Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
May 5th, 1881.
106
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
THE THROAT IN ITS RELATIONS TO SINGING.
predicted an exceptionally high voice for the possessor of the thinnest
cords, provided the vocal organs were carefully and skillfully trained, which
prediction has been verified far beyond my idea.
TO THE METROPOLITAN THROAT HOSPITAL.
If in two pair of vocal cords of exactly the same length and thickness,
one pair be a trifle broader than the other, the voice resulting therefrom will
be lowered in exact proportion to the difference in width.
IX.—Con tin ued.
If in two pair of vocal cords of exactly the same width and thickness,
How TO DETECT THE VOICE-RANGE.
one pair be longer than the other, the person possessing the longest cords
During my long connection, both professional and social, with the will have the lowest voice.
Such then are the main points with regard to the conformity of the vocal
musical profession, I have received many communications from prominent
members thereof, bearing directly upon subjects which I have treated upon, cords. These facts, although they may appear exceedingly simple to the
casual observer, have only been established by me after the most careful and
from time to time.
ainstaking series of experiments. When I had fully satisfied myself as to
Several of these letters seek information about a topic which I have had
constantly in my thoughts and have labored upon experimentally for many he correctness of the propositions enumerated above I proceeded to make
months. To illustrate the subject referred to, I shall take the liberty of pub- ractical applications of them, that is to say I examined every singer who
3ll into my hands, and endeavored to ascertain, by the aid of the laryngo-
lishing the most concise of these epistles.
cope, and without asking a aingle question, the nature of each individual
CHICAGO, 111., Sept. 12, 1878.
'oice. To my extreme surprise and disgust, although in many cases I was
To Dr. Whitfield Ward:
nabled to hit upon the right answer, in some others I signally failed.
Being thus at fault, I concluded that there mast be some other factor
DEAR SIR: Having read with much pleasure and profit several of your
articles on the vocal organs, I earnestly entreat you, if possible, to solve the vhich influenced the voice, and being unwilling to give up, and thus throw
following problem: " Whether or no it is possible to find out by the- aid of the way the labor already expended, I instituted another series of experiments
laryngoscope the exact nature of any given voice?" that is to say, whether it be which resulted in complete success. To avoid particulars, I discovered that
soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto in the female, or tenor, baritone or the missing power was the position of the vocal cords in the larynx ; that is to
bass in the ruale. I have always imagined that there must be some way of say, their distance from the raouth or exit of the laryngeal organ. The
ascertaining these points, and if you can render any solution of the above icarer the vocal bodies are to the mouth of the voice-box the higher will be
proposition, you will confer an inestimable amount of good upon the musi- ;he tones, and, vice versa, the farther they are away from the mouth the
lower will be tones. Several circumstances may conspire to place the cords
cal profession, of which I have long been a member.
nearer or farther from the opening of the larynx, which, however, properly
Respectfully,
belong to the anatomist and cannot interest the musician.
BOSTON, Mass., Dec. 14, 1878.
In order that all may appreciate and understand the theories advanced
DEAR DOCTOR: l a m a singing teacher of this city, and have always above I will recapitulate briefly the most important points and apply them
taken a lively interest in matters pertaining to music and the voice. If you as near as practicable to the several different voices.
could spare me a few moments of your valuable time, I will state what I have
The compass of the human voice depends chiefly upon four elements:
to say as concisely as possible. Ordinarily I have no trouble in classifying
1. The length of the vocal cords.
the voices of my pupils, but occasionally there will occur instances in which
2. The breadth of the vocal cords.
considerable time is lost before I am fully satisfied as to the exact voice com-
3. The thickness of the vocal cords.
pass. I can best illustrate what I mean by giving you a case in point.
4. The position of the vocal cords with reference to the mouth or outlet
I am at present teaching a young man aged about twenty-two years. At of the larynx.
the first lesson, I decided that his was a tenor voice, though sadly lacking
It is almost impossible to lay down exact rules for ascertaining the
development. Upon following up this idea, I found that the voice did not
voice."
progress as rapidly as it should, and making as thorough an examination as
The following are simply deductions from a great and varied number
possible I came to the conclusion that I would change my tactics, and of laryngeal examinations, and are meant only to serve as a guide to the
endeavor to instruct as for a bai'itone. This I am at present doing, although
I am fearful that I may be wrong, and thereby injure the vocal organs of my seeker after truth.
The soprano, generally speaking, possesses the shortest and finest cords,
pupil. If by any manner of means you can enlighten me on this subject,
and her voice will be the highest who possesses these two elements in the
shall thank you most cordially.
greatest degree.
Truly yours,
In my experience the difference which generally exists between the
Receiving such letters as the above, it is not surprising that I took an vocal bodies of the soprano and the mezzo-soprano, is that in the latter they
especial interest in this seemingly important subject; but had I known the are a little broader and thicker.
amount of work it entailed I should never have entered upon its considera-
The cords of the contralto are almost always easily distinguished. They
tion. When I assert that I have examined hundreds of throats, and those are much longer than the soprano, and always thicker and broader.
too of some of our best metropolitan artists, with the express purpose
The same rule applies here as in the soprano, but conversely that the
settling the above question, I speak but lightly of the manifold labors per- longer the cords the deeper the voice, provided they be correspondingly
formed .
thick and broad. In the male, as you will readily conjecture, the basso pro-
The subjects chosen for experimentation were singers with perfectly fundo possesses the longest—the thickest and broadest cords; while, on the
healthy larynxes, some with minor diseases of the mouth and nose, while contrary, the tenor possesses the shortest, the finest and narrowest vocal
others have been perfectly well as regards the vocal organs, having consented bands.
to undergo examinations solely in the interests of science.
The distinction between tenor and baritone, or baritone and bass, is
I have been thus extremely careful in my selection of cases, in order sometimes very perplexing, since the difference is often only in thickness
that I may leave no point open to the attack of the skeptic.
and width, the remaining element—length—being the same in both.
The larynx or human voice-box is the organ to which all observations
Although I can vouch for the truth of each and every assertion made in
must be directed by he who desires to ascertain the nature of any given this article, yet it would be impossible for any one, no matter how great may
voice.
be his skill in the use of the laryngoscope, to ascertain any given voice with-
With reference to the vocal organs, nature has so ordained, that the out first having examined a great number of cases, and made himself per-
parts other than the larynx, shall be correspondingly large or small in fectly familiar with the appearances of each individual condition referred to
accordance with the size of the larynx itself.
by me.
Thus, he who has a large larynx will have a large pair of lungs, and
I cannot, in thus speaking, be considered egotistical, when one will bear
vice versa, he who has a small larynx will have a small pair of lungs.
in mind the large number of singers examined by me, before the slightest
The whole question now apparently resolves itself into two points:
point was ascertained which would serve as a groundwork to construct the
1. 27ie conformity of the larygeal box.
ideas and formulae tabulated above.
2. The conformity of the vocal cords.
WHITFIELD WARD, M. D., 339 West 23d Street.
Any one possessing the slightest knowledge of the anatomical structur*
A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE.—Signor Arditi said not long ago at the Belve-
of the larynx, will readily understand me when I assert that in the main, th dere House, that he had seen in Germany performances of "Lohengrin"
size of the vocal cords depends upon the conformity of the larj'nx. Th inferior to those given by Her Majesty's Opera Company. We do not doubt
length of the cords must be thus governed, because these little bodies ar that he has; but it must have been in some out-of-the-way town, where the
attached both in front and behind, to prominent bones of the laryngeal box, theatre is in the hands of some small provincial manager, and the best seat
If this be true with regard to the length of the vocal bodies, it must bo s can be had for about sixty cents of our money. If Signor Arditi wants to
with regard to their breadth, since they are attached along the sides of the
compare a city of New York's standard with those small towns in Germany,
larynx throughout their entire length.
he is right; otherwise he commits a grave mistake. No German city of
Being well aware, by repeated examination, of the truth of these facts,
some standing would accept Signor Arditi's conception of Wagner's opera.
I deemed them sufficient grounds for turning my attention to a considers
GOOD, OR NOT AT ALL.—It is rumored that the management of the Thalia
tion of the Yocal cords exclusively.
Theatre will import singers next season and establish regular Gorman
THE CONFORMITY OF THE CORDS.
opera performances. The German element is very strong in this city, and
There are three conditions existing in every pair of vocal bodies, viz. we have no doubt there are many Americans who take an interest in German
length, breadth and thickness, each one of which exerts considerable influ opera, but everything will depend upon the ensemble and the liberality of
the management. We should feel thankful for German opera, but let us
ence upon the outpouring tones.
have it good or not all. German opera depends solely upon the ensemble; it
All other tilings being equal, the longer the cords the lower will be the void
can dispense with stars, but must have good reliable singers, a strong orches-
and, vice versa, the shorter the cords the higher the voice.
All things being equal, the broader the cords the lower the voice, and vie tra, and a well-drilled chorus of fresh voices. Is the management of the
Thalia Theatre able to comply with these demands, if so, let it go ahead,
versa.
All things being equal, the thicker the cords the lower will be the voice, am otherwise, hands off.
REALLY SORRY. —A young musician in New York a short time since bought
vice versa,
Each one of these three formulae is greatly modified by coexisting con a viola d'amore because he was promised an engagement as soon as Meyerbeer's
" Huguenots " would be given at the Academy of Music. The opera had
ditions. Thus: Take two pair of cords of exactly the same length an
breadth, but one being a trifle thinner than the other. The pair being th been repeatedly promised by the manager, and was even put into "active
rehearsal," as the term goes. The musician, relying upon Mr. Mapleson's
thinnest will produce the highest tones.
promises, bought the viola d'amore, paid cash for it, and now learns to his
This point was practically illustrated to me by two singers whom
examined in the same morning. Although in both instances the cords weri terror and disgust, that the " active rehearsals " have suddenly been inter-
extremely small, one pair was much finer than the other. I narrated thi rupted, that no "Huguenots " will be performed, and consequently no viola,
.circumstance to their teacher (they were both under the same master,) an< d'amore is needed. The young man is somewhat out of pocket.
A SERIES OF POPULAR PAPERS BY WHITFIELD WARD, A.M., M.D., PHYSICIAN
.