The Child-Voice in Singing Part 7

This shows that the vocal bands are relaxed. Following this, the speaking voice will lower in pitch, and show hoa.r.s.eness at times. As soon though, as this hoa.r.s.eness pa.s.ses away, that is, when the congestion at the larynx has pa.s.sed, the voice is better perhaps than before. Then comes another break, as we say, that is, a period of sore throat and hoa.r.s.eness.

After this has pa.s.sed, it may be that the boy has lost his upper notes, but can sing the lower ones with ease; the tone too, is changed in timbre. It has the color of the man's head voice; or it may be that the boy can still sing his high notes, but that the lower ones are uncertain. Voice mutation is not one continuous period of growth of vocal bands and laryngeal cartilages. On the contrary, the periods of vocal disturbance are separated by intervals when the throat is comparatively free from irritation. These intervals may be long or short. It evidently depends upon the rapidity or slowness of the general growth and development.

There can be no doubt now, that during a time when the voice is uncertain and hoa.r.s.e from the irritation of the vocal bands and surrounding parts, that singing is positively harmful, but during the intervals separating these periods, especially where they extend, as in many cases, over several months, it would seem that the singing voice might be used.

Each individual case must be observed and judged by itself. This is entirely possible in choirs. If then the choir-master is careful to observe and to humor the changing voice at all critical times; if he will insist that the boy sing very lightly or not at all if it hurts him, and if he will resolutely check any tendency to break into the tenor or chest quality, he can train in a short time a good alto force from his choir, and these young men so trained may become efficient male alto singers.

It is true that in many cases boys may be carried through the mutation period, and at the end show such light tone upon the falsetto or head voice as to be of no value. The strength and timbre of the male falsetto depends partly upon the character of the vocal bands and partly of course upon the size and shape of the resonance cavities.

Men who have voices of wide range and good volume in the chest or usual singing voice, generally possess strong head or falsetto tones, and it may be that soprano boys who possess large voices, that is those which show volume of tone along with purity, whose resonance cavities are large, will prove to develop a better falsetto, as men, than those boys whose voices are thinner. One other point remains to be disposed of.

Will the use of this voice by youth or adult, injure his other voice, be it naturally ba.s.s, baritone, or tenor? No, it will not, and yet the average choir-master will most a.s.suredly be met with this objection or fear. It is surprising that so many of those who are in the business of trying to teach voice, should be ignorant of the character and range of the male falsetto or head voice, but in spite of this ignorance, and more or less prejudice against its use, the fear that by using it one impairs the tones of the chest register or the usual singing voice, is utterly unfounded. It is produced with far less effort and tension of the vocal bands than is the chest voice, and is physiologically perfectly safe. The mechanism which the larynx employs to produce the falsetto is just as natural as the mechanism employed to produce the chest voice. That it is an unusual voice with us is due to circ.u.mstances of musical development. The advent of the male vested choir has, however, created a demand for it, and it may be met as indicated, by keeping boys upon the head voice during mutation or so much of the time as is safe, and afterward, when the age of adolescence is past, even if some prefer to sing ba.s.s or tenor, the number of those available for the alto parts will be sufficient to meet all requirements.

CHAPTER IX.

GENERAL REMARKS.

In the preceding chapters, dealing as they do with special subjects or subdivisions of the main topic, the effort has been to point out and to suggest some ways in which good vocal habits may be taught, and simple and effective vocal training carried on with whatever materials there may be at hand in the shape of books, charts, blackboards, staves, etc.

The leading idea is the correct use of the voice; the particular song or exercise which maybe sung is of no special importance; the way in which it is sung is everything.

The benefits of teaching music _reading_ in the schools are a matter of daily comment. Is it, then, likely that the good resulting from the formation of correct habits in the use of the voice will fail of recognition? Not so. For the effect of good vocal training in school music would be so general and so beneficent that even unfriendly critics might be silenced.

The first effect upon singing when the thick tone is forbidden and the attempt made to subst.i.tute the use of the voice in the thin or head register may be disappointing. It will seem to take away all life and vigor from the singing. Teachers who enjoy _hearty_ singing will get nervous; they will doubt the value of the innovation. In those grades where children range in age from twelve to fourteen years, the apparent loss in vocal power will disconcert the pupils even. Never mind; the _use_ of the thin register will demonstrate its excellences, and it will, if slowly yet surely, increase in brilliance and telling quality of tone.

Again, the compa.s.s downward needs to be more restricted at first than after the children have become habituated to its use. As long as there is any marked tendency to break into the chest-voice at certain pitches, the compa.s.s should be kept above them; as the tendency weakens, the voice may with due caution be carried to the lower tones, in higher grades be it understood. The tone should grow softer as the voice descends when the lower notes will sound mellow and sweet. At first they may be quite breathy, but as the vocal bands become accustomed to the new action, the breathiness will disappear. One thing at a time is enough to attempt in music, and while a change in the use of the voice is being sought, it may happen that sacrifices must be made in other directions; part-singing, until the voices become equalized, that is, of a similar tone-quality throughout the entire compa.s.s, may, as it requires the singing of tones so low as to occasion easy recurrence to the thick voice, be so antagonistic to the desired end that it must be dropped for a time. After the use of the thin voice has become firmly established, part-singing may be resumed. How low in pitch the lower part may with safety be carried depends partly upon the age of the pupils; but until the chest-voice begins to develop at p.u.b.erty, all part-singing must be sung very lightly as to the lower part or voice.

There is a cla.s.s of pupils always to be found in our schools who cannot sing in tune; they vary in the degree of their inability from those who can sing only in monotone, to those who can sing in tune when singing with those whose sense of pitch is good, but alone, cannot. While the number of entire or partial monotone voices decreases under daily drill and instruction, yet there always remains a troublesome few, insensible to distinctions in pitch; it is, in view of the possible improvement they may make, a difficult matter to deal with them; for if they are forbidden to sing, the chance to improve is denied them, and if they sing and constantly drag down the pitch, why the intonation of those who would otherwise sing true is injuriously affected.

Many who sing monotone when the thick voice is used, do so because the throat is weak and cannot easily sustain the muscular strain; if they are trained to the use of the light, thin tone, they can sing in tune.

After children have been under daily music drill for two or three years in school, if they still sing monotone, it would seem inadvisable to let them partic.i.p.ate with the cla.s.s in singing. They do themselves no good, and they certainly injure the singing of the others; for, as before suggested, constant falling from pitch will in time dull the musical perceptions of those most gifted by nature.

During the early years of school-life the pupils may often sing out of tune because the vocal bands and controlling muscles are very weak.

It is an excellent idea to separate the pupils into two cla.s.ses: First, those who can sing with reasonably good intonation; and second, those who can sing only a few tones, or only one.

Let the second cla.s.s frequently listen while the others sing. They will thus be taught to note both tone and pitch, and if any musical sense is dormant, this should arouse it; but, if after long and patient effort a pupil cannot sing, let him remain silent during the singing period.

Every possible effort should certainly be put forth to teach children to sing in tune, but yet it is now, and will doubtless remain true, that a small per cent. cannot be so taught.

The primary causes of monotone singing may be physical or mental; in many cases, weak vocal organs and feeble nervous power, in others lack of pitch-perception-- tonal blindness.

The secondary causes include the influences of environment and heredity.

The contempt in which music has been held by a portion of the English-speaking people from the time of the Reformation until quite recently, or shall we say until even now, has made its powerful impress upon opinions, tastes, and natural powers. Singing, with a part of our population, is literally a lost art, lost through generations of disuse.

It is often urged by educators that each study must help other studies.

The various subjects which are taught must move along, as it were, like the parts in a musical composition, dependent upon, sustaining, and harmonious with each other. Now, while it is not within the scope of this work to discuss the relation of music to other studies in all of its bearings, it is yet clearly in line with its general tenor to suggest that the tone in singing will react upon the speaking-voice, and _vice versa_.

Now, if pupils recite and speak with a noisy, rough tone, it will not be easy to secure sweet, pure tone from them when they sing; but, on the other hand, while they may be specially trained in good singing-tone, it will not, as a result, follow that the speaking-voice will be similarly modified. Special attention must be given to this also; but if children invariably sing with pure tone, it must be very easy to direct them into good vocal habits in speaking and reading.

It is no more necessary for children to recite in that horrible, rasping tone sometimes heard, than it is to sing with harsh tone; and if the same principles are applied to the speaking-voice as are herein given for the management of the singing-voice, in so far as they may be applicable, this harshness and coa.r.s.eness may be avoided. It is the pushed, forced tone in speech or song that is disagreeable.

If teachers will consign to well-merited oblivion those two phrases, "speak up" and "sing out," and will, instead, secure purity and easy production of tone, with _distinctness of articulation_, they will do wisely. Let us not hesitate to teach our pupils to know and to feel that which is beautiful, and good, and true, that our schools may promote the growth of good taste, and stand for the highest morality and the best culture.