McGuffeys Fifth Eclectic Reader | Page 9

wearied; if too low a pitch be selected, there is danger of indistinctness
of utterance; and in either case there is less room for compass or variety
of tone than if one be taken between the two extremes.
To secure the proper pitch and the greatest compass observe the
following rule:
RULE XII.--The reader or speaker should choose that pitch in which he
can feel himself most at ease, and above and below which he may have
most room for variation.
REMARK 1.--Having chosen the proper keynote, he should beware of

confining himself to it. This constitutes monotony, one of the greatest
faults in elocution. One very important instrument for giving
expression and life to thought is thus lost, and the hearer soon becomes
wearied and disgusted.
REMARK 2.--There is another fault of nearly equal magnitude, and of
very frequent occurrence. This consists in varying the pitch and force
without reference to the sense. A sentence is commenced with
vehemence and in a high key, and the voice gradually sinks until, the
breath being spent, it dies away in a whisper.
NOTE--The power of changing the key at will is difficult to acquire,
but of great importance.
REMARK 3.--The habit of singsong, so common in reading poetry, as
it is a variation of pitch without reference to the sense, is a species of
the fault above mentioned.
REMARK 4.--If the reader or speaker is guided by the sense, and if he
gives that emphasis, inflection, and expression required by the meaning,
these faults speedily disappear.
REMARK 5.--To improve the voice in these respects, practice is
necessary. Commence, for example, with the lowest pitch the voice can
comfortably sound, and repeat whole paragraphs and pages upon that
key with gentle force. Then repeat the paragraph with increased force,
taking care not to raise the pitch. Then rise one note higher, and
practice on that, then another, and so on, until the highest pitch of the
voice is reached. Reverse the process, and repeat as before until the
lowest pitch is obtained.
NOTE.--In these and all similar exercises, be very careful not to
confound pitch and force.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY.
The tones of the voice should vary also in quantity, or time required to

utter a sound or a syllable, and in quality, or expression, according to
the nature of the subject.
REMARK.--We notice a difference between the soft, insinuating tones
of persuasion; the full, strong voice of command and decision; the
harsh, irregular, and sometimes grating explosion of the sounds of
passion; the plaintive notes of sorrow and pity; and the equable and
unimpassioned flow of words in argumentative style.
The following direction, therefore, is worthy of attention:
The tones of the voice should always correspond both in quantity and
quality with the nature of the subject.
EXAMPLES.
Passion and Grief
"Come back! come back!" he cried, in grief. "Across this stormy water,
And I'll forgive your Highland chief, My daughter! O, my daughter!"
Plaintive I have lived long enough: my way of life Is fallen into the sear,
the yellow leaf: And that which should accompany old age, As honor,
love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have.
Calm A very great portion of this globe is covered with water, which is
called sea, and is very distinct from rivers and lakes.
Fierce Anger
Burned Marmion's swarthy cheek like fire, And shook his very frame
for ire, And--"This to me?" he said; "And 't were not for thy hoary
beard, Such hand as Marmion's had not spared To cleave the Douglas'
head!
Loud and Explosive
"Even in thy pitch of pride, Here, in thy hold, thy vassals near, I tell
thee thou 'rt defied! And if thou said'st I am not peer To any lord in

Scotland here, Lowland or Highland, far or near, Lord Angus, thou hast
lied '"
REMARK 1.--In our attempt to imitate nature it is important to avoid
affectation, for to this fault even perfect monotony is preferable.
REMARK 2.--The strength of the voice may be increased by practicing
with different degrees of loudness, from a whisper to full rotundity,
taking care to keep the voice on the same key. The same note in music
may be sounded loud or soft. So also a sentence may be pronounced on
the same pitch with different degrees of loudness. Having practiced
with different degrees of loudness on one key, make the same
experiment on another, and then on another, and so on. This will also
give the learner practice in compass,

VII. POETIC PAUSES.
In poetry we have, in addition to other pauses, poetic pauses. The
object of these is simply to promote the melody.
At the end of each line a slight pause is proper, whatever be the
grammatical construction or the sense. The purpose