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THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN.

step. It is one thing to know how to do a thing and another thing to do it There is nothing more distressing than to hear one strike a note below'the pitch and then push the tone up to it. To overcome this habit and to avoid rasping the throat, give a syllable to each note with a short, quick modulating staccato touch (Example: do do do do do do do do do), without changing the position of the mouth or chest, but be careful not to mistake the glottis stroke for the staccato touch. Example: There is no movement more fatiguing than the glottis stroke, and it is ruinous to the head tones, while a moderately staccato touch is favorable to the tones of both the head and the chest.

The next step is to place the tone well forward in the mouth; locate the tone at the throne of the pharynx, and practice lightly the scale on the syllable do-po-no. To find the tone of the pharynx, say the word “ on ” with the lips open, or “ om ” with with the lips closed.

For a smooth, legato, flowing style, make the tone like that of the violin. Glide from one tone to another in one continuous wave on the word law.

It is not a question of how much you practice, but how correctly. If you practice wrong you have harmed the voice without gaining any benefit, when, if you know just what to do and how to do it, you may advance with every practice.

To give agility and flexibility to the vocal organs, speak rapidly the ele-

i 2 3 4 i 2 i 2 i 2 3

mentary and vowel sounds a a a a e e i i o o o ip it ic. Open tone is made by

supporting the tone at the back part of the throat, while the closed tone is supported at the throne of the pharynx.

EXAMPLE.

We must hold in the mind an ideal musical tone and express it.

To give volume to the voice I have found no better word than the word loud. It opens the throat in all directions.

For softness, sweetness and tenderness of tone, take a sentence that expresses such sentiments. Think of appropriate expressions and words as soft, sweet, mellow, brilliant, liquid, joyous, simple, childish, compassion, love, disdain. A soft, sweet, tone differs from a brilliant tone. Familiarity with words and expressions, and their natural application in singing, will aid in making you master of song and speech.

Write on every page of your book: self-confidence, determination, perseverance and practice.

It is necessary to have the tongue, lips and lower jaw under perfect control.

For flexibility of the lower jaw, take the word ya (rapidly) ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya.

For the lips take po-po-pG-po.

For the tip of the tongue take no-?io-ne-ia-ta-ta-la-la-la.

Many singers find it hard to keep the back part of the tongue in its place, but to practice properly the broad la on the back part of the tongue will soon subdue that unruly member, as also will the practice of the pleasing, rippling laugh of a child, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

This exercise is also a specific for indigestion. There is real healing power in a good, hearty laugh. If two or three dyspeptics should meet daily and laugh and laugh, their indigestion would soon disappear. If any of you are troubled in this way, you can experiment.

For continuity of tone, chant very distinctly a sentence on each note of the scale.

Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. If you never trouble trouble, it will never trouble you.

One short exercise intelligently practiced and mastered is better than a book full half learned.

To gain purity and distinctness in every tone, chant the alphabet on every note of the scale, speaking distinctly every letter —a bcdefghijklmnopqrstuv w xy 2 and ah, aa, e. Also all the elementary sounds. These elementary exercises