CHAPTER XVII

THE RADICAL REFORM OF VOICE CULTURE THROUGH THE SPEAKING VOICE

In the suggestions laid down at the beginning of this book for the purpose of reinforcing in actual form the scientific principles of voice production for bringing about a radical reform of voice culture, the following is of prime importance:

Voice culture must be _natural_ in its basis, built upon scientific principles; not empiric or arbitrary. There must be only _one_ method of singing, founded on physiological laws, taught in a practical form.

This suggestion constitutes the principal basis for the radical reconstruction of voice education as conceived by the author, who emphasizes the speaking voice as the fundamental element for the thorough education of the voice, particularly inasmuch as it is related to the art of singing.

In applying its rules practical evidence is given of the advantages resulting from centering on the speaking voice all the practice required for the training and the development of the voice, either in talking or singing. Thus the marked difference between this method and those existing at present is made evident, from the very beginning.

Making the speaking voice the fundamental element for singing is an issue which has a scientific basis, as has already been demonstrated in this book; therefore, presenting this method of voice culture as “scientific” is not claiming for it an arbitrary qualification; it is a logical outcome, derived from its intrinsic character.

This, however, must not suggest the idea of an artificial method on account of its qualification as scientific. As a matter of fact, the word “scientific” has often been misrepresented by artificial practices; the general impression, therefore, tends toward that misleading belief.

But in the case of the scientific culture of voice, science, which is reinforced principally by rules of physiology, acoustics, and phonology, working in harmonious coöperation, constitutes an essential aid in discovering and estimating at their proper value the functional laws of nature, making of them an illustrative method of voice culture, elementary in its structure and true in its contents.

We therefore emphasize the fact that scientific and natural culture are, in reality, synonymous, in order to satisfy those outside of the scientific field who, from traditional habit, are inclined to balk at anything which bears the stamp of scientific in reference to the human voice. Science is knowledge based on truth, and is very simple in its doctrines. Nothing, in fact, is simpler than the physiology of the vocal apparatus, which conforms with natural laws, and which disregards all theories or statements based on hypotheses or personal impressions, without the support of a scientific demonstration.

While many schools of singing, by making the art of teaching an elaborated exploitation of exercises better suited to physical culture than to an art essentially emotional and intellectual, expose the students to a strain which often fatally injures their vocal organs, the Scientific culture of voice, keeping very close to the natural mechanism, exploits a simple and elementary method condensed into a few rules. These rules are molded fundamentally on the speaking voice and controlled most essentially by the idea of protecting the vocal apparatus from any strain during the act of singing.

Hence, the aim of directing the art of singing toward a radical reform and of placing it on a firm and scientific basis is made possible by this fundamental change of its culture, in its very roots.

The rules governing this new form of voice culture are summed up in the elementary principle, of establishing proper diction as the basis for a correct singing voice production. This naturally embraces the correct placing and formation of the voice, first in talking, and then its development along the same line in singing.

Although this principle is most essentially related to and is more important for the singing voice, it is applied through the medium of the speaking voice, which, constituting the backbone or skeleton of the singing voice, supplies all its physiological and psychological characteristics—pitch, volume, quality, expression, etc.

The Scientific culture of voice, by developing in detail the author’s original view of giving the proper phonetic production to the speaking voice for producing the singing voice with the same mechanism, gives the latter the advantage of finding its words already correctly produced, of molding its volume and quality on that of the speaking voice, and of magnifying its resonance and expression by the addition of its musical colors.

A big and beautiful speaking voice, in reality, furnishes splendid material in the raw for a correspondingly big and beautiful singing voice; the larger amount of musical vibrations and melodious quality of the latter representing merely an acoustic embellishment.

In spite of its importance, very little indeed is known about the proper production of the speaking voice, especially as a phonetic platform for proper singing and voice development.

It is the belief of the author, as the result of many years of study on the mechanism of the voice, and the experience gained through the constant observation and care of many of the greatest singers, that most of the failures in the singing profession are due to the ignorance of the important rôle played by the speaking voice in relation to the art of singing.

The two forms of voice, the speaking and the singing, being the same physical element, are so closely connected that the neglect of one means the abolition of the proper production and beauty of the other. It is no exaggeration to state that the proper formation of the speaking voice is the only _sine qua non_ condition of correct singing, as the latter always retains the former’s original characteristics, whether beautiful or ugly.

The idea, therefore, of creating a system of teaching which begins by establishing all the rules for the production of a beautiful speaking voice, that the singing voice may be molded on it, has been materialized by the writer in this method, which has been submitted to some of the greatest singers and voice experts.

The recognition of its real value has been expressed to the author in letters and indorsements commending its universal use in voice culture, as can be seen in the testimonial of Enrico Caruso, quoted in a preceding chapter, and those of Emma Calvé, Galli-Curci and Titta Ruffo which follow.

The preface of this book, written by no less an authority than Victor Maurel, the artist who was the first in the musical world to carry out the conception that singing is merely musical speaking, is of the most valuable support for the Scientific Culture of the Voice.

Madame Galli-Curci, in a letter written in English, has given her full endorsement to the principles illustrated by the author, who has also received a very enthusiastic letter from Madame Emma Calvé, translated herewith from the original, which is also reproduced.

A literal translation of the indorsement given by Signor Titta Ruffo for The Scientific Culture of Voice, as conceived by Dr. P. M. Marafioti, follows on the next page.

Endorsement of Madame Emma Calvé for the Scientific Culture of the Voice:

DEAR DOCTOR:

I have just read your admirable book in which you explain with clarity a perfect method in which voice culture must be based on new scientific principles adaptable to the exigencies of the music of to-day. This new method, having become a necessity because of the evolution of the modern school, which demands above all lyrical declamation rather than the “Bel Canto” heretofore required.

Dear doctor, you who through your science have so marvelously known how to fathom the mystery of the voice, you are the one designated for entering into this reform in which you should be encouraged and highly praised.

“The sound soars to the sky,” the great poet Baudelaire said. Thanks to you, it will raise us, I hope, to the spheres of eternal harmony—our aim for all.

Your sincere friend, EMMA CALVÉ.

Endorsement of Titta Ruffo for The Scientific Culture of the Voice:

I have read with keen interest the scientific and practical study on human voice as conceived by you, and found it so marvelous that I feel it my duty to express my opinion in writing.

It will be of great help to all students of singing and declamation because of its extreme clarity and simplicity, which can be seen to perfection in the proceeding by which you develop your new theories. It is necessary that it be given out for publication, so that it may be known in all conservatories of music, and in all schools of singing and declamation.

The education of the voice plays a very important rôle in our intellectual life, as the most elevating emotions of our souls are aroused by the harmony of sounds; and singers as well as actors will be vocally perfect if they learn to abide by the principles which you express in your method.

TITTA RUFFO.

From the _psychological standpoint_, because of its importance, the relationship of the speaking and the singing voice deserves far more attention than is usually given to it. It is not the sound, in fact, produced by the singing voice that gives the impressive power of expression to the art of singing, but what is said and how it is said, through the _medium of tones_. Whether the sentiment the artist wants to express be tragic, dramatic, or lyric, he must have tragedy and drama in his soul, and convey them through his words in order to get a really artistic effect. Intense emotions, in singing, cannot be expressed alone through the medium of tones, tones being rather the medium for musical effects and technical embellishment. They may emphasize an expression which intensely pleases and delights the ear, decorate the singing words in a more beautiful manner, make the phrasing more artistic, but they have not sufficient power to convey a strong message of the mind or an intense pathos of the heart, to an educated audience. If simple tones could do that, there would be no difference between musical instruments and human voice, but indeed nobody can deny that the human voice is the really supreme power and magic medium of human souls, which alone has the privilege of carrying with words all feelings and thoughts, in any definite degree of expression, and shadows of sentiment.

Therefore, if those singers (unfortunately many) who, by blowing very hard, under high pressure of the diaphragm, or whispering softly in their throats with falsetto or head voices, think that they are expressing hate or love, sorrow or delight, they are mistaken. Their psychology is lacking or false, and their singing is very far from reaching the minds and inspiring the souls of any artistic audience. To hear tones which do not carry the impressiveness of the meaning of the words is indeed of very little value to a discriminating public, who wants to know what message the singing conveys.

There are some artists, though, whose singing never fails to reach the hearts of the audience. Among them are a few prominent ones, who combine all the treasures of their voices with the finest sense of expression, and so have the privilege of delivering to the world the most sublime and artistic singing. Everybody, of course, is affected by the beautiful and intense spell of their performance; but not everybody knows of what immense value and support to their artistic efforts is the proper use and intelligent coöperation of their speaking voice. When these artists sing, not one word is lost, and the audiences cry and laugh with them, because they understand them and are carried away by the emotions embodied in the words they are singing. There lies the secret of the striking suggestion and powerful impressiveness of their voices, and this is also what gave its magic power to Caruso’s singing.

But how many singers make the audiences understand even in what language they are singing? How many have the slightest notion of this inestimable coöperating factor—the speaking voice—and make valuable use of it in their art? Operagoers could easily answer this question.

In some recent instances in New York, when operas were produced in English, there was general dissatisfaction and criticism because not a word the artists were singing was intelligible to the audience. If American audiences were more familiar with the Italian, French, Russian, or German languages, they would soon realize that the same complaint could be applied to the majority of singers singing in any language; nay, some allowance must be made for the singing in English, as this language is, in truth, more difficult in its enunciation than most of the above-mentioned. There is an intrinsic phonetic deficiency in the language itself, of which we will treat later.

The lack of discrimination and also of interest on the part of some audiences about this matter is responsible for the singers’ underestimation of the importance of singing their words, thus making it possible to deliver properly the full message of the music as the composer felt and intended it. Those audiences, generally, place their interest and center their enthusiasm only on the top notes of the sensational singers, and real art means very little or nothing to them.

The singers, however, or musicians who are attracted by the importance of this subject, should refer to the following comment by Wagner in _Actors and Singers_ and see what his conception of the rôle played by diction in singing was:

“If to-day I seek out singers for a passably correct performance of my own dramatic works, it is not by chance the ‘scarcity of voices’ that alarms me, but my fear of their having been utterly ruined by a method which excludes all sound pronunciation. As our singers do not articulate properly, neither for the most part do they know the meaning of their speeches, and thus the character of any rôle entrusted to them strikes their minds in none but general hazy outlines, after the manner of certain operatic commonplaces. In their consequent frenzied hunt for something to please, they light at last on stronger tones (_Tonaccente_) strewn here and there, on which they rush with panting breath as best they can, and end by thinking they have sung quite ‘dramatically’ if they bellow out the phrase’s closing note with an emphatic bid for applause.

“Now it has been almost amazing to me, to find how quickly such a singer, with a little talent and good-will, could be freed of his senseless habits if I led him in all brevity to the essentials of his task. My compulsorily simple plan was to make him really and distinctly speak in singing, whilst I brought the lines of musical curvature (_die Linien der Gesangsbewegung_) to his consciousness by getting him to take in one breath, with perfectly even intonation, the calmer, lengthier periods on which he formerly had expended a number of gusty respirations; when this had been well done, I left it to his natural feeling to give the melodic lines their rightful motion, through accent, rise and fall, according to the verbal sense. Here I seemed to observe in the singer the salutary effect of the return of an overwrought emotion in its natural current, as if the reducing of its unnatural and headlong rush to a proper rate of motion had spontaneously restored him to a sense of well being; and a quite definite physiological result of this tranquilization appeared forthwith, namely, the vanishing of that peculiar cramp which drives our singers to the so-called head-note (_Gaumentonn_, lit. ‘palatal tone’), that terror of our singing masters, which they attack in vain with every kind of mechanical weapon, although the enemy is but a simple bent to affectation, which takes the singer past resistance when once he thinks he has no longer to speak, but to ‘sing,’ which means in his belief that he must do it ‘finely,’ that is, make an exhibition of himself.”

The author feels no hesitation nor scruples in affirming that this wonderful statement by Wagner contains more truth and sound precepts about singing than the dozens of books he has read on voice culture. With his accurate analysis of the actual conditions of the singing field, and with a touch of sarcasm and criticism about the operatic commonplaces prevalent among the ordinary singers, Wagner has condensed into these few lines the _most solid_, _scientific_, and _artistic principles_ of the _art_ of _singing_. The real essentials also for correct and artistic singing are so masterly outlined that they make all other methods for voice culture, existing at present, unworthy of comparison.

All the physical and physiological doctrines of teachers who are hunting for sensational phrases and impressive words, the meaning of which is often unfamiliar to them, but serves the purpose of appealing to the unskilled, untaught, enthusiastic pupils who are open to any unknown ideas, become insignificant and ludicrous when compared with the truth condensed in the few suggestions of Wagner in which he leads the singer to the “essentials of his task,” making him “really and distinctly speak in singing,” and “restoring him to a sense of well being, and to that definite physiological result of tranquilization, namely, the vanishing of that peculiar cramp which drives our singers to the so-called head-note—that terror of our singing masters, which they attack in vain with every kind of mechanical weapon, although the enemy is but a simple bent to affectation, which takes the singer past resistance when once he thinks he has no longer to speak, but to ‘sing.’” Much crime—unpunished crime—is committed in the name of physiology and presumably physical theories.

Although Wagner’s ideas, in truth, did not influence the author’s views in reference to the contents of this book—as the above quoted precious document of the genius of Bayreuth came to our knowledge when this work was almost ready for publication—yet we feel that Wagner’s precepts, and the principles on which we base the reform of voice culture, coincide so closely that it is a matter of inestimable pride, as well as invaluable encouragement, to us.

In the author’s mind was always imprinted the fundamental principle that _singing_ must first be _saying_. If in his creed, which has been inspired by prolonged observation of the decadence of the art of singing and careful investigation into the causes, he has been preceded by such an authority as Wagner, he attributes the greatest of good fortune to this coincidence, and regards Wagner’s conception of the art of singing as the strongest endorsement and defense for the reinforcement of his principles.