1 do not run around to other studios to have your voice tried4 ,it is undignified1 and reflects on your teacher1 as well as upon yourself4 ,become a sight reader by reading at sight4 ,you can break yourself from clearing your throat by not clearing it4 ,you will be surprised to find it was only a habit4 ,punctuality at the studio is essential4 ,ten minutes early for your lesson is better than two minutes late4 ,if there is anything about your lesson that you do not understand1 ask questions4 ,you are paying for information4 ,practice systematically if you expect to make a success4 ,beginners should practice only fifteen minutes at a time4 ,the scales are the backbone of music study4 ,remember your consonants are of as great value as your vowels4 ,in singing1 you must use both your nose and mouth for breathing4 ,always stand up when practicing your exercises4 ,memorize all your songs4 ,when asked to sing1 sing songs with which you are perfectly familiar4 ,stand on both feet and let your chest1 not your stomach lead4 ,if you expect to sing well1 leave the tight collar1 the tight corset and the tight shoes at home4 ,it is better to stand too near the footlights than too far back4 ,if you are not an expert at handling a train on the stage1 don't wear one4 ,while waiting for the introduction to be played1 don't count the footlights or the stars1 but look out beyond the audience1 rather in with your eyes and nose4 ,when holding music1 never hold it high enough to cover your face from the audience4 ,sing to your audience1 not at it4 ,try and look pleasant1 even if you don't feel that way4 ,the audience can't help it4 ,never fail to give a smile or word of encouragement to other beginners who may be on the same program with you4 ,it is certainly appalling to know how many good singers have bad stage manners4 ,a man must never put either one or both hands in his trouser pockets1 nor stand with his feet spread far apart while singing4 ,both of these faults denote improper training4 ,if you are ever so warm1 use your handkerchief only before or after you leave the stage4 ,correct dress is essential4 ,for a man1 for informal entertainments1 black suit1 black shoes1 white shirt1 collar and cuffs1 with either a black or white tie4 ,for concert1 only evening dress is appropriate4 ,for girls1 the nicest thing to wear is a gown2 if you do not wear one1 try to have your waist and skirt correspond in shade4 ,the so-called shirtwaist effect1 which is produced by waist and skirt of different colors1 is not effective on the stage4 ,wear hose and slippers of the same color if possible4 ,amateurs when on the stage frequently rearrange a tie or smooth back a stray curl1 etc42 this is but a form of nervousness and looks bad4 ,finish your toilet at home4 ,for ease and grace take dancing lessons4 ,the graduate from dancing and dramatic schools never appear ill at ease before company4 ,,what ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,practice4 ,it is not so much what1 but how you practice4 ,the average beginner takes up his practice in an aimless sort of way4 ,every action should have some result in view4 ,after taking your lesson1 if you find you are not positive as to the proper course to be pursued at home1 you must ask your teacher the questions necessary to put you on the right path4 ,you should have all your work laid out for you and go about it in a systematic manner4 ,only in this way can you hope to achieve any degree of success4 ,a beginner should not practice much more than five minutes at a time on each construction1 neither would much less than that be sufficient to accustom that set of muscles to that one construction4 ,never practice your limit tones at either end of your range as much as you do your middle register4 ,what ,i mean by middle register is low enough to produce chest and high enough to produce head tones4 ,if you can produce a fine middle register1 the high tones will naturally follow in time4 ,melba says1 ,on days when my high tones do not come easily in practice1 ,i do not sing them4 ,do not show or cover your teeth because you have seen some singers do so2 individual construction differs4 ,pronounce your words naturally and distinctly1 never forgetting the consonants at the end of the words4 ,don't think because you are singing from a ,marchesi book that you are studying her method4 ,you are getting the method of the teacher with whom you are studying4 ,there are but two ways of singing--right and wrong--and it makes little difference from what instruction book you are taking your lesson1 they are all good and all constructed on the same principles4 ,the main thing is knowing what you are trying to do4 ,many pupils who are poor readers worry through several exercise books1 and at the end of that time have only memorized the notes and made no progress whatever on the main point--tone4 ,the pupil should learn to use the ear1 mind and memory1 and a great deal of time would be gained in tone placing which should be taken up before using an exercise book4 ,if you are not a sight reader1 take up this study at once1 preferably in class work1 as it is absolutely necessary that you should be able to read music at sight4 ,antiquated and complicated systems of sight reading are responsible for many poor readers4 ,we need more ear training and ability to think4 ,avoid the use of the do-re-me syllables unless you are already proficient in that system4 ,practice with the pitch names1 ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 ,d1 and with the scale numbers1 #a1 #b1 #c1 #d1 in order to acquire a relationship of the tones of the scale1 otherwise the syllable la or any other syllable will do4 ,if you have an off day1 when all the work seems to go wrong1 don't practice4 ,mechanical work is of no value whatever in singing4 ,even the artists have their off days1 but don't allow these days to become too frequent4 ,the best position for practice is to stand naturally1 clasp your hands in front or let them hang carelessly and naturally at your sides4 ,clasping your hands behind your back or resting them on your hips1 are both bad positions for singing4 ,when you practice do not simply kill fifteen minutes' time4 ,mere practice makes a mechanical gymnast1 while study produces a musician4 ,in taking up your exercises use the instrument as little as possible4 ,for illustration we will take the arpeggio4 ,play the arpeggio until you are perfectly familiar with the construction1 then sing it once with the piano1 then play only the chord or keynote and sing the arpeggio without the piano2 continue in this way in all the keys within your range1 getting your pitch from the chord or keynote2 this manner of practice is of the greatest value1 as you can stand in a natural singing position and as you do not have to give part of your thought to the music or instrument1 you pay more attention to the pitch and tone1 so that when you come to arias with recitatives without accompaniment1 you will not have as much difficulty staying on pitch as those who invariably depend on the support of the instrument4 ,in songs you should pursue the same course1 play the most difficult passages1 memorize them before you attempt to sing them2 in this way you do not unnecessarily tire the voice4 ,memorize all your songs2 it is only after you get away from the reading that you are capable of doing your best work4 ,always practice before a mirror and you will not be so liable to acquire facial contortions and would soon overcome the very bad habit of lifting the shoulders when you see yourself as others see you4 ,pupils frequently ask why it is so much easier to sing an exercise on ah than to sing a sentence4 ,in the ah you only have one vowel1 while in the sentence there are both vowels and consonants4 ,by diligent practice you will soon find that the tone helps the word1 and the words help the tone4 ,another complaint frequently heard in the studio is this3 ,i sang this exercise perfectly at home1 and can't see why ,i am unable to sing it now4 ,how many times did you sing this exercise perfectly at home4 ,don't consider an exercise learned until you can sing it ten times in succession without an error4 ,lillie ,lehmann says3 ,i expended ten years in perfecting the trill which every voice must master1 and yet some pupils become discouraged because they can not master the art of singing in a few months6 ,many singers complain of a contraction 7hardness under the chin74 ,this is frequently found where they have been taught to place the tip of the tongue against the back of the lower teeth to keep the tongue down4 ,leave the tongue limp and speak your vowels and consonants perfect and distinct1 and the tongue will take care of itself4 ,those who are working to produce low tones will find that in the morning1 immediately after rising1 the lower tones respond most readily and may help you to find a way of increasing the lower range4 ,don't neglect the scales4 ,many years ago ,madame ,patti1 while on a concert tour1 was awakened from her early morning sleep by the sound of a piano in a room close to hers4 ,it was slow scale practicing and was maddening to the singer4 ,she rang the bell1 and demanded that the practice be at once discontinued4 ,what was her astonishment to learn that the player was not some beginner as she had supposed1 but the great artist1 ,hans ,von ,bulow4 ,why is the so-called ,italian method supposed to be the correct method of singing8 ,partly because the ,italian a 7as you would pronounce 7 is the most natural sound that can be sung1 and as the is the sound used in two-thirds of the words in the song you sing1 it plays an important part in singing4 ,very few beginners realize that it is not only the words law1 raw1 saw1 tall1 hall1 etc41 that contain the ,italian 1 but also the words light1 bright1 might4 ,in the word night1 the beginner usually dwells on the ee1 making it na-eet1 while it should be pronounced naw-eet1 dwelling on the 4 ,the ,italian vowels cover the sound1 tone color and pronunciation of the ,latin1 ,english1 ,italian and ,german1 with the exception of the ,german o and 4 ,with the ,french it is quite different4 ,the sound and production stands by itself4 ,a ,french singer does not so readily sing the other languages1 neither does an ,american in the same length of time master the ,french as well as the other languages4 ,the ,french insist on perfect diction1 and one of our grand opera singers who delights the ,new ,york opera goers by her singing of ,faust1 ,carmen1 etc41 in the ,french1 would not be tolerated at the opera in ,paris on account of her diction4 ,as the ,french is the diplomatic language of the world1 it would be well to take up this language first4 ,then study your ,italian for your singing and you will find the ,spanish1 ,latin and ,german can be easily mastered4 ,study only those songs which have merit4 ,after the ,ball was composed within the past twenty years1 and over #c1jjj1jjj copies have been sold1 yet this song is both dead and buried1 while the ,earl ,king1 by ,schubert1 composed in #agih1 is today found upon practically all the programs of our noted singers4 ,when taking up a new song read the words over carefully and get an idea what you are going to sing about before you try to sing it4 ,never breathe in the middle of a word1 or break a sentence by taking a breath4 ,,the ,,breath4 ,the foundation upon which you have to build your voice is the breath1 and like all other foundations1 it must be properly laid1 or the structure will be a failure4 ,it is imperative that you have absolute and perfect control of the breath4 ,an athlete once said to me1 ,if breath is the foundation of good singing1 ,i certainly should make a fine singer1 as ,i have the largest chest expansion and can hold my breath the longest time of anyone in the college4 ,the truth is1 a small girl1 weighing ninety-six pounds1 who had less than one-fifth of his chest expansion1 had twice the volume of sound-carrying power in tone1 and could sustain a tone three times as long as he4 ,to practice breathing is not practicing singing1 and the teacher who keeps a pupil indefinitely on breathing lessons is either killing time or is not a proficient instructor of voice culture4 ,it should be taken for granted that all healthy persons breathe properly4 ,it is not the breathing1 but the power of control1 which is of vital importance4 ,it may be that after taking breathing lessons for a period of six months that you will still be far from able to control the breath on the tone4 ,it is the way you practice1 rather than the length of time which brings proficient results4 ,you will find by referring to the chapter on ,practical ,exercises that ,i demonstrate the matter thoroughly4 ,a good tone should have resonance1 or what we call vibration1 but not tremolo4 ,many young singers confuse these two4 ,undoubtedly it is just as bad to sing with a straight1 cold1 unmusical tone as it is to produce an exaggerated vibrato or tremolo4 ,if you are unable to make the distinction between these two1 do not fail to consult someone who can do so1 that you may not enter the pitfalls1 which it takes months to overcome4 ,you cannot realize how little breath is necessary on the tone2 we sing with a great amount of pressure1 but with very little breath4 ,have you ever taken a covered head tone without scarcely taking any breath1 and found that you could sustain it for a practically unlimited period8 ,i found one of my pupils who had elsewhere taken a course in breathing1 in taking a tone1 would push her breath out so hard that you heard more breath than tone4 ,in singing a tone or short sentence1 her chest would collapse and she would become1 as she termed it1 ,all out of breath4 ,she would give me all kinds of wonderful breath demonstrations1 but could not connect the breath and tone4 ,i requested her to speak in a natural way the sentence1 ,this is a very beautiful day4 ,i asked her if she could hear a lot of escaping breath8 ,she answered1 ,no4 ,i then asked her to place one hand across the ribs and one across the chest and center her thoughts directly at these two points to see if she could ascertain what was taking place there1 while once again in a natural speaking voice she repeated the sentence4 ,she did so1 and found she was not out of breath1 and that her chest did not collapse and she did not feel any discomfort4 ,i then asked her to repeat the sentence on the medium tone ,e above middle ,c1 then on ,f1 then on ,g1 directing her each time to think she was merely speaking the sentence1 and then for the first time in her life she was able to understand control of breath4 ,during the next lesson we were able to begin tone placing without the least trouble in connecting the breath and tone4 ,try it yourself4 ,all kinds of athletics1 breathing lessons or exercises in moderation are beneficial1 but they are not voice culture4 ,as your breath plays a most important part in tone placing1 the breath and tone should start together1 hand in hand1 from the very beginning4 ,in the following chapter ,i shall give some practical exercises that will give the ,,breath and tone a chance to become acquainted with each other4 ,a ,,few ,,practical ,,exercises ,,and ,,illustrations4 ,stand erect1 but not in a strained position4 ,place the palm of your hands over your ribs1 pointing the fingers forward4 7,see ,figure #a47 ,exhale by blowing slowly through the closed lips1 very much as though you were blowing on embers to make them burn4 ,in doing this1 you will find that your finger tips will almost meet in front4 7,see ,figure #b47 ,keep your hands in the same position and inhale through the nose4 ,you will notice a large space in front between your hands4 7,see ,figure #c47 ,keeping your hands in the same position1 repeat this exercise five times2 then drop your arms to your sides1 relax and rest a few moments1 repeating this exercise several times until it comes easy4 ,illustration3 five images of the rib-cage doing breath exercises4 ,go before an open window every morning1 place your hands as in figure #d1 inhale through the nose1 7don't raise the shoulders7 see that the expansion is as great under the left hand as under the right hand 7as in figure #e7 while holding the breath count #e 7aloud7 then exhale while holding the hands in same position1 repeat this exercise #e times in succession4 ,a positive cure for all forms of nervousness4 ,be sure when inhaling you do not use enough muscular exertion to take enough breath to cause lifting of the shoulders1 which is decidedly wrong4 ,place your hands as in the first position1 exhale1 then inhale and1 while you keep the ribs extended against your hands1 which is done by holding the breath and by muscular tension1 speak the sentence1 ,this is a beautiful day1 then exhale1 inhale again1 holding the breath while you repeat the sentence4 ,repeat this several times1 then drop your arms to the sides and rest4 ,it is better at the beginning to take too little breath than to take too much4 ,most beginners take too much breath1 which makes it impossible to control it4 ,until you understand control of the breath1 it is better to only take enough to extend your ribs against your hand as far as they will go without discomfort4 ,don't let anyone tell you that diaphragmatic1 intercostal or abdominal breathing alone is the only safe course2 perfect breathing is a combination of these and more4 ,by practicing the above exercises you will find in a short time all the organs that nature intended to be used for breathing will be in play4 ,the reason the beginner is instructed to place the hands on the ribs is to work from the central point1 and as the student progresses1 by continuation of the exercises it will be found that the costal1 intercostal1 dorsal1 diaphragmatic and abdominal muscles are all doing their share4 ,place your hands as in the first position4 ,exhale--inhale4 ,sustain the syllable saw on an easy medium tone4 ,as you attack the tone do not let the ribs collapse1 but as you sustain it1 let the ribs very slowly collapse under the palm of your hands4 ,try to resist so as to not let too much breath escape4 ,don't let your chest collapse any more than is absolutely necessary4 ,the lower the tones you sing the less resistance you need1 while the higher tones you sing the more resistance you need4 ,in order to sustain a high tone1 draw in slightly under the ribs1 leaving the chest extended4 ,singing the tone1 now takes the place of the exhaling exercise4 ,illustration3 musical notation1 saw 444saw 444saw 444 ,the word saw1 besides giving you the vowel 1 also gives you the correct sound of the ,italian ah and what the ah should be in singing4 ,the average beginner sings too much on the tone color of a as in hat1 which1 as you ascend the scale1 would finally land the tone in the region of the back of your neck4 ,in learning to sing the ah or ,italian 1 always use words like saw1 raw1 law1 paw1 daw1 gnaw1 sustaining the tone4 ,,the ,,vowels a e i o u ,pronounced3 a as in saw e as a in fate i as ee in meet o as o in note u as oo in moon ,example-- ,illustration3 musical notation demonstrating pronounciation a ee o oo ,in ascending the scale1 you should cover the tone4 ,to cover the tone simply put a little more o in your ah1 so that by the time you are up near your high limit tone you should almost be singing so1 lo1 dough4 ,this enables you to find your head tone4 ,it will not be low or dough but a good ah4 ,if you do not gradually curve the ah into an o toward your high tones1 you will find them turning into the a as in hat4 ,in producing head tones there are two valuable exercises ,i would suggest4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vowels1 images of faces pronouncing the vowels3 a as in saw4 e as a in fate4 i as ee in meet4 o as o in note4 u as oo in moon4 ,positions of the mouth in pronouncing the vowels4 ,drop your jaw as in singing saw2 leave the jaw dropped singing saw1 but curving your lips into an o4 ,you will find an oh with fine head resonance and an open relaxed throat4 ,example-- ,illustration3 musical notation1 o o o o o o o o o ,sing this exercise in all the keys within your range4 ,some find their head tones first by humming through the nose1 while to some this suggestion would be of no value4 ,if you have a break or any trouble going from your high to low tones1 practice the exercise from the high tone down instead of from the low tone up4 ,example-- ,illustration3 musical notation1 o a o a o a saw saw saw ,if you have trouble rolling your r's1 which is absolutely necessary1 practice the following words in two syllables1 not1 however1 dropping the tone4 ,example-- ,tree as tau-ree4 ,trust as tau-rust4 ,true as tau-rue ,breeze as b-reeze4 ,train as tau-rain4 ,bright as b-right4 ,brown as b-rown4 ,after you have mastered the rolled r through the above exercises1 pronounce them in one syllable as they should be4 ,next1 take up your consonants before the vowel ,illustration3 musical notation1 ,baw1 bay1 bee1 bo1 boo ,baw1 bay1 bee1 bo1 boo ,baw1 bay1 bee1 bo1 boo ,daw1 day1 dee1 do1 doo ,daw1 day1 dee1 do1 doo ,daw1 day1 dee1 do1 doo ,faw1 fay1 etc4 ,faw1 fay1 etc4 ,faw1 fay1 etc4 ,gaw1 gay1 etc4 ,gaw1 gay1 etc4 ,gaw1 gay1 etc4 ,haw1 hay1 etc4 ,haw1 hay1 etc4 ,haw1 hay1 etc4 ,j1 k1 l1 m1 n1 p1 q1 r1 s1 t1 v1 w1 y1 z4 until you have covered all the consonants4 ,then your final consonants1 as in late1 date1 light1 bright4 ,in the word date1 make your d and your a distinct and on the tone1 but as you pronounce your t1 which must also be distinct1 drop the tone so as not to leave an after-tone4 ,this must be done in all words except those ending with m and n4 ,next build sentences from words which seem most difficult to you and sing the entire sentence on one sustained tone4 ,example-- ,illustration3 musical notation repeating ,now the day is over4 ,now the day is over4 ,now the day is over4 ,in a song where some particular phrase or sentence seems difficult to you1 sing the entire phrase or sentence on one sustained tone1 pronouncing the words distinctly until you have gone down several tones below and several tones above the pitch in which it is written1 singing it over and over on the one sustained tone in all the keys of your range4 ,i cannot tell you of the benefit you will derive from mastering a difficult phrase or sentence in this manner4 ,for the hardness and muscular contraction under the chin1 which has undoubtedly been brought about by methods advocating the placing of the tip of the tongue against the back of the lower teeth1 put your thumb well up under your chin and see that there is no contraction 7hardness74 ,leave your tongue perfectly limp1 and hum first through the nose1 gradually turning the humming into an o1 o1 o1 then to o1 o1 o1 sustaining the tone and keeping the thumb pushed well up under the chin to feel that there is no contraction4 ,by using this exercise you will be able to overcome this common fault in a very short time1 but you must go at it systematically4 ,in singing songs pronounce your words perfectly and distinctly1 letting the palate1 glottis and larynx take care of themselves4 ,if your method of singing is good1 nothing can injure your voice4 ,as this book voices the sentiment of some of the most brilliant lights in the profession1 and contains facts based on years of actual experience1 it is not egotistical for me to say that its careful1 thoughtful and conscientious perusal will give to the student of voice culture assistance that will be of inestimable value in reaching his goal4 ,start with ease and naturalness and the chances are excellent for your pathway to be illumned with success4 ,,the ,,author4