The Psychology of Singing: A Rational Method of Voice Culture Based on a Scientific Analysis of All Systems, Ancient and ModernTaylor, David C. (David Clark)
Science
The Psychology of Singing: A Rational Method of Voice Culture Based on a Scientific Analysis of All Systems, Ancient and Modern
Taylor, David C. (David Clark)
Singing; Voice culture
The terms applied to the two most marked forms of faulty
tone-production, nasal and throaty, are derived from impressions
conveyed by the sounds of the tones. These names, nasal and throaty,
refer to a feeling of tightness or contraction experienced in
imagination by the hearer; in one case this feeling is located in the
nose, in the other, in the throat. But the terms nasal and throaty are
general descriptions of faulty tones. Each one covers a wide range of
tone qualities. There is an almost infinite variety of throaty tones,
and of nasal sounds as well. The knowledge of the voice obtained by
listening to vocal tones is of equally wide extent. Every throaty tone,
whatever its precise character, informs the hearer of the exact
condition of the singer's throat in producing the tone. In short, every
vocal tone is thus analyzed by the critical listener, and referred in
imagination to his own throat. An insight into the singer's vocal action
is imparted to the hearer through an imaginative process which always,
of necessity, accompanies the attentive listening to vocal tones.
Every vocal tone awakens in the hearer a set of imagined muscular
sensations. These sensations furnish the means for an exhaustive
analysis of the operations of the voice. The production of tone
therefore awakens two sets of muscular sensations, one actually felt by
the singer, the other felt in imagination by the listener. The former
are commonly known as the "singer's sensations"; but, as will be
explained later, this expression is often very loosely applied. It is
advisable on this account to give a new name to the singer's sensations,
and also to give a name to the muscular sensations awakened in the
hearer. Let us therefore call the sensations experienced by the singer
in the production of tone the "direct sensations of tone." To the
imaginary sensations of the hearer let us give the name, the
"sympathetic sensations of tone."
These two terms will be used throughout the remainder of this work in
the meanings here given to them.
Direct sensations of tone are the sensations actually felt by the singer
as a result of the exercise of the vocal organs.
Sympathetic sensations of tone are the muscular sensations experienced
in imagination by the hearer as a result of the listening to the tones
of voices other than his own.
CHAPTER II
SYMPATHETIC SENSATIONS OF VOCAL TONE
A peculiar relation of sympathy exists between the human voice and the
human ear. So intimate is this relation that the two might almost be
considered as forming one complete organ. One aspect of this relation
has already been noted, the guidance of the vocal organs by the sense of
hearing. There is now to be considered another feature of this relation
between voice and ear,--the assistance rendered by the vocal organs to
the sense of hearing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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