Part 6 (1/2)
FORMATION OF VOWELS AND CONSONANTS
The sound of the vowels depends, as we have seen, upon whether one or another of the over-tones takes precedence in sound.
But the conditions by which the formation of the vowels is determined lie in the form of the cavity of the mouth, and of the contraction of the same in some one place or another during expiration. These places are different in different languages and dialects. They are among the English, Germans and French farthest back in sounding _a_, as in _father_; farther forward in _a_, as in _may_, _o_, _e_, in the order in which they are here placed; and farther front in the German _u_ (_oo_).
The length of the cavity of the mouth is the greatest in sounding _oo_, the least in _e_, intermediate in _a_. In the pure, clear _a_, as in _may_, or _e_ of the Germans, the cavity is the narrowest. Hence, to form a tone on this vowel is very difficult, and it is the only vowel whose pure p.r.o.nunciation must be sacrificed to the tone. Good tones can be formed on this vowel when in both series of the chest register there is mingled with it the sound of the German _o_, p.r.o.nounced in English nearly like the vowel in _bird_, and in the higher registers the sound of the _e_--that is, of the German _i_.
The cavity of the mouth is thus somewhat broadened, and the tone gains more room for its development.
The Swiss form the _o_ and _u_ like the _a_ in _father_, broadest at the back of the mouth, and the _e_ broadest towards the front. But the Italians form no vowel as far front as their clear sounding beautiful _a_, as in _father_; and probably because the _a_ in the Italian language sounds broadest and most distinctly, Italian wagoners drive their beasts with the shout of _a! a!_ while the Germans use for the same purpose, _hu! huo!_ and the Swiss, _hipp!_ One can only approximate an imitation of the Italian _a_ by uttering it in connection with consonants coming rapidly, as in _pfa_, _bra_, and in as short and rapid a manner as possible.
The old Italian masters naturally found their beautiful _a_ most favorable to the formation of a good tone in singing; and thus it has been adopted by other nations. But here is the very reason why a tone free from badly sounding colorings is so rarely heard.
We have blindly imitated the Italians, without considering the different modes of forming the vowels in different languages and nations, and that the Italian _a_ is a vowel entirely different from the German and the similarly sounding English _a_. Its correct sound is learned by those to whom it is not vernacular only with difficulty.
As the vowels are differently formed in different languages, so is it also with the consonants. The North Germans form the letter _r_ with the soft palate, which is made to vibrate by the exhalation of the breath. The South Germans, Russians and Italians form the _r_ by the vibration of the tip of the tongue. It is only this mode of forming the _r_ which is to be used in singing, and must be learned by those who do not usually form it thus. This is sometimes rather difficult, but it can be done by repeating frequently and rapidly, one after the other, the syllables _hede_, _hedo_, or _ede_, _edo_. In this way the tongue gets accustomed to the right position and motion, which it by-and-by learns rapidly enough for the formation of the rolling _r_.
The Italians, likewise, form the _l_ with the tip of the tongue, the Germans and English mostly with the side edges of the tongue.
With some attention one can, by feeling, find out in his own organ the place for the formation of the different vowels and consonants, and an ear accustomed to delicate differences of tone will perceive the right place in others.
But in teaching, the example of the wagoners must be followed, and as these people have found out the most appropriate vowels and syllables whereby to make themselves understood by their animals, we must choose what is best fitting to the formation of tone in singing.
Long before I found the scientific reason of this mode of proceeding, my attention was called by Frederic Wiek, in Dresden, to the fact that a fine tone can be most quickly attained by practising in the beginning upon the syllables _su_, _soo_, or _du_, _doo_, and by not pa.s.sing to the other vowels until one is accustomed to produce tones in the front of the mouth. These syllables are naturally spoken by the Germans and the English in the front part of the mouth. The _s_ is formed with the lips apart, while the air is blown through the upper teeth; it thus a.s.sists one, united with _u_ (_oo_), to direct the tone forwards. But because in the _u_ the lips are almost closed, care must be taken that, within the lips, the teeth are far enough apart. The cavity of the mouth must be large enough to allow of the largest possible wave of sound, since upon the size of that, as we know, the strength of the tone depends. When the pupil, after some practice, has learned to give the right direction to the stream of sound, he must be required gradually to form the other vowels like the _soo_ in the front part of the mouth, pa.s.sing from this syllable immediately to the other vowels, as, for example, _soo-a_, _soo-o_, _soo-e_, _soo-o-e-ah_, &c.
Only care must be taken that the course of the air preserves its right direction.
Solmisation, also, i.e., naming the tones, _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, _a_, _b_, by the syllables _do_, _re_, _mi_, _fa_, _sol_, _la_, _si_, a.s.sists a good touch when the pupil employs it in the more rapid exercises.
There is no fixed rule that can be laid down in regard to the necessary opening of the mouth and its position. The structure of the palate and the form of the jaw, and the position of the teeth, lips, &c., vary in different persons. The ear of the teacher must alone determine what position of those several parts will best secure a good timbre. But in every case, for the highest tones of the voice the widest possible opening of the mouth is necessary, and even when, in the formation of the vowels, the lips have to be brought nearer to each other, yet the teeth within must be kept apart, that the cavity of the mouth may remain large enough.
Wind instruments show the influence which the orifice and breadth of the bell has upon the strength of the tone. In the human voice the mouth occupies the place of the bell.
We have already made the remark, in speaking of the different registers, that in the chest tones the position of the larynx is lowered. The cavity of the mouth, then, is naturally lengthened, and hence a moderate opening of the mouth, so that, in singing the notes of the low chest register, the teeth are a thumb's breadth apart, suffices for a good tone. The second chest register requires the slightest opening of the mouth. It is enough if one can press a finger between the teeth. With the high falsetto and head tones the cavity of the mouth is always shorter and narrower towards the back, but as the tones ascend, it must be always broader in front.
In singing the first falsetto register, the teeth should be about the breadth of the thumb apart; in the second falsetto register, two fingers apart; and in the head register, the mouth must be open as far as possible. But precise rules cannot here be given. I have observed, however, that in thin voices a too broad opening of the mouth in the middle tones of the voice favors the high over-tones more than the fundamental tone, and the tones are thus flat and wanting in timbre.
Lips too thick and stiff sometimes injure the timbre of the tone; they are often the cause of a veiled, m.u.f.fled timbre, acting like dampers and rendering a part of the over-tones inaudible. In such cases, as soon as he has become accustomed to a correct direction of the column of tone, the pupil should keep the lips as close to the teeth as possible, and draw back somewhat the corners of the mouth.
The tongue also is not infrequently a hindrance to the formation of a good tone, especially when the pupils have not been taught early enough to open their mouths sufficiently wide. When the high tones are to be produced, which require much room in the forward part of the mouth, the tongue is usually drawn back and raised, in order to make the necessary room within the lower front teeth.
This, again, is a habit difficult to be broken, and care must be taken that the lower front teeth are lightly touched by the tip of the tongue in singing, in order that the tongue may be accustomed to a natural position. But this is most easily attained when the tongue is at the first kept occupied as much as possible by quick exercises with the syllables of solmisation, or by practising tones in slow time upon syllables beginning with consonants formed by the tip of the tongue. As in p.r.o.nouncing the German _Sch_ the tongue presses the teeth all around with its outer edge, syllables formed with these consonants serve excellently well to accustom the tongue to a quiet, correct position.
FLEXIBILITY OF VOICE
We hear it continually said that it requires a special natural gift to acquire a certain ease and flexibility of voice, and that this natural gift is peculiar to the Italians. But the flexibility of the voice depends upon a physiologico-physical process of the organ of tone, which, among the Italians, goes on in their common speech, and hence is more easily transferred by them to their singing. In trills, roulades, turns, and all tones quickly succeeding one another, the breath must set the vocal chords vibrating in quick, short pulses. The little time used by the breath between these rapidly succeeding pulses to retreat, in order to give another pulse, suffices perfectly to produce easily and quickly the position of the glottis requisite for a higher or lower tone. In order, between the pulses, to give room to the retreating breath, the windpipe expands laterally, whereby the larynx is always somewhat drawn down, in order, with the next pulse of the breath, to take again its former place.
This rising and lowering of the larynx can be seen plainly outside the throat, and it can be seen also whether the movement goes on rightly. Upon the degree of rapidity with which this movement goes on depends the greater or less flexibility of the voice.
But when the breath in exhaling presses in regularly increasing strength against the vocal chords, and one wishes to pa.s.s quickly to a higher tone and back again, as is required in trills, while the aerial stream continues to flow on with unintermitted force, it is evident that the changed movement of the glottis, even within the limits of a register, demands more time and muscular force than a beautiful trill or run admits of. But at the same time the limits of the tones become, by the uninterrupted stream of air, obliterated, and embellishments sung in this way, with unmoved larynx, indistinct. But ornamentation is now practised only in this latter way, and if pupils do not naturally move their throats correctly, the gift of flexibility is denied them.
A quite prevalent and likewise incorrect way of using the throat is moving the epiglottis with the larynx, which renders the formation of a clear, pure tone impossible, and _fiorituri_ sung in this way are limp and indistinct. The only correct movement shows itself very plainly externally, so that with the tolerably strong movement of the larynx up and down, there can be seen also a slighter movement of the windpipe far below in the neck, about the breadth of two fingers above the breast-bone. The mouth and tongue, however, must be perfectly quiet.
But the cultivation of vocal flexibility in singing is the easiest and most grateful part of the education of the voice, for with ordinary industry on the part of the pupil results are here obtained most speedily. In the very first lessons I teach my pupils the motions of the vocal organ in trills, and if they do not learn them by imitation, I give them simple exercises on the syllable _koo_ to practice for a while. The _k_ is produced by a pulse of the breath, and the _oo_ is, as we have seen, the best vowel sound with which to direct the breath as it is expired.
Thus, by singing _staccato_ the syllable _koo_, slowly at first and gradually quicker, with a movement of the larynx and windpipe that is both seen and felt; and with the tongue and lips at rest and motionless, the right movement is given to the organ in trills and all other embellishments, and by continued practice the movement becomes more rapid. Those who need to be taught this movement must never practice continuously for any length of time, for we must avoid fatiguing the organs. When pupils have become accustomed, by rapidly singing the syllable _koo_ on each tone of the trill, to the movement of the larynx, then they can practice upon another syllable, and in the following way: Let the trill be at first always sung _piano_, with an accenting of the higher tone every time and a gradual increasing of the rapidity thus: a accented-b a accented-b, and repeat this figure, halving the note lengths every four beats; also in half and whole tones, and then in minor thirds. But the most beautiful trill will be formed by practising triplets in the compa.s.s of a whole tone, then of a minor third, major third, fourth, etc., by which first the upper, then the lower tone is accented: accented-a g a accented-g a g. The mouth, however, in this exercise must continue immovably open, and the tongue also must lie perfectly still, touching the lower front teeth, for only in this way can one be sure of not moving the epiglottis. Although this is difficult at first, yet the syllable _ku_ (koo) may be sung in this way. Thus, with sufficient practice, any one may acquire a perfect flexibility of voice. When the pupils can make the trill easily upon the middle tones, in which in the beginning exercises must be practised, let them practice also upon the higher and lower tones of the voice. If the trill takes place at the transition of two registers, then both the tones must be formed upon the higher of the two, as in an exchange of registers the glottis requires more time than a good trill admits of.