Category: Historical Perspectives

Lesson 25 INTERVALS, RAPID EXERCISES, LONGER DEMANDS ON THE BREATH.  Exercises 27, 6, 29, 30, 31. When you attempt to sing these longer exercises and scales use the arm gestures again because they will aid you in natural poise and you will not be tempted to push with the breath. Always use a minimum of [...]

Lesson 19 In Lesson 18 you have tried for the first time to sing words. This means pronouncing words as well as singing them. Sing the song now, listening carefully to your formation of each syllable of each word. Hear whether the vowel sounds are clear and distinct or whether they are confused with other [...]

Lesson 15 You should now learn the meaning of a few terms used in the study of singing: Attack. The sounding of a note exactly in pitch, on center of the tone so to speak, without slurring upwards or "scooping." The vowel must immediately attain its real sound and must not alter its formation or sound [...]

Lesson 16 Two important additions will be made to your study in this lesson. The first is the messa di voce, the Italian term for a gradual swelling and diminishing of a note, from piano to forte and back to piano. Exercise 41. This should be practical on the middle notes of the range, but [...]

Lesson 13 Commence with Exercise 13. This keeps the voice from "FALLING DOWN IN THE THROAT," if we can use such an expression; in other words it tends to keep upper resonance in the lower tones. Use Exercise 14 all your life as a singer. It gives free tongue action, stimulates forward pronunciation, demands perfect [...]