CHAPTER VI.

Production of Tonic Sounds.

51. THE organic action in the utterance of the tonic sounds at the seat of their production in the larynx next claims attention.

The speaking voice, like the singing voice, is either made or marred in the very outset of practice. Unless the first idea is minutely and correctly given and confirmed by constant and undeviating practice, and the mechanical agency irrevocably fixed, the vocality will in most cases be imperfectly formed. Yet, upon this original understanding and conformation of the organs, all the after structure of artistic speech depends.

In the first place, the production of what is called natural voice, or pure resonant vocality, principally depends for its clearness, fullness, and carrying power upon the manner in which these tonic sounds are first uttered in practice. This must, therefore, be our primary consideration in the study of a correct and effective articulation of the elements.

Previous to the production of all of the tonic elements with any degree of precision and clearness of sound, there is a drawing in of the breath (an act preparatory to every effort of the animal organism), followed by an occlusion in the larynx, caused by a slight clutch of the glottis and epiglottis, which shuts off the outflow of air. This resistance is overcome by a slight action of the diaphragm, which drives the volume of air thus barred against the vocal

chords. These, in their separation, vibrate, and proce sound, and this sound is modified in its passage outward, by the external agencies, into its distinctive character as a vowel or tonic.

In the clear opening of the sound attendant upon a slightly forcible separation of the parts, we have abruptness or radical stress in its lightest form. By the same process, with added depth of indraught and muscular force in overcoming the stronger resistance of the occlusion of the orifice for breathing, this opening of the sound may be increased to a strong explosion. This result should be the last acquired.

52. It is of great importance that this fundamental principle of the speaking voice should be understood at the very outset. I shall, therefore, show, by means of a simple experiment, how this most perfect means of sounding a tonic element is obtained.

If the letter be attached to a, and we wish to utter the syllable with some degree of abruptness, it will be necessary to press the lips together before the abrupt opening takes place by which the receives its aspirated force, and breaks into the vocality of a. It will be perceived that the abruptness and force of the first element depends altogether upon the firmness with which the lips are compressed, and the resistance of air collected in the mouth.

Now, let the a be sounded by itself, with the intent of giving it a clear, full opening. In this case, we feel a kind of shutting up of the larynx, which will finally give way after a momentary resistance, and the sound will be abruptly expelled, the silence preceding the sound making its percussive effect the more remarkable.

In the sentence, "I said a part, and not all," if we consider the visible operations of the organs of speech before and when we articulate the letter p, in part, and consider the fact that the resistance made by the lips while the

breath is accumulating for the explosion of the sound is identical with that made in the larynx under the same circumstances upon the letter a, in all, we will begin to realize the fact that the organs of voice,-the glottis and epiglottis, with other accessories,-exercise a similar action of occlusion in articulating the tonic elements as the lips, tongue, teeth, and palate in producing the abrupt elements b, d, g. k, p. t. Thus, the same action which takes place in the outer mouth in "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," enables the inner mouth or glottis to give distinct articulation to an old owl ate an ortolan in an old oak," the occlusion in both cases requiring an effort of the will, to be followed by immediate action on of the organs.

the part

In thus prefixing the to a in the instance first given, we intend to exhibit the visible organic action preparatory to the abrupt utterance of the p, and thus to illustrate how a similar process of preparation and execution produces the same result in the unseen organs, in the production of the tonics or vowels, and thus to direct the attention to the fact that, while the lips, tongue, and teeth are prominent external agents in articulation, and can be brought by practice into a finished and vigorous exercise of their functions, so the internal tone-producing organs are susceptible of like development, and in a still greater degree, on account of the more numerous muscular agencies brought into play by their operations.

53. We have another reason for attaching the to the a in this experimental illustration. The syllable pa is more easily uttered with clearly defined abruptness by the unpracticed organs than the single tonic a, for the reason that the slight occlusive pause of the element p, with its consequent vocule, which breaks into the opening of the following tonic, gives abruptness to the radical of the latter. There must be a slight hiatus preceding the tonic to pro

duce this clear opening; e. g., the combination a-owl must, if the article be pronounced short and separately, with a pause after it, produce the necessary fullness of the radical, but the utterance is delayed; the union, however, of n with the tonic, or of any other subtonic, produces the occlusive pause, and we have the agreeable result, an owl.

A

54. The forcible, as well as the clear and delicate radical, is to be obtained only after patient practice. power over this initial function of vocality will be best acquired by first imitating a short, natural cough, which perfectly illustrates the mechanical formation of the radical stress. It will be found that the cough is produced: (1) By inspiration.

(2) By a closing of the glottis, and shutting off of the air, the action being quite perceptibly felt.

(3) By the sudden giving way of this occlusion through the action of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles from below, which results in an abrupt vocality of one of the short tonics, mingled with aspiration, or, rather, followed by the atonic breathing . In imitation of this natural process, let the student execute a mechanical cough by strong occlusion of the glottis, and subsequent expelling of the air, as if striving to get rid of some slight obstacle in the throat. This short, sudden action, will produce an abrupt vocality resembling e in err, or u in up. Let this be next uttered in the same abrupt manner, but freed from all huskiness or aspiration, and the explosive effect of the radical in pure vocality will be produced. To make this apparent, let the student cough out the u, in up, with aspiration, then with pure vocality, and then deliberately utter the elements c-rr and u-p without the cough, and the result will be a clear, radical opening of the element. Great care should be taken to project the sound into the outer air, and not to allow it to be detained, as it were, in the mouth.

M. E.--5.

The student should not proceed a step farther until able to execute this coughing exercise without the prompting of an exemplar, since its correct execution is the basis of the important function of radical stress, the abrupt initial of vocality, and of all the vocal gymnastics founded thereon.

The cough should be executed with a very slight exertion of force in the beginning, as the delicate muscles of the glottis will suffer from at first attacking it with injudicious energy.

55. I am aware that the use of the cough has been objected to by singing teachers, and Lunn, in his excellent work upon the voice, has shown that Dr. Wylie, of Edinburgh has, through scientific investigation, satisfactorily to himself and the scientific world, proved that perfect speech tones are produced by an explosion of condensed air, bursting from the ventricle of Morgagni lying between the true and faise chords of the glottis. His rule is to hold the breath, and then, by ceasing to withhold it, the explosion takes place. I am willing to accept and rejoice in all this in the light of progressive science, particularly as the point was left by Kush to the future decision of scientists. But at the same time, I adhere to my own convictions as to the efficacy of the cough, and as I know, from years of experience in training voices, that the cough, when properly understood and used, can never be otherwise than a healthy practice of the organs.

Dr. Rush (in his own case) proved that the coughing exercise is not only an admirable illustration of the action of the organs in correct tone production, but it is also one of the most useful exercises for developing the muscles governing respiration.

56. When the student has clearly established in his mind the character and formation of this abrupt radical fullness by means of the cough, let him next utter all of the short tonic elements in Table of Tonics, 36, in pure vocality,