The Voice: Its Production, Care and PreservationMiller, Frank E. (Frank Ebenezer)
Philosophy
The Voice: Its Production, Care and Preservation
Miller, Frank E. (Frank Ebenezer)
Singing -- Instruction and study; Voice -- Care and hygiene
Every pupil should be instructed to fall naturally into an attitude of
attention when coming into the presence of the teacher--as much so as
in the presence of a distinguished host or hostess. _Morale, esprit
de corps_, cannot be instilled too soon. They may well be considered
psychical elements in general vocal hygiene.
Personal cleanliness is, of course, one of the first requisites to
health. But, while bathing should be regular, it should not be extreme.
A cold bath stimulates at first, but is followed by a bad reaction in
a few hours. A hot bath, followed by exposure to the open air or a
draught, is apt to develop a cold by night. I recommend for singers
a lukewarm bath.
When singers have had their hair cut, they should watch themselves
carefully for the next twenty-four hours. If possible, they should have
it cut shortly before going to bed and should protect the head with a
light hood. Some singers catch cold every time they have their hair cut,
and bald-headed singers always are catching cold. And while on this
subject, it cannot be stated emphatically enough that any hair tonic
that stimulates the scalp too much is bad. The glands in the scalp
absorb the lead, cantharides, cayenne pepper, or whatever the specific
poison in the tonic may be; this is carried to the respiratory tract,
and creates the symptoms of a cold.
Singers are not apt to take much exercise. For this reason they should
be careful in their diet. They should avoid beef, lamb and mutton. The
white meat of fowl is the best meat diet for the vocalist. Milk, eggs,
toasted bread, string beans, spinach, lettuce, rice and barley are
excellent. Potatoes should be mashed, with milk and butter. Fruit is
better taken stewed and with little sugar. Ice cream clears the voice
for about twenty minutes, but the reaction is bad.
Regarding tea and coffee, inasmuch as a singer is not a cat on a back
fence, but a human being, there is no reason why he should not be
permitted to follow the social law in respect to these, provided he is
not a sufferer from indigestion. In fact, there are times when a cup of
coffee taken at the right moment will carry a singer, tired from travel
or other cause, over a crisis. There can be no harm in a cup of coffee
(Java and Mocha mixed), a cup of Phillip's Digestible cocoa, or a cup of
tea (Oolong or Tetley's Ceylon) for the singer who is in good condition.
I always have held that a singer could drink a small quantity of
alcohol--claret, for example--if he takes with it enough lithia or other
alkaline water to counteract the acid in the wine. Smoking, however, is
very injurious. A famous tenor of to-day whispered during a performance
in the Metropolitan Opera House to the prima donna in the cast, "I
smoked too many cigarettes yesterday; I feel it in my voice." Myron W.
Whitney always left off smoking for two weeks before the Worcester
Festival.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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