TwelveLessonsintheFundamentalsofVoiceProduction 10007893
TwelveLessonsintheFundamentalsofVoiceProduction 10007893
TwelveLessonsintheFundamentalsofVoiceProduction 10007893
IN
TH E FU N D A M EN TA L S OF
V OIC E PR OD U C TIO N
’
BY
AR TH U R L .
M A N C HES TER
DI R ECT OR OF M USI C A N D P RO FESS OR OF V O ICE
C ULT U R E A T C O N V ER S E C O LL EG E
BOS TO N
O L I VE R D I TSO N C O M PA N Y
N EW Y OR K : C H A S H DIT S O N
. . CO .
C H IC A G O : L Y O N HE A LY
P H IL A D E L PHIA : J E DIT S O N
. . CO .
PR E FA CE
Th e following series o
pp earingfi rst in The M usi
f lesson s , a
Th e lesso n s are th e
!
A RTH U R L M A N C HE STE R . .
PA R T I
E SS EN TI A L S OF T HE ST UD Y O F VO I CE CU LTUR E
PA R T II
f B reath
o
L E SS O N Tw o In h alation. and R e ten tion fB reath
o
LE S S O N TH R E E Greater Tes ts .
f B reath Control
o
B ro ken Ch ord
PA R T I II
S U IT A B LE S ON G S
G R O U P ON E
G RO U P Tw o
GR O U P TH R EE
F0 REW O R D
TH E PR O B LEM
Pr op er ly sp eakin g, it is n o t th e t each er n or outside i ns truction wh ich causes
t h ings to be com p r eh en ded ; th ey do n o thi ng m ore th an ex ose th em t o th e ih
p
teri or ligh t f th e m in d
o ,by w h ich alon e they ar e com p reh en ded ; so th at wh en
th ere is n ot th e co n cu rrence of th is ligh t, in s tr ucti on is to n o m ore
p urp ose
t h an as th ough exhi bi t
on e w ere to p ictures in th e n igh t . N I COLE .
’
v it is an act o f the student s mind in which the intuiti v e
y,
blish the relat ionship between the physical act and the result .
!
they bear toward h is act o f singing stri ves t o Open cover , ,
!
,
!
!
place o r otherwi se modi fy the tone each e ffo rt giving ri se
!
, ,
’
cal ef fort by preventing this adjustment defeats the S inger s
, ,
voice Of the teacher will make clear the fault from which h e
is su ffering He needs something so
. definite that it permits
o fn o misunderstanding .
light o f the mind that will assure the student a right direc
tion o feffort by making clear what is right and what is wrong ?
E v ery student at some time o r other h as sung a tone whi ch
, ,
tion be awakened ?
ESSENTI A L S
C H A P TER ON E
P E R CE P T IO N OF C O N D I T IO N S
ercise s,
finally to overc o me these obstacles an d O btain the
freedom Of tone produ cti o n and the facility in the use o f his
voice which he now lacks He works earnestly and patiently
.
,
be done will not Of itself c ultivate the voice and enable the
,
restrictions .
which arise during the act o f singing and is able to recog nize ,
development Of voice .
teach ing can be relied upon in all instances E xercises are only
.
e ve r much tr uth they may contain will give the pupil control
,
the m . Open
!
Covered D ark
,
! !
Wh ite ,
!
Head tone!
,
! !
,
! !
,
O pening the thro at and freeing the j aw and tongue all the ,
cilit
y is c on sidered ready fo r songs and arti stic development
, .
ce iv e d and established .
thes e principles t o this next step must be made clear and fur ,
nary bre ath taking and control is wholly insu ffi cient and when ,
control rests ? A t the root Of all is the fact that the act Of
breathing Should never entail physical strain shoul d never ,
‘
end.
by sen sations which can be recognized and their rel ati o n to the
di fferent phases Of tone production made perfectly cle ar This .
and affords the best approach by which the inte rior light o f!
purposes .
fastened to the breast bone just above the soft spot or pit o f
-
,
FI G U R E I
TH E D I A P HR A G M
to each other by muscles which raise and pull the m out ward
,
.
c iall
y toward the back are expanded and when diaphragmatic
, ,
ing the thr oat leavi n g the larynx free to do its work
,
.
FIG UR E 2
RI BS A N D R IB - M U SC LE S
'
D S
E CR I PTI ON : A R ibs
. . B A ttach m
. en t o f ribs t o backbon e. C R /ib-m
. uscles
con n ectin
g th em extern ally . D JlIus cles
. attaching upp er ri bs to p oin ts f
o
else with eve ry full breath t h e upper chest and Should ers will
be li fted a condition destructive t o freedom of throat A ll
,
.
feeling o f sti f
fness in the sides should be av oided the e xpan ,
sion caused by the mov em ent Of the ribs and the subsequent
, ,
thi s end .
E XE R C I SE S
EX E R C I SE ON E S tand
with one foot in advance o f the other
.
,
bal ance the weight Of the body o n the forward foot poising ,
entire body The muscles should be free from all tenseness but
.
,
Take bre ath and notice the action o ft h e muscles o f the back
,
n o t take too deep a bre ath N ote the expansion Of the sides . .
These exercises locate the muscles o fthe ribs and back used
in breathing W atchful practice o fthem will give strength and
.
not to disturb the firm poi se o n the feet The idea is to give .
E XE R C I S E
FIV E Standing with the u pper part o fthe body free
.
,
finger o n the soft spot and notice its p ulsations Le t the move
, .
ing the upper Chest quiet Have the shaking extend upward t o
.
E X E R C IS E S IX S tand
as in previous exercises place the fingers
.
,
least three seconds bet ween each breath N otice the quick o ut .
,
the same placi n g the han ds on sides and back N otice the out
, .
from sti ffness and under control Of the will Students are apt .
their work well until all sti ffness is banished Hence the first .
requi site is power to stand with the body pliable the waist ,
next step .
shoulders do not rise and the movement o f the bac k from the
,
and the face is smiling and ple as ant A fter this review o fEx .
R E C I SE Two take
,
EXE R C I SE S E V EN D rop
.the arms still leaning forward with the
,
easy the mind maintains control but is com fortable the arms
, ,
E X E R C I S E E I G HT N o w
apply this instruction to EX ER C I SES
.
now takes note n o t only o fthe expan sion Ofthe bac k but als o ,
EX E R C I S E N I N E . at
under the breast-bone and the S ides and the back t o the shoul
,
quiet, the upper chest still the face pleasant an d the eyes
, ,
an d com fortable .
o f the b ac k and ribs and the diaphragm quite fully with body , ,
chest and throat free from strain an d undue effort The mind
,
.
the throat To do this will spoil all prospects ofgood tone pro
.
remiss .
tent prac tice The muscle s o f e xhal ation are more used as a
.
,
E X E R C I SE TEN S tand
in position take b re ath slowly but not
.
, ,
hu rry be easy and deliberate keep the mind easy the face
, , ,
fo r sti f
fness to creep in oppose your will t o all these faults
, ,
E X ER C I S E E L E V EN R epeat EX ER C I S E TE N ,
. noting the inward
movement Of the S ides and back R eproduce all the desirable
.
the eyes are plea sant the body poised on the forward foot
,
lightly and free from all tenseness S imply stop breathing and
,
.
keep the throat and mouth O pen C ontrol the outgo o f the .
An d with it all keep the body free from even the approach o f
32 TH E FU N DAM EN TA L S OF VOI CE PRODU CTIO N
strain W hen the breath can be retained easily
. fo r ten sec
o uds increase the time
, .
EX E R C I SE T HIRTEEN
Test the control Of breath by holding a
.
pe rm it it s s urface t o be moistened .
I n all these exercises keep in m ind the fact that they are
o nly m e ans to an e n d I t is the m ind back o f them which does
.
toward the cau ses o f the troubles which afflict us v oc ally The .
fail to touch the cause to get at the root Of the tro uble b e
, ,
G R E A TE R TE S TS O F B RE A T H C O N T ROL
already done will come Our present work will serve no pur
.
tone we will give the bre ath control acquired in the first les
,
entire body is free from rigidity that the mind is easy the, ,
face comfortable the lips being parted and the throat entirely
, ,
EX E R C I S E
FO URTEEN Take a weight in the hands — a heavy
.
~
and sides Keep the thro at open and retain breath while li ft
.
loose tongue lying limp in the mouth A gain use the mirror
,
. .
EXE RC I S E EI G HTEEN GO
through the motions o f counting
.
on e t wo th ree fo ur
, , fi ve six adding A h without sound D o
, , , , , .
this three times in the one breath Perm it no esc ape Of breath .
,
tain that ifthe control Ofbreath which relieves the throat fro m
,
granted that those who are following these lessons have taken
p ains to master the exercises and establish t h e condition s set
forth.
!
holding back is usually so slight that the phy sical effort is
!
properly de vel o p e d .
!
holding back will not trouble the student in future work
!
.
and distinctly from the lips the conditions are good No bet
,
.
t o the daily use o fthe convers at i onal voice R etain bre ath just .
make sure this holding back is avoided and our first e xer
! !
,
EX E R C I SE N IN ETEEN
Take breath being sure that conditions
.
,
but with breath well contro lled on e two three four fi ve six
, , , , , , ,
There is
‘
on the breath . no
efi ort in the breath con trol, the
The voice moves al ong smoothly and evenly ; all eflort is at '
ftongue,
th e lips and tip o and the tones sound at the lips .
E X E R C I S E TwEN TY
Thi s is a development Ofthe preceding e x
.
thr oat o r o f the j aw and tongue The eyes and face should be
.
tention .
44 TH E F U N DAM EN TAL S OF VOI CE PRODU CTIO N
pose in vi e w it is imperative that power to produce tone with
,
out holding back while at the same time keeping effort from
!
,
!
sion the tongue and jaw moving freely the roof o fthe m outh
, ,
com fortable the tone coming freely and with n o t the slightest
,
!
easily at the lips ? D O the exercise quietly scanning the condi ,
throat free from the slightest pressure from the tone ? I s there
no f eeling o fweight at the laryn x ? IS the breath retained with
o ut e f
fort o r holding in ? Is t h e breath controlled by will and
A pply
the same tests t o E XE R C I SE TW EN TY Can yo u sus .
as in the previous exercise ? D oes the tone fill the mouth issu ,
ing from the lips without effort rather than being forcibly ,
E XE R C I S E T WE N TY -T H RE E R etain
breath as in previous e xer
.
the o ctave it sho uld be sung o nly SO far as can be done with
,
be sung .
E XE RC I SE TWE N TY -FO UR U se t h e
. syll able La Keep the entire
.
tongue free from sti ffness rai s e the tip only with a lightning
,
E X E R C I SE TW EN TY-F IVE U se
the syllable N a Feel the vibra
. .
tongue limp I n the first two exercises the chin may move in
.
,
’
as is indicated by the fou r N a s being sung t o a whole note .
F ORW A R D N E S S OF T ON E
the l Vill
/
st an t l
y setting u p right conditions .
impress the truth that the exerci se s are only the o utcom e the ,
do its re al work .
B e gin the work o fthis lesson w ith a w at ch ful pract ice OfE X
'
E R CIS ES TW E N TY
,
T W EN TY T HR EE and T W E N TY F O UR A pply
- -
, .
comfort from the exercises Be certain that the sides are steady
. .
tion Ofit with your singing and m ake both equally free and
,
50 TH E F U N DAM ENTALS OF VOI C E PRODU CTIO N
comfortable Practise u ntil these syllables can be sustained ten
.
m a
y be a more or less prono u nced t e ndency to push the t o ne
tongue against the roo fo fthe mouth very lightly and sing the
N with the tongue there D rop the tongue and let the tone dis
‘
and quietly .
E X E R C I S E T WE NTY -S IX Follow
this review with the next . e xer
Oh - ah
free from strain the face an d eyes easy S ound the Oh with the
, .
L ES S O N S EVE N
duce d the throat will feel O pened well down the tube will be
, ,
the breath The throat being well relaxed the breath will be
.
,
The so ft spot under the breast bone will reflect the action o f
-
the diaphragm and the student should soon realize what the
,
with the instructions given the mind is dire cted t o the pur
,
EX E R C I S E
TW ENTY SIX is valuable in increasing freedom o f
-
watchful there may creep into his practice some little throat
,
almost unconsciously .
C ontr o l o f breath
being established the danger o f pressure
,
while the breath is held at the throat Our present lesso n will
‘
W hen the two are done togeth er there a rises the li abil ity o f
,
inte rference The action o fthe j aw tongue and lips in pro nun
.
, ,
i
c at o n is apt to bring pressure o n the laryn x and to interfere
i
with the production o f the sustaine d tone Hence it is not .
lips and jaw without undue muscular effor t and leaving the
, ,
the jaw hanging loose the chin still Only the tip o ft h e tongue
, .
FI G U R E 3
M U SC L E S O F TH E TO N G UE
D M us cles
. run n i n
gf rom sides of tongue to tongu e-bon e . E . Tongue-bon e .
F M uscles
. con n ectin
g t ongu e w ith s ku ll at ba ck fm ou th
o , G .
right I t will do m uch to free both ton gue and jaw from rigidity
. .
at re st o n t h e fl o o r o ft h e m o u th be i n g li fted q uickly to fo rm
,
E X E RC I SE TWE N T Y E I G HT
-
. S ing Ga fou r
ti m e s in o n e bre ath ,
the tongue from sti ffness an d re lieve the l arynx from pre ssure .
Ga— a— a- a Ga— a— a- a
g g g g g g
A review Of the ex ercises given thus far sho uld be had regu
larly I t will be well t o begin t h e practice at frequent intervals
.
that it is the m ind the will that conquers and not mere repe
, , ,
tition .
LESS O N E I G H T
ED )
F REE DOM OF T O N G UE A ND J A W (C O N T I N U
tinct yet related acts mentioned in the last lesson fail o fproper
, ,
are here used are intended t o give control o f both the produc
tion o ftone and the pronunciation o f consonants They give .
The two exerci ses o f the last lesson were fo r the tip and
the back o f the tong ue The exercise with G a is particularly
.
W ith bre ath control established and with the ton gue and jaw ,
deney to pushing .
the tone remains firm whe n the pitch is changed that is when , ,
tones grow higher in pitch be careful that the tongue does not
,
F REEDOM OF TO N G U E A N D J A W 61
they can be carried still higher but there Sh o uld b e no sti ffen
,
'
T H E S C AL E A N D B RO K E N C H ORD
ce
pt ib le growth and increased reso nance
of .
fi nd little di f
fi culty in their application to successions o f tones .
the upper medi um and head regi sters are approached to per ,
fou nd an d m aster it .
E X E R C I S E TH IRTY A bility
. to sing thirds and fi fths with steady
breath pressure relaxed quiet throat and jaw being ac quired
, , ,
and preparing the S inger for it the singing Ofthe scal e will
,
E X ER C I S E TH IRTY-ON E Follow
. the scale with broken chords ,
higher according to the voi ce with which they are u sed The
, .
EX E R C I S E
THIR TY Two Sing fi fths and scale s as last described
-
.
,
cho rds .
68 U N DAM EN TAL S
TH E F OF V OICE PRODU CTIO N
W ith the work o this lesson practi se the exercises in
f ,
lips free ing the m fro m sti ffness The exercises of this lesson
, .
APPLI C A T I O N OF TO N E PRODU C T IO N
T O S U S T A I N E D PA S S A G E S
de aling with the fun dam en tals of ton e p roduc tion and if we ,
tail s.
E XE R C IS E THIRTY T HR E E
-
. S ing Za fo ur
time s in o n e breath .
K ee p t h e
j aw loose the tongue limp Le t the vibration o fthe
,
.
Z extend t o the entire j aw Fill the m o uth with the tone and
.
,
plo de the Z a and do not push it Keep the vocal tone sounding
, .
in mind .
very fre e from sti ffness are abso lutely e sse ntial to go o d tone
, ,
lips c annot vibrate the consonant unless they are free from
rigidity I t is also helpful in tone placing filling the mouth
. ,
f breath
’
Va-v a-v a-v a Va-v a-v a—v a Va-v a-v a-v a Va-v a-v a-v a
-V -v
a a Va-v a—v a-v Va—v a—v a-v a Va-v a-va-v a
v owe ls t o two tones W ithou t inte rfering with the proper con
dit io n s W hen these second s can be sung well sing it in thi rd s
.
,
a- e -i a- e - i a- e - i a- e - i a- e - i a- e - i
SUS TA I NE D PAS S AG ES 73
G OOD T ON E — TH E C O N D I T IO N S W H I C H PRODU C E IT
and stri v e after v olume at the expense o fall that makes a vo ice
really desirable They think that in S inging a tone which is not
.
out the se are i deas which interfere with the produc tion o fgood
,
tone The effort involved in the attempt to pro duce loud tone
.
fen e d and the l arynx placed under a press ure which leads to
,
loud defeats us .
ste adily gro w fuller without losing any of its mellow expres ,
tion o ftone The exp ression o fthe face and eyes is indicative o f
.
the c ondition ofthe roofo fthe mouth Hard Staring eyes and a
.
,
rigid face are the accompani m ent Ofa ten se n e ss Ofthe pharyn x ;
hence the repeated directions t o practise e x ercises w ith easy
face an d smiling eyes .
! !
mo uth are sensitive Kee p breath firmly against the tone but
.
,
do n otpush .
fro m ,
even the approach o f strain all the ti m e .
78 THE FUN D AM EN TAL S OF VOI CE P RO DUCTI O N
Then apply this power to the exercises in tone production ,
F NAI L S U G G E ST I O N S
sent the factors involved in the proper use o f the S inging v oice
in such way as will make them easily understood and readily
and effectively applied W ith the study Of songs and vocal
.
ise s for the purpose o f acquiring style and facility they have
most certain that the trouble arises fro m a failure in some act
Of breath control I t is difii cult t o prescribe definitely fo r a
.
that thi s case is typical and that there has been failure in cer
tain fundam en tal exercises in breath c ontrol which ifstudied , ,
ble the i m portance Ofthe e arly lessons and o fthe absolute n eces
‘
s it
y Of be ing sure th at b re ath is t aken and co ntroll ed properly .
F NAI L S U G G ES TIO N S 81
A s a last word I would u rge the care ful use o f the lessons
,
study and prac tice of all exercise s which have t o do with free
ing throat tongue and j aw from sti ffness or constriction
, ,
.
S UI T A B L E S O N G S
before tone produ ction is well m astered and the voice placed
is decidedly harm ful and will retard vocal progress The book
, .
voice .
G ROUP I
The son gs in this group have clearly defined melody e asy ,
ple in form and the voice parts contain no intervals that are
,
none o fthe songs are trashy they vary in real musical worth , .
G (d—
E)
Dut ch Lullab y R egin ald de Kove n A (E-E )
0 ( 9 -9 )
Ever ofTh ee 0 m in (c-E )
.
E m in (E —gfi)
.
a re d
i n icate d by CAPITAL le t ters ; n o tes
ab ove or b elow th e stafl by sm al l le tt ers
’
.
S U I TAB L E S O N G S 87
G (o n )
My H eart is S inging G e rtrude San s-Souci B b (b b-E b)
C (c-F)
D (o r)
M orning G lory - So ng, R H untington Woodm
. an G’ (b-Ex )
M ot h er s S o ng A
’
, C (c—E )
In givin g t h e com pass no tes on th e star? are in dica ted by C APITAL lett ers
. n o t es
a bove or b e lo w th e st af
f by sm al l letters .
88 THE FU N D AM EN TAL S OF VOI CE P RO DU CTI ON
Tit le
Past and Fut ure Re gin ald de Ko v e n
66
Rob in Th e
, W H . N eidlinge r
E . R Kro e ge r
.
S um m er N oo n A nice Te rh une
( 6
‘S
66
$6 ( 6
G ROUP I I
Ab se n ce B (b- C’ fl)
E ( E -F w
A lm ond Blosso m G uy d H ardelot
’
s F ( c—F )
Bo rdere r Th e , D . K S t e ve n s
.
(a h F ) Db -
C o n st anc y Ch arle s F W e b b er G b (b b D b)
.
-
66 ‘6
A (oil-E )
0 (E y) -
D e ar D id Yo u Kn o
, w ? Euge ne C o le s w F (a—
D)
Ab (c—F )
A ugust Mign on F (d-g)
G (d—
E)
A E—F f
( !)
D rin k t o M e o n ly wit h Th ine Eyes L o uis R . D re ssler D (c it E )-
Fo rge t -M e- N o t R H unt in gt o n W o o dm
. an A b (d—
E b)
In gi vi n g th e com pass , n o t es o n th e s ta fi
‘
a re d
i n i ca t e d by C APITAL le tters n o tes
a b ov e or b e lo w th e s t afi by sm al l le t ters
’
.
90 TH E FU N DA M EN TA L S OF V O I CE P R O D U CTI O N
In t h e D ark in t h e De w
, C W h it ne y Co o m b s
. A b (d— F)
I vy-le af Th e
, Alb e rt M ilde nb erg E b (b b-E b)
G (M )
J apane se Lullab y Regin ald de Ko ve n G (cl-E )
A (E Ft ) -
D b (c-E b)
Longing W C E S eeb oec k
. . D (d—E b)
.
Love s W h ispe r
’
W Be rwald
. E b (b b-E b)
G b (db-gb)
Lullab y A , W E Mac Clym ont
. . D b (F-gb)
Moon Bab y Th e , Edit h D alt o n 0 (c-E )
D (cl -F t )
M y Lo ve ly Rose Ch arle s W ak e fi e ld Cadm an D (a— D)
My R ose ofYe st ere e n ’
Marie Rich D (b-Ffl)
O nce in t h e Purple Twi ligh t Euge ne Cowle s F (b— D)
A (dit-F it)
R ose in t h e Garde n Th e , W H N e idlinge r
. D (b b -Fit)
F (db-aj
J C Bart le tt
. . E b (E b-E b)
G ( 9 -9 )
H W ak e fi eld S m it h
. E (6
G (d )
(c—E )
’
S um m e r G irl A , Co ra D ec k er S a r
ge n t C
'
W it h You D e ar
, Ch arle s P S cott C’ (cl -E )
.
D (E -F fi)
W e said G o od-b ye Flo re nce Edn ah Ch ipm an E b (b b-E b)
Ingi vin g p
th e co m ass , n o t e s o n
th e s ta y
‘