The Head Voice and Other Problems | Page 5

we see is the result of our own imperfect understanding of
the real universe.
A tone is something to hear, and =hearing is mental=. An old French

anatomist once said: "The eye sees what it is looking for, and it is
looking only for what it has in mind." The same is true of the ear. We
hear the tone mentally before we sing it, and we should hear it as
distinctly as if it were sung by another. A tone first of all is a mental
product, and its pitch, power, and quality are definite mental entities.
When we wish to convey this tone to another we do it through the
sound producing instrument which nature has provided for this
purpose.
That everything exists first as idea has been the teaching of the
philosophers for ages. That the idea is the controlling, governing force
is equally well understood. Therefore, inasmuch as the aim of all voice
building is to produce beautiful tone we must start with the right idea of
tone. This is where the first and greatest difficulty appears. To most
people a tone is intangible and difficult to define. One will rarely find a
student that can formulate anything approaching a definition of a
musical tone and I fancy many teachers would find it far from easy.
Unless one has a grasp of the psychology of voice, and a great many
have not, he will begin to work with what he can see. Here enters the
long dreary mechanical grind that eventually ruins the temper of both
teacher and student, and results in nothing but mechanical singing,
instead of a joyous, inspiring musical performance.
In studying the pure singing tone we find the following: It is smooth,
steady, firm, rich, resonant, sympathetic. We shall also find that all of
its qualities and attributes are mental. It must contain the element of
freedom (mental), firmness (mental), security (mental), sympathy
(mental), enthusiasm, sentiment, joy, compassion, pity, love, sorrow
(all mental). These are all qualities of the singing tone. They are not
intangible. On the contrary, to the one who has them they are definite
and are the things he works for from the beginning. They are basic and
fundamental. All are combined in what I call tone concept, which is
another word for musical ear, or musical taste. This tone concept is by
far the most important thing in voice training. The student will not sing
a tone better than the one he conceives mentally, therefore the mental
concept of tone, or tone concept must be the basis of voice placing.

This tone concept, or mental picture of tone qualities controls the vocal
instrument by indirection. True tone color does not come as the result
of trying by some physical process to make the tone light or dark, but
from the automatic response to musical concept or feeling.
In leaving this subject I wish to pay my respects to that company of
cheerful sinners--the open throat propagandists. I was taught in my
youth that the punishment for a sin committed ignorantly was none the
less pungent and penetrating, and I trust that in administering justice to
these offenders the powers will be prompt, punctilious and persevering.
It is a worthy activity.
No mistake of greater magnitude was ever made since voice training
began than that of holding the throat open by direct effort. It never
resulted in a tone a real musician's ear could endure, nevertheless
during the latter part of the nineteenth century and even the early part
of the twentieth it was made such an integral part of voice culture that it
seemed to be incorporated in the law of heredity, and vocal students,
even before they were commanded, would try to make a large cavity in
the back of the throat. I believe however, that there is much less of this
than formerly. Vocal teachers are beginning to see that the one
important thing is a free throat and that when this is gained the
response of the mechanism to the mental demand is automatic and
unerring.

II
THE HEAD VOICE
Let him take care, however, that the higher the notes, the more it is
necessary to touch them with softness, to avoid screaming.
Tosi. (1647-1727) Observations on Florid Song.
That the development of the upper, or head voice, is the most difficult
as well as the most important part of the training of the singing voice,
will be readily admitted by every experienced singing teacher.

That the upper voice should be produced with as much comfort as the
middle or lower, is scarcely debatable.
That a majority of singers produce their upper voice with more or less
difficulty, need not be argued.
Why is it that after two, three or more years of study so many upper