bV 483 .M6 1911 1 OCAL AND/O^KK) PHYSICAL TRAINING MONROE folpghtN°_i_2/Z COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. LEWIS BAXTER MONROE. PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING For School Use and for Private Instruction BY LEWIS BAXTER MONROE Formerly, Superintendent of Physical and Vocal Culture in Boston Public Schools. Founder and Dean of Boston University School of Oratory, Compiler of "Monroe's Readers," etc. WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH AND PERSONAL REMINISCENCES Illustrations by Hammat Billings EDGAR S. WERNER & COMPANY NEW YORK Copyright, I860, by Lewis B. Monroe Copyright, lull, by Edgar S. V/erner ^ & *> C CLA280326 PREFACE. Tnrs manual is prepare! in response to repeated requests for some written embodiment of the method of Vocal and Physical Culture practised by tne writer during the last ten years, and taught in the Boston public schools, under his supervision, for three years past. It is with no little hesitation that he at- tempts the difficult task of conveying by printed words that which requires the living voice for its proper exemplification. impossible to prescril>e an inflexible course of instruction. — one which will not require Ahe ingenuity of the teacher to adapt it to individual castfa Nevertheless, even an imperfect outline — and this assumes to be nothing more — will serve as a guide to those who wish to adopt, to any extent, this mode ning. r the faults and imperfections in these pages the writer is alone responsible : and he would not claim an undue share of credit for anything of worth which the work may contain. He has availed himself of the labors of the numerous investigators who have preceded him in these fields. In common with al- most every one who has dealt with the speaking voice during the present generation, he is especially indebted to the great IV PREFACE. work of Dr. Rush on the Human Voice, and to the excellent adaptations of his methods by Professor William Russell. He would also gratefully acknowledge his personal obligation to Professor Alexander Melville Bell of London, foremost among English elocutionists of the present day; and to the gifted vocal artist Dr. C. A. Guilmette, and Mr. W. J. Parkerson of Boston. This list might be indefinitely extended. The writer would here, in a word, offer his sincere thanks to all who, by instruction, advice, criticism, or patronage, have aided him in his work. Boston, March 1, 1869. TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. It will not be best to dwell too long on the exercises of any one chapter before proceeding to the next. It is well to take up almost simultaneously the matters of Position. Carriage of the Chest. Breathing, Production of Tone,. Articulation, and, to a certain extent. Expression- CONTENTS Biographical Sketch Personal Reminiscences A Pupil's Tribute CHAPTER I. Physical Culture in Schools CHAPTER II. Hints and Caution: CHAPTER III. Position and Carriage of the Body CHAPTER IV. Carriage and Development or the Chest . CHAPTER V. Breathing and Development of the Lungs . CHAPTER VI. Control of the Organs of the Throat CHAPTER VII. Production of Tone CHAPTER VIII. Vowel Analysis Articulation- Chapter IX. PAGE 103 106 112 1 8 10 19 24 28 32 38 43 Monroe's Vocal Gymnastics — vii V111 CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. Slides or Inflections . . . . „ ... 51 CHAPTER XI. Quality of Voice . 56 CHAPTER XII. Force ,59 CHAPTER XIII. Pitch, or Modulation 61 CHAPTER XIV Rate, or Movement ..... ... 64 CHAPTER XV. Stress 67 CHAPTER XVI. Transition . . 74 CHAPTER XVII. Imitative Modulation 79 CHAPTER XVIII. Picturing 83 CHAPTER XIX. Selections for Practice in Reading ..... 87 CHAPTER XX. Tables for daily Drill and Review . . . . .94 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL CULTURE IX SCHOOLS. The beneficial influence of physical exercises in schools is now generally acknowledged. Indeed, every well-managed educational establishment, of whatever grade, is expected to bestow due attention upon this department. The teacher who neglects all considerations of health in the training of his pupils, while forcing them to the utmost mental acquire- ments, is justly considered an enemy rather than a friend of those committed to his charge. His excuse is, the false standard of public sentiment hitherto prevalent, to which he defers ; and which has offered its rewards for mental and perhaps moral forwardness at whatever bodily sacrifice. The " saints by spiritual law " have been allowed, nay, almost expected, to be "sinners against physical law." It is only an exaggeration of the same principle which induces the Hindoo mother to immolate her offspring in the waters of the Ganges. She throws away the body of the child for some fancied higher good to come in consequence. She has not learned that the Creator's laws are so perfectly balanced, that the highest good of the soul is connected with the highest good of the body. And there are many, even among us, who seem not to admit that mind and body are mutually dependent ; that we cannot secure the best ? A 2 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. development of the one at the expense of the other. It is lamentable to see the evils that have insidiously crept upon us as a result of this error, — evils which we will not here particularize, but which are only too obvious. The ancient Greeks paid the same attention to physical as to mental training. Their gymnasia were schools for the body and mind ; and the office of Gymnasiarch was one of honor and repute. The monuments in art, science, and lan- guage which have come down to us more than confirm the wisdom of their educational methods. Is it not a strange inconsistency on our part, that, while we pay such tributes to their excellence, we ignore the means by which that excellence was attained ? We praise and copy their statu- ary, but seem to forget that the models for these classical figures were furnished by then system of physical training. We go back to them to-day for our great exemplars in oratory. But which of our institutions will carry us through the drill which made these men such consummate masters cf their art ? The reaction has fairly begun ; and it is to be hoped that out of the reawakened interest in physical culture will grow a system of exercises which shall serve as a substitute for, if it does not make good, the training of the Olympian days. It is true that in our time the requirements for physical strength and endurance are not the same as of old. But a sound mind in a sound body must be as important now as it ever was ; while the danger of neglecting to keep up the proper balance, with our labor-saving machines, our changed modes of locomotion, of warfare, and of every- thing requiring manual dexterity and bodily strength, is greater than ever. It devolves upon teachers more than upon others to see that the impetus recently given to this subject be not lost. They should seek to render the interest already felt PHYSICAL CULTURE IX SCHOOLS. 3 stronger, more genera], and more intelligent. Let them make the most of their opportunities for information upon the subject. And although the amount of instruction afforded in our institutions of learning and in literature be at present most insufficient, it will not long remain so. An increased demand will bring an increased supply. Meantime something should be done, and that something should lead to practical results. What practical results can we reasonably look for? What are the ends to be attained by a system of school exercises? Nothing, of course, comparable with the benefits to be derived from a thorough course in a weU-furnished gym- nastic establishment, such as is to be found in Germany or France.* But enough can be accomplished to fully repay the time and effort bestowed. And that this end may be secured, the teacher should have a definite aim in prescrib- ing each movement. It is not sufficient that the pupil is taking physical exercise. He must absolutely be gaining something. The teacher should learn to distinguish be- tween essential and unessential exercises. The thorough and persevering practice of a few wisely directed move- ments is more beneficial than a random and irregular prac- tice of a large number of vague exercises. We repeat, let every exercise chosen have a definite aim and practical value. We here suggest the main pDints to be kept in view in * The writer is best acquainted -with the Gymnase Triat, Arenue cfe Montaigne, Paris. He can testify from personal knowledge of the bene- ficial effects derived from the system of physical training there pursued. To a stranger who witnesses the drill of a class for the first time, it seems absolutely incredible that a majority of the sturdy gymnasts performing those feats of agility and strength were at the time of their entrance weak and debilitated. The transformation, in a few months, of invalids into : men, seems fully to justify the claims made by If. Triat, when he places in large letters upon the front of his establishment, Regenzraiiun de l" Homme 4 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. prescribing practice. If a given exercise does not tend to promote one or more of these ends, it may be set down as comparatively useless. We wish to promote : — 1. Symmetry of form ; 2. Proper position and carriage of the body ; 3. Right habits of breathing ; 4. Good voice ; 5. Health. We might have included Strength, Endurance, and Agil- ity ; but these cannot be made prominent in a school course. They require an amount of room, apparatus, and time which cannot be afforded. I. Symmetry of Form. — Teacher and pupil should have in the mind a true ideal of a perfect human form ; and they should seek to bring their own forms as nearly to this ideal as possible. It is as important for them as for the sculptor. True, flesh and bones are not so plastic in our hands as the clay model ; still, our forms will yield more or less in obedience to well-directed efforts. The commonest faults in the forms of the present gener- ation are: 1. One-sidedness, — an unequal development of the two sides of the body. 2. Hollow chest, which in- volves a pitching forward of the shoulders, projection of the shoulder-blades, crooking of the collar-bone, and drooping of the head. 3. Slender waist, especially in women. These peculiarities are neither healthful nor beautiful, and only an ignorant mind or a perverted taste would ever regard them as such. On the score of health, the distorted feet of the Chinese or the deformed skulls of the Flathead Indians are less objectionable than the cramped waists of our devotees of fashion. As regards beauty, it is hard telling which infringes most upon a true ideal. Certain it is that a sculptor who should attempt to rival the Venus de Medid by presenting a figure in marble modelled after the PHYSICAL CULTURE IX SCHOOLS. h forms shown in a modern fashion-plate would be derided. No portrayal can easily exaggerate the evils which follow in the train of these deformities. Teachers cannot perform a higher service for their pupils than by leading them to see that a beneficent Creator has framed them according to his own idea, and that any wilful distortion of their bodies is a sin as well as a folly. II. Proper Position- and Carriage of the Body. — Under this head we include the habits of the pupil in ref- erence to sitting, standing, walking, and the movements of the body and limbs generally. Ease, dignity, and grace of carriage should be cultivated. All exercises which do not tend to these ends are of questionable utility. The drill motions cannot, from the necessity of the case, be all of them intrinsically graceful ; but they should, in a degree, satisfy our aesthetic sense, and should tell favorably upon the habitual bearing of the pupil. No exercise is desirable which requires awkward or unnatural movements. III. Right Habits of Breathing. — Good air is one of the first essentials in physical and vocal exertion. No one can keep the body and mind vigorous for any great length of time in impure air. And the most impure air is that which is filled with the emanations from the human system. The lungs should be trained to free, full, and vigorous action. They are, so to speak, the very springs of vitality. The more immediate importance of the lungs in the animal economy will be brought to mind when we recollect that a person may live for days without food ; but to deprive him of air, even for a few moments, is to deprive him of life itself. If our breathing is imperfect, all the functions of body and mind are impeded. In fact, the manner of breath- ing at any particular time is almost as good a test as the pulse itself of the general state of the system, physical and mental 6 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. One of the commonest faults in the use of the lungs ia the habit of breathing as it were from their surface, not bringing sufficiently into play the costal and abdominal muscles. By watching the domestic animals, — a horse or cow, for instance, — we may learn a lesson in breathing. We perceive that there is very little motion near the fore ex- tremities, but the breath is impelled from the flanks. So should we have the main action at the waist and below the waist. Any form of dress or belt, therefore, which constrains the base of the lungs and presses upon the stomach and intestines must do serious harm. IV. Good Voice. — Intimately connected with the func- tion of breathing is that of vocalization. And it is perhaps because the culture of the voice involves the training of the lungs, that vocal exercises are so generally acknowledged as contributing to health. So great importance did the Greeks attach to this feature of human development, that the tyro passed through the hands of at least three different masters in this department alone before completing his course. One master developed the power and range of his voice ; an- other improved its quality ; a third taught modulation and inflection. And when we consider the bodily functions brought into play, and the all-important service rendered to the mind, by the voice, we shall not think that they overrated this branch of culture. The production of voice is a muscular operation. It calls into action many organs directly related to the vital econ- omy ; and, consequently, every step taken toward perma- nently improving the voice is so much done toward building up the health and vitality of the general system. "When teachers feel that they are improving the reading and sing- ing of their pupils while they give them healthful exercises, they will not be so likely to consider physical exercises a repulsive drudgery, or the practice of them as so much lost time. PHYSICAL CULTURE IN SCHOOLS. 7 The faults in voice are too numerous to be specified here. The one most prevalent in schools is the hard, unnatural, half-screaming tone in which both teachers and scholars carry on their recitations. The natural, easy, musical quality of voice which marks refined society should be cultivated in the school-room from the beginning. Imagine a polite person asking a visitor to take a chair, in the tone used by scholars in reciting their arithmetical lesson ! Yet the forced and stilted tone is as fitting in the one case as in the other. It is true, scholars must often speak loudly in the school-room ; but the tone may be loud and pleasant at the same time. V. Health. — This is, humanly speaking, the pearl of great price, beside which no other earthly blessing can be placed, and without which everything else loses its charm. Nowhere in our educational system is there so great a de- fect as the failure to secure attention to hygienic laws. To cultivate the brain while we neglect the vital system is as absurd as to furnish a powerful engine to a frail boat. The more we increase the steam power, the more should we make sure that the hull is stanch. We rush to destruction when we force the engine unduly. Nervous diseases and frail constitutions are becoming every day more abundant ; and they will continue to increase, till an intelligent hy- giene shall furnish the true preventive. Proper habits of dress, diet, sleep, cleanliness, and exercise are of infinitely more importance to a child than the geography of Siberia or the history of the Dark Ages. Yet the latter absorb a large share of time in schools where not a word is said of the former. May it not be asked with solemn emphasis, What shall it profit a child to gain a whole world of book- knowledge, if, in gaining it, he forfeits the chief condition of earthly welfare, — bodily health 1 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTEE II. HINTS AND CAUTIONS. 1. See that you have pure air always, with at least oc- casional sunshine, and, if possible, pleasant surroundings. 2. Be cheerful and enthusiastic. Be in earnest. L r se your will. Dull and lifeless exercises are of little use. 3. Believe that success in this department is quite as important as in any other, and act accordingly. 4. Let there be a military promptness, order, and exact- ness in all the movements. 5. Do not attempt too much at any one time. A few exercises performed with intelligence and hearty energy are better than a long, listless routine. 6. Do not be alarmed if you feel a little giddiness or faintness as a result of the exercises, especially in breath- ing. When these symptoms appear, stop for a few mo- ments, and then resume your practice at will. After a few days, such sensations entirely disappear. 7. A little muscular soreness is of no consequence. But if positive pain is caused, be more gentle and gradual. 8. If the pupil have sharp pain in the lungs, especially under the shoulder-blades, or should the beating of the heart become excessively rapid and irregular, he should be very gentle and careful in his practice. These symptoms will rarely if ever be induced by any exercises prescribed in this volume. If they do appear, it is doubtful whether the subject of them is well enough to be in a school-room. 9. No scraping or irritation of the throat or disposition HINTS AND CAUTIONS. 9 to cough will ensue from the breathing or vocal exercises when rightly practised. 10. On the whole, the exercises should be so conducted as to leave the pupils at the close enlivened and ex- hilarated. 11. The ingenious teacher will vary the exercises, so as to avoid that sameness which degenerates into lifeless rou- tine. Surprise the scholars by unexpected changes, so as to keep them on the alert. 12. Singing or counting aloud by the pupils while exer- cising is not as a general thing to be recommended. If practised, choose those movements only which act in har- mony with the respiratory action. For instance, let a person attempt to expel the breath while raising the arms for a blow, and inhale while striking violently, he will per- ceive that the effort is unnatural Reverse this, and there is harmony between the muscular and respiratory action. 13. Heavy blows on the lungs are to be avoided. Smart, percussive blows may be struck on the chest when the lungs are filled. 14. Movements should be such as to completely stretch the muscles ; but violent jerkings should be avoided. 15. The best movements are those which give alternate tension and relaxation to those muscles which we wish to cultivate. So in the exercise as a whole, there should be intervals of complete relaxation and rest. !• 10 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTER III. POSITION AND CARRIAGE OF THE BODY. I. Sitting Position. 1. Rest the feet fully on the floor, forming an angle of sixty degrees. 2. Sit (not lean) as far back in the seat as possible; supporting the lower part of the spine against the back of the chair. 3. Knees bent nearly at a right angle. -4. Body square to the front. 5. Chest expanded. G. Hands fall easily in the lap, close to the body, little fingers downward. 7. Shoulders square. 8. Shoulder-blades flat. 9. Head erect ; not tipped in either direction. 10. Chin slightly drawn Fig. l. in 11. Raise the form to the full height. 12. Poise the body slightly forward 13. Eyes straight to the front. 14. Ear, shoulder, and hip in line. This position should be frequently practised as an ex- ercise ; but pupils should be required to remain in it only a POSITION AND CARRIAGE OF THE BODY. few minutes at a time. The younger the scholars, the oftener should they be allowed to change their position. II. Poise forward and hark. First. Incline slowly forward thirty degrees from the per- pendicular, — or till touch- ing the desk in front, — without drooping the head or bending the spine. Second. Steadily return to position. Third. Incline the body steadily backward thirty degrees, or as far as the hack of the chair will ad- mit, without bending the neck or back. Fourth. Slowly return to position. F »£- 2 - The teacher may regulate the exercise by counting in exact time four to each movement. III. Head turn right and left. First. Turn the herd, which is at the same time held erect, to the right, till the right eye comes in a straight line with the front of the shoulder. Second. Turn the head front, to position. Third. Turn, as above, to the left. Fourth. Turn to position. Give the time of two counts to Fig. 3. each movement, and remain fixed during the third and fourth counts. 12 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. IV. Head bend forward and back. First. The chin, without any change in the position of the body, is gently moved downward and forward, till the face forms an angle of forty-five degrees with the trunk. Fig. 4. Fig. 6. Second. Raise the head slowly upward to the vertical position. Third. Move the chin gently upward and backward till an angle of forty-five degrees is formed Fourth. Extend the head upward to position. Time of the movements same as in the preceding exercise. V. Head bend right and left. First. Bend the head directly to the right, till an angle of forty -five degrees is formed with the trunk. Second. Raise the head slowly to the vertical position. Third. Bend the head to the left, as above. Fourth. Return to position. Time as in the preceding. The foregoing exercises may be practised occasionally with a quick motion ; but ordinarily a slow and steady movement is to be preferred. Kg. e. POSITION AND CARRIAGE OF THE BODY. 13 VI. Standing Position 1. Heels in a line, and together. 2. Feet turned equally outward, forming an angle of sixty degrees. 3. Knees straight. 4. Body square to the front. 5. Chest expanded and advanced, hut without constraint. 6. Arms hang easily at the side. 7. Shoulders equal height. 8. Shoulder-blades flat. 9. Head erect, raised at the crown, not tipped in any direction. 10. Chin slightly drawn in. 11. Form raised to the full height. 12. Body poised slightly forward, so that the weight bears mainly on the ball of the foot. 13. Eyes straight to the front. 14. Whole figure in such a posi- tion that the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle are all in a line. No pains should be spared to get this position exactly ; and the pupil should be required to observe its main points whenever he stands to read or recite, in order to estab- lish as a habit an erect and dignified carriage of the body. Weak children need to be partic- ularly cautioned against making the back too hollow, and drooping the head, Fig. 7, Fig. 8. n PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. Fig. 9. Fig. 10. VII. Poise forward and backward. First. Carry the weight of the body as far forward as possible, with- out lifting the heels or bending the spine. The ankle joint yields, but the other joints remain inflexible. Second. Return steadily to po- sition. Third. Carry the weight of the body as far back as possible, so as to bear mainly on the heels, but without lifting the toes. Spine and joints inflexible, as in preceding ex- ercise. Fourth. Return steadily to po- sition. Four counts to each movement. VIII. Rise on the Toes. First. Raise the body gently upon the toes by extension of the instep. The position of the body remains as in the commencing position, the knees extended. The trunk and head, kept in a straight line with the legs, are placed forward during the raising, without losing the balance. Second. Gently return to position. Two counts are required in ascend- ing, two while remaining firmly sus- pended, two in descending, and two while in position. The same exercise may be poetised rising on one foot at a time. POSITION AND CARRIAGE OF THE BODY. 15 IX. Body bend forward and First. Bend the trunk slow- ly forward, the knees remain- ing extended, the eyes straight forward. Bend only at the hip joint, the arms falling nat- urally. Second. Rise slowly till in the upright position. Third. Bend the body gen- tly backward. The position of the head with respect to the body remains immovable ; the knees remain straight ; the hips are pushed a little forward. Fourth. Return to position. Two counts to each move- ment, and two to remain fixed. At the discretion of the teacher the position of the arms may be varied. They may be allowed to fall through- out the exercise ; or they may be supported at the waist (akimbo); or they may fall in the forward movement, and be placed on the hips in the backward movement. This exercise and the two following must be performed gently. They have an effect in strengthening the muscles of the waist and back, and in giv- i iii-T an impulse to the diges- tive organs. back. L6 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. X. Body bend right and left. First. Bend the body slowly to the right. Both feet remain firm, the knees straight ; the right hand falls low enough to touch the out- side of the knee. id. Return to position. Third. Bend, as above, to the left. Fourth. Return to position. Time as in preceding exercises, — two counts during the first move- ment : two, remaining fixed ; two, returning to position ; two. remain- ing fixed there ; then repeat to the left. Fig. 13. XL Body tarn right and left. First. Turn the trunk to the right ; legs straight and close, feet firm. The head does not turn by itself, but moves at the same time with the trunk ; and the elbows remain in the same position with respect to the body as at the begin- ning of the movement. Second. Return to position. Third. Turn to the left as above. Fourth. Return to position. Time same as the above. Nos. X. and XL may be practised occasionally in the sitting position ; also with the arms extended hon- ing, u. zontally. POSITION AND CARRIAGE uF THE 17 XII. Bead tke Knees. Commencing position, on the toes. First movement. Bend the knees. The body is kept perpendicular, and slowly descends till sitting upon the heels. S nd movement. The knees are slowly straightened and the Ixx; raised upward, without losing its per- pendicular position. Four counts to each movement : four, remaining fixed. This is a somewh - and need never be repeated more than three times in succession. It may be practised also with the - arms crossed behind the back. XIII. Speaker's Position. Throw the weight of the body firmly on the left foot, and ad- vance the right foot about three inches, allowing it to rest lightly. with the knee a little bent. Reverse this position by throw- ing the weight on the right foot, and leaving the left easily ad- vanced. A line dropped through the front of the neck will fall on the p of the supporting foot. A line drawn lengthwise through the the advanced foot passes ther. Fig. 15. Ifc M 18 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. XIV. Holding the Book for reading. Hold the book flatly open in the left hand with three fingers beneath it, and the thumb and little finger above, to keep the leaf down. Advance the elbow a few inches, and raise the fore-arm from thirty to forty-five degrees, so as to se- cure perfect vision without bend- ing the neck or body. If necessaiy, depress the plane of the book so as not to hide the face. Observe the same general di- rections when reading aloud in a sitting position. XV. Walking. The main points of the " standing position " must be observed in walking ; thus : — 1. Body erect. 2. Head raised. 3. Eyes looking straight forward. 4. Chest active (see Fig. 19). 5. Arms fall easily, and are allowed a gentle, natural swing. 6. Feet point outward thir- ty degrees, 7. The steps must be reg- Wg§jgS^ ular in time and equal in Fi-. IS. CARRIAGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHEST. 10 length, — somewhat as in the military march, but with- out rigidity or stamping. 8. In a quick or ordinary step, the heel of the advanced foot strikes the ground first In a very slow and long step the outside toes strike first. 9. All the muscles of the body must be in a state of easy, elastic tension. " All lassitude, bending, carelessness, falling of the head, dangling of the limbs, bending of the trunk, and loose, irregular gazing should be avoided." CHAPTER IV CARRIAGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHEST. I. Active and Passive Chest. Standing position. First. Relax the muscles and allow the chest to fall listlessly, as if fatigued. This is the passive chest. Second. Elevate and expand the t'hest in a position of dignity and self-reliance, somewhat as if defying a blow. This is the active chest, This exercise should be simply muscular, and not depend upon the breathing. The habit should be established of keeping, without restraint, the active chest in standing, walking, running, and whenever using the voice, — as in leading, declaiming, and singing. Fivr 10. 20 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. II. Percussion of the Chest. Place the hands on the chest with the fore- fingers just below the collar-bones, fore-arms horizontal. Take a deep inspiration through the nostrils. Hold the breath. Ksa». &„£. strike on the chest rapid percussive blows with the flat of the fingers ; the wrists being slack. Time, four counts. Second. Give out the breath through the nostrils, — two counts. Inhale a deep breath, — two counts, Eepeat from first movement. The blows must be light and gentle for the first few weeks of practice ; and may be gradually increased in force, but must never be rigid and jarring. III. Chest Expansion. Elbows sharply bent and close to the side ; fore-arm horizontal ; fists clenched, palms upward. Take a deep inspiration. Hold the breath. First. Extend the arms full length forward, relaxing the muscles and opening the hands. palms downward. Second. Bring the arms en- ergetically back to their former position, endeavoring to expand the chest as much as possible. Third. Expel the breath Fi ? . 21 through the nostrils. — two counts : take a fresh inspiration,— two couats ; and repeal from first movement CAEBIAGK AND DEVELOPMENT Of I HE CHEST. 21 IV. Percussion with Arm Movements. The hands fall easily at the side. Take a full breath. First Swing the arms from the shoulder alternately, with slack joints, giving elastic blows upon the lungs, striking with the flat of the fingers just below the collar-bone. The right hand strikes upon the left lung, and the left hand upon the right lung. Give two blows with each hand. Second. Exhale and inhale the breath as in the preceding exere> Fig. 22. . V. >Sho>i!Jer Movements. Anns falling easily at the side. Take a full breath. First. Bring the shoulders forward and inward, con- tracting the chest. Second. Throw the shoulders back and down, expand- ing the chest. — Repeat these two movements. Third. Expiration and inspiration of the breath as in preceding exer^ V I . Sh > 1 kler Movemen is. — Ben t A rms. Clenched fists at the side of the shoulders, palms forward, fore-arms vertical. First. Bring the open hands. palms inward, so as to touch each other about three inches in front of the chin. Second. Throw the fore-anus back to the side as in the com- mencing position, fists clenched, palms outward. — Repeat. **• 2S - l Change the breath as in the preceding. 22 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. VII. Extension Movement. Standing position. First. Arms extended horizontally forward, the middle fingers touching at the points, — forming a graceful curve. Fig. 24. Second. Raise the arms to an angle of forty-five de- grees from the level of the shoulders. Third. Raise the arms, fingers touching, directly above the head. Fourth. Cany the arms, fingers still touching, as far backward as possible, thumbs pointing to the rear, elbows pressed back, shoul- ders kept down, and head erect. Fifth. Extend the arms as straight and as far back- ward as possible, at an elevation of forty-five degrees. Sixth. Carry the arms backward and downward till they reach the level of the shoulders. Seventh. Continue the movement with straight arms half- way downward, keeping the head erect and chest expanded. Eighth. Arms return gradually to their position at the side. This exercise may be practised also with a continuous movement, without stopping at the various positions indi- cated above. It may also be practised with the head turned to the right or left, while the body is kept square to the front. CARRIAGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHEST. 23 Fig. 25. This is a severe movement, and should not be repeated more than two or three times in succession, till the pupil has acquired some proficiency. VIII. Circular Movement with bent Arms. Position. Touch the shoulders lightly with the tips of the fingers. First. Bring the elbows for- ward in front of the body. Second. Lift the elbows as high as possible. Third. Throw the elbows back, — the fingers still touch- ing the shoulders. Fourth. Carry the elbows around to the commencing position, meanwhile expanding the chest. Fig. 26. 24 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTEE V BREATHING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LUNGS. Fig. 27 Breathing with Arm Movements. Position. First. Bring the tips of the fingers to the shoulders, inhal- ing the breath through the nos- trils at the same time. Second. Strike downward and forward, clenching the fists with palms front, and expelling the breath through the nostrils with the movement. The breath must be expelled by the action of the diaphragm and its auxiliary muscles of the waist and abdomen. This will naturally be the case if the pu- pil makes a decisive motion of the arms and clenches the fists. II. Deep Breathing. Position. Arms akimbo. First. Inhale a deep breath slowly and tranquilly through the nostrils, taking care not to raise the shoulders. Second. Give out the breath tranquilly through the nostrils, holding the chest expanded with easy firmness. BREATHING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LUNGS. 25 III. Abdominal Breathing. Position as in preceding exer- cise. First. Inhale through the nostrils. The walls of the abdomen are thrown outward and become convex. Second. Expel the breath through the nostrils. The abdominal walls are drawn inward and flattened. Fig. 28. IV. Costal Breathing, Place the palms of the hands against the lower ribs. First. Inhale through the nos- trils, and expand the waist side- wise as much as possible. Second. Expel the breath by contracting the waist sidewise. This contraction may be aided In- pressing with the palms against the lower ribs. V. Dor snl Breathing. Hands at the waist, thumbs forward and fingers pressing upon the small of the back, each side of the spine. First. Direct the will to the muscles on which the fin- gers are resting, and throw them outward as much as pos- sible, while inhaling the breath. Second. Draw these muscles inward to expel the breath. The movement of the muscles of the back will naturally be much less than that of the abdominal muscles ; and the^ are mutually dependent. 26 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. VI. Waist Breathing. Hands at the waist, fingers forward. First. Inhale, and expand the waist in all directions, aa if trying to burst a belt. Second. Contract the whole waist and expel the breath. Do not allow the upper part of the chest to collapse. VII. Seizing the Breath. First. Inhale through the nostrils. Second. Hold the breath a moment with a slight effort similar to that made in lifting a heavy weight. The mus- cles of the waist and abdomen will be firm and elastic like a diTun-head. Third. Give out the breath as you please. VIII. Expulsive Breathing. First. Inhale through the nostrils. Second. Expel through the mouth as if whispering the syllable Hoo ! to a person at a distance. Give out the breath in a firm and full column. IX. Abrupt Breathing. First. Catch the breath quickly through the nostrils. Second. Emit the breath with a sudden brief whisper, — Hoo! X. Effusive Breathing. First. Inhale a full breath. Second. Exhale through the open mouth in the most gradual manner in a prolonged sound of the letter h, mak- ing a gentle breathing murmur, as of a sea-shell when held to the ear. The expiration may thus be prolonged from twenty to forty seconds. Never carry the exercise to any painful or fatiguing extent. BREATHING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LUNGS. 27 XL Rapid Breathing. Breathe rapidly and gently through the open mouth, taking care to impel the breath from the base of the lungs. There will be a slight, elastic motion of the front muscles of the body, at the point indicated by the letter D, fig. 28. XII. Prolonged Breathing. First. Draw in the breath through the contracted lips as slowly and with as little effort as possible. Second. Breathe out the air through the nearly closed lips slowly and gradually. XIII. Unequal Breathing, Place the palm of the left hand against the side, close under the arm-pit. Bend the right arm di- rectly above the head. Practise deep breathing in this position. Reverse the positions of the arms and repeat. It will be understood that, in all modes of breathing, the diaphragm — indicated by the dotted lines across Figs. 28 and 29 — performs an impor- tant part. It is drawn downward and flattened in inspiration, and curves upward in expiration of the breath. " The amount of work a person can do is not so much dependent on his muscle as on his breathing capacity." " The amount of oxygen received into the system Is de- termined in a great measure by the capacity of the chest and the deat advantage will be derived from the practice of the musical scale, in giving purity and flexibility to the voice. Practise the scale ascending and descending with slow notes, taking a quiet breath through the nostrils before each Tote. Also practise the scale with rapid runs. Take great care to make the tone free from all huskiness, hardness, nasality, guttural quality, or other fault. Let there be no straining, no distortion of the features, or un- pleasant effort of any kind. Be sure not to waste the •a ; the less breath expended, other things being equal, the purer and clearer the tone. Common to all roiees. High voices. L - - ^ ____ -_a. DL JfHsical Chard*. Divide the class into three portions, and let them practise the chords given below. Let the first division sound the lowest note, the second the middle note, the third the highest note : then let all three notes be sounded together. Practise thus, loud tones, soft tones, and swells, — the latter by beginning very softly, increasing to the fullest power of the voice, then gradually dying away to silence. yC -- L __. — w z=. v=zl — E '- z: :fcjC-g * *_ 5 5 * ^=X A — § # — — • — #- A 4 _ — zj 9_ —rr- t — n 4 ti -*-j?L ' __ - fe^iS 38 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTER VIII. VOWEL ANALYSIS. I. Vowels in the Order of their Formation. Long Vowels. Short Towels. 1. Eel Ill 2. Ale Ell 3. Air At 4. Ah Ask 5. Urn Up 6. Awe On 7. 6 [Ore] 8. OOze fOOt Diphthongs.* U = 1-00 = YOU { I = AH-1 1 OU = ah-oo 01 = 6-1 Note the following points in the above table, and ver- ify them by practice : — 1. The vowels in the first column are long ; those in the second column are short ; those in the third column are double, or diphthongal. 2. Vowels in the same horizontal line are made in (nearly) the same position of the organs of speech (the diphthongs being placed on the line of their initial sound). 3. The tongue is raised nearest the roof of the mouth in the vowel at the top of the column, and gradually sinks in descending the column ; the converse is of course true, — * Long A and long also have a diphthongal character. — A having its termination in e or i, and having its termination in do or do. VOWEL ANALYSIS. 39 the tongue gradually rises toward the roof ot the mouth in ascending the vowel column. 4. The lips are most extended sidewise in producing the first vowel ; they are gradually separated, reaching their widest opening at the fourth vowel, Ah; then they are gradually contracted, reaching their closest position at the foot of the column, oo. II. Tendencies of Unaccented Vowels. The character of the vowel is determined by the shape of the oral passage, that is, by the adjustment of the tongue, palate, and lips. When these organs are fixed in an exact position, they become the mould in which the correspond- ing vowel is cast. In careless or lazy utterance the organs are imperfectly adjusted, and the vowels therefore imper- fectly formed. Some positions of the organs require less effort than others ; and it is toward these easier, more lax positions that vowel utterance constantly tends. The sound which requires the least muscular tension is that heard in urn, burr, etc. j and this sound is frequently re- curring in the utterance of slovenly speakers, thus : pflta- tuh, for potato ; winduh, for window ; whut, for what ; indiivisuble, for indivisible ; chariity, for charity ; will yuh ? for will you ? etc. But deviations from the exact sound of the vowel prop- erly occur in syllables which are wholly without accent. In the utterance of accented syllables the organs of speech nave naturally a certain degree of tension, which makes the sound more definite ; but in unaccented syllables the or- gans relax their tension, the oral passage is therefore changed in shape, and the vowel is correspondingly mod- ified. The following table indicates the tendencies of the vowels when unaccented, or, as termed by Worcester, obscure : — 40 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. Table showing the Tendencies of Vowels when Obscure, Eel o- ;;;;:.• -Ill Aleci" • * * fi Ell Air^ ^At Ah^>*-. .'x^Ask Urn rr U-p Awe in? X> On O o- [Ore] o A o 0= FOOt It will be observed, from the above table, that vowels have the following general tendencies when unaccented : — 1. Long vowels tend to become short. 2. The upper vowels verge toward i (short i). 3. The middle vowels verge toward u (short u). 4. The lower vowels verge toward do (as in foot). Dictionaries usually leave unaccented syllables unmarked; and it is often difficult to determine the quality of an obscure vowel. The following rules will aid in doubtful cases : — 1. A, t, or y ending an unaccented sjdlable is generally short obscure, as in the words, a-bound, capa-ble, di-rect, py-ri'tes. Exception. — These vowels are long when they directly pre- cede an accented vowel, as in a-e'rial, di-am'eter, hy-e 'na. 2. E. o, or m, ending an unaccented syllable, is generally long obscure, as in e-vent, mo-lest, cw-taneous. 3. In cases where the preceding rules will not apply, place the accent on the doubtful syllable to determine its sound; thus, change lag'gard to laggard', and it will readily be perceived that the sound in the last syllable is that of the fourth long vowel. Then by noticing the index leading from it in the table above, we see that this sound when obscure tends toward u (short u). The article a has always the sound of the third short vowel obscure, approaching the fifth short vowel, u. The article the is pronounced tht before a vowel, and this (vowel very obscure) before a consonant. VOWEL ANALYSIS. 41 III. Long Voictls in Words. 1. First Long Vowel. — Eve, see, key, field, people, pier, fa- tigue, quay, machine, eamphene. Obscure, tending toward t — Before, event, elegant, petition, y, enemy, coffee, serene. 2. Second Long Vowel. — Aim, lake, vein, day, label, obey, celebrate, fermentation. Obscure^ tending toward t — Sunday, Monday, fountain, vil- orange, cabbage, chocolate, average, — delicate intricate. 3. Third Long Vowel. — Air, pair, there, prayer, careful, parent. Obscure, tending slightly toward u. — Parental, preparation, declaration. 1. Fourth Long Vowel. — Arm, far, cart, daunt, laugh, half, calf, father, aunt, guard. Obscure, tending toward u. — Dollar, pillar, scholar, laggard, nectar, particular, liar, poniard. 5. Fifth Long Vowel. — Urn, word, sir, furnish, journey, con- firm, disperse, mirth. Obscure, same sound shortened. — Termination, certificate, con- firmation. 6. Sixth Long Vowel. — All, saw, lawful, sauce, taught, halter, false, also, always, bought, talk. Unaccented, same sound shortened. — Audacity, Pawtucket, causality, auricular. 7. Seventh Long Vowel. — Old, foe, beau, tone, yeoman, sew, cone, hope, holy, disown, most, only. Obscure, tending toward o. — Potato, crocodile, tobacco, origi- nal, philosophy, apposite. 8. Eighth Long Vowel. — Ooze, who, pool, group, rude, pru- dent, canoe, rheum, manoeuvre, recruit. Obscure, tending toward oo. — Prudential, rheumatic, erudi- tion, brutality, together. 42 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. IV. Short Vowels in Words. 1. First Short Vowel. — It, tip, prince, mystery, been, busy. Unaccented, the same sound. — Indivisibility, historical, mi- nutely, outfit, discreet, charity, impossible. 2. Second Short Vowel. — Elk, let, bread, measure, steady, leop- ard, bury, said. Unaccented, tending slightly toward t — Boxes, duel, helmet, riches, wicked. 3. Third Short Vowel. — Am, sack, tan, carry, plaid, accident, alternate, battle. Obscure, tending toward u. — A bode, abash, capable, errand, balloon, orphan, dismal, capacious, comfortable, agreeable. 4. Fourth Short Vowel. — Ask, past, grass, lance, staff, chant, gasp, chance. Obscure, tending toward u. — Idea, sofa, comma, Cuba, Amer- ica, fragrance, breakfast, compass, windlass. 5. Fifth Short Vowel. — Up, much, bulge, blood, touch, does. Unaccented, not changed in quality. — Undo, unseal, con'duct. 6. Sixth Short Vowel. — Odd, mob, dot, foster, forest, wander, knowledge. Obscure, tending toward u. — Labor, error, orator, carrot, mam- moth, commend, cassock, camphor. 7. Seventh Short Vowel. — G-ore. glory, story, wholly. Obscure, tending toward u. — Territory, acrimony, matrimony, parsimony, promissory, promontory. 8. Eighth Short Vowel. — Foot, bush, wolf, should, cushion. Obscure, not changed in quality. — Mournful, ambush, hurrah. V. Diphthongs in Words. 1. First Diphthong. — Useful, few, pew, new, fume, student mew, stupid, beauty, duty, cue, review, importune, opportunity, mutual, institution, constitution, fluid, consume, lunar. Obscure, same sound shortened. — Figure, injure, creatuiv, nature, literature, pleasurable, verdure, usual. ARTICULATION. 43 2. Second Diphthong. — Ice, right, glide, smile, concise. Unaccented, not changed in quality. — Diameter, diagonal, triennial, infant/le, reconcile, crystalline. 3. Third Diphthong. — Out, now, loud, confound, mouth, hourly. Unaccented, not changed in quality. — Foundation, com'pound, 4. Fourth Diphthong. — Oil, boil, toy, hoist, appoint, recoiL Unaccented, not changed in quality. — Tenderloin, asteroid, parboil. VI. General Exercise in Vowel Analysis. Copy the Vowel Table upon the blackboard. Then take any sentence from the reading-book and practise thus : The teacher calls a word or single syllable, the class repeats the vowel sound in that syllable, and a scholar at the board indicates it in the table. Use monosyllables at first; and practise only accented vowels till the scholars have learned them accurately. CHAPTER IX. ARTICULATION. Articulation is effected by the action of the lips, tongue, palate, and jaws. In order that articulation may be perfect, there must be a prompt, neat, and easy action of these organs. When they move feebly or clumsily, the articula- tion is indistinct or mumbling. An elastic play of the muscles of the mouth is necessary, not only for distinctness of utterance, but for the expressiveness of the face. The following exercises will aid to discipline the muscles used in articulation, and accustom them to energetic action. After a vigorous tone has been given to these muscles, their movements in utterance must not be excessive, or tuo ar> parent to the eye. 44 I'HYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. I. For the Lips and Jaws. First Pronounce the vowel e, extending the lips as much as possible sidewise, and showing the tips of the teeth. Second. Pronounce ah, dropping the jaw and opening the mouth to its widest extent. Third. Pronounce oo (as in cool), contracting the lips. Then, the teacher having drawn upon the blackboard * ARTICULATION. 45 triangle with the three sounds indicated at the angles, let him pass the " pointer " around in a circle, touching at the angles, and require the pupils to utter the vowels, as he in- dicates them, in rapid succession, continuously, that is, without pausing between them. Having gone round three or four times in one direction, make a signal for the pupils AH to stop ; then taking a fresh breath, go round the opposite way. So take each of the other angles as a starting-point, and go round both ways. We shall thus have repetitions of each of the following : E-ah-oo ; e-oo-ah ; ah-e-oo ; ah-oo-e; oo-ah-e ; oo-e-ah. II. For the Lips and Tongue. The same exercise may be practised without moving the jaw. Set the teeth at a fixed distance apart, — say the width of two fingers, — then form the above-named vowels exclusively by the action of the tongue and lips. The position of the jaw may be rendered certain, if need- ful, by Betting a short stick or bit of card between the front teeth. PHYSICAL AND VOCAL U;.\INING. III. For the Jaw. sper alternately the sounds t\ oh ; allowing the jaw, in the latter sound, to drop a< it were with its own weight. The action of the jaw must not l>e rigid, bnt loose and IV. F-.r the Lips, T I Palate. { P First. Pronounce the syllable ?/>, bring ing the lips in contact and separating them with a smart, percussive recoil • Pronounce the syllable it. The ik tip of the tongue touches against the upper teeth, and promptly re Third. Pronounce the syllable ik. The back of the _ le shuts against the soft palate, and promptly recoils. Pass from point to point in both directions, as in Exer- cise I. Then practise the same, omitting the vowel sound, and producing only the slight puff of recoil indicated by the consonant. The consonants b, d, g may afterwards be practised in a similar manner. V. Com - n the Order of their Formation, A5p:- SCB-v LlQdDS. Nasals. P pay, ape. B bui. cab. M mar. arm. VTh why. . TV tray. . F red. deaf. V peal, 1 Th tf in. myth. Th this, vrith. > sell, lew Z cone. nose. T hde. lighf. D day. aid. X no, own. L ' -. fell. R roll, R . oar. Sh shed. •:. Zh azure, rou^e. H hay. . V yet, . <: lm, nmj. . sin* ARTICULATION. 4 i Observe in the above table the following points, and test them by practice : — 1. All the letters in the left-hand column are aspirates, or whispered consonants. 2L Those in the other columns are sub-vocals, or voice consonantal 3. Those in the third and fourth columns are liquids, or consonants whose sounds can be indefinitely prolonged. 4. Those in the fourth column are nasals, or consonants in which the vocal current issues through the nose. 5. In practising any vertical colimin from above down- ward, the point of contact of the organs is first at the lips, and moves farther back with each successive consonant. 6. In practising any column upward, the point of contact of the organs is first at the back of the mouth, and moves gradually forward to the lips. nsonants in the same horizontal line are formed with the same position of the organs. VI. Initial C - I Combine/' bw H in buoy gl as in glass si as in slave by •• beauty - .. .. great sm .. •• smile bl blade kw .. .. queen sn .. .. snow br •• bride ky .. .. cue sf .. .. sphere py •• •• pew kl •• .. cleave *P .. .. spire pi .. .. place kr .. .. crime St .. .. pr .. •• price my .. .. muse sk .. .. dy u dew ny •• neuter spl .. .. spleen dw n . dwarf fy .. .. few spr .. .. spring .. draw fl .. .. flight spy .. .. spume dzh .. .. jew fr .. .. fright str .. .. t 7 .. •• tune vy .. view .. .. tw •• twelve thw .. ■• thwart skr .. .. scream tr .. .. try thy .. .. thew skw .. .. squint tsh .. .. chair thr .. three .. .-. .. .. guelph BW •• .. sway thr •• •■ shrine .. ■• a .. .. sue 4S PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING, VII. Terminal Combinations. 1. Liquid and Single Aspirate. Help, elf health, eke, felt, Welsh, milk; lamp, nymph, dreaml ; ninth, dance, tent, — strength, ink; sharp, fcur/ earth, purse, heart, harsh, hark. 2. Double Aspirates, depth, steps, apt; tiflh, fifes, left; broths ; wasp, post, task; looks, act. 3. Liquid and Double Aspirates. Alps, gulped, gnlfs, twelfth, ingulfed; lamps, stamped, triumphs, tempts; tenths, against, prints,— lengths, ring'st; harps, vrzrped, serfs, earth's, first, carts, march. 4. Triple Aspirates. Depths, droop st, adepts; fifths, laughst, rafs; lookst, facts ; asps, posts, desks; satst, patched ; look'st, acts. 5. Liquid and Triple Aspirates. Uelp'si, twelfths, milk'st, baft's/, Uched ; hmp'st, attempfst ; vrant'st, flinched, — precincfe, thinkst ; warp'st, dwzrfst, emhark'st, hursts, hurtsi, arena. worksL 6. Quadruple Aspirates. Sixths ; texts. 7. Liquid and Single Sub-vocal. ~Bnlb. delve, ells, old; rhomb, gems, famed; ARTICULATION. 4S lens, end, — songs, hanged ; orb, nerve, bars, cord, iceberg ; prism, froz'n. 8. Double Liquids. 'Elm, stolen, arm, morn, curl. 0. Double Sub-vocals. Webs, probed ; caves, saved, bathes, breathed; buds, lodge; logs, begged. 10. Double Liquids and Double Aspirates. Overwhelm st, charm's*, scorn's*. 11. Liquid and Double Sub-vocals. Bulbs, bulbed; wolves, involved , {olds, bilge; hinge, lands; oris, curbed, birds, icebergs. 12. Double Liquids and Single Sub-vocal. Elms, overwhelmed ; curls, arms, formed, horns, burned. 13. Double Liquids and Double Sub-vocals. Worlds. 14. Double Liquids and Double Aspirate? Charm's*, scorn's*. 15. Triple Sub- vocals. Fledged. 16. Liquid and Triple Sub-vocals. Bulged, changed, urged. 50 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. MIXED ARTICULATIONS. 17. Liquids and Aspirates. Stifl'st, sparkl'st; soften, token, waken'st. \ 18. Sub-vocals and Aspirates. Robb'st, amidst, width, digg'st, rav'st, writh'st; prob'dst, hundredths, begg'dst, catch'dst. 19. Liquids, Sub-vocals, and Aspirates. Hobbles, baffled, rifles, dazzl'd, kindles, sparkl'd, raingl'd, rattl'd, titles, twinkles, scruples; troubl'st, trifl'st, shov'lst, kindl'st, struggl'st, puzzl'st, trampl'st, shieldst, revolv'st ; help'dst, trembl'dst, trifl'dst, shov'ldst, trampl'dst, involv'dst, kindl'dst, mingl'dst, twinkl'dst, fondl'dst, dazzl'dst, rattl'dst; stiff'ns, deaf n'd, wak'ns, wak'n'd, madd'n'd, whit'ns, rip'n'd, opens ; sendst, wak'n'dst, madd'n'dst, lighten'dst, ripen'dst, heark- en'dst, doom'dst; absorbst, regard'st, curb'dst, hurl'dst, charm'dst, return'dst, starv'dst ; strength'ns, strength'n 1 d, wrong'dst, lengthen'dst 20. Combinations in which the same Articulation occurs twice. Act'st, lift'st, melt'st, hurt'st, want'st, shout'st, toueh'd, parch'd, help'dst, bark'dst, prompt'st, touch'dst, rattl'st ; bursts, tasks, grasps, mists, bask'st, lessenst, nestl'st, puzzles, enlist'st SLIDES OR INFLECTIONS. 51 CHAPTER X. SLIDES OR INFLECTIONS. One of the essential distinctions between song and speech is this : in the former, a given tone is on the same level of pitch through its whole extent, and the progression from note to note is made by distinct steps ; in the latter, the voice is continually sliding upward and downward on the vowel sounds. In asking a direct question the voice glides from low to high, and in the answer it slides downward. Thus, one asks another at a distance what he wants, — " The ball ? " " No ! the knife." The movement of the voice on the word " ball " is a rising slide or inflection ; that upon "no" and " knife " is falling. The more intense the question and reply, the further up and down would the voice run. In sad or plaintive utterance the slide becomes semitonic or minor. In irony or in double-meaning, the voice waves upward and downward on the same sound, producing the circumflex slide, — named rising or falling, according as the voice moves up or down at its close. In the expression of awe and sublimity, and in emotions implying vastness and force, the voice usually has a level movement from note to note, " like the repeated sounds of a deep-toned bell." This intonation in speaking is termed the monotone. Including the monotone, we have therefore the following forms of inflection, upon which the pupil should be drilled, with vowels and words : — 52 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 1. Common or major slides, — rising and falling. 2. Semitonic or minor slides, — rising and falling. 3. Circimiflex slides, — rising and falling. 4. Monotone. The following exercises will practically illustrate the various slides or inflections : — I. Falling Slides. 1. Rouse thee up! O waste not life in fond delusions! Be a soldier, — be a hero. — be a man ! 2. "Halt ! " The dust-brown ranks stood fast. "Fire! " Out blazed the rifle blast. 3. Freedom calls you ! quick, be ready, Think of what your sires have done ; Onward, onward ! strong and steady, — Drive the tyrant to his den ; On, and let the watchword be, Country, home, and liberty. II. Rising Slides. 1. May I stay here? — I have no objection. You may if you like. 2. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who. having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? 3. Is not the consciousness of doing good a sufficient re- ward ? SLIDES OR INFLECTIONS. 53 III. Ruing and Failing Slides. 1. Sfnk or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote. 2. Prince Henry. What's the matter? Fa/staff'- What 's the matter ? Here be four of us hare taken a thousand pounds this morning. Prince Henri/. Where is it. -hick, where is it? Falstaff. Where fs it? Taken from us, it is. 3. They tell us, sir, that we are weak, — unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed ; and when a British guard shall be sta- tioned in every house ? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction ? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phan- tom of hope, until our enemy shall have bound us hand and loot ? — Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. IV. Minor Rising Slides. 1. Give me three grains of corn, mother, Only three grains of corn. 2. Oh 1 pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these — butchers 3. my lord, Must I then leave you ? must I needs forego So good, so noble, and so true a master ? V. Minor Falling Slides. 1. 0, save me, Hubert, save me I My eyes are out Even with the fierce lodks of the bloody men. • r -4 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 2. Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans Mark him. and write his speeches in their books, Alas! it cried — give me some drink, Titinius — As a sick girl. 3. Come nearer to my side, mother, Come nearer to ray side, And hold me fondly, as you held My father when he died. VI. Rising Circumflex. 1. It is vastly easy for you. Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me. — it is vastlv easy for you, I say. to accuse other people of laziness. 2. Do ! I tell you. I rather guess She was a wonder, and nothing less ! 3. The common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or after dinner, or to-morrow morning, or next time : but now, just now, this once, we must go on the same as ever. VII. Falling Circumflex. 1. Oh! but you regretted the partition of Poland! Yes. re- gretted ! — you regretted the violence, and that is all you did. 2. Talleyrand, being pestered with questions by a squinting man. concerning his broken leg. replied, " It is quite crooked — as you see.'' 3. None dared withstand him to his face, But one sly maiden spake aside : " The little witch is evil eyed! Her mother only killed a cow, Or witched a churn or dairy-pan ; But she. forsooth, must charm a man I n SLIDES OR INFLECTIONS. i>0 VIII. Rising and Falling Circumflexes. 1. If you saiil <6, then I said so. ho! did you say so? So they shook hands and were sworn brothers. 2. Now, in building of chaises, I tell you what, There is always somewhere a weakest spot; And that 's the reason, beyond a doubt, A chaise breaks down, but does n't wear fiat 3. He. I warrant him, Believed in no other gods than those of the creed ; Bowed to no idols — but his money-bags ; Swore no false oaths — except at the custom-house ; Kept the Sabbath — idle; built a monument To honor his — dead lather. IX. Monotone. 1. Holy ! holy ! holy ! Lord God of Sabaoth ! 2. The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, — Tea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this unsubstantial pageant, faded, — Leave not a rack behind. 3. In all time, Calm or convulsed, — in breeze, or gale, or storm, — Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime Dark heaving; — boundless, endless, and sublime, - The image of Eternity, — the throne Of the Invisible ; — .... .... thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone. 56 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. CHAPTER XL QUALITY OF VOICE. This chapter may be considered supplementary to that on the Production of Tone ; and, if preferred, may be prac- tised in connection with that. Examples are given of the application of the different qualities of voice, — including the whisper, — which are used in ordinary reading. These are all that are needed by the pupil, except for some forms of personation and dramatic representation, which would re- quire certain faulty qualities not tending to improve the voice. Good taste will guide the application of the various vocal qualities ; but the following general principles may be laid down : — 1. Pure tone is used in unimpassioned discourse; in the expression of light and agreeable emotions ; and in sadness or grief when not mingled with solemnity. 2. Orotund is used to express whatever is grand, vast, or sublime. 3. Aspirated quality expresses secrecy, fear, darkness, or moral impurity. 4. The Whisper has expressive power similar to that of the aspirated quality of voice. It is seldom employed in reading or speaking ; but should be practised as an exercise to strengthen the organs of speech. I. Whispering. 1. " Is all prepared ? — speak soft and low." " All ready ! we have sent the men, As you appointed, to the place." QUALITY OF VOICE. 57 2. All silent they went, for the time was approaching, The moon the blue zenith already was touching ; No foot was abroad on the forest or hill, No sound but the lullaby sung by the rill. 3. Hark ! I hear the bugles of the enemy ! They are on their march along the bank of the river. We must retreat in- stantly, or be cut off" from our boats. I see the head of their column already rising over the height. Our only safety is in the screen of this hedge. Keep close to it ; be silent ; and stoop as you run. For the boats ! Forward ! II. Half-Whisper, or Aspirated Tone. 1. And the bride-maidens whispered, " 'T were better, by far, To have matched our fair cousin with young Lochinvar." 2. " Silence ! " in undertones they cry, " No whisper ! — not a breath ! The sound that warns thy comrades nigh Shall sentence thee to death." 3. And once behind a rick of barley, Thus looking out did Harry stand ; The moon was full, and shining clearly, And crisp with frost the stubble land. — He hears a noise — he 's all awake — Again ! On tip-toe down the hill He softly creeps. III. Pure Tone. Oh, young Lochinvar is come out of the west, — Through all the wide border his steed was the best ; And save his good broadsword he weapon had none, — He rode all unarmed, and he rode all alone. So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war, There never was knight like the young Lochinvar. 3* 58 PHYSICAL AM) VOCAL TRAINING. 2. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank; Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears ; soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. 3. The splendor falls on castle walls, And snowy summits old in story ; The long light shakes across the lakes, And the wild cataract leaps in glory. IV. Orotund. 1. thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fathers 1 whence are thy beams, Sun ! thy everlasting light ? 2. I would call upon all the true sons of New England to co- operate with the laws of man and the justice of Heaven. 3. Rise, like a cloud of incense, from the earth ! Thou kingly spirit, throned among the hills, Thou dread ambassador from earth to heaven, Great hierarch ! tell thou the silent sky, And tell the stars, and tell yon rising sun, Earth, with her thousand voices, praises G-od. V. Aspirated Orotund. 1. Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds. 2. The tombs And monumental caves of death look cold, And shoot a dullness to my trembling heart. 3. T see the smoke of the furnaces where manacles and fetters are still forged for human limbs. I see the visages of those who by stealth and at midnight labor in this work of hell, foul and dark, as may become the artificers of such instruments of misery and torture. FORCE. CHAPTER XII. FORCE. The voice should be exercised upon the in all degrees of force, from the gentlest to the most vehement. The hint is here repeated that the loudest tones must be made in such a manner as not to rasp the throat. So far from producing any unpleasant sensation, the right kind of practice will have a pleasant and exhilarating effect. Seek to make the sounds always smooth and musical ; and never lose sight of the fact that what is wanted in every-day use of the voice, in the school-room or elsewhere, is a pleasant and natural intonation. The practice of loud and sustained tones is an excellent means of improving the voice : but is to be the exception, not the rule, in ordinarv readi: _ Still less should a shouting tone be used in con- ducting a recitation, or in the ordinary discipline of a class. Yet the softest tone must be elastic and full of life, not dull and leaden. The degree of force required in reading a given passage depends upon the space to be filled by the readers voice or the distance it inust reach ; upon the number of persons presumed to be addressed, and upon the emotion expressed. I. GtmUe. 1. Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea, A rivulet, then a river : ] more by thee my steps shall be, rever and forever. 60 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 2. hark, hear! how thin and clear, And thinner, clearer, farther going; sweet and far, from cliff and scar, The horns of Elf-land faintly blowing. 3. Tread lightly, comrades ! — we have laid II is dark locks on his brow — Like life — save deeper light and shade — We '11 not disturb them now. II. Moderate. 1. What causes first in English halls combined To free the voice ? — those which first freed the mind. 2. The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great dif- ference between men, between the feeble and the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is energy, invincible determination. 3. Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. III. Loud. 1. The war, then, must go on. We must fight it through. And since the war must go on, why put off longer the Declara- tion of Independence ? 2. " Victoria ! " sounds the trumpet, " Victoria ! " all around ; "Victoria! " like loud thunder It runs along the ground. 3. Who is the man that, in addition to the disgraces and mischiefs of the war, has dared to authorize and associate to our arms the tomahawk and scalping-knife of the savage? — to call into civilized alliance the wild and inhuman inhabitant of the woods? — to delegate to the merciless Indian the defence of dis- PITCH, OR MODULATION. 61 puted rights, and to wage the hon-is of his barbarous war against our brethren ? My lords, we are called upon as mem- bers of this house, as men, as Christians, to protest against such horrible barbarity ! IV. Very Loud. 1. Up DRAWBRIDGE ! groom ! What, warder, HO ! Let the portcullis fall ! 2. Ye guards of liberty, I 'm with you once again. I call to you With all my voice. 3. From every hill, by every sea. In shouts proclaim the great decree, "All chains are burst, all men are free! " Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! CHAPTER XIII. PITCH, OR MODULATION. One of the commonest faults, in school reading and in the delivery of many public speakers, is a dull monotony of tone. This sameness is still more disagreeable to the ear when the voice is kept strained upon a high key. Not less unpleasant is an incessant repetition of the same cant or sing-song. Elocutionary rules will do little or nothing to- ward removing these faults. Faithful drill is needed, under the guidance of good taste and a correct musical ear. To this must be added an appreciation of the sentiment of the piece at the moment of utterance. When the organs have been trained to freedom and facil- 62 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. ity in all degrees of the musical scale, the pupil will find it easy to modulate his voice in reading. Vowels, words, and sentences should be practised with high, middle, and low pitch. Having these tones at his command, the expressive reader will vary the pitch with every shade of thought or emotion; so that a foreigner who did not understand a word might listen with pleasure to the play of intonation. Next to sweetness of voice a proper melody of delivery has the greatest charm to the hearer. One who has made his voice flexible, and is alive to the meaning of what he reads, will hardly need the following prin- ciples to guide him, for he will instinctively observe them : — 1. A middle pitch is used in unemotional passages. 2. A high pitch is used in light and joyous emotions, and in the extremes of pain, grief, and fear. 3. The pitch descends in proportion to the seriousness or solemnity of a passage. I. High. 1. Ring out the old. ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow ; The year is going, let him go ; Ring out the false, ring in the true. 2. You must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear ; To-morrow '11 be the happiest time of all the glad Xew-Year ; Of all the glad Xew-Year, mother, the maddest merriest day ; For I 'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I 'm to be Queen o' the May. 3. Cry Holiday ! Holiday ! let us be gay, And share in the rapture of heaven and earth; For, see ! what a sunshiny joy they display, To welcome the Spring on the day of her birth ; While the elements, gladly outpouring their voice, Nature's paean proclaim, and in chorus rejoice ! PITCH, OR MODULATION. 63 II. Middle. 1. An old clock, that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped. 2. A blind man would know that one was a gentleman and the other a clown, by the tones of their voices. 3. The very law which moulds a tear, And bids it trickle from its source, That law preserves the earth a sphere, And guides the planets in their course. III. Low. 1. But, whatever may be our fate, be assured, be assured that this declaration will stand. It may cost treasure, and it may cost blood ; but it will stand, and it will richly compensate for both. 2. When all thy mercies, my G-od, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I 'm lost In wonder, love, and praise. 3. It thunders ! Sons of dust, in reverence bow ! Ancient of days ! thou speakest from above : Thy right hand wields the bolt of terror now ; That hand which scatters peace, and joy, and love. Almighty ! trembling like a timid child, I hear thy awful voice, — alarmed, afraid, I see the flashes of thy lightning wild, And in the very grave would hide my head | 64 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. IV. Very low. 1. 'T is midnight's holy hour, and silence now Is brooding, like a gentle spirit, o'er The still and pulseless world. 2. There was silence, and I heard a voice saying, " Shall mortal man be more just than God ? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker ? " 3. Night, sable goddess ! from her ebon throne, In ray less majesty, now stretches forth Her leaden sceptre o'er a slumbering world. Silence how dead ! and darkness how profound ! Nor eye nor listening ear an object finds. Creation sleeps. 'T is as the general pulse Of life stood still, and nature made a pause, — An awful pause, prophetic of her end. CHAPTEE XIV. RATE, OR MOVEMENT. Another important element in expression is movement Nothing will compensate for inappropriateness in the rate of uttering a given passage. As the stately march of the solemn procession and the light trip of the joyous child are indicative of the states of mind which prompt them, so the movement which is proper in reading depends upon the emotion intended to be expressed. If the reader should ask himself what would be his manner of walking while under the influence of any particular emotion, it would be a safe guide to his rate of utterance. Animated and KATE, OR MOVEMENT. 65 playful moods would manifest themselves in a light and buoyant step, sometimes tripping and bounding along. On the contrary, deep emotions of solemnity and awe can exist only with very slow movements. Dignity requires in its expression not only slowness but regularity of movement. Violent passion gives rise to irregular and impulsive speech. The succeeding passages afford opportunity for appro- priate practice in different rates of utterance. Besides passages like these, it would be well to take occasionally any ordinary paragraph, and utter it with various degrees of rapidity, merely as a mechanical discipline of the or- gans. To this end practice should be had in reading with great precipitation, without losing a single syllable. Extreme slowness of utterance is very impressive when rightly applied, and the pupil should spare no pains to acquire this grace. I. Quick. 1. A hurry of hoofs in a village street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath from the pebbles in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet. 2. The steed along the drawbridge flies, Just as it trembled on the rise ; Not lighter does the swallow skim Along the smooth lake's level brim. 3. All the little boys and girls, With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls, And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls, Tripping- and skipping-, ran merrily after The wonderful music, with shouting and laughter. E 66 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. II. Moderate. 1. Health is the vital principle of bliss And exercise of health. 2. The air, the earth, the water, teem with delighted exist- ence. In a spring noon, or a summer evening, on whichever side we turn our eyes, myriads of happy beings crowd upon our view. 3. Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, Lie in three words, — health, peace, and competence' But health consists with temperance alone ; And peace, Virtue, peace is all thy own. III. Slow. 1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to ever' lasting, thou art G-od. 2. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day ; The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea: The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. 2. The hills, Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun, — the vales, Stretching in pensive quietness between, — The venerable woods, — rivers that move In majesty, — and the complaining brooks, That make the meadows green, — and, poured round all, Old ocean's gray and melancholy waste, — Are but the solemn decorations all Of the great tomb of man. STRESS. 67 IV. Very Slow. 1. thou Eternal One ! whose presence bright All space doth occupy, all motion guide ; Unchanged through time's all-devastating flight ; Thou only God! There is no G-od beside! 2. Wide as the world is his command, Vast as eternity his love ; Firm as a rock his truth shall stand, When rolling years shall cease to move. 3. Here, then, is a support which will never fail; here is a foundation which can never be moved, — the everlasting Creator of countless worlds, " the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity." What a sublime conception ! He inhabits eternity, occupies this inconceivable duration, pervades and fills through- out this boundless dwelling. CHAPTEE XV. STRESS. The term " stress " is used to indicate the manner of ap- plying force to a tone. A sound of the voice may be con- sidered as consisting of three portions, thus : ■ 1 ■ 8 ■ 3 ., called respectively the Radical, Median, and Terminal por- tions ; and these give names to corresponding forms of stress, according as force is applied at the beginning, middle, or close of the sound. There are also three other kinds of stress, — the Thorough, indicating that the tone is full and strong throughout its duration; the Compound, in which an impulse is given botli at the beginning and the end of the sound ; and the Intermittent stress, or Tremor, in 6*8 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. which, as the term signifies, there is a tremulous utterance of the sound. These different modes of stress — with their correspond- ing dynamic terms in music — may be represented to the eye as follows : — ,„ r.i^. Ilt ;„„ . Radical Median Terminal Thorough Compound In Elocution. Sm ^ g^^ g^^ Stregg Stre§a _ Tremor. > O < = The soimds of the vowels should be practised in these different ways, so that they will be readily at the command of the reader or speaker. Afterward, passages like those quoted in this chapter may be practised with reference to the application of the appropriate stress. It should be understood that the full force of any form of stress, espe- cially the abrupt modes, is heard only on the emphatic words. I. Radical Stress. As intimated above, the radical stress is more or less explosive. For example, in uttering the following couplet with spirit, we naturally give the radical stress upon the word " up," and its explosive character will be plainly perceived : — Up ! comrades, up ! — in Rokeby's halls Xe'er be it said our courage falls ! But when this stress falls on words beginning with conso- nants, the effect upon the ear is not so sharp and incisive. The radical stress is used in abrupt and startling emo- tions, and in the expression of positive and decisive con- victions. This stress is not always used in a violent manner. In STRESS. 69 didactic discourse, for instance, it 6imply gives clearness and decision to the utterance ; and it lends a life and sparkle to what would otherwise be dull in delivery. Examples of the Radical Stress. 1. Arm, arm, and out! 2. Up ! up for France ! the time is come for France to live or die. 3. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. II. Median Stress. The median stress corresponds to the swell in music. It is used in the outpouring of tranquil and fervent emotions ; and is specially appropriate in poetic expression. Its effect on the ear is more marked on the emphatic words, but it requires in the whole sentence a certain smoothness. The words are poured, as it were, in a continuous stream. The whole movement is gliding and graceful, not broken and jerky. The proper application of the median stress is one of the most refined and delicate beauties of utterance. A due degree of it in ordinary conversation distinguishes the man of culture from the boor. The latter speaks with the thorough stress. ■&* Examples of the Median Stress. 1. precious hours ! golden prime. And affluence of love and time ! TO PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 2. So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, that moves To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death. Thou go not. like the quarry-slave at night. Scourged to his dungeon ; but. sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him. and lies down to pleasant dreams. S. Father, thy hand Hath reared these venerable columns : thou Didst weave tins verdant roof. Thou didst look down Upon the naked earth, and. forthwith, rose All these fair ranks of trees. They, in thy sun, Budded, and shook their green leaves in the breeze, And shot toward heaven. III. Terminal Stress. Although this mode of stress has "been compared to the u pressure tone " in music, its effect on the ear is more ab- rupt. When the pupil is acquiring it by practice upon the vowels, it would be well to begin the sound gently, then give a sudden impulse from the diaphragm, thus making the last part of the tone abrupt. In the first attempts the initial portion of the sound may be somewhat prolonged, then it should be made shorter and shorter, till the forcible part follows instantaneously after the ear catches the open- ing sound. An illustration of the terminal stress is afforded in the bark of a dog threatening to bite. There is an initial growl which breaks into a startling explosion. A hiccough or a sob will also illustrate the peculiar manner in which force is applied in this fomi of stress. The terminal stress is used in the expression of deter- StftESS 71 mined will ; in stubborn passion, like scorn, defiance, and revenge ; and in peevishness and impatience. imples of the Terminal Stress, 1. Blaze, with jour serried colun. I will not bend the knee. 2. But here I stand and scoff you ! here. I fling Hatred and full defiance in your fa Your consul *s merciful : — for this, all than He dares not touch a hair of Catiline ! 3. And, Douglas, more I tell thee here, a in thy pitch of pride. Here in thy hold, thy vassals near, I tell thee, thou 'rt defied! And if thou saidst. I am not peer To any lord in Scotland here, Lowland or Highland, far or near, Lord Ansrus. thou hast - IT. The chief use of the thorough stress is in shouting and calling, where it is necessary to have a full and sustained body of voice in order to make the tone reach the desired distance. St: such as •• Oy's ! " "Charoo'!" etc., generally afford an example of this mode of force. It may sometimes be combined with the median stress to give a more sustained effect to the monotone : but its use in ordi- nary discourse is a blemish which destroys all the grace and beauty of delivery. It is employed in some forms of comic personation, as indicative of rude or rustic coarsen— The school-room too often affords illustrations of the thorough stained, half-shouting tone, else- where alluded to, in which recitations are carried on. It 72 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. is not the natural tone of intelligence or refined feeling, and, where incessantly adopted, tends to destroy these qualities in the pupil. Examples of Thorough Stress. 1. Boat ahoy! Boat ahoy! 2. Vanguard ! to the right and left the front unfold ! 3. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells ! King John, your king and England's, doth approach: Open your gates, and give the victors way ! V. Compound Stress. The compound stress may be considered a union of the radical and terminal stresses upon the same sound. It is generally used to express a complication of emotions, as of surprise, indignation, and anger. An example of its use would occur, for instance, when an officer, finding his own menial guilty of some audacious piece of mischief, says, " You ! you rascal % " It usually occurs upon words which require also the circumflex inflection. Examples of the Compound Stress. 1. "Out on him! " quoth false Sextus; " Will not the villain drown f " 2. " 'T is green, 't is green, sir, I assure ye," — " Green ! " cries the other in a fury ; " Why, sir, d' ye think I 've lost my eyes ? " 3. Gone to be married ! gone to swear a peace ! It is not so; thou hast misspoke, misheard; Be well advised, tell o'er thy tale again. It cannot be; thou dost but sav, t is so. STRESS. 73 VI. Intermittent Stress or Tremor. The voice trembles in the natural expression of feeble- ness, grief, old age : and in an\ B emotion of what- ever nature. Skilfully and delicately used, the tremor gives extreme effect to many emotional passages j but the excess of it greatly mars the effect of delivery. Examples of Intermittent Stress. 1. Oh! I have lost you all! Parents, and home, and friends. 2. Go, preach to the coward, thou death-telling seer ! Or, if gory Culloden so dreadful appear, Draw, dotard, around thy old wavering sight, This mantle, to cover the phantoms of fright 3. I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness. I never gave you kingdom, called you children. You owe me no subscription. Why, then, let fall Your horrible pleasure ? Here I stand, your slave, — A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. 74 PHYSICAL AND YuCAL TRALNTSG. CHAPTEl: XVI. TRANSITION. Few writing are - dull as not to require varied intona- tions : and the finest literary productions will seem tame if drawled or droned without change of vocal effect. Indeed, a are often more powerful in their influence upon the hearer than words themselv - .en the best tone palls upon the ear if continued too long, — if unrelieved by contrast. Let the reader therefore seize every occasion for change in quality, force, movement, and pitch of voice. He must learn to pass rapidly and easily from grave to _ from lively to severe. The power to do this mentally is in a measure a gift ; but the physical ability is in a large majority of instances, even among the most gifted, the re- sult of discipline. To understand a sentiment or feel an emotion is not enough. Only a perfect control of the or- gans of speech can enable one to give these met- proper significance through the voice. And diligent training is needed to give the organs the necessary faci^ Exercises like those in the present and the following chapter should be perseveringly practised t_H the pupil has mastered every needful var: Soft. Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows, d i the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; Loud. But when loud surge? ia?h the sounding shore, The hoarse rough rerse should like the torrent roar. SITION. : Slow. - some rock's vast weight to thi .ine. too. labors, and the words m>. gricK. a ours the plain, - :>'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. Pure - - ../.it whispers near? — The wild wind hath many a sigh Amid the foliage sere. PlTRE TOXE. Aspirated. A thousand hearts beat happily : and when .h its voluptuous swell. I :>oked lov e which spake again. And all went merry as a marriage-bell : — iiark! a deep sound strikes like a rising kneJ tauiuju* ?rr.E to>~e- - Aspirated. Her giant form O'er wrathful surge, through blackening storm, By calm, would g as snow ! r now the i] lambs o'er a moan - . 9 s ] proud her ar: The main she will traverse forever and aye. Many ports w . q vain dreamer ! this hour is her last. 6. Gradually Hov those village bells, ear .^ain. and " louder. Clear an d as the gale comes on. 7 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. Middle pitch. L"W PITCH. From that chamber, clothed in white. The bride came forth on her wedding night; There, in that silent room be". The dead lav in his shroud of snow. 8. Loud. Rise ! rise ! je wild tempests, and cover his flight ! mbdcid. T is finished. Their thunders are hushed on the moora, Culloden is lost, and my country deplores. Locd. &OFT. Locd. Soft. The double, double, double beat Of the thundering drum. Cries. Hark ! the foes come : t is too late to retreat Charge, charge The soft complaining flute, In dying notes disc : 7 be woes of hapless lovers : Whose dirge is whispered by the warbling lute. 10. The combat deepens. On. ye brave, Who rush to glory, or the grmi Wave, Munich! all thy banners wave, And charge with all thy chivalry- ! Ah ! few shall part where many meet ! -now shall be their winding-sheet, And every turf beneath their fee: Shall be a soldier's sepulchre. 11. Locd. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our English dead ! Moderate. In peace, there 's nothing so becomes a man, As modest stillness and humility ; TRANSITION". 77 Loud. But when the blast of war blows in our ears. Then imitate the action of the tiger ; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rag^. Vert loud On, ox, you noblest English, Whose blood is fetched from fathers of war-proo** I Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders, Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought. And sheathed their swords for lack of argument. Quick asd I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game 's ifo Follow your spirits, and, upon this charge, Very loud. Cry, — Heaves for Harry ! England ! and St George ! AjriKATED. Puke tone- Soft- Loud. Slow axd soft. Slightly aspirated. 12. Hark! below the gates unbarring! Tramp of men and quick commands ! • "T is my lord come back from hunting." the Duchess claps her hands. Slow and tired, came the him: ped in darkness in the court. '• Ho. this way. ye laggard hunters ! To the hall! What sport, what sport?' Slow they entered with their Master . In the hall they laid him down. On his coat were leaves and blood-stains, On his brow an angry frown. Gradually louder. Gradually softer. 13. Ever, as on they bore, more loud, And louder rang the pibroch proud. At first the Bound, by distance tame. Mellowed, along the waters came ; And lingering long by cape and bay, Wailed every harsher note away; PHYSICAL AND VOCAL J RAINING. f odd \Vheii bursting bolder on the ear, The elan's shrill gathering the}" could hear, — • Those thrilling sounds, that call the might Of old Clan- Alpine to the tight. 14. Soft org- Father of earth and heaven! I call thy name! nm». Round me the smoke and shout of battle roll; My eyes are dazzled with the rustling flame; — Father, sustain an untried soldier's souL Or life, or death, whatever be the goal That crowns or closes round the struggling hour, Thou knowest, if ever from my spirit stole One deeper prayer, t was that no cloud might lower On my young fame ! — O hear ! God of eternal power. U>ud oro- Now for the fight — now for the cannon peal — tdhd. Forward — through blood and toil and cloud and fire! G-lorious the shout, the shock, the crash oi 1 steel, The volley's roll, the rocket's blasting spire ; They shake. — like broken waves their squares retire. — On them, hussars ! — : Now give them rein and heel ; Think of the orphaned child, the murdered sire : — Earth cries for blood, — in thunder on them wheel ! This hour to Europe's fate shall set the triumph-seal ! IMITATIVE MODULATION. 79 CHAPTER XVII. IMITATIV E M D D L A T I ON. " Nothing is more natural than to imitate, by the sound of the voice, the quality of the sound or noise which any external object makes, and to form its name accordingly. A certain bird is termed the cuckoo, from the soimd which it emits. When one sort of wind is said to whistle, and an- other to roar; when a serpent is said to hi*.?, a fly to buzz, and falling timber to crash ; when a stream is said to flow, and hail to rattle; the analogy between the word and the thing signified is plainly discernible." But imitation is not .confined to single words. The works of poetical and ima- irinative writers abound in - which by their melody vest their meaning. These passages must, from their very nature, receive the interpretation of the voice to con- vey their full force. The following examples are selected, upon which the pupil may practise in making the sound an echo of the sense. 1. irar and P The brazen throat of Avar had ceased to roar, All now was turned to jollitv and game. 2. .4 Giant. With sturdy steps came stalking on his b A hid< -. horrible and high. 80 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 3. Hum of Insects. The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums Hath rung eight's yawning peal. 4. Harsh Sounds. On a sudden open fly The infernal gates, and on their hinges grate Harsh thunder ! 5. Harmonious Sounds. Heaven opened wide Her ever-during gates, harmonious sound, On golden hinges turning. 6. Raging of the Elements. Such bursts of horrid thunder, Such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never Eemember to have heard. 7. Running Waters. Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise. 8. Movements of Monsters. Part huge of bulk, Wallowing unwieldly, enormous in their gait, Tempest the ocean. 9. Moaning of the Wind. While a low and melancholy moan Mourns for the glory that hath flown. 10. Surge*. As raging seas are wont to roar, When wintry storm his wrathful wreck does threat, The rolling billow- ragged shore. IMITATIVE MODULATION. 81 11. Gentle Whisper of Leaves. There crept A little noiseless noise among the leaves, Born of the very sigh that silence heaves. 12. A Shipwreck. Her keel hath struck on a hidden rock, Her planks are torn asunder, And down come her masts with a reeling shock, And a hideous crash like thunder. 13. Sounds heard in the Country. Down the rough slope the ponderous wagon rings; Through rustling corn the hare astonished springs; Slow tolls the village clock the drowsy hour; The partridge bursts away on whirring wings. 14. Laborious and Impetuous Motion. With many a weary step, and many a groan Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone : The huge round stone resulting with a bound, Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground. 15. Tramp of Soldiers. And the measured tread of the grenadiers, Marching down to their boats on the shore. 16. Language compared to an Organ. 0, how our organ can speak with its many and wonderful Voices. Play on the sofl lute of love, blow the loud trumpet of war, Sing with the high sesquialtro, or. drawing its full diapason, Sliitki' all the air with the grand storm of its pedals and stops. 4* f 82 PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING. 17. Boisterous and Gentle Sounds. Two craggy rocks projecting to the main, The roaring wind's tempestuous rage restrain: Within, the waves in softer murmurs glide ; And ships secure without their halsers ride. 18. Two Voices contrasted. So far her voice flowed on, like timorous brook That, lingering along a pebbled coa