Part 1

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What Every Singer Should Know

Published by

FRANKLIN PUBLISHING CO.

OMAHA, NEBR.

Copyrighted 1910

by

MILLIE RYAN

DEDICATION.

I LOVINGLY DEDICATE THIS BOOK

TO MY SON,

EDWARD RYAN, JR.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

"Is it Worth My While to Have My Voice Cultivated" 1

"Can I Become a Grand Opera Singer?" 8

"At What Age Shall I Take Up the Study of Voice Culture?" 12

Singing Lessons as a Health Culture 23

Advice to Parents 25

"Is it Necessary to go Abroad to Study?" 28

Chorus Singing 34

Stage Fright 36

The Accompanist 42

Selecting a Teacher 45

Art for Art's Sake 52

Educating the Masses 57

Hints and Helps 64

What and How to Practice 73

The Breath 83

A Few Practical Exercises and Illustrations 88

INTRODUCTION.

This book is not for the purpose of instruction in singing, as singing is an art which cannot be taught from book or correspondence. Neither is it a technical treatise on the voice, but instead I aim through the medium of my book to have a "heart-to-heart" talk with the beginner, and with those who contemplate the study of voice culture.

Books abounding in technical terms are valueless to a beginner, and the finished artist does not need such a book. There are many valuable books published, but very few which are written in a manner simple enough for the beginner to grasp. I wish to give all the valuable "hints" and "helps" that it has taken years of experience to gather, covering all the questions that are absolutely necessary to know, making it brief, simple and =understandable=.

"IS IT WORTH MY WHILE TO HAVE MY VOICE CULTIVATED?"

The first question which arises with all those who possess an average singing voice is, "Will it pay me to study voice culture?" The answer may be found in the following:

"If you possess a good voice, do not hesitate a moment to cultivate it, regarding it as the most beautiful gift granted you by Heaven."--Schumann.

"But," says the applicant, "I must make my own living. Have I enough material to cultivate and be able to realize returns?"

This depends entirely on yourself and what your ambitions are.

There is a great field in music, and if you have ear, voice, and talent, STUDY. And, if in addition to these you have ambition, determination and application, you are sure of success. What your field of operation will be, whether church, concert or opera, time will decide.

The power to win is yours--determine to succeed and you cannot fail.

In order to make a success of anything, you must give it your undivided attention, and while doing so, your aim must be fixed constantly on the goal which you desire to attain. Rome was not built in one day, neither can the elementary training of a voice be accomplished in a year.

If you are in good health, you must never allow the warm days of summer to be an obstacle to your practice. Can you imagine the successful banker, rising young doctor, lawyer or actor stopping their work because of a warm day? There may be =some= who do, but they are not the ones who are successful. When you hear a great singer, think of the obstacles she must have overcome in reaching her position of excellence. Never doubt yourself or your ability, but say "that what determination and application have done for others can be done for me."

You must have confidence in yourself if you want others to have confidence in you.

Never lose your temper. Adeline Patti was asked how she preserved her charm long after the springtime of youth deserts the average woman. She replied, "I keep my temper." Don't expect to grasp, assimilate and put into practice in one lesson what it has taken years for your teacher to accomplish.

I remember one pupil who said her purse would not allow anything better than a hall room in New York for a whole winter's study, and that she really had no "chance" to practice, as her room was too small. This was a very poor excuse, as that was merely one obstacle to be overcome.

The artists who have reached the top are those who have had =innumerable= obstacles to overcome.

In Switzerland, over a little barber shop, in a room so small that there was not room for two chairs in addition to the piano, Madame Nordica, with Madame Cosima Wagner, and a coacher, practiced daily. The following winter she won one of the successes of her career, as "Isolde."

To reach the top in the profession, you must have more than voice and application, for a singer may have the greatest of technique, yet lack "soul" and "intelligence." The latter two you must possess, as these the teacher is unable to give you.

The beginner, in singing, needs a model to imitate, just as much as the painter or sculptor. Everything is "imitation" until you develop in your work; your individuality will assert itself as you become proficient. Do not allow anyone to frighten you by telling you "never imitate or you will simply be a parrot." Only the very poor teacher who knows her own weakness as a model would make such an assertion. If the beginner is fortunate enough to secure a teacher who can demonstrate a =perfect tone=, do not be afraid to imitate.

In order to fully interpret the emotions it is necessary to have knowledge outside of the singing lesson. It is for this reason that singers seldom reach the stage of "artist" until they are pretty well advanced in years. It is not how many lessons you take, but the gradual development, which you attain through experience. You must feel the heartbeats of others, must know intimately "joy," "pain" and "sorrow" in order to fully express these emotions. There is no rule of "right" and "wrong" in the interpretation of a song, it being simply a matter of opinion. That is where the individuality asserts itself. I remember taking the old warhorse, "Una Voce Poco Fa," from Il Barbiere (Rossini) to three of the greatest living singing masters in Italy. Each one interpreted the aria a little differently, and I am positive each thought he was the nearest to the composer's idea. Which one was correct?

"When you sing you are delivering a message, and you must make your audience understand and feel it, as it is our 'feelings' above all that are immediately affected by music."--Von Weber.

Do not be too anxious to realize financially. Consider that Wagner's salary as choir-master in the city of Warsaw was less than $12.00 a month. The great drawback to many of the students in America is the desire to work on the surface only--they don't seem willing to start at the beginning and work their way up. The matter of studying voice culture for a year does not make it possible for the singer to step before an audience and attain immediate success without other preparation.

It takes more than the studio to make a "star." No artist ever began as a master. In addition to being a singer, you must possess talent, character and the ability to manage. If there is one of these qualities lacking, you must remain only an "artist." It takes all three in accord to produce a "STAR."

"CAN I BECOME A GRAND OPERA SINGER?"

The average teacher, in fact, most teachers, will say, "Yes, if you study," but this is not true, as you have only about one chance in a thousand. Have you any idea of the requirements necessary in order to become a "star" of the Metropolitan Opera Company?

You must have a fine voice, a "big" voice, a voice of great power and endurance, fine enunciation, clear and correct pronunciation, knowledge of the modern languages, have at least twenty-five operas committed to memory, fine dramatic ability, good physique, size, personality and "pull." And you must also be on the other side of the ocean to accept the engagement; and then, your acceptance by a director to "star" is about as difficult as an audience with a king.

There is no reason why a person with voice and talent who has to make his own living, could not do so after several years of study. I have over one hundred pupils who are making a good living by singing, and as many more holding church positions paying them enough to enable them to continue their studies.

Show me a pupil who has to make his own living, and who has studied with one teacher for eight or nine years and is not making his living by singing, and you are showing me one who =never will=.

There is, of course, no end to the study of voice culture. I have studied more or less for over twenty years and am still studying, but if you have to make your own living, secure whatever position may be open to you. The church or concert position is =equally= valuable as the opera.

In Europe, where you hear grand opera all the year around, it becomes a second nature, but here in our western cities, until recently, grand opera was almost unknown; two or three performances a year was about all we could hope for. This was not enough to thoroughly acquaint the people with the operas, and not enough to create a demand.

In a western city of 200,000 inhabitants where five years ago it was impossible to draw an audience of a hundred persons unless heralded by spectacular advertising, I had the pleasure of witnessing this year "Standing Room Only" during the performance of the dear old operas, Il Trovatore, Faust and Carmen. The operas that the people have become acquainted with through the phonographs, the orchestras and the grand opera study clubs, organized by the more up-to-date teachers. Mr. Albert Mildenberg is taking up a most commendable work, that of establishing the municipal grand opera in New York City; he will eventually succeed, and, with Herr Andreas Dippel organizing permanent grand opera in the larger cities west of New York, it will not be long before the grand opera positions will be plentiful. Within the next year, through the efforts of Victor Maurel, the grand opera sung in English will also gain ground, and divide honors with the French, German and Italian, giving those who have not studied the foreign languages, but who are otherwise prepared, a chance for positions on the grand opera stage.

Some cranks insist that the days of the old Italian opera, with its arias and glorious coloratura work, are passing in order to give place for the new =music drama=. This is not correct, and will not be possible as long as there are excellent singers who can sing these operas. We have room for both the grand opera and the music drama.

To be an "artist" is the aim the student has in view, and "study" is the means to that end.

"AT WHAT AGE SHALL I TAKE UP THE STUDY OF VOICE CULTURE?"

Mrs. L. and her 15-year-old daughter called at my studio. The mother explained that her little girl had been "leading the singing" in school ever since she was eleven years old, but that her voice was not as good as it used to be, and that she would like to have her study, but thought she was too young. I tried the girl's voice and found two registers used so differently that a person sitting in the next room would think they were listening to two persons singing. She had a terrible break between the chest and head tones, and for =four= years had been developing in this bad way of singing. Now, this child should either have taken up voice culture at eleven years of age or not "lead the singing" in school. Children, with very few exceptions, in going from chest to head tones, will sing =with= the throat, not understanding how to make the change, or rather how to place the tone; in this way producing a break, which later in life, when they take up voice culture, will cause endless, and in some cases, permanent trouble.

I know of many children who sing at entertainments, school, church, etc., and you will hear their parents say, "Scarcely a week passes that my daughter does not sing at some entertainment. If she were a little older, we would have her take up voice culture." Now, if your daughter is old enough to sing at entertainments, she is old enough to study. Either do not let her sing, or put her under the care of a good teacher.

"How shall I know if she is under proper instruction?"

A good teacher will, first of all, not allow her to sing at the top of her voice, which all children seem to delight in doing. A good teacher will not develop on the extreme =high= or extreme =low= tones. A good teacher will even up the =medium= register, teach her how to use the =breath on the tone=, how to =place= the tone, overcoming all seeming change from chest to head, will give her perfect pronunciation and enunciation. This can be done at any age from eleven years, depending on the individual. A girl who has good ear, and who does not lead the singing in school at eleven and sing at entertainments, can begin at sixteen or seventeen and develop into a very fine singer.

"Should my son take up voice culture before his voice has changed?"

This case is just the same as with the girl, =if he sings=. In fact, I have found in my twenty years' experience as singer and teacher that the boy who studies voice culture before his voice changes has an easy road to travel =after= his voice has changed. Many boys' voices have not finished changing until they are eighteen or nineteen years of age. The boy who studied before his voice began changing understands the breath control, the placing of the tone, and the pronunciation and enunciation. These four fundamentals are absolutely necessary in order to sing well; and whether his voice, after the change, develops into tenor or bass, these fundamentals remain the same, and enable him to continue, instead of merely begin. The boy, who has studied, or is under a good instructor, will know =when= to stop singing. I have known many boys with promising voices, who have ruined them entirely by singing or trying to sing =during= the change. But they were not boys who were under instruction, or they would have known better. I do =not= claim that it is necessary to begin the study of voice culture as a child, as this is entirely a matter of the individual, but I =do= claim that you can count on one hand the singers who have reached distinction and whose voices have lasted any length of time, who started their singing lessons after they were out of their teens.

I have pupils who are making a good living as church soloists and on the concert stage, who commenced their study after they were twenty years old, but they are the =exception=, and not the =rule=.

I think a woman has the greatest success in teaching children. This may be partly due to her maternal instincts. Her illustrations and demonstrations are more simple than a man's. Her patience with children also fits her wonderfully well to teach the child.

You can accomplish nothing with the voice through fear. If the young boy or girl loves the work, looks forward to the lessons, they cannot fail in whatever they undertake.

To satisfy those who disagree with me in regard to the value of early study, I would ask them to read the lives of the great singers, and they will find that with very few exceptions they took up the study of voice culture before and during their early teens. Space forbids me to give a complete list. However, for the benefit of those who have no access to the biographies of the singers, I will select the names that I am sure you are familiar with, beginning at 1740, and down to the present time:

Malibran, one of the world's most famous singers, at the age of seven was studying Solfeggio with Panseron at Naples, Italy, and made her debut in grand opera in her fifteenth year.

Pesaroni made her grand opera debut at sixteen, and twenty-five years later we find her still one of the leading grand opera singers.

Teresa Titjens made her debut in grand opera at the age of fifteen.

Pauline Lucca was singing at thirteen, and made her debut at the age of sixteen.

Kellog made her debut as Gilda in "Rigoletto" at the age of eighteen.

Minnie Hauk took up voice study at the age of twelve, and was singing in grand opera during her seventeenth year.

Christine Nilson, as a child, sang on the streets, was placed under an instructor, and six months later sang at Court.

Albini, during her twenty-second year, was engaged by the Royal Italian Grand Opera at Covent Garden, to sing the leading roles of the grand opera.

Scalchi studied while a mere child, and made her grand opera debut at the age of sixteen.

Melba made her debut in grand opera when she was twenty-two years of age.

Nevada sang in public at the age of six, and has been singing ever since.

Patti made a three-year concert tour under the direction of Strakosh, between the ages of eight and eleven, and made her grand opera debut at nineteen.

Nordica made her debut at fifteen, and is still one of the greatest and loveliest of our singers.

Sembrich sang solos in church when she could scarcely see over the railing, and was in grand opera at the age of twenty.

You may have doubts as to the art of singing of those whom you have read about, but I am sure you have heard at least Scalchi, Melba, Patti, Nordica and Sembrich, and you can have no doubt as to their being classed both as singers and artists.

It is needless to say that these people must have studied these operas in order to sing them, and when you take into consideration that they were not "music dramas" that require really more proficiency in acting than in singing, but the Italian operas, requiring most perfect =coloratura= work, and the Wagner operas, demanding heavy =dramatic= singing, I think you must be convinced that if early study were injurious to the voice, these great "songsters" would not be living examples of my assertion.

Someone will say, "This may be the case with women, but what of the men?"

We find the great German tenor, Albert Nieman, singing the grand opera roles at eighteen.

Heinrich Vogl, styled the "Interpreter of Wagner," sang these opera roles at the age of twenty.

Italo Campanini was singing in grand opera at twenty-one.

Guilliam Ibos, the grand French tenor, and Van Dyck, were both singing the grand opera roles at the age of twenty-two.

Jean de Reszke was soloist at the cathedral at Warsaw at the age of =twelve=, and was singing in grand opera at twenty-two. I am sure many of you have heard him sing after his forty-fifth year, and will not deny that he is both singer and artist.

Then I hear someone say, "Perhaps their voices did not change, as they were tenors." There is =some= change at maturity in =all voices=. Very well, what about Victor Maurel? He was singing the grand opera roles at twenty-one. Jean Baptiste Faure took up the study of the voice at thirteen, and at twenty-two =created= the part of Mephistopheles in Faust.

These men and women, whose names stand out as brilliant stars in the firmament of music, studied and sang before and in their early teens, and these are the voices that have been everlasting.

Within the past six or eight years some beautiful singers have appeared in the grand opera--one tenor who claims to have studied less than six months before he appeared in grand opera, and a soprano, making the same claim, and this study is supposed to have taken place after they were out of their teens. It will be of interest to wait and watch these voices to see if they will withstand the wear of twenty-five years' service, and still be beautiful, or like the fire-fly, radiate their beautiful light but for a moment and then disappear.

SINGING LESSONS AS A HEALTH CULTURE.

"I should like to take up the study of voice culture, but am not very strong."

That is the very reason you should take up singing. I have seen anæmic girls take up the study of voice culture, and at the end of one year's study develop perfect breathing, a fine full chest, rosy lips, warm hands, an elegant digestion, and a good disposition.

There is no tonic for the =nerves= equal to voice culture. At one of the large sanitariums where eight hundred and five patients were suffering from tuberculosis, there was but one who had been a singer. The nasal breathing prevents adenoids from developing. The deep respiration oxygenates the blood and gives us power to resist diseases. We stand and walk better. We derive unusual pleasure for ourselves, with the power to entertain others. As the study is unlimited, our interest cannot fail to increase with each year. It fills our lives as nothing else can do.

"Though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive, even the smallest task in music is so absorbing and carries us so far away from town, country and earth, and all earthly things that it is truly a blessed gift of God."--Mendelsohn.

It is a fact that more people become patients through "boredom" than through fever. It is the monotony of the daily routine and lack of interest which is the root of most of the "illness" and "nerves" of our present day young women.

Try the study of voice culture as an interesting and permanent remedy.

The cause of "musical indigestion" is the attending of concerts where one is compelled to listen to singing or playing, which is poorly executed or too far beyond one to be properly understood.

ADVICE TO PARENTS.

Parents should encourage their children who are taking up the study of voice culture, as home encouragement is necessary to children. I know that parents are inclined to think that when they pay for the music lessons, nothing further should be expected of them. But this is positively a wrong idea.