which distinguish the vocal animals. In those countries where man, like a plant, may be said to grow and flourish, it expands, ripens, and comes to perfection; but in the northern and colder regions, where the mouth is more constantly closed, the voice is restricted and escapes with difficulty.*

Greece and Italy, those far-famed countries, which have been the admiration of the world for their mild and beautiful climate, have been ever famous for the vocal art. Under a sky so serene, the voice partakes of that clear and open tone that at once creates a language pure, free, and harmonious. This euphony of speech, or aria parlante, may be regarded as a natural faculty, and it is but a slight step in these countries to move into all the beauties of song. In a climate like our own, where nature has been less generous, it is a rare instance to meet with any voices that are truly excellent. Many of our words have had their origin in severer climes, and partake so much of the nasal and guttural tones as to destroy every vestige of melody.† These defects may, in a great measure, be remedied by art, and, if we commence soon enough, a voice may be made to approach the excellence of the Italians. Our method of producing vocal sounds

* Captain Parry, in his polar voyage, speaks of the cold being so intense, that they dare not open their mouths in the outer air, or expose themselves without a mask.

†The Dutch and Northern languages are so guttural, that in the delivery of some of their words you might suppose the speaker were choked.

Some

is similar to that of a wind instrument. By a slight percussion of the breath through the windpipe we produce its key-note and attendant harmonies of the 3d, 5th, and 8th. If we listen attentively, we may hear these intervals in speaking; but they are so slightly glanced upon, and pass with such rapidity, that it requires a nice ear to detect them. The cries in the streets are invariably composed of these tones, and naturally speaking, our voices are limited to these few notes. Some persons have a greater aptness for the vocal art than others, probably by a more suitable organization, but there is not a voice, however stubborn, but what may be rendered sufficiently pliant to perform with accuracy the notes of the diatonic scale. The first and most important operation is to open the mouth so completely, that the voice may meet with no obstruction in its course. To do this, the head must be thrown a little back, while standing in an erect posture, opening the mouth so as to admit three fingers set edgewise between the teeth, then by gently putting forth the voice with the organs steadily kept in this position, you will produce the first vocal sound of Au,* as in the word awful. Another quality of tone may be acquired by admitting but two fingers between the teeth, and drawing the

This broad A occurs constantly in the Doric dialect of the Greek, and its broad pronunciation was sometimes a subject of discussion amongst that people, not knowing that it was adapted for musical purposes.-Chatillon.

corners of the mouth alike backward as in the act of smiling: this position will give the sound of the vowel Ah! as in the word art, less broad, and more attenuated than the former. This is the best mode of modelling the voice for singing, and should be constantly resorted to, till every note from C below the line, to G above it, can be evenly sustained in the ascending and descending scales, while you moderately count four.

DAILY LESSON.

Ah!

A more slender tone may be produced by contracting the mouth so as to admit but one finger between the teeth, and which will give the sound of the diphthong Ea, as in the word earth.

For notes of rapid execution in the upper octave it will be necessary to contract the organs still more, poking out the chin a little, which will produce the still more slender sound of E as in the word eel. All these positions may be practised upon the daily lesson, and great attention should be paid to the manner in which any one good tone is made, so that you may adopt a similar method in the others.

In harsh and disagreeable voices the organs are too much contracted, so that the voice has not a

free and easy passage. The sound thus resisted is tortured by overcoming the obstacles by which it is impeded. These modifications have a similar action upon the vocal organs to the pressure of the lips upon the mouth-piece of a wind instrument; but in addition to this, the muscles possess the singular power of lengthening or shortening the windpipe, by depressing the chin, which in effect widens it for the lower tones, while poking it out narrows it for the upper.* Hence it will appear that the whole of these operations are mechanical, and that the muscles engaged will require constant practice to bring them into activity and perfect obedience.†

A full and retentive breath is the only basis upon which a pure and firm tone can be formed. For this, the shoulders should be thrown a little backward, standing in an easy posture, and opening the

Signor Ferlendi, when in England, performed upon an oboe in the Opera-house, one of the joints of which was formed of leather, which he twisted or contracted in a way so like the windpipe, that he produced a talking tone much resembling the human voice

† Description of the voice-Haydn and Mozart.

There is an art in taking the breath. In rapid music it should be drawn as quick as possible, and without the least noise. It should never be replenished in the middle of a word or division, so as to break a regular succession of notes. By practice, the retention of the breath can be carried to a great extent. Farinelli could sing three hundred notes in a breath, while many of our public singers are ready to drop with exhaustion in getting through the division of twelve bars in the last song of the Messiah. Though the noise of drawing the breath has been condemned, yet in the theatre, in scenes of agitation, the noise adds much to the dramatic effect.

chest, by which a deep inspiration can only be taken. From these directions it will be discovered that the point of action in the voice is seated in the throat, near where the hair terminates at the back of the neck. This place may be considered as the antechamber to the mouth, in which compartment all the beauties of execution must be prepared, never advancing into the mouth, or sinking into the throat, as the least deviation either one way or the other will render the tone harsh and hard, thick, throaty, and guttural.* In the ascending scale the tones should diminish in volume and increase in brilliancy as they rise upward: to produce this, we gradually lessen the aperture of the throat, increasing the velocity of the breath; and if we were to compare the lowest note in the voice to the figure and size of a billiard ball, we should say that the sounds should so diminish, that the highest should not be larger than a pea. The lower notes of most voices are formed in the chest, which may be felt by laying the hand upon the breast, as the sound produces a very perceptible vibration. This portion of the voice is called by the Italians the voce de petto, or voice of the breast. Upon this stands the common voice, and immediately above it comes the voce de testa, or the voice of the head, the notes of which are formed at the highest point of the

* Madame Camporese's performance was truly excellent, except that some of her notes partook of the throaty tone, highly sickening and disgusting to the ear.