How to Sing

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How to Sing, by Lilli Lehmann

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Title: How to Sing [Meine Gesangskunst]
Author: Lilli Lehmann
Translator: Richard Aldrich
Release Date: August 25, 2006 [EBook #19116]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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HOW TO SING
[MEINE GESANGSKUNST]
BY
LILLI LEHMANN
[Illustration: MADAME LILLI LEHMANN.]
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
BY
RICHARD ALDRICH
New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1902
All rights reserved
COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped November, 1902.
Norwood Press J.S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
[Transcriber's Note: In this e-text, characters with macrons are preceded by an equal sign and enclosed in brackets, e.g., [=a]. Characters with breves are preceded by a right parenthesis and enclosed in brackets, e.g., [)e]. Superscripted characters are preceded by a carat, e.g., Gretel^e.]

CONTENTS
PAGE
MY PURPOSE 1
MY TITLE TO WRITE ON THE ART OF SONG 5
SECTION I
PRELIMINARY PRACTICE 11
SECTION II
OF THE BREATH 19
SECTION III
OF THE BREATH AND WHIRLING CURRENTS 27
SECTION IV
THE SINGER'S PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES 35
SECTION V
EQUALIZING THE VOICE; BREATH; FORM 45
SECTION VI
THE ATTACK 69
SECTION VII
NASAL. NASAL SINGING 73
SECTION VIII
SINGING TOWARD THE NOSE. HEAD VOICE 78
SECTION IX
THE HEAD VOICE 86
SECTION X
SENSATION AND POSITION OF THE TONGUE 99
SECTION XI
THE SENSATIONS OF THE PALATE 102
SECTION XII
THE SENSATION OF THE RESONANCE OF THE HEAD CAVITIES 108
SECTION XIII
SINGING COVERED 123
SECTION XIV
ON VOCAL REGISTERS 133
SECTION XV
DEVELOPMENT AND EQUALIZATION 142
SECTION XVI
WHITE VOICES 154
SECTION XVII
THEODOR WACHTEL 158
SECTION XVIII
THE HIGHEST HEAD TONES 162
SECTION XIX
EXTENSION OF THE COMPASS AND EQUALIZATION OF REGISTERS 169
SECTION XX
THE TREMOLO 170
SECTION XXI
THE CURE 176
SECTION XXII
THE TONGUE 181
SECTION XXIII
PREPARATION FOR SINGING 189
SECTION XXIV
THE POSITION OF THE MOUTH (CONTRACTION OF THE MUSCLES OF SPEECH) 192
SECTION XXV
CONNECTION OF VOWELS 196
SECTION XXVI
THE LIPS 212
SECTION XXVII
THE VOWEL SOUND AH 214
SECTION XXVIII
ITALIAN AND GERMAN 219
SECTION XXIX
AUXILIARY VOWELS 226
SECTION XXX
RESONANT CONSONANTS 229
SECTION XXXI
PRACTICAL EXERCISES 232
SECTION XXXII
THE GREAT SCALE 239
SECTION XXXIII
VELOCITY 245
SECTION XXXIV
TRILL 251
SECTION XXXV
HOW TO HOLD ONE'S SELF WHEN PRACTISING 256
SECTION XXXVI
CONCERNING EXPRESSION 263
SECTION XXXVII
BEFORE THE PUBLIC 265
SECTION XXXVIII
INTERPRETATION 270
SECTION XXXIX
IN CONCLUSION 279
NOTE.--A GOOD REMEDY FOR CATARRH AND HOARSENESS 281

MY PURPOSE
My purpose is to discuss simply, intelligibly, yet from a scientific point of view, the sensations known to us in singing, and exactly ascertained in my experience, by the expressions "singing open," "covered," "dark," "nasal," "in the head," or "in the neck," "forward," or "back." These expressions correspond to our sensations in singing; but they are unintelligible as long as the causes of those sensations are unknown, and everybody has a different idea of them. Many singers try their whole lives long to produce them and never succeed. This happens because science understands too little of singing, the singer too little of science. I mean that the physiological explanations of the highly complicated processes of singing are not plainly enough put for the singer, who has to concern himself chiefly with his sensations in singing and guide himself by them. Scientific men are not at all agreed as to the exact functions of the several organs; the humblest singer knows something about them. Every serious artist has a sincere desire to help others reach the goal--the goal toward which all singers are striving: to sing well and beautifully.
The true art of song has always been possessed and will always be possessed by such individuals as are dowered by nature with all that is needful for it--that is, healthy vocal organs, uninjured by vicious habits of speech; a good ear, a talent for singing, intelligence, industry, and energy.
In former times eight years were devoted to the study of singing--at the Prague Conservatory, for instance. Most of the mistakes and misunderstandings of the pupil could be discovered before he secured an engagement, and the teacher could spend so much time in correcting them that the pupil learned to pass judgment on himself properly.
But art to-day must be pursued like everything else, by steam. Artists are turned out in factories, that is, in so-called conservatories, or by teachers who give lessons ten or twelve hours a day. In two years they receive a certificate of competence, or at least the diploma of the factory. The latter, especially, I consider a crime, that the state should prohibit.
All the inflexibility and unskilfulness, mistakes and deficiencies, which were formerly disclosed during a long course of study, do not appear now, under the factory system, until the student's public career has begun. There can be no question of correcting them, for there is no time, no teacher, no critic; and the executant has learned nothing, absolutely nothing, whereby he could undertake to distinguish or correct them.
The