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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
April 20th, 1881.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
decided on. The music is furnished by Dudley Buck, organist; Miss M. J*
Holcomb, soprano; Mrs. J. K. Draper, alto; H. S. Brown, basso, and Fred-
erick Harvey, tenor.
The music at the x\nthon Memorial Church will remain under the charge
of R. H. Warren, organist and choir master, and will consist of a solo singer,
quartette and volunteer chorus. Of the quartette Miss Lena Little, contralto,
and Macgrane Coxe, baritone, remain, the new members being Miss Fannie
Hirsch, soprano, in place of Mrs. F. H. Bromer, and Mr. Hurley, tenor, in
place of Doctor J. R. Wilson.
Mrs. Marion Chichester will continue to preside at the organ of the
Broadway Tabernacle. W. H. Beckett, basso and leader, has been engaged
to assist her. Mrs. Brower will be the soprano, Mrs. Hardenburg the con-
tralto, and Mrs. Dennison the tenor. These, with the exception of the
soprano, have been reengaged.
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Roman Catholic) has a chorus
choir of men's, women's and boys' voices under the leadership of George
B. Prentice, organist, and Thomas M. Prentice, conductor. The soloists are
all reengaged for next year, and are Mrs. E. C. Robinson, soprano; Mrs. G.
Feuardent, contralto; Mr. Fletcher, tenor, and Mr. Osborne, basso.
William E. Mulligan, the organist of St Stephen's Roman Catholic
Church, will have the following quartette: Miss E. J. Lathrop, soprano; Miss
A. Meunier, contralto; Francis Barnard, tenor, and Eugene Oudin, baritone.
£••"'*£ Changes will also be made in the choir of St. Patrick's Cathedral, but
the arrangements have not been completed.—Tribune, N. Y. City.
will be possible hereafter for the master to develop at will any group or
combination of groups of laryngeal muscles by the employment of exercises
based upon the tones alluded to. I have been met by the assertion, " that
such a theory as the one advanced is impossible, from the very fact that the
movements of the vocal organs are automatic ;" but I am fully convinced
that each of the four groups of vocal muscles are as much under the control
of the will as those which govern the movements of the arm or leg.
An analogy to the development of the voice by the exercising, either
singly or combined, of the several sets of laryngeal muscles, may be observed
in the development of the fingers and hands during the j)laying of certain
studies. Every musician of any pretension knows what Plaidy, in his excellent
system of five-finger exercises, has done for the piano student. Now let us
examine and see if we can find out the groundwork of this renowned musi-
cian's success. Plaidy, starting with a thorough knowledge and apprecia-
tion of the anatomical structure of the hand, found out by keen observations
the precise actions that called into play the several nmscles or sets of mus-
cles controlling the movement of the fingers, and using this knowledge as a
basis, he has constructed a series of exercises, each one of which has for its
special function, the development either individualy or conjointly of special
muscular bodies. A combined anatomist and musician can, with very little
study of Plaidy's "Technique," easily classify these muscles and attach
them to the particular exercises which have a special tendency to bring them
into play, and, of course, develop them. To illustrate this let us take the
thumb, which, as we all know, has the freest movement of all the fingers.
The principal movements of this member, when the hand is in the proper
position for piano-playing are four in number, viz.: downwards, upwards,
THE THROAT IN ITS RELATIONS TO SINGING.
to the right, and lastly, to the left. The muscles elevating and lowering the
A SERIES OP POPULAR PAPERS BY WHITFIELD WARD, A.M., M.D.,
PHYSICIAN thumb, are both brought into action by consecutively striking any single
note on the instrument. Now, suppose the aforesaid finger to rest quietly
TO THE METROPOLITAN THROAT HOSPITAL.
on the piano in the correct position, and the note upon which it rests is to
be struck. What muscles will the necessary movements bring into play?
IX.
Why, two sets: first the one pulling the member upwards, because the
HINTS TO VOICE-BVILDERS.
thumb must be elevated before the note can be sounded; second, the one
The vocal cords or smind-producing reeds of the human voice-box are pulling the finger downwards. This is the principle upon which is founded
presided over by severft*roups of small muscles styled laryngeal; and no the very first exercise in the work under consideration. The two remaining
true tone is produced without the direct action of one or more of these movements of the thumb, namely, to the right and to the left, are likewise pre-
muscular classes. In order that the subject matter of this article be thor- sided over by two sets of muscles, one for each. These muscular bodies are exer-
oughly appreciable to the general reader it will be necessary to understand cised and developed when the thumb is made to turn under one or more of
the several movements which characterize the vocal bodies during singing, the remaining fingers, a peculiarity which, as every musician knows, char-
and as these actions have been fully explained in a previous article (V.), I acterizes several of Plaidy's studies. It is unnecessary for me to state the
wonderful finger power or manual strength attainable by the practice of the
shall not enter upon their consideration here.
technique, for they are facts, and not susceptible of criticism. The develop-
All the several agents necessary for the production of sound act directly ment of the muscles controlling the remaining fingers is somewhat similar
upon the vocal cords, hence these important little bodies are the principal to that above described with reference to the thumb. Now let us enter into
factors in vocalization. By referring to Article V., you will see that there the minutia of my observations and experiments, and see if we can discern
are four grand movements of the vocal cords, viz.:
their practical application. I have already casually alluded to the four
1. Adduction or drawing together of the cords.
grand movements which characterize the physiological action of the vocal
2. Abduction or separating of the cords.
bodies, but in order to make the points which I shall advance as clear
3. Tension or tightening of the cords.
as possible, I shall briefly describe these movements. When we are
4. Relaxation or loosening of the cords.
quietly breathing, the cords are widely separated, the space intervening
Now if by any manner of means we can bring any forces to play which between them—the glottis—resembling somewhat the letter V. When, how-
will increase either one of the above movements of the cords, that is to say, ever, a tone is to be produced, the two cords are brought into direct opposi-
will cause them to be adducted, abducted, stretched or relaxed in a greater tion. This movement on the part of the vocal bodies is called adduction,
degree, we will proportionally increase the vocal power, or, in other words, and the muscles which cause the movements, the adductors. Whenever
the development of the voice. The athletic master, when he wishes to breathing is necessary during singing, the two cords are separated in order
develop the arm of his pupil, instructs him to make use of a certain variety that air may gain access to the lungs. This movement is styfed abduction,
of gymnastic exercises, each one of which has for its special end the exer- and the muscles controlling it the abductors. During acts of vocalization it
cising of a particular muscle or set of muscles. If the scholar be indus- is frequently necessary to jump from a low to a high note. In order to do this,
trious, his progress can be almost daily observed. The muscles, which it is necessary that the cords be instantly tightened, the degree of such ten-
were at first so flabby and soft, soon begin to harden and stand out in bold sion corresponding to the height of the note. This action of the cords is
relief, and the arm becomes indented by the outlines of its respective styled tension, and the muscles presiding over this movement are called the
muscles, which, in marked cases, can easily be mapped out by the student tensors. When the vocalist desires to sound a lower note than the one being
of anatomy. The vocal cords, as I have already stated, are entirely under produced he loosens his cords, the degree of such relaxation corresponding
the control of four sets or groups of muscles which move them in the to the situation of the note on the scale. This movement is named relaxa-
several directions necessary to produce vocal sounds. Now likening the tion, and the muscles producing it the relaxors. Let us suppose we have
cords to the arm, it follows that if we wish to increase the power of the the larynx of a singer under direct observation by means of the laryngo-
former organs we must do so by developing the muscles which regulate scope. The little mouth mirror of the above instrument being in situ, let
their action. Now, the grand question is, how are these muscles to be us direct the person undergoing examination to breathe quietly. This effort
developed ? They certainly cannot be acted upon by gymnastic exercises, will, as we have already seen, widely separate the vocal cords, and these
the same as the athlete's arm. Neither can they be influenced by manual bodies will rest at the sides of the larynx in a perfectly relaxed state. If
force. The only way in which the vocal muscles can be exercised is by now we instruct the person to sound any single note the two cords will leave
special acts of vocalization. Experienced singing teachers have for a long the sides of the larynx, and meet each other in the middle of that tube, or,
time been acquainted with the fact that in true or natural singing none other in other words, adduction will be performed. As this movement is entirely
than the vocal muscles should be employed Signor Garcia, to whom the under control of the adductor muscles, these bodies will be fully exercised.
medical profession is greatly indebted for his experiments on the examination If, while the above note is being sounded, you direct the subject under exam-
of the larynx during life, fully established this point in an article published ination to take a breath, all musical sound ceases and the cords fly back to
many years ago. Many professional teachers may say, '' that the idea of de- their former relaxed condition against the sides of the larynx. What do
veloping and increasing the power of the vocal muscles is not new, and that these facts teach us? Why, by simply sounding any given note consecu-
it is exactly what they strive to do by their exercises." I grant all this, and tively, and alternating each act of singing by one of inspiration, the first
if I had nothing further to communicate I would have held my peace. The group of vocal muscles, or adductors are conspicuously brought into play.
exact proposition which I shall make and endeavor to demonstrate is, " that The following example will best serve to illustrate the manner in which the
each one of the four groups of laryngeal or vocal muscles is capable of being acted adductors can be exercised.
upon either singly or in conjunction with any one of its fellows."
I know that very many wiseacres, preferring to remain in the tracks
beaten by their forefathers, will at once and without the slightest forethought
\
condemn the idea as impossible and absurd in the highest degree; but
notwithstanding all this I feel confident that I can convince the most
skeptical of the practicability of this idea, if they will give me their
unbiased attention. I acknowledge my ignorance of the mysteries of vocal
The exercising of the abductors or separators of the vocal cords is a
training, but as an offset against this I place my long experience as a throat
examiner, many hundreds, perhaps thousands, I have seen during life. little more difficult of demonstration, since they are brought into play not
I have examined the intricacies of the larynx during all possible acts of by acts of vocalization, but by those of inspiration. The instant a breath is
vocalization, not only in a professional manner, but also with an express to be taken during singing, the last mentioned set of muscles pull the cords
idea of furthering the interests of science. The persons upon whom I widely apart to allow the air to effect an entrance into the lungs. Alternately
made the experiments to be shortly described were sent to me for this breathing and singing, as illustrated in the subjoined example, ia all that is
express purpose and presented no laryngeal difficulty whatsoever. After a required to develop these muscles.
long and tedious course of observation extending over a period of more
than six months, and in which every possible movement of the vocal cords
was carefully watched and minutely recorded, I have, I believe, fully estab-
lished the point, " that certain tones bring prominently into play each one
of the four sets of vocal muscles," that is to say, that the intonation of
certain notes produces a marked and special activity in the adductor muscles
The force used during the inspiratory act must be a little more than
or approximators of the vocal cords, that the singing of other notes produces that employed during ordinary breathing. The greater the force used the
a similar activity in the tensor muscles, etc., etc. If this theory be true, it more will the muscles act. Care must be exercised that this force shall not