CHAPTER XV

SEVENTH PRINCIPLE

There are no _registers_ in the singing voice, when it is correctly produced. According to natural laws the voice is made up of only _one_ register, which constitutes its entire range.

According to almost general understanding the singing voice, at certain points of the natural range, breaks into series of tones and gives origin to the so-called registers of the voice.

Some writers contend that there are four or five registers; but the great majority of them claim only three, and this classification is universally adopted by singing teachers. A few authorities, however—among them Sir Morell Mackenzie, the well-known English laryngologist—admit two physical changes in voice production, while only a very small number of voice experts agree on the existence of but _one_ register. It must be said that in none of these instances are these divisions founded upon a concrete or definite scientific truth.

The teachers who uphold the division of the voice in three registers call them the chest, the middle, and the head registers.

The author contends that no such division is suggested by nature, nor is it needed in voice culture. The breaks of the voice are the result of abrupt and artificial changes in the laryngeal adjustments when the vocal organs are adapting themselves to produce higher tones; the normal function of these organs is then disturbed and a defective vocal production is thus brought about. In fact not only is this classification not essential or necessary, but it places the mechanism of voice production at a certain disadvantage.

If we make an incidental analysis of it we are at first striken by the incongruous designation of the registers as chest, head, and middle. It is obvious that in speaking of the chest and head registers, reference is made to the resonance obtained by emphasizing the voice in the chest and head cavities. What about the middle register then? To what cavity does it allude?

The supposition that it would be a _pharyngeal_ register would imply that the resonance is confined in the pharynx, which would give a _throaty_ voice production, the most appalling defect in singing.

Another current misunderstanding exists in reference to the head register, which sometimes is confused with the so-called _mezza voce_. There is a substantial difference between them, which it is important to establish _a priori_, so that the criticism leveled at the head register may not be extended to the _mezza voce_.

When a singer is called upon to give his entire volume and intensity of voice in any part of its range for dramatic effect, he carries to the higher tones the same proportional volume and intensity of voice with the same quality, and this constitutes a dramatic style of singing in full voice; it can only be obtained by avoiding the break of the voice into registers.

But when the meaning of the words and the style of the music require lyric and delicate effects, only part of the voice—the _mezza voce_—is employed, being better adapted to express artistically and truthfully the meaning of words set to lyric music.

Caruso—a dramatic as well as a lyric tenor—in singing dramatic rôles used his full voice, in lyric parts the same voice but in lighter form, which in certain soft passages was very similar to a _mezza voce_. His correct mechanism of voice production made it possible for him to resort to the most perfect lyric style of singing without changing the intrinsic nature of his voice.

Singing in the _mezza voce_ is then physiologically correct since it is performed without changing the mechanism of the _full voice_, with only this difference, that less intensity is used, while the volume and the quality of the voice remain the same.

There exists, then, a substantial difference between the _head register_ and the _mezza voce_, which should be better understood.

The empiricism and the confusion that rule the singing field are put in relief by these commonplace and elementary errors; yet these are only a few of the many examples that go to explain the stagnant and chaotic condition of the art of singing as it is to-day.

Sir Morell Mackenzie, who wrote the most interesting book on the hygiene of the voice, admits, as previously stated, only two registers, and calls them the _long_ or _chest_, and the _short_ or _head_ registers. This classification is by far more rational than all the others, and is based on the resonance of the chest for the long, and of the head for the short, register.

With all due respect to so great an authority, we venture to analyze this division as compared with the theory of _no_ registers, except for the natural range; and we advance the following hypothesis:

Dr. Mackenzie defines the registers as a series of tones of like quality produced by a particular adjustment of the vocal cords.

According to this definition, the voice being divided into two registers, the chest register of a soprano singer, for instance would extend from low C to medium E, and would be represented by a series of tones of like quality produced by a _particular adjustment_ of the vocal cords.

Following this there would be another series of tones produced by another adjustment of the vocal cords, with tones different in dimension than in the first series, and this would represent the head register.

Now, what can justify this change of the vocal cords to a second adjustment? Must it be attributed to a natural law dictating this alteration in the mechanism of voice production, or to an incorrect use of the vocal apparatus, particularly of the producing and moving power, which make this change in the mechanism of voice production unavoidable?

No concrete reason has been given by Dr. Mackenzie for his classification. In fact further on he admits that, strictly speaking, there should be a different register for every note, which practically coincides with the theory generally accepted, that slight changes must take place in the vocal organs during their progressive adjustments for the ascending tones of the scale. But these gradual adjustments are not the same as contended by register advocates, according to whom the registers are originated by marked changes in the shape of the vocal organs in certain sections of the range where the voice breaks. There is no objection to having as many progressive registers as there are notes in the range, because practically it is tantamount to having one big register made up of as many small registers as there are notes in the compass of the voice, like one long chain formed by a great number of small links.

Therefore, Dr. Mackenzie’s classification, having no definite scientific basis, remains purely a personal view, which, however, stands out prominently among the many others as the most logical.

Dr. F. E. Miller, in his book _The Voice_, after illustrating the theory on registers, states that the breaks of the voice can be accounted for on scientific grounds:

Suppose [he says] there were a man able to produce the entire male vocal compass, from deepest bass to highest tenor. While for every note throughout the entire compass there would be subtle changes in the adjustment of the vocal tract the following also would be true: that beginning with the lowest note and throughout the first octave of his voice, the changes in the adjustments of the vocal tract would not alter the general character of the adjustment for that octave; that on entering the second octave, there would be a tendency toward change in the general adjustment of the vocal tract; while for the production of the remaining notes above, an almost startling change in the adjustment of the vocal tract would take place.

As much as we respect the opinion expressed in the above statement, we fail to perceive the scientific ground which justifies the necessity of the breaks of the voice into registers.

That slight changes of the vocal tract must occur in passing from one tone to the next, when the vocal organs undergo different adjustments for producing progressive pitches, has been demonstrated by scientific experiments and is admitted by all scientists. But that there is a tendency toward a change in the general adjustment of the vocal tract on entering the second octave, and that, for the production of the remaining notes above that, a startling change must take place in the adjustment of the vocal organs, has not thus far been reinforced by any scientific evidence.

And if it were true that the change in registers must occur at a certain particular altitude of the scale, it has not been demonstrated, up to this time, that this altitude is the correct place. There are singers, in fact, whose voices break in any difficult passage, and others—very few—whose voices never break through the entire range. We cannot think otherwise, then, that the division of the voice into registers, far from being a scientific axiom, is nothing else than an arbitrary and conventional hypothesis of voice experts, teachers and singers, who do not even agree among themselves as to where the breaks of the voice should occur.

Now and then [Dr. Miller adds] in a generation there may appear upon the scene a singer, usually a tenor, who for his high notes is not obliged to adopt the somewhat artificial adjustment required by the highest register, but can sing all his tones in the easier adjustments of the lowest or middle register. But he is a phenomenon, the exception that proves the rule....

This privilege which Dr. Miller claims for one singer _in a generation_ is not so rare, we venture to say, and is far from being exceptional. As a matter of fact it is _the rule_ with singers who produce their voice correctly, and furthermore, it should be the universal practice in voice training, as it is in absolute conformity with the normal physiological mechanism of the vocal organs.

Nature, as a rule, creates perfection through simplicity; the simpler the mechanism, the smoother and the more perfect its function; we can, therefore, hardly credit Nature with the complications that occur in the break of the voice into registers, and which we maintain are only the result of improper singing; neither can we think that Nature would bestow upon a few chosen singers physiological privileges which are denied to the generality. We are rather inclined to think that as in the case of blood circulation—the simplest and most wonderful function of the human system—the natural mechanism of voice production is one and the same for all of us.

Those singers whom Dr. Miller considers as “phenomena” are nothing more than good singers, conspicuous only through their scarcity and the deficiency of the others. Their great merit lies in the knowledge—whether conscious or unconscious—of how to make use of their vocal organs according to the laws of Nature.

Duprez, for instance [quotes Dr. Miller in his book] was a phenomenal tenor; he could sing the whole tenor range in the chest register. He could emit the _ut de poitrine_, which means that he could sing tenor high C in the chest register.

But there are others: Caruso could sing basso, baritone, dramatic and lyric tenor, without any breaks in his voice, and we believe he was not an exception in this. Of course, there was a slight change in Caruso’s voice when he used to sing as a lyric tenor, which affected only the dimensions of his voice, molded most essentially on the significance of the words and on the style of the music, which, being lyric, required a lighter form of voice than in the dramatic parts.

Lablache, the famous basso, used to sing tenor rôles as well as basso. Emma Calvé, a rare singer as well as exceptional artist, can sing as contralto and coloratura in one and the same voice. Galli-Curci uses only one register for the entire range of her voice, which covers almost three octaves, from G to F, and Titta Ruffo, the brilliant baritone, can invade very gallantly the domain of dramatic tenors with the same voice he uses for his entire range of baritone.

All this is not exceptional; when the vocal organs are properly adjusted for the different tones of the scale, every singer can acquire a voice production without breaks in the vocal range. In the case of many singers the changes of registers take place so frequently that they are condemned as “bad” singers even by people not well versed in the art of singing; the unevenness of their voices is caused by the continuous breaks at different points of the range, and the fact that the popular verdict is against them clearly shows that the public favors those who avoid breaks in their voices. This natural predilection of the uninformed listener is the best proof how essential is the homogeneity of the voice in quality and in volume.

To well-trained ears, the passing of the bow from one string of the violin to another produces somewhat of a peculiar and unpleasant effect which the good violinist tries to avoid, and strives to bring out all the tones alike in quality which procures a more uniform and artistic effect.

This dissonance, almost unavoidable in the violin, is only slight when compared with the disagreeable sensation produced by singers when passing from one register to another. The acoustic effects are obviously against the use of various registers in the human voice. To adapt the vocal organs to abrupt adjustments, which are only the result of artificial efforts to produce voices of different character in the same range, amounts to nothing less than the introduction of a faulty mechanism, which interferes with the natural production of the voice and destroys its beauty.

The singing of the greatest tenor in the annals of song—Caruso—gave the most striking evidence of the advantage of avoiding register breaks, and undoubtedly any singer who produces correctly the entire vocal range with a uniform quality throughout, and without any division into registers, is the nearest specimen to perfection in voice production.

The artificial division of the voice into registers, besides bringing about a complicated mechanism is also impractical and disadvantageous. If we produce, for instance, a tone of low pitch, belonging to the chest register, the resonance of which must be confined to the chest only, we eliminate the valuable support of the resonance of all the other cavities of the body and commit a grave error in voice production. No obstacles of any kind should check the sound waves in expanding from the larynx throughout the entire body, so as to get the benefit of the resonance of all its cavities; no reason, therefore, can justify a “chest” production or any other localization which would prevent the voice from getting its full resonance.

The scientific explanation of the disorder of the vocal organs, responsible for the breaking of the voice into registers, is that the adjustments of these organs for producing the tones are extremely exaggerated by two factors: the first is _psychological_, and is constituted by the spasmodic contraction of the larynx, usually at the mercy of psychological influences, as nervousness, fright, and other emotions, which, instead of a normal relaxation, instill into the muscles and cartilages an exaggerated tension; the second is _physiological_, and is represented by the increase of breath which singers feel they must force into their throats in order to counteract the tension of the vocal apparatus, and in the false belief that the harder they blow the more voice they produce.

From this fatal ignorance the notion of registers has originated probably. Singers, instinctively inclined to magnify their voices by giving more breath than necessary even in the lowest notes of their range, produce tones which are forced and also somewhat higher in pitch.

In progressing up the scale, by increasing the breath, the tones become more forced and sharp, and by persisting in this mechanism of forcing and growing sharper, they eventually reach a point when the normal resistance of the strained vocal organs refuses to lend its assistance any longer, so that the distressed singer is compelled to resort to artificial means in order to compensate for the lessened natural resources of the vocal organs. Then a sudden constriction of the larynx, pharynx, tongue, and soft palate combined reduce the vocal apparatus to a considerably smaller size and render it more apt to produce higher tones, which, however, have no longer the dimensions and the character of the previous ones, as we have demonstrated in a previous chapter.

The result is evident: the more strained and contracted the vocal organs, the smaller the spaces of their cavities become, and consequently the volume of the voice produced is less; the greater the amount of breath employed under exaggerated pressure, the less exact is the resulting pitch of the voice and its original quality.

It is our firm conviction, however, that were the adjustments of the larynx but gradually employed with no constriction of the throat to interfere with the freedom of the tone and with the minimum amount of necessary breath employed, a mechanism would result which could regulate the entire range of the voice without requiring a break into different registers.

A rough illustration of what could be considered a perfect range, without division of registers, would be obtained by comparing the voice with a ladder; the wider part is at its base, and it diminishes in width proportionately as it nears the top. This gradual diminishing, however, does not affect its evenness. The identical evenness should remain in the gradual diminishing of the range of the voice, its lower tones, larger in volume, undergoing a gradual and slight decrease in ascending the scale, without this slight change, however, affecting the quality and evenness of the voice in any altitude of the range.

The illustrations in Figure 13 give material evidence of the breaks of the voice, according to the division of registers, with the last one showing the entire range without any breaks.

The first _illustration in the group of three_ represents the average compass of any high voice, that is, a dramatic tenor or a soprano, and shows where the usual breaks into registers occur. These breaks, however, are not the same and not equal in number for every voice. Some singers—the very bad ones—have breaks at almost every other note and sometimes, even in the same note, if long sustained, toward the end their voices slide into a kind of a squeezed sound, indefinite in pitch and disagreeable in effect. A certain great singer used to call these breaks the _tails of the voice_.

This traditional, time-worn divisions of the voice into three registers is explained as follows (referring to letters on the diagram):

a. The chest register which gets its resonance from the chest. At the altitude of E or F the voice breaks and gives origin to the Middle Register.

b. The first break of the voice.