The female voice is treated in the same unnatural way. Many
teachers teach their pupils to sing with the lower series of
the chest register as high up as possible, often to the e¹ f¹,
as far as the organs permit, and then let them begin the
falsetto register. In this way the second series of the chest
register is entirely omitted; but the made tones, as the
expression is, thus obtained, sound very disagreeable and
coarse, and the falsetto tones, which in this way begin lower
than necessary, are on the contrary faint and weak. Of the
falsetto register these teachers commonly require only the
first series, up to d² e♭², to be sung, and then directly
begin the head tones. Thus the second series of the falsetto
is not used; but the tones belonging to it, which are sung
with the first series of the falsetto register, are for the
most part hard and sharp and seldom pure, while the tones of
the head voice, coming in too soon, are thin and unmusical,
and the whole voice thus receives an irregular formation. Many
teachers, again, allow the lower tones of the chest register
to be sung with the higher series of the same, whereby these
tones are naturally never as sweet and strong. Then, too,
they press the first series of the falsetto up to d² e♭², and
thence, as far as it is possible, the voice is to ascend with
the second series of the falsetto, without admitting the head
tones, even in voices with the high soprano timbre. But the
tones thus forced up are for the most part sharp and destitute
of all grace. And it is just this that is one of the commonest
faults of our present mode of singing.
As it has been customary to cultivate, in the male voice only,
the three lower series, because both of the highest sound sweet
and graceful only from the soft, delicate organs of the female
voice, and as the male voice is rarely capable of compassing
the highest series, the erroneous idea has gradually obtained
prevalence among teachers of singing, that there are only three
different series of tones, and that the female voice has only
two transitions.
In voices fresh and unvitiated the different series are very
easily distinguished by their different timbre. One hears
this difference of timbre most clearly in the transition of
the second series of the chest register into the falsetto in
the male voice, and in the female voice at the transition of
the first series of the falsetto register into the second.
As has been observed, the larynx stands lower with the tones of
the chest register than with the tones of the other registers,
or during quiet breathing.
In order, in the low chest tones, to bring the whole glottis
into full vibration, the air, as it is expired, must press
upon it with a larger volume. From all parts of the lungs
the air, when expired, presses into the windpipe, the rings
of which, widening as much as possible, come somewhat nearer
to each other and draw down the larynx.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account