edited bernard

by white field
 THE SOPRANOS

This book is for the group of women's HIGH voices which we call SOPRANO. The group consists of three types:
COLORATURA, LYRIC and DRAMATIC. Every type of voice has TWO distinguishing characteristics — RANGE
and QUALITY.
1 — RANGE means simply how high and how low the voice is capable of singing.
2 — QUALITY refers to the texture and color of the voice.

COLORATURA

1 — The coloratura has the highest range of all the female voices. Starting at Middle C, it rises to F or G above High C,
and may go even higher in some rare cases.
2 — It has a light, silvery color.
3 — The medium tones are sweet and moderately strong.
4 — The lower tones are less strong than those of the other sopranos.
5 — It is very flexible and agile and can easily execute all sorts of trills, runs, turns and staccati. There are few really
great coloratura singers.
SFOGATO—This is a kind of very high soprano voice possessing practically no low tones and having rather a feeble
medium register. It is useful for obbligatos in ensembles and in specialized vocal arrangements.

LYRIC

1 — Its range is usually from Middle C up to D above High C.

2 — Its upper tones are brilliant. It is capable of great agility but has not the virtuosity of the coloratura.
3 — The medium tones are strong and hdve a silky smoothness.
4 — The low tones are only moderately strong.
5 It is the typically feminine voice, for there are more Lyric sopranos than any other type of women's voice. It is the voice
of the majority of the opera heroines and the leading women's parts in musical comedy and operetta. This is the
voice which is meant when we use the term SOPRANO alone.
DUGAZON-SOPRANO — Named after the singer for whom Gounod wrote the part of Siebel in his opera Faust. Some­
times mistakenly considered a very light Mezzo, it is in reality a lyric soprano with a short range.

DRAMATIC

1 Its range starts below Middle C and it may rise almost as high as the Lyric soprano.
2 The upper tones are heavier and not as "floating" in quality as those of the lighter voices.
3 The medium tones have a "darker", richer texture.
4 — Its lower tones are quite strong.
5. It is the most powerful and compelling voice of all the sopranos and is used in most of the soprano parts of the
Wagnerian operas and in the more dramatic roles of the other opera composers.
We often find that, in range, the three main soprano voices may lie only one or two tones apart. But it is the texture and
color of the voice that must decide the repertoire. For a voice sounds best within the limits of its natural quality and it stays
healthy and lives longer when used there.
the

roca/ course
foi
COLORATURA SOPRANO,
LYRIC SOPRANO
and
DRAMATIC SOPRANO

edited by bemrd wbitefield

Copy right ©1956 by Choppell & Co., Inc.
E , d u . l v . og.nt In Conudo: Chppp.ll 8. Cu. Ltd., T.r.nt.

-I""-',, » Infring.ment p. cpV-Igh,"

Infringers ore liable under the law.

ISBN 978-1 -4950-1154-2

HAL^LEONARD
C O R P O R A T I O N
7 7 7 7 W. BLUEMOUND RO. P.O.BOX 1 3 3 . 9 MILWAUKEE, W. 3 3 2 , 3
 FOREWORD
The voice is at one and the same time the simplest and the most difficult of all musical instruments to play. It is the
"simplest" because nature endowed each of us with a voice — it is part of our normal equipment and, as such, it is made
to work automatically. It is also the most difficult because the vocal mechanism is within the body — it is invisible. The piano
student, for instance, can observe the workings of his fingers on the keyboard, and he can listen to the quality of tone he
produces thereby. But the vocal student cannot watch his vocal apparatus at all. It takes study and a singing instinct
to learn to listen critically to your own voice. FOR THESE REASONS ALONE, THE VOCAL STUDENT CANNOT
HOPE TO LEARN TO SING WELL WITHOUT A GOOD VOICE TEACHER.

We must realize that all methods have the same goal — beautiful singing. But all voices cannot be taught in the same
way. We teachers must be prepared to adapt and re-adapt our methods twenty-five times a day, if twenty-five different
pupils appear before us. Every one of those pupils must be taught from the standpoint of the individual, taking into considera­
tion his mental, temperamental, musical and educational background. Sometimes we may find it necessary to make up
with technique and resourcefulness what may be lacking in quality. But it should be remembered that all voices can be
ENHANCED BY PURE INTONATION, CHARM OF LINE, SUBTLETY OF INTERPRETATION AND ME­
TICULOUS ATTENTION TO DICTION.

Each of these books consists of three parts: PART I describes the vocal mechanism and its functions briefly and in simple,
non-technical language. A general knowledge of the instrument often helps the student to clarify a question of tone production.
PART II, forming the major portion of the book, consists of basic, fundamental vocalises carefully selected to develop
the specific voices for which the book is written. PART III presents the important elements of diction in the five languages
most commonly used in singing: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

BEL CANTO is an Italian term which has no other meaning than its literal translation — BEAUTIFUL SINGING. And
knowledge of beautiful singing today is based on four centuries of experiment and intense study on the part of many great
teachers and singers. There is nothing mysterious, mystical or mythical about it! Assuming that the student has a good natural
voice and talent, there is no reason why he or she may not become a fine singer, given the proper training. The student
must realize, however, that there are no short cuts to becoming an artist any more than to becoming successful in any other
profession: The surgeon must also study medicine, the architect must also have a sound knowledge of engineering principles
So, m order to enter the musical profession, you must not only learn the technique of singing, but-and this is the masi
important thing of all —YOU MUST STUDY MUSIC!

Now a final word as to the requirements for the various branches of the vocal profession. Regardless of the field in which the
student will eventually specialize, technique and musicianship will be invaluable. This is not only true for opera, concert and
oratorio, but also in the fields of popular singing. Although the so-called "serious" branches of singing generally require a
voice of greater range and power, nevertheless the chief difference between "serious" and "popular" singing is a matter
mainly of style. Even in those exceptional cases where style may be instinctive, it is enhanced by a sound technique and
musical knowledge. For "knowing how" is the key to expressing what you want to say in a song, with the proper style!

THIS SERIES OF BOOKS IS DEVOTED TO THE EXPOSITION OF THE FUNDAMENT AT c r>v

BEEN MY PRIME CONCERN DURING MANY YEARS OF
A SUB,ECT WHICH HAS

SINGING AND TEACHING. IT IS FOR MY FELLOW TEACHERS THAT I AM DETAILING WHAT I

HAVE OBSERVED, LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED IN THE COURSE OF MY PROFESSION twn t
DEDICATE THESE BOOKS TO MY COLLEAGUES WITH MY REGARD AND RESPECT

ESTELLE UEBUNG
 CONTENTS

PART I — THE VOCAL MECHANISM

THE BREATH SYSTEM
Breathing
Posture 4
Breath Control 5
Inhaling 5
Exhaling 7
Exercises 8
THE PHONATING SYSTEM 9
The Vocal Cords 9
The Larynx 10
The Registers 11
THE RESONATING SYSTEM 13
THE ARTICULATING SYSTEM 15
GENERAL REMARKS 16

PART II — VOCAL STUDIES

Fundamental Exercises
The Turn 43

The Soprano Registers 44

Pianissimo Studies 4®

Staccato Studies 4^

Trill Studies 4®

Messa Di Voce 52

Style 53

Special Problems 33

PART III — DICTION

 4
PART I—THE VOCAL MECHANISM

The process of singing involves four main systems of the body which together form the vocal mechanism: 1 — The BREATH
system, which provides the motivating force. 2 — The PHONATING system, which produces the tones. 3 — The RESO­
NATING system, which reinforces and beautifies the tone. 4 — The ARTICULATING system, which forms the vowels and
consonants of the words we sing.

THE BREATH SYSTEM

The functions of the breathing apparatus will be more easily grasped if we break it down into three parts: BREATHING,
POSTURE and BREATH CONTROL.

Breathing

1 —• Normally, breathing serves the purpose of supplying us with life-giving oxygen and carrying off waste matter. The act
of breathing, called RESPIRATION, consists of two parts: inspiration or inhaling, and expiration or exhaling. In
short, breathing IN and breathing OUT.

2 — Ordinarily, the amount of air which we respire is automatically governed by our needs:
A —When we sit quietly, we need very little oxygen and we breathe calmly, the air going in and out through the
nose slowly.

B —But if we run, for example, we need great amounts of oxygen and we quickly take in and expel large quantities of
air through the open mouth.

3 — In singing, however, we must combine A and B in different ways:

I We breathe in and out through the MOUTH practically always.
II — We INHALE a comparatively LARGE quantity of air QUICKLY.
Ill — We EXHALE a comparatively SMALL quantity of air SLOWLY.

(Breathing through the nose is relaxing and. restful. But it can only be done in singing during fairly long rests in the music
and should be the exception and not the rule. However, taking advantage of such rests, we find that a combination of mouth
and nose breathing is an ideal method.)

Posture

But in order to breathe properly we must have GOOD POSTURE.

^ rf? find COrreCt p0StUre 15 to Stand with y°ur back aSainst a wall: The BACKS of the heels, hips shoulders

and head should firmly touch the wall. The head should be held so that the eyes may naturally look straight ahead (UK

znzir-
dte waU only to venfy or correct your posture. Once you have it, step away from the wall without changing your posture )
sHm,LDERs do™' stomach -• »"• —•—-
 S
Breath Control

Breath control means: —

1—Knowing how much breath to take in (simply: a short breath for a short phrase, a long breath for a long phrase).
2 — Knowing how to inhale deeply.

3 — Knowing how to CONTROL the amount of breath you exhale.

The first statement is easy to comprehend and will be taken up later with the appropriate vocal exercises. The next two
points deserve separate discussion.

But first, let us see what happens when we just breathe normally. If you were to lie flat on your back and breathe quietly,
you would notice that the soft frontal area below the breast bone and the lower ribs swell out a little as you inhale. This
shows us two important things: —
1—The BOTTOM of the lungs (the largest part of those organs) INFLATE the MOST.

2 — The parts of the torso around the bottom of the lungs are MOVABLE and can STRETCH OUTWARD.

It is clear then that this is the way nature meant us to breathe, and to use any other method would be incorrect. Let us keep
this in mind as we continue.

The breath system itself consists of the following parts: —

1 — The chest.

2 — The lungs.
3-The diaphragm —a sheet of muscle shaped like the crown of a man's Homburg hat. It extends horizontally all
around the inside of the lower chest and separates the heart and lungs from the lower organs.

4 — The lower ribs, which are movable.

5 — The muscles all around the lower part of the chest and the upper part of the abdomen. The upper abdomen, which
extends around the FRONT of the body between the lowest ribs and the tops of the hip bones, must be FLEXIBLE.

Singing is often referred to as SUSTAINED SPEECH. Obviously, to sustain, or hold, a singing tone we need more breath
than for a short spoken tone. And we must realize that the vocal cords produce tone when they are set m vibration by
BREATH PRESSURE. Now let us see how this pressure is created.

Breath Control — Inhaling

When we take a deep breath in order to sing, the breath system acts as follows:—

1 -The chest, which is held high in good posture, must be MOTIONLESS.

2-The diaphragm FLATTENS DOWN and OUTWARD. Aa a fault, the next steps occur automatically.

3 —The lower organ, are pushed down and in turn cause the abdomen to distend a bit (push forward).

4-The lower rib, are pushed OUTWARD ALL AROUND THE BODY.
„ . • u u naturallv filled by the bottom of the inflated lungs.
5- Thae movement, create a large "empty" space which i, naturally wiea oy
•

I = ««2 -«S +*
a e 8
I
T> 1«•| 2 a M
fi "83 •& «r a i e>
a J ^* M I -8
 7

SIDE VIEW OF DEEP BREATH

Breath Control — Exhaling

Now that you have taken a deep breath properly, you must learn how to expel it as SLOWLY and STEADILY as pos-
sible. In other words, you must CONTROL the amount of breath you emit. Remember, when singing a song you must
sing a group of notes'on one breath, because the notes carry a group of words and the word-group conveys a thought. This
is known as a PHRASE. If you breathe in the middle of most phrases you will spoil both the flow of the melody and the
meaning of the words. Also, try to finish each phrase with a little breath left over. It is not artistic to end a phrase feeling
that you have barely managed to get there.
The act of expelling the breath is controlled by the DIAPHRAGM and the MUSCLES of the LOWER RIBS and ABDO-
MEN. They operate as follows:—
1-Those muscles SLOWLY and GRADUALLY exert pressure inwards.
2 — As they do so they create pressure on the air in the lungs.
3-This causes the air to pass up and out through the throat which contains the vocal chords.
4 — The vocal cords, a. we shall see later, automatically shape themselves for the tone you want. And the breath pres-
sure sets them in vibration.
5 — WhUe exhaling, the chest NEVER sink. down. For if it did, your bread, system would collapse and you could no,
support the tone.
. . , . . L. SUPPORTED by controlled breath. We repeat: SUPPORT
It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that the tone must be burruxicu uy
THE TONE.
 8

Breath Control Exercise

The amount of breath you must inhale is decided by the length of the phrase you must sing: a short breath for a short phrase,
a long breath for a long phrase. If you have more breath than you need, you place an unnecessary strain on your breathing
muscles and run the risk of making the tones breathy.

But in the beginning you must strengthen the breath system, and for that purpose you must learn to control long breaths.
To make sure that your chest does NOT collapse practise this exercise before a mirror.

1 — Stand with CORRECT POSTURE.

2 — Breathe in deeply and both feel and watch the ABDOMEN (not the stomach) and the LOWER RIBS EXPAND.

3 — Speak the ALPHABET moderately quickly as many times as you can on ONE BREATH.

4 —When you come to the end of your breath, do NOT allow the chest to sink down, but immediately take another
deep breath and repeat the exercise.

5 — The exercise should be repeated three times in succession by the beginner.

This exercise should be done every morning. The average beginner is able to repeat the alphabet only about two or two
and a half times in one breath. But after a few weeks the student will be able to do eight alphabets in one breath.

(There are two schools of thought concerning exhalation for singing, that is, controlling the outgoing breath. One side
maintains that the lower ribs and abdomen should not move inward, but should remain expanded throughout the exhaling
act. On the other hand, the other school advocates the controlled inward pressure of the movable ribs and abdomen, as we
describe and teach it in this vocal course. The concensus of opinion of a majority of the outstanding singers and teachers
favors this latter method, although many good vocalists and instructors use the former. However, in the final analysis it
must be realized that both methods aim to maintain the proper amount of breath pressure for the support of good tone.)
 9
THE PHONATING SYSTEM

Most young singers are not aware that the vocal chords can accomplish only a few things:—

1 — Produce a tone.

2 — Give a tone a certain pitch.

3 — Produce tones in different registers.

The endless variety of tone color, the whole range of emotional expression, lies in the use of other organs. These have to be
trained with the same careful attention that we bestow upon the training of the vocal cords.

To help form a clear picture of the phonating, or sound, system and its functions, we outline it under three headings: the
VOCAL CORDS , the LARYNX and the REGISTERS.

The Vocal Cords

The top of the windpipe, or TRACHEA, ends in a tube shaped like a wedge. This is the LARYNX. One edge is in the front
of the throat and forms the Adam's Apple in men. Imagine the inside of the larynx closed by a round sheet of muscle like
a drum head. Then imagine that circle cut right down the middle from front to back. The two straight edges at the
middle form the actual VOCAL CORDS, or vocal bands. The slit between them is called the GLOTTIS.

The vocal bands are only about one-half inch long in men and a bit shorter in women. In spite of their small size they
are quite strong, for nature intends them to give us a life-time of good service as the most important means of communica­
tion among people — SPEECH. But the vocal bands must not be abused; these tiny muscles cannot be treated like your
large arm muscles, for instance. And bad vocal production can injure them very quickly and even ruin them. Obviously this
applies to public speakers and actors as well as to singers.

When the vocal cords arc not in use, the slit between them, the glottis, is wide open to allow the breath to pass in and
out freely. But when we sing, this occurs:—

1 — The vocal cords are brought close together by various controlling muscles and shaped for the tone you want.

2-That shape acts as a valve which helps automatically to decide the proper air pressure needed for that tone.

3 - A s the breath pressure is applied t o the shaped vocal chords they vibrate and thus the tone phonates, or sounds.

THF MOST RFMARKARIF THING ABOUT THE ENTIRE PHONATING ACTION IS THAT IT TAKES
PLACE AUTOMATICALLY. THE SINGER DOES NOT IN ANY WAY MANIPULATE THE VOCAL CORDS.

To produce a fine tone the student need only:—

1 — LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE NOTE THE TEACHER STRIKES ON THE PIANO.

2 — FORM A CLEAR MENTAL PICTURE OF THAT SOUND, that is, THINK THE TONE YOU WILL SING.

3 —KEEP GOOD POSTURE.

4-MAINTAIN THE PROPER BREATH SUPPORT. NOW SING.

 10

The Larynx

The larynx is constructed mainly of muscles and cartilages which automatically adjust themselves to the action of the
vocal cords. The larynx is held in position by muscles from above and below. The lower muscles are connected to the
chest. Therefore, if the posture is bad, the larynx will not be able to adjust properly and the tone will be bad.

The upper muscles holding the larynx in position are attached to the tongue and to the lower jaw. Therefore, the best results
when practising will be achieved if the student will stand still, not move the head about too much and maintain a pleas-
ant expression.

Of course, when the student has become well trained, the vocal apparatus will be under such fine control that he will be able
to move in any direction on a stage and still produce beautiful tones. And the facial expressions will change as a result of the
mental and emotional reactions to the meaning of the words that are interpreted.

Thus we see that the only parts of the singer's body that work hard are the BRAIN and the BREATH SYSTEM. The tone
producing system works AUTOMATICALLY and must be RELAXED. But remember that relaxation does not mean
flabbiness. We are not rag dolls. We must maintain what the instrumentalist calls CONTROLLED RELAXATION.

(As the vocalist sings high and low the larynx will slightly rise and fall with the pitch. Obviously this requires a relaxed
throat. But this action is AUTOMATIC and no attempt should be made to manipulate the larynx.)

VOCAL CORDS
 11
The Registers

The vocal mechanism produces tones under several different automatic muscular adjustments. These are known as
REGISTERS and these have long been a subject of controversy. The concensus of opinion of the best singers and teachers
is that there are three registers called CHEST, MEDIUM and HEAD. However, — and this is important — they do
not function equally in all the voice types.

The properly trained vocalist treats the registers as follows: —

1 — The singer knows the tones in her voice which lie at the beginning and end of each of her registers.

2 — The singer sets up the proper, simple conditions which ALLOW the registers automatically to adjust for the change,
as the voice moves up and down.

BUT — the good singer adjusts the registers so SMOOTHLY that they seem to be BLENDED INTO ONE. And the
listener is never aware of those adjustments; nor should he even be aware of their existence. (See THE SOPRANO REG­
ISTERS, page 44.)

The registers function as follows in the Soprano voices: —

1 __ if yOU win glance at the strings of a grand piano you will see that the lowest tones have the longest strings. In the
singer's CHEST register, which produces the lowest tones, the vocal cords seem to vibrate in their full length.
(The narrow slit, or glottis, between the vocal bands is opened all the way, from front to back.)

The chest register is only moderately strong in the soprano. (It is stronger in the mezzo-soprano and contralto.)
The sound vibrations are felt mainly in the chest.

2 —The medium tones of the piano are obviously played on strings of medium length. In the singer's MEDIUM register the
vocal cords seem to be shortened, for they are closed a bit at both ends. This makes the glottis, the vibrating space, shorter.

The medium register is usually strong in all voices, both male and female. The vibrations are felt mainly in the front
of the face.
3 - A f i n a l g l a n c e a t t h e p i a n o s h o w s t h a t t h e s t r i n g s f o r th e h i g h e s t t o n e s a r e t h e s h o r t e s t . T h u s , i n t h e s i n g e r ' s H E A D
register the vocal chords seem to be used in only about half their length, both ends being closed. But the front end is
closed to greater extent than the back end. The glottis is thereby moved a bit to the rear.

In the head register, the voice seems to float up through the top of the head. This register is usually rich and full in
all the sopranos. (It is also strong in the mezzo-soprano, but weaker in the contralto.)

In short, a "register" refers to the fact that a certain group of tones is sung with a certain muscular adjustment of the
vocal cords. At the points where the registers change, the vocal musculature readjusts itself automattcally. Th* mus-
cular change mav disturb the beginner, who may then tighten the throat and try to force one mu^ular adjustment to do the
. . . r^s • v R„t no trouble need be encountered if the student is particularly
work of two or more registers. This can be dangerous. But no irouoic
careful to:—

1 - RELAX THE THROAT.

2 - RELAX THE LOWER JAW.

3-DEPEND ON BREATH CONTROL.

4 —TRY TO FEEL THE PLACE WHERE THE VOCAL VIBRATIONS OCCUR.

5 —OBSERVE THE SIMPLE RULES FOR THAT POINT OF CHANGE.

(Special exercises for singing smoothly through the registers are gi\en later
12

VOCAL CORDS IN VIBRATION

VOCAL CORDS
vibrating in the
medium register
 13

THE RESONATING SYSTEM

All good musical instruments consist of a sound producing mechanism and a resonating system. In the singer the phonat-
ing system creates the actual sound itself. But this alone is quite weak and often unpleasant. Just ask an oboe or clarinet player
to remove the mouthpiece of his instrument and blow a tone through it alone. You will be astonished and repelled by the
harsh quality of tone it produces. But what a lovely sound that same tone has when the barrel of the instrument is attached!
For the barrel contains the resonating system. The same thing applies to the voice.

In a resonating system we have two factors to consider: the material of which it is made and the air it contains. The singer
is bom with a resonating system and cannot change its construction materials. But parts of it can be somewhat manipulated
to increase the amount of air they can contain.

Sound is conveyed by vibrations which can move quite freely through air and to a lesser degree through many hard materials.
Soft materials are seldom good conductors of sound. To help visualize the sound vibrations in air, just recall the ripples that
result when a pebble is dropped in water. Sound vibrations are ripples in the air, but they are much smaller and move
much faster than water-ripples. As you have doubtless seen, water-ripples will continue to travel on into the distance until
they die away or are stopped by some obstruction. Sound vibrations will act similarly. The problem of the singer, there­
fore, is to keep the resonators open so they will: —

1 — Beautify the tone.

2 — Allow the ripples in the air, the sound vibrations, to move freely outward into space. This is what we mean when we say
that the voice is PROJECTED, or has CARRYING POWER.

For the sake of clarity we shall separate the singer's resonators into what we may call the primary and secondary types:—

1 The primary type consists of the PHARYNX, and the TRACHEA and BRONCHIA. The pharynx is the soft throat
passage itself and it extends roughly from the larynx up to the back of the nasal cavity. The trachea (windpipe) and
bronchia (the air tubes of the lungs which converge into the trachea) are hard tubes made of cartilage.

2-The secondary type of resonators is comprised of the mouth, nose and sinus chambers. These are encased in hard,
bony material, with the exception of some parts of the mouth. The bones of the head and upper part of the chest
are also secondary resonators.

Now, one opinion hold, that the primary resonators are the only resonators, and that the secondary group has no such
function, in fact, are of no value in singing. Well, it is true that the secondary resonators are farther away from *e vocal
cord,, the actual producer, of tone, and cannot be directly influenced by them But long yeanr of experience backs up
the majority opinion that conec, tone production will cause a distinct sensatron of vrbratron rn the front of the face, the
WM V, where the secondary resonators are mainly situated.
 14

The great tenor Jean de Reszke was once asked if he had made any discoveries as to the key to fine singing. He answered,
"I find that the great question of the singer's art becomes narrower and narrower all the time, until I can truly say that
the great question of singing becomes a question of the nose." We hasten to add that de Reszke was NOT advocating nasal
singing. We shall soon see what he meant.

A quick glance at the description of the resonators shows us that only the soft walls of the pharynx and the soft palate of
the mouth are made of pliable material. That is, they can be moved at will. None of the other resonators can be manipulated.
A nasal tone, therefore, results when the soft palate contracts and shuts off the nose cavity from the throat. Due to that
obstruction the air in the nose does not vibrate. Consequently the tone cannot move outward but seems to stagnate in the
nose. (A stuffed nose, due to a cold or a bad sinus condition will produce a similar effect.) The walls of the pharynx can
also contract and thereby greatly reduce the amount of vibrating air in the throat. This results in a throaty tone.

From this we can see that it is exceedingly important that the soft walls of the throat be OPEN and FREE from any mus­
cular tightness. (Of course, a tight throat will also prevent the vocal cords from functioning properly.) And the soft
palate must be in a similar open condition. To get the FEEL of the open throat and the raised soft palate:

1 — Open the mouth in a relaxed manner and

2 —GENTLY INHALE THROUGH THE NOSE.

Thus, we see that what de Reszke meant was:—

1 — If the throat is open when we sing a tone,

2 — If the soft palate is gently raised, thus keeping the nasal chamber open,

3 — If we THINK the tone as directed towards the open nose,

4 — Then the vocal vibrations in the pharynx will be free to ripple through the air it contains on their way to the secondary
resonators in the mask.

5 — Here they will be strengthened and colored by the additional air chambers, through which they will continue to ripple
outwards towards the audience.

6 — The result will be a free, full-bodied, rich tone with great carrying power.

(It should be mentioned in passing that when singing a few tones in both the highest and lowest extremities of the voice,
the soft palate will close the passage to the nasal chambers. But in these instances the vocal vibrations are conveyed to thi
"mask" by the bones of the head. This occurs AUTOMATICALLY and the pupfl docs not concern himself about i t )
 15

THE ARTICULATING SYSTEM

The articulating system is composed of the various parts of the mouth and is concerned with the pronunciation of consonants
and vowels, that is, "diction." The proper enunciation of those sounds requires the CONTROLLED RELAXATION of
all the musculature of the face and mouth, especially the tongue and lips.

In addition, it is exceedingly important that the lower jaw SWING DOWN FREELY. Thus, when an open-mouthed vowel
must be sung, the head should NOT be raised. Rather, the lower jaw must DROP DOWN. The hinges of the lower jaw
lie at the sides of the head, just below the temples and in front of the ears. You can feel them move if you place your
fingers on those points and move the lower jaw up and down.

During the days of Louis XIV, French drama, as well as French opera, had its golden age. It was at this time that the great
playwrights and actors gave the French language its classical purity of pronunciation. And they coined a saying which we
would do well to remember: "Do not exaggerate the vowels and you will speak beautifully. Honor the consonants and
you will speak distinctly."

We can sing only on vowels. But the consonants not only help form words, they also help to place the vowel tone. Remember,
consonants must be uttered with exactness, but quickly, so that the flowing tone may suffer as little interruption as possible.
(But, when singing popular music it is effective to hold the consonants M, N and L a bit longer.)

At this point we will anticipate a matter of diction in order to discuss a vocal problem: When the student has advanced
to the point where the highest and lowest portions of the voice are being trained, the following may be noted: —

1 — Both extremes of the voice usually require a more OPEN position of the mouth. Therefore, if the mouth is not open and
relaxed the result may be a forced and unpleasant sound.

2 — Consequently, if the student must sing a word with a "closed" vowel on either a high or a low tone, that vowel will
have to be modified by "mixing" it with a more open vowel.

AH or O are the open vowels often used that way. For example: if the word POOL must be sung on a high tone, the lower
jaw is dropped towards the position for AH or O, but the singer THINKS the vowel OO. The same applies for a low tone.

It is a remarkable fact that the original vowel will be AUTOMATICALLY pronounced if the singer THINKS it, that
is, has a CLEAR MENTAL PICTURE of it.

The voice is the only musical instrument that combines words with music. The singer's diction therefore is exceedingly
important and must be considered not only as a matter of good speech but as a musical problem as well. The student rs
strongly advised to study this subject intensively, for without fine diction he will never be able to rise to the top of the
vocal profession.

In speech the mouth is opened sufficiently to allow the words to be easily and distinctly pronounced. Singing, however,
requires a more open position of the mouth. But a soft tone does not require as open a posrtron as a b.g tone. A little
experimentation will quickly decide the size of the mouth opening for the best quahty of tone.

™ thf. words But, at no time should the tongue lie absolutely flat on
The tongue, of course, moves in the pronunciation of the woros. our, «u A u• . .u t • -
, u , tnnfrup will Dush against the larynx and obstruct the tree emission
the bottom of the mouth. If it does so, the back of the tongue writ pusn ag
of tone. Always keep the tongue flexible.
 16

GENERAL REMARKS

I — Soft singing and slow singing are the two most difficult things for the beginner. For they require the utmost control
of the entire vocal mechanism. Therefore, unless and until otherwise instructed, ALL vocal exercises should be sung
as follows: —

A — In a MEDIUM volume (not soft, not loud).

B — In a MODERATE tempo (not slow, not fast).

The beginner should never practise more than 15 minutes at a time. No voice lesson should exceed a half hour of
actual singing.

2 — Sometimes it is difficult to recognize the precise voice-type of a beginner student. In most cases the voice is then gently
but firmly developed up and down from the medium tones. But there are exceptions and in such instances the voice
must be developed from its most beautiful tones, wherever those may appear. Generally, in a few weeks the natural
inclination of the voice will display itself.

3 — Ultimately, the best results will be attained within the capabilities of the student. The singer should not be forced
beyond his or her natural capacity in either range, volume or style.

4 — The word SUPPORT is an abbreviation of the expression BREATH SUPPORT and is often used as: "SUPPORT THE
TONE". SUPPORT is of such great importance that it cannot be emphasized enough.

5 — PORTAMENTO means to SLUR (slide) from one tone to another. But the word "slur" is also the name of the
curved line placed over or under a group of notes which must be played or sung smoothly — connectedly. This is called
LEGATO and such a group of notes is known as a PHRASE. There is a world of difference between singing the
notes of a phrase in a connected manner and sliding or slurring through those notes in portamento.

Legato singing is the basis of good, musicianly performance, but portamento is a device of style to be used with great
discrimination. At first, only the teacher should decide where portamento should be used. Later, when the pupil
becomes an artist, his good taste will be the guide in such matters. NEVER use the portamento twice in succession;
that is absolutely forbidden. Only one slur at a time is permitted. In no composition will you sec this:

6 — When Caffarelli studied with the illustrious voice teacher Porpora, the latter kept him on a single page of vocalises for
five years. At the end of that time Caffarelli set forth to become the greatest singer of the 18th century. From this we
can draw two obvious conclusions:—

A — Even an unusually talented student must study intensively.

B — It is not necessary to study a multitude of exercises, but rather, a few well-chosen vocalises that are designed for
specific purposes. In short, studies that will give the singer CONTROL, STRENGTH, DELICACY and FLEXI­
BILITY of voice.

The studies in this course have been selected with great care to achieve those objectives
 17

PART II — VOCAL STUDIES

The student must understand that the teacher accompanies each exercise on the piano because: 1 — It helps the student
achieve true pitch, that is, GOOD INTONATION. 2 — It helps the student realize that the tone or passage he or she
sings is part of a larger harmonic structure. Thus, it improves his or her musical ear and MUSICIANSHIP. For these
reasons most of the vocalises and their accompaniments are written out in their entirety in this book. (However, the
teacher may have his or her own personal style of accompaniment for vocalises. In that case, the teacher should by all means
use at the piano whatever accompaniment he or she may prefer.

Vocal studies are NOT taken up one week and discarded another week. They are studied consistently. But every experienced
teacher knows that after a period of basic study certain exercises prove themselves most effective for certain students, while
other exercises may be more effective for other students. Thus, from then on such exercises become the daily practise of those
students and the means of "warming up" before auditions and performances.

REMEMBER: — Stand up in good posture while practising: shoulders down, chest out, stomach in. Relax the lower jaw —
the mouth should be opened only by DROPPING the chin.
18

THINK your tone as CONNECTED from one note to another. This is called LEGATO.

Ma —
O
Ma — Ma
DihJ J ' M I 111 »
Ma— Ma_ Ma Ma— Ma Ma

i $ i
4 Ma_ Ma_
j*
Ma Ma_ Ma_ Ma
uaji i
Ma_ Ma— Ma Ma— Ma_ Ma

$ $ P P $

Ma— Ma— Ma Ma_ Ma Ma

Ma_ Ma_ Ma Ma_ Ma_ Ma Ma« Ma— Ma Ma— Ma— Ma

 n^. ri f —= jn.,n n >
ST •J * 111' =
— =

-•—?
-
^ =i * •
u
Ma_ Ma_ VIa_ Ma_ Ma Ma_ Ma_ 1fla— Ma— Ma

H: f H9- f ^ -t- up ||l|J1

^ r _ -t
•JP L/ti n ri m •- ^ J|JnJ _n ri J i
bJ *

i'
* —— —-—

Ma— Ma_ Ma_ Ma— Ma Ma— Ma— Ma— Ma_ Ma

*§= —
•* tp hf = i'P -i =¥ if
^
 21
These two studies arc to be sung with two sets of syllables which should have the Italian pronunciation (La = Lah,
Sia = See-ah).

(Ex. 5 may be reversed and go back downwards.)

 8

(continue upward by half steps.)

Sol fa mi re do

Do si la sol fa mi redo (continue upward by half steps.)

 28
10
Sing each group of eight syllables with a perfectly steady tone, as if you were singing them all on one long note. Do NOT
permit the tone to waver in pitch or quality. Keep the lips, tongue and lower jaw relaxed. Support with firm breath con­
trol. (Keep moving — do NOT drag the tempo.)

jj-r r r r i r rIB
Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do Do Re Mi Fk Sol La Si Do

i PP i f fPP
% # I
= J J J
'T rrr
-fcj-*3—J— tfij
Re Mi Fk Sol La Si Do Do Re Mi Fk Sol La Si Do

-tra 4I
io

D J UJ 11

=£ 9

Do Re Mi Fk Sol La Si Do Do Re Mi Fk Sol La Si Do

Do ReMiFa SolLaSi Do DoReMiFk So La Si Do DoReMiFk SolLaSi Do

* Now reverse the study and return upwards to the beginning.

 25
13
(In all studies involving the highest tones of the voice the teacher must use care and fine judgment. T h e pupil shoula
not be forced to sing higher than she can go with ease, especially in the beginning. With time, the highest tones will develop
However, in some individuals such tones do not exist at all and, if force is used, the voice as a whole will suffer.)

Remain in the position of the HIGHEST tone in each passage.

Si - a
3 m m -£j> J k a mp Si a. Si - a.

M 11 m m
m PPf i m
26
Sing lightly and quickly, but cleanly.
 29

SHORT BREATHS

Sing the following exercise like this: —

1 —Take a SHORT breath and sing the five tones in ONE BREATH.

2 — HOLD the last note as long as you can.

4ir r ir r
Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma

Try to feel how much breath you took for the above passage. Now take the SAME amount of breath and sing the seven
notes just as you sang the five.

Ma
r 'r r 'r r 1 r
Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma
11

Take the SAME amount of breath and, in the SAME way, sing the nine notes.

Take the SAME amount of breath and; in the SAME way, sing the eleven notes.
/TS

If you have been breathing correctly you should have no difficulty with these studies. If you have been able to sing the
eleven notes with the same quantity of breath you took for the five notes, then obviously you took too much breath for
those five.

The object of the above exercise is to make you realize that: it is not necessary to take a lot of breath , but rather to take
what you NEED and use it properly. Remember —for short phrases take short breaths; for long phrases take long breaths.

(These exercises may also be used as studies in sustained tones.)

 33
18

1 — In downward passages THINK of the INTERVALS between the notes as being very SMALL. This will keep you
from singing flat in descending passages. (It will not cause you to sing sharp.)

m
2 — THINK of each entire downward passage as being on the SAME VOCAL LEVEL as the HIGH STARTING NOTE.

La La La

i i [hf J i

*)'•» J
P wm a
 84

19

Every voice, regardless of range and quality, must be trained to be as flexible and as agile as possible. Otherwise it Way
become ponderous and clumsy and it will be limited in the ability to execute difficult intervals in music.
*
 37
22
When singing upwards THINK of the INTERVALS between the notes as being LARGER, and in downward passages as
being SMALLER. Thus you will avoid singing flat or sharp. (Sing the first measure forte, the second measure piano.)
 23
GOOD INTONATION means simply — absolute P purity of P
pitch Nothing ic * i
fr r_r .. . tl . fl . W
Y n> Wot™g is so unpleasant to the ear as a tone which is

off-center slightly sharp or flat. THINK your tone as being directly in the center of the pitch
 40
25
Connect the first two tones in each passage with fine Legato. Keep each passage on the same vocal level as the
HIGHEST tone.

p in
j p

i i
La
&
La

—g • J

P 41
CA» J4 Li ~

^T~T—
|>

|,Wt j nyftj
 26
Here again — connect the first two tones in each passage with fine legato. Keep each passage on the same vocal level
as the HIGHEST tone.

m i

La
6WS
La.
 42
27
This study should be sung quickly, lightly, clearly and cleanly. If a metronome is available the exercise should be learned
first at the tempo of the marking given here. Then it can be gradually speeded up by moving the metronome up a notch
each time. (This procedure can also be followed without a metronome if none is available.)
 43
28

Each of these grace-note groups forms a TURN, or GRUPETTO. They must be sung quickly and delicately, but clearly.

•i'U m =
—
nr.==i- v n ^=t==f^TT
T.a.
—0 n ' 1 ess: R—1
_«f— - 1 te£9 r~*-\
n g)P3J J — 1 =M=If
1—^ : "te

JV^=*=
vg
La. ^
rsP M
j PJ ' J
dg—
,rP J ——
—i£&J urT;
h-j—tr? * =M=
V La. iT"" La
..i+^L-KW- -4 P%==4-E*=l j—
" CT " 4 d *i)i «
La
\—0— JflJ " —- *J -*,J • --i—
-—f— rLa
> g = I F -i
i k\.li \
r<*
s—
rH* 1 1 r =HH
— 1
/ k li. 'J , 1 i i . J
11• b X j - J J ' « s—p— r—
 44
THE SOPRANO REGISTERS
The highest note of the CHEST register is Eb or E above Middle C. The highest note of the MEDIUM register is E
or F, about an octave above the chest register.

There must be NO "break" or difference of tone quality between the registers. However, upon analysis of the untrained
voice we find that the lowest tones of a higher register are not so powerful as the upper tones of the register just beneath
it. Therefore, to achieve a BLEND of the registers, observe these simple rules: —

1 — When singing UPWARD to the note marking the division between the registers: —
Sing more GENTLY and with the mouth not quite so open as normally, but with FULL breath support.

2 — When singing DOWNWARD to that note: —

Sing more FIRMLY and with the mouth slightly more open than normally, and with a full tone.

Thus the strength of all the tones of the complete vocal range will be EQUALIZED. The voice will sound smooth, and
there will be no perceptible difference to the ear in either volume or quality of tone between the registers.

29

MEDIUM TO CHEST EXERCISES

•The diminuendo sign here implies greater relaxation as you drop to the low tone. But keep full breath and muscular support.)
 45
HEAD TO MEDIUM EXERCISES

THREE-REGISTERS EXERCISES
I
 48 30

PIANISSIMO STUDIES
Take as little breath as possible for pianissimo passages. It results in a purer and steadier tone.
A PP ^
fn =¥= JF~]—ftp—ttr—0—£ n r" "r p—*— —i—
d r -r -PP f hJjH "LJ f *•
La - o La - o La - o
La oo . La - oo La oo . .
;— 0 j—1 3 1 frp 1— ~~i r1 J— w—•
ijjj f— j B r—i j J r

isP i n i =t r j p < t r — — * — i-y"~>—r r bi—i—

'"L-" f 'J' 1 p—J £§= 1 1 L-
La - o La - o La - o
La - no La - oo , La - on
t): 1 1r Lr r =j \r = is — —1 kf tr=—F—
T 1 ^— f ffr UJ ' I ^ 4—1

i/P
% LX
;Tr *=* *i ^-~r
—r j— hrTT>
i j— fi _dikr> Vy? > .|i
J^J—1—1 1—J-J
La. - o La. - n La. - n
La. - no La. - on La. - , on
k):
^ J 'T1 rp "r — r w—r— — M It-
q*1 L=—r r - 4^ ' •

31
 32 47

STACCATO STUDIES
Think of staccato as being sung exactly like legato. Place the tone in the same spot but merely make the staccato note shorter.
 35a. 49
TRILL STUDIES
Keep BOTH notes on the SAME vocal level. Practise daily, gradually increasing the speed. If a metronome is available,
start at the given tempo and raise it by notches.

iM—
P )• "t>—wwfffSm
ilu ±| trtmtmm
1- • - 4m • • j H11J 1 11 11 1 i 1
1 1 11

Aw Aw

j j j
u
At—si d J J
W
grr-l -=r-H==f
-i- 1 i = \45Ek-1 f I 1 -3

M i l , m r r r r =
 50
TRILL STUDIES

If you have a metronome, start at the marking given and gradually increase the speed. (Let each beat of the metro­
nome be equal to an eighth-note in this study.)

b.

m i Aw

j$M=>J,
1
(Wt=f J m-=rn==£E==
UJ
 51

TRILL STUDIES

Once again use a metronome, if possible, to help you gradually increase the speed with daily practise.

C.

y u
. M.M. 63

& * ^EEE = = iI *
~F—*— •f—t—1
f—1

Ah .Ah

\H « -J' |F+=f [\h \ "

—Vi —
& * ^ - ... -~J
"P b H^

Ln i^J
 53
MESSA DI VOCE
MESSA DI VOCE means the ability to start a tone SOFT, swell it to LOUD and diminish it back to SOFT (Not to be
confused with Mezza Voce which merely means Half-Voice, or SOFT.) The following study consists of a number of steps
aiming towards the achievement of a fine Messa Di Voce.
1 — Start medium soft and gradually swell the tone to medium loud.
2 — Start medium loud and diminish to medium soft.
3 — Start medium soft, swell to medium loud, diminish to medium soft.
4 — Start very soft and swell to a full, big tone.
5 — Start with a full, big tone and diminish to a soft, velvety tone.
6 — Start very soft, swell to very loud, diminish to very soft.
Throughout these studies keep a RELAXED LOWER JAW and THROAT and above all — maintain FULL BREATH
SUPPORT. (If your throat tightens, the tone will crack. Should this happen, stop immediately, take a fresh breath and do
the passage again.)
{The teacher will use his or her own judgment about extending these studies lower and higher.)
 53
S T Y L E

What is style? "The application of the laws of artistic taste to the interpretation of music". Acquire the habit of singing
beautifully even though you sing only a scale. Music is music, whether it be on the page of an exercise book or in an opera
score. Until voice placing and technique are secure, attempts to acquire style are premature. But, without style, a well placed
voice and good technique are not enough. And until the singer's education is rounded out into a repertoire adapted to
his talent, voice and specific capabilities, he is not ready for the public.

Of all the elements of style in singing, the most effective is color. The composer creates tone color by change of key and
chord, by clever use of the various "sound effects" existing in the instrument he is writing for, and by change of dynamics.
The singer must follow the written music. But the voice, the singer's instrument, is capable of a greater range of "sound
effects" than any other instrument. The singer must color the voice to match the meaning of all important words. Sorrow,
rage, despair, joy, tenderness, every noun and every adjective in every language, can stir the sensitive singer to the use of the
proper tone color for that particular portrayal. Because of this remarkable capacity of the voice for tone color, we often find
an orchestra conductor asking his instrumentalists to "sing" a passage, that is, to try to imitate the voice on their instruments.

To be a great singer, there must be: —

1 — Perfect breath control and technique.

2 — Perfect diction.

3 — Absolute accuracy of intonation.

4 — Appropriate vocal coloring of each sentiment expressed.

5 — A beautiful cantilena (smooth, flowing melody line).

6 — A perfect messa di voce.

7 — Discreet use of portamento.

8 — Perfect execution of difficult ornamentation (trills, turns, runs, etc.).

9 — An education which enables you to understand the meaning of the text which inspired the composition.

10 —The talent and ability to impart to the audience what you feel and think.

SPECIAL PROBLEMS

No teacher can pursue a pedagogic career without encountering special problems on the way. All voices are not equally
fortunate in having escaped mishaps. For one thing, sometimes unfortunate handling of the voice has resulted in incorrect
placing of high tones. Sometimes the high tones are missing altogether. (However, it is wise to remember that some singers
have by nature "short voices" and never can acquire an extended high range.) Then there are cases where the middle
register has been impaired and shows a strained quality. Further, a singer may have developed a tremolo or may have
trouble with intonation. The following practical suggestions should prove beneficial in such cases.

Problems of High and Medium Tones

Humming is of inestimable value in instances where there is difficulty in achieving high tones and also where the medium
voice is strained and poor in quality. Sing the hum as HM and keep the lips LOOSELY closed. The following studies
 54

should be sung lightly and easily but firmly. 1 — For the sake of the high tones start the studies as written and move
upwards by half-steps, gradually extending the range over a period of a number of lessons. 2 — For work on the medium
tones, start as written and move downward a few half-steps and then upward, just keeping to the middle register.

Tremolo

A voice may develop tremolo from one of several reasons: —

1 — Too much singing, resulting in fatigue of the vocal cords.
2 — Singing songs in the wrong range (too high or too low).
3 — Bad breath support.

Since it is hard to decide immediately what has caused the tremolo, the wise thing for the teacher to do b to insist upon
complete rest of the vocal cords for a number of days. Then begin study with the humming exercises given above. After
this use the study for "short" breaths on page 29.

Faulty Intonation

A faulty sense of pttch may be due to a "bad ear", in which case it is often practically a hopeless condition. However,
may be due to pycholog.cal reasons whtch show themselves in a subconscious fear on the pan of the student to expr
himself freely and a consequent holdmg back so the pitch is insecure. If, after attempting To develop a seme of pitch
the pupil by techmcal and other means, the teacher finds that th#. rv™ • * ,
the student to give up singing. ' ,m°na,,°n C°ntinUes' * Would * <° *

But sometimes bad intonation is due to faulty voice niacin* ^ , ,. .

PRONOUNCED SYLLABLES will help to place a tone in the ^ *UCh ^ VERY CAREFUL
times, where the diction is not good, CAREFUL ATTENTION TOTH^ mt°nati°n " pcrfcCt" ^ ™
^ v . ™™ E '

Interpretation

Young singers should be taught to understand the meaning of the text before ,h ,
it is necessary, when the words do not inspire them sufficiently to stir . y m thc music of a ^
if a song means to them only the music and they chant monot S *\ ^ ^ bcaut y °* the music. On the other
be taught to use their minds as well as their vocal talent. ^ °nOUS Y though thc sounds are beautiful), thq

Students should be taught to be sparing in the use of cadenzas, ornaments

self did not include in the composition. Anything which ^ ° embellishments which the compose
18 overdccorated is in bad taste.
 5ft
PART III — DICTION

MEND YOUR VOICE A LITTLE, LEST YOU MAR YOUR FORTUNE.

William Shakespeare

Singing is so intimately bound up with words that we feel it to be of great importance that the student make the study of
diction an integral part of his vocal training. For this reason we present here the fundamentals of correct pronunciation for
the five languages most commonly used in singing: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

ENGLISH

The following descriptions are based on what authorities call STANDARD English. This is the diction used by most actors,
public speakers and especially the announcers of the big radio and television networks. Listen to those speakers carefully and
check your pronunciation against theirs. (Some announcers on small stations use the local accents or inflections to which
their ear has become accustomed. It is not safe to use them as speech models.) Remember, you want to be understood by
everyone, not just your home town neighbors. (There is nothing wrong with speaking in your local manner at home and
among friends — but use STANDARD pronunciation in all singing except in folk or dialect songs.)

Vowels

Pure vowels preserve the position of the vocal organs in the production of tone. When this is disturbed by bad vowel
pronunciation, the movements of the lips and tongue become distorted in forming the consonants and are serious obstacles
to good singing.
The English language has a great many vowel sounds, but unfortunately we cannot always recognize them from the
spelling of the words in which they appear. In elementary school we are told that the vowels are: A, E, I, O, U and
sometimes Y. But each of these has several sounds and some are combined with others, as we shall see. Although the basic
vowels are easily recognized, many others require a good ear for their detection. Learn to LISTEN to the vowel sounds you
pronounce and do not be careless in your pronunciation.

Vowels are shaped either by the tongue or by the lips. In both cases they are aided by the lower jaw. But above all, remember
that vowels are OPEN sounds. Therefore the mouth parts used in consonants are not used here and MUST NOT interfere
with the pure pronunciation of the vowels. Their proper enunciation requires the utmost flexibility of the relaxed tongue,
lips and lower jaw.

Tongue Vowels

There are five main tongue positions and each produces a distinct vowel. In the tongue vowels the Hps are completely
relaxed and not shaped. The lower jaw helps a bit by moving up or down as the tongue positions get higher or lower. The
five tongue vowels, moving from low to high tongue and jaw positions are:—

A (AH) as in MAMA (FATHER)

A as in FAT
E as in MET
I as in SIT
E (EE) as in ME (MEET)
 56

Lip Vowels

In the lip vowels the tongue moves hardly at all. The lips actually do not move either, but are RELAXED and slightly
PROTRUDED. (It is because of this slight protrusion that certain vowels are formed and hence the name.) We repeat,
the lips do not move; but the vowels are produced by the lower jaw as it moves up or down. The five lip vowels, moving
from low to high jaw position are: —

A (AW) as in FALL
U as in BUT
U (UR) as in YEARN
U as in PULL
OO as in FOOL

Vowel Combinations

A number of vowel sounds are in reality combinations of two vowels. They are called:

Diphthongs

AH 4- EE as in LIGHT
AY 4- EE as in SAY
AW4- I as in SOIL
AH 4- OO as in ROUND
AW4- OO as in SO
A 4- U(R) as in FAIR
EE 4- U(R) as in FEAR
OO 4- U(R) as in SURE

Combinations of three vowels are called:

• tipiuuungs

AH + OO -f- U(R) as in HOUR

AH 4" EE 4- U(R) as in MIRE

When singing diphthongs and triphthongs be sure to clearly enunciate rarh

NOT all receive equal time. Thus, in both a diphthong and a tri hth voweI m thc combination. However, they
It gets most of the time-value of the note or notes on which it"P * ^^ FIRST vowel is always the most import
word, you add the remaining one or two vowels. But, quickly as vou^ F*owcver> just before you must go on to the ]
are omitted the word is distorted and even the meaning changed^ F t^C^attcr* y°u must make them distinct. If

NIGHT, without the quick EE after the long AH, becomes NOT.

OUR, without thc quick OO + U(R) after thc iong AH, become* ARE.
 57

Consonants

Generally, the pronunciation of consonants, with a few exceptions, presents no difficulties. Also, unlike vowels which are
often pronounced differently in different localities, consonants only rarely lend themselves to local distortions. Therefore we
shall present here mainly those consonants having exceptional features that require special attention: —

In English, double consonants make NO difference in pronunciation; we consider only one of them. Thus, in the word
BERRY only one R is pronounced. And the same applies to: LITTLE = LITLE, FOLLOW = FOLOW, etc.

We must place a neutral sounding vowel between adjoining consonants such as PL in PEOPLE, TL in LITTLE, etc.
Without a neutral vowel those consonants will have unpleasant sounds. The neutral vowel is usually UH (the U as in BUT),
but it should not be exaggerated.

Final consonants should have NO following vowel sounds. However, there are three exceptions: B, D and Hard G (as
in GO). These must be followed by a VERY SHORT neutral vowel sound or they will not be heard: MOB = MOB(uh),
LED = LED(uh), LEG = LEG(uh). Do NOT prolong this neutral vowel.

Generally, consonants occurring in the middle of words, that is, preceded and followed by vowels, are treated as follows: —
the middle consonant does NOT close the preceding syllable — it BEGINS the new syllable. For example: WRITING =
WRI-TING, FELLOW = FE-LOW, etc. (The dictionary requires those words to be written thus when broken: writ-ing,
fel-low, etc. But in pronunciation, especially in singing, we ignore this and follow the rule given here.)

The humming consonants M and N are very beautiful and, when properly used, enrich the vocal sound. They are there­
fore prolonged in singing wherever possible. Authorities are generally agreed that they should be held for HALF the
time-value of the note. But, if the note has a length of three beats, then the humming consonant is placed on the third count.

An IMPLOSION occure in ordinary clear speech when a word, ending in an explosive consonant, is followed by a
word beginning with a sung consonant, both consonants being pronounced by the same mouth parts. For example:
THAT DOOR. In speech, the final T would not be exploded, but instead a sudden stop occurs and a new start is made on
the next word. The sudden silence brought on by the stop is the implosion. This is NOT good practise in singing. Instead,
the tone must be carried through the sung consonant beginning the second word: in the above example, the D.

Sung and Unsung Consonants

UNSUNG consonants are of three types: — explosive, sibilant and aspirate. They have NO tone quality. (Such a consonant
is also called a SURD.)

1—The explosive consonants are CH (as in CHIN), K, P and T. Their enunciation causes a tiny explosion of air,
hence their name.
2-The sibilant consonants are F, H,-S, SH, WH (as in WHAT) and TH (as in TEETH). The air that creates them is
clearly heard.
The SUNG consonants are: B, D, G (as in GO), G (as in GENEROUS), J, L, M, N, NG (as in SINGING), R, S
(as in LEISURE), TH (as in THAT), W (as in WON) and Y (as in YOUNG). These have a definite tone quality
and each has the SAME PITCH as the VOWEL which it accompanies. (Such a consonant is also caUed a SONANT.)
 58
The Letter R

The letter R has some unusual problems which require special consideration.

Hard R

The Hard R, in general speech, is heard mainly in England. Used to extremes it makes SORRY sound like SODDY;but
it should not be that hard: —

1 — The tip of the tongue quickly and lightly FLICKS the rim of the gum just behind the upper front teeth.

2 — As the tongue-tip flips down in its flicking action, sing the tone of the vowel sounding with the R.

Do NOT roll or trill the tongue in English. (However, most other languages do trill the R.)

Soft R

The Soft R, in general speech, is used mainly in the United States and Canada.

The tip of the tongue merely POINTS towards the rim of the upper front gum; it does NOT touch anything.

Broadly speaking, the Hard R should be used only in opera because it has greater carrying power. This is necessary in
opera houses which are usually large and where microphones are not used to amplify the singer's voices. In radio and let
vision, since "mikes" are used, the Soft R is preferable.
d

In sacred music both types are employed: generally the Soft R is used; but in the case of those words which convey religions
sentiment, such as SACRED, the Hard R is preferred as it has more dignity.

The Soft R should be used in all other types of sineine • concert mi,.ir,i J , .
Sullivan, where the Hard R is traditional). ' °medy' P°PU'ar ^ in

General Rules for R

1 — OMIT the R sound when it occure before a consonant whether tu­

ning of a new word. For example:— ' consonant is part of the same word or the bej

FOR ME == FAW ME
FORTY = FAWTY

Do NOT shorten, or clip, the word or syllable because tU- n •

, aUSC thC R 18 onu"ed-Rather, LENGTHEN the vowel pmceding

2 —OMIT the final R. For example: — MOTHER = MOTH-IJH /TU - •

„ A1 _ • ( is is not true for most foreign languages
3 —Always pronounce the R when it precedes a vowel. For example-

FURROW = FU-ROW. The same treatment is used when a w „ .,

with a vowel. For example:— ord Wlth a final R is followed by a word begin®

ARE IN = AH-RIN. Such word combinations are treated as single words h

The only exception to this rule occurs in words ending in a sUent vowel F ^ R ^'

For example: — ARE = AH.

 59
FOREIGN LANGUAGE DICTION
In the foreign languages presented in the following pages most of the speech sounds are similar to those in English. But of
course they are put together in combinations that make different kinds of word-sounds. However, there are a few very important
differences. The differences among consonants will be taken up in their proper places. But the differences among vowels must
be mentioned here or we will not have a clear conception of how they sound and our approach to the languages will
be incorrect.
The four main vowel differences are: The Nasal vowels used in French, the Tongue-Lip vowels used in French and German,
the Short E and the Short O. The first two groups will be discussed in our outlines of French and German. But the others
must be described now as they occur in all the languages presented here.
The Short E is somewhat like the E used in the English word YET. However, it does have a slight Ay (as in WAY) sound.
But the latter must be so faint as to be barely heard. It merely gives the Short E a tiny, turned-up quality. Perhaps our EH
would be closer to the true foreign sound.
Although the Long O (as in HOPE) is occasionally used in most languages, the Short O is the commonest and most im­
portant. It may be compared to the Short AW (as in SHORT). Use die Short O unless otherwise indicated. The student
is strongly advised to obtain a good dictionary of the foreign language he is studying.

Italian
Italian English
VOWELS
A pronounced AH (as in FATHER)
E pronounced short EH (as in YET)
I . . ' pronounced EE (as in MEET)
O pronounced short AW (as in SHORT)
U pronounced OO (as in POOL)
AI pronounced long I (as in MINE)
IU pronounced U (as in PURE)

CONSONANTS C followed by E or I CH (as in CHESS)

K (as in KISS)
(example: CHIARO = KEE-AH-RAW)
G (followed by E or I) J (as in JELLY)
(example: GELOSO = JEL-O-ZO)
G (followed by other vowels) hard G (as in GO)
GH hard G (as in GO)
H . . . . . . . . always silent
Y (as in YELLOW)
J (example: REJETTA == RAY-YET-TAH)
R always trilled
S (between two vowels) • • • Z (as in LAZY)
(otherwise S is the same as in English)
There is no W in Italian. Its place is taken by UO.
DZ
(example: ZIO = DZEE-O)
77 TS (as in NUTS)
(example: VEZZO = VETSO)

COMBINED
CONSONANTS SCI SHEE
SCE SHEH
SCHI SKEE
SCHE .*.**' SKEH
G before L or N followed by a vowel is ignored
and Y is inserted after the L or N. For example:
GLI = LYEE, FIGLI = FEEL-YEE
OGNI = AWN-YEE, DEGNO = DEHN-YO

DOUBLE
CONSONANTS Double consonants are pronounced HARDER and the preceding vowel is >
shortened slightly so as to anticipate the first of the two consonants.
(examples: beLla, doNna, tuTti)
 60
French
French has more vowel sounds than the other languages here discussed. French, like English, has so many exceptions to
general rules of pronunciation that the student would do well to obtain a good English-French dictionary (CASSELL'S
or OXFORD). In addition, it is wise to remember that in French no syllable is stressed or accented unless a specific
indication is given.

French English
VOWELS
The vowel A is generally pronounced AH (as in FATHER). But it is often
pronounced short, as in AN (AT, CAT). (Consult the dictionary.)
I EE (as in MEET)
0 short AW (as in SHORT)
Y EE (as in MEET)
The vowel E has several pronunciations according to the type of sign over it
and according to where it appears in a word: —
E (acute accent) short EY (as in THEY)
ER, ET, EZ (ending a word) short EY (as in THEY)
E (grave accent) £ (like E in THERE)
E (caret) short E (as in MET)
COMBINED
VOWELS AI (as in FAIR)
AU (also EAU) iong Q (as in ROSE)
EI short A (as in PLAN)
OU long OO (as in FOOD)
01 (OO + AH)
(example: NOIR = NWAHR)
FINAL M
FINAL N
M and N at the beginning of a word or between two vowela is pronounced aa in English. But M or
ore a consonant or at the end of a word is not pronounced at all but becomes NASAL. That is, the
sounck W 17 15 7tCd thr°Ugh thC N°SE inStead of trough the mouth as in all other speech
sounds. We shall use the reverse arrow for the nasal sound - « ). For example;_
TROMPER TRAWC-PAY
FONCER
FAWC-SAY
These are all AN .
AH<
pronounced EM .
the same. same as above
EN .
UN . same as above
ON . A (A as in AN)
AW<
TONGUE-LIP
VOWELS The French vowel U has no counterpart in English it •
1 Male, th t « Pronounced as follows:—
I - Make Ure tongue flat ,0 pronounce the long vowel EE.
2— Pomt the hps as if you were going to whistle.
You must COMBINE THE FLAT TONrtIP IAS™.
To denote that sound we shall use this sign £> ™E POINTED LIPS-

The combined vowels EU (also OEU) combi

For that sound we shall use this sign _ AY "* ^T t0ngUe P08'1*0" for AY with the pointed Bp*
 6i
French (Continued)
SINGLE L
DOUBLE LL A Single L or Double LL preceded by I is omitted and only the preceding vowel or vowel combination
is pronounced.
ILLE EE
(example: FILLE = FEE)
EIL AY
(example: SOLEIL = SAW-LAY)
EILLE AY
(example: VEILLE = VAY)
AIL AH-EE
(example: TRAVAIL = TRAH-VAH-EE)
AILLE AH-EE
(example: MURAILLE = ME^-RAH-EE)
EUIL (also OEIL) AY^>
(example: FAUTEUIL = FO-TAYr=~)
UEILLE AY^="
(example: CUEILLE = KAYp^)
When Double LL is preceded by I and followed by another syllable beginning with a vowel then the
Double LL becomes Y.
BRILLIANT = BREE-YAH <
VEILLER = VAY-YAY
MOUILLER =- MOO-YAY
However, there are a lew exceptions where the L sound is distinctly pronounced. There seems to be no
rule for this, so the student should consult the English-French dictionary. For example:
TRANQUILLE = TRAHC-KEEL
VILLAGE = VEE-LAHZH
VILLE = VEEL
G before N followed by a vowel is ignored and Y is inserted after the N. (This is the same as in Italian.)
(example: SEIGNEUR SAYN-YAI.>R)

CONSONANTS
C (before E or I) '• • • S (as in SISTER)
C (before other vowels) K
C (wherever used) S (as in SISTER)
(example: RE(^U = REH-SE>)
G (before E, I or Y) ™ (like s in PLEASURE)
(example: GEORGE = ZHORZH)
j ZH (like S in PLEASURE)
G (before other vowels) hard G (as in GO)
H is usually silent. However, about 25% of the time it is aspirated as in English. There seems to be no
rule for it and it should be looked up in the dictionary for correct pronunciation of the word m which it
appeals. For example:
VV (LA) HONTE = HAUNT
HABIT = AH-BEE
However, H is always silent when preceded by L apostrophe.
L'HEURE = LEU^>R
K (never KW)
(examples: QUE = KU>, QUI = KEE)
k V QUERELLE = KER-ELL
R is guttural (throaty) in spoken French, but always trilled when sung.
S (between two vowels) • Z (« in CAUSE)
S (elsewhere) hard S (as in SISTER)

TH (example: THEATRE = TAY-ATR-RUH)

 62
French (Continued)

In a final syllabic TI is pronounced like S. For example:

MARTIAL = MAHR-SEE-AHL
PARTIEL = PAHR-SEE-EL
ACTION = AHK-SEE-AW^;
W V (as in VERY)
(example: WAGON = VAH-GAW<)
X (preceded by I) SS (as in KISS)
(examples: SIX = SEESS, DIX = DEESS)
In all other cases X is pronounced KS or GZ as in English.
(examples: EXTREME = EKS-TREM
EXONERER = EG-ZUN-ER-AY

DOUBLE
CONSONANTS
When double GG is followed by E or I the first G is hard, the second, soft. For example: —
SUGGERER = SU>G-ZH AY-RAY
Double GG followed by any other letter is always HARD.
AGGRAVE = AG-RAH-VAY
CH (followed by L or R)
(examples: CHLORAL = KLAW-RAHL, CHROME = KRAWM)
CH (otherwise) always SH (as in English)
(example: CHOSE = SHOHZ)

Double MM and double NN are pronounced as in English. In the combination MN, the M is ignored
and only the N is pronounced.
AUTOMNE = O-TUN

FINAL
CONSONANTS
Final consonants are usually silent, that is, not pronounced.
CHAUD = SHO
CLEF == KLAY
Final ANT and ENT are both pronounced AH-<(nasal).
POURTANT = POOR-TAH
COMMENT = KAW-MAH<C
There is the grammatical ending ENT whirh « T .
ending. gnored. It is the third person plural. This is a verb

AIMENT = AYM

When sung on two unslurred notes = AYM-UH

However, final consonants are pronounced if the follow;
words are connected and pronounced as one wn A . .ng WOrd starts with a vowel. Then the two
ptt*O! 18 Callcd ^ (LEE-AY-ZAWO-
ELLES AIMENT = EL-ZFM
T°UTAFAIT = TOO TAH-FAY
Final E causes the preceding consonant to be clearlv nmn J «
that consonant to be shortened. Compare each rZi P™nounccd- B"t it also causes the vowel sound before
TRAIN - TRA^r "" ""-I-
TRAINE = TRENN PLEIN = PLA<
But sometimes the penultimate vowel is long as in- TTXTO = PLENN

• UNE — EE^N, QUINZE = KA<Z

 63
German

(There are several good, inexpensive paper bound German dictionaries.)

German English
VOWELS A AH (as in FATHER)
E (before ONE consonant) short EY (as in THEY)
E (before TWO consonants) short E (as in MET)
E (followed by H) long AY (as in WAY)
I (between consonants) short I (as in SIT)
I (followed by H) long EE (as in MEET)
O (before ONE consonant) short O (as in LOVE)
O (before TWO consonants) UH (as in UP)
O (followed by H) long O (as in ROSE)
U (before ONE consonant) long OO (as in FOOD)
U (before TWO consonants) short OO (as in FOOT)
Y is rarely used in German. Before a consonant it is long EE. Before a vowel it is pronounced as in English.

DOUBLE
VOWELS IE EE (as in MEET)
EI long I (as in MINE)
EU short OY (as in BOY)
AU OW (as in COW)

THE
UMLAUT The umlaut is a double dot placed horizontally over certain words. In the letters O and U it creates
the Tongue-Lip vowels in German. Here again, as with the French U and Tongue-Lip vowels, we use
our signer*, meaning: keep the lips pointed as for whistling, while the tongue is in the position for
the vowel.
X EH
(example: GARTNER = GEHRTNER)
XU .; OY»
(example: BAUERIN = BOY^-ERIN)
i3 (before ONE consonant) . • • AY
(example: BOSER = BAYZER)
O (before TWO consonants) short EH =»•
(examples: HOLLE = HEH =~LE, OFFNEN = EH^F-NEN)
U E>

(example: FUSSE — FE^-SUH)

CONSONANTS
C (before A, O or U) • • K
C (before E or I) • • TS (as in NUTS)
(example: CITRONE = TSIT-RO-NE >)
G is always hard .... G (as in GO)
(example: GEORG = GAY-ORG)

(example: JA = YAH)
S (at the beginning of a word)
(example: SONNE = ZUN-NE=>)
S (at the end of a syllable or before a consonant) S (as in WEST)
Double SS is pronounced more sharply.
SS
c f before P or T at the beginning of a word) . SH (as in SHELL)
(eSmplcs: STUHL = SHTOOL, SPIEGEL = SHPEE-GEL)
S (beforeP T in the middle or end of a word) . S
or (as in English)
V (example: FINSTER = FINS-TER)
 64
German (Continued)

y hard F (as in OFF)

(example: VOR = FOR)
W V (as in VERY)
(example: WISSEN = VISS-EN)
Z TS (as in NUTS)
(example: ZITTER = TSIT-TER)

COMBINED
CONSONANTS SCH SH (as in SHELL)
TSCH CH (as in CHESS)
QU KV
(example: QUAL = KVAHL)
PF is distinctly and separately pronounced.
(example: APFEL = AHP-FEL)
CH (followed by S) X (as in English)
(example: OCHSEN = OX-SEN)
CH rarely begins a word. When it does, it may be pronounced either as K or as SH. There is no rule
for this; it must be looked up in a German-English dictionary.
examples: CHERUB = KAY-ROOB
CHAMPAGNER = SHAHM-PAHN-YER

CH also has two other pronunciations which have no counterpart in English: —

A CH after E> 1 and UR is s°ft and is pronounced as follows:
1 — Make the tongue flat.
2 - Touch the sides of the tongue to the upper side teeth.
3 —The front of the tongue does NOT touch anything.

5_t T I"™111 °f f fflnSt thC HAR° PALATE just BEHIND ^ front upper teeth.
5—1he escaping air should be heard (Dn NOT ,• u , .. ,
you will get the English SH winch is w™g. > H ^ ^ ^
(examples: ICH, RECHT, DURCH, etc.)

B CH after A, O and U is gutteral (throaty) like th* q u j

follows:— y;' ke the Scottish word LOCH and is pronounced as

b a c k -- —
3 — The escaping air should be heard
(examples: LACHEN, NOCH, BUCH, etc.)
Final G preceded by I is pronounced like soft CH ;
(example: WENIG = VEY-NTCH. 801116 dlstricts of Germany.
T , H' mostly sung this way.)
In other German speaking areas final r -
(example: WEN^ VEY NIGP) ^ "* Writtcn'
Final D is always pronounced hard — like T
(example: WAND = VAHNT)
 65
Spanish
Spanish English
VOWELS
A AH (as in FATHER)
E short EY (as in THEY)
I EE (as in MEET)
O short AW (as in SHORT)
U long OO (as in FOOD)

CONSONANTS
C (in Latin America) hard S (as in SISTER)
C (in Spain) hard TH (as in THING)
C (before A, O and U) K
CH CH (as in CHESS)
B is SOFT and must be pronounced with very relaxed lips so that it sounds almo'st, but not quite, like V.
(example: BEBER = BVAY-BVAYR)
D is also very SOFT and sounds almost, but not quite, like soft TH. (In English D the tip of the tongue
flicks the gum just behind the upper front teeth. But in Spanish D the tip of the tongufc softly touches
the back of the upper front teeth. This is called the DENTAL D.)
(example: AMAD = AH-MAHDTH, IDO = EE-DTHAW)
J H (as in HOPE)
(example: JOSE = HAW-SAY)
G (followed by E or I) ../.... gutteral CH (like Scottish LOCH)
(examples: GENTE = CHEYN-TAY, GIGANTE = CHEE-GAHN-TAY)
GU (followed by E or I) hard G (as in GO)
(examples: GUI == GHEE, GUE = GHAY. The U is silent.)
(Consult the dictionary for rare exceptions)

LL (before a vowel, in Latin America) Y

(examples ESTRELLITA = ESTREY-YEE-TAH)
LL (before a vowel, in Spain) LY
(example: ESTRELLITA = ESTREL-YEE-TAH)
In Latin America: LLORANDO = YAW-RAHN-DAW
In Spain: LLORANDO = LYAW-RAHN-DAW
N NY
(example: CANON = KAHN-YAWN)
£ soft R (as in
hard R (trilled
§ S (as in

QU K
(examples: QUE = KAY, QUI = KEE. The U is silent.)
(Consult the dictionary for rare exceptions)

X (at the end of a word) K.S (as in

X (at the beginning of a word) H (like Spanish J)

X (^ex^ple°TxTRANJERO = ES-TRAHN-HAY-RAW)
Z (in Latin America) hard s

7 ,in Spain) hard TH (M in THING)

(example: ZARZUELA = THAHR-THOO-EY-LAH)
General Rules of Spanish Pronunciation: Words ending in a consonant have the LAST syllable accented. Words ending in
a vowel have the NEXT-TO-THE-LAST syllable accented. In exceptions, an accent mark is used.
 66
Glossary of Musical Terms

Musical notation cannot possibly show expressions of style, that is, tonal colors. For that purpose certain terms arc used.
These terms are usually in Italian because music, as we know it today, began in Italy about four centuries ago. Many of
those terms have special signs or abbreviations and these are shown in parentheses. The following terms are those most often
used for vocal compositions. (The student is advised to obtain one of the many inexpensive paper bound dictionaries of
musical terms.)

AD LIBITUM (ad lib) . . . • At liberty; as you please

G COLLA VOCE The accompanist waits for the singer
E T in an ad lib phrase
N E DA CAPO (D.C.) Return to the beginning and repeat
E R DAL SEGNO (D.S.) Return to the sign ( % ) and repeat
R M FERMATA ( /> ) also TENUTO ten. Hold the note longer than written
A S FINE The end
L POCOAPOCO Little by little; gradually
SENZA Without
SIMILE (sim) Similarly; the same

CRESCENDO (cresc Gradually get louder

DIMINUENDO (dim Gradually get softer
T D FORTE (f) . . . . Loud
E Y FORTISSIMO (ff) Very loud
R N MESSA DI VOCE ( Start soft, get loud, then soft
M A MEZZO FORTE (mf) Medium loud
S M MEZZO PIANO (mp) Medium soft
I MEZZO VOCE . . Half voice; soft
o C MORENDO also PERDENDO Dying away
F s PIANO (p) . . . . Soft
PIANISSIMO (pp) Very soft
SFORZANDO (sfz) Very hard accent
T ACCELERANDO (accel)
E ADAGIO . . . . Gradually speed up
M ALLA BREVE (<fc) Very slow
P ALLEGRETTO Cut-time; half-note gets the beat
T O ALLEGRO . . Medium fast
E ANDANTE . . Fast
R A A TEMPO . . Moderately slow
M N LARGHETTO In the original time
S D LARGO . . . Fairly slow and broad
LENTO . . . Very slow and broad
O R MODERATO (mod) Slow
F H PRESTO Medium speed
Y RALLENTANDO (rail) . Very fast
T RITARDANDO (rit) also RITENUTO (nt) Gradually slower
H TEMPO PRIMO (1°) Gradually slower
M VIVACE (viv) . . Return to original speed
Lively
ANIMATO .
CANTABILE Lively; with animation
DOLCE . . In a gentle, smooth manner
E ESPRESSIVO (esp) Gently
T X GIOCOSO . With feeling
E P GRAZIOSO Gaily; playfully
R R LAMENTOSO Gracefully
M E LEGATO Sorrowfully
S S MAESTOSO The tones connected smoothly
S MISTERIOSO Majestically
O I PASSIONATO Mysteriously
F o PORTAMENTO With fire; passionately
N RUBATO . .
Slide between two notes
Slowing down some notes and speeding
STACCATO . UP others to make up the lost time
TRISTE . . .
The tones short, disconnected
Sadly
 67
Songs for Sopranos

We assume that most teachers and students are acquainted with the traditional concert repertoire — those great songs
which have formed the bulk of concert programs for many generations. These songs must still form the foundation of any
good singer's repertoire. But nowadays such songs may be sung to the exclusion of all else only by a voice of such unusual
beauty that it absorbs the attention of the listener to the point where he becomes unaware of the program itself. But this is
rare and critics (and even regular concert-goers) are grateful not to encounter the usual three or four old Italian songs and
the regular group of Schubert songs from Volume I of that master's works. Stereotyped programs have become a bore
and for that reason we suggest the following vocal compositions. They are not only beautiful but have the added merit of
being unhackneyed. In short, the student is advised to choose (with the help of the teacher) fresh material to balance the
traditional songs and thus to make his or her programs as interesting as possible to the audience. (Most songs appear in
several Keys. Choose the appropriate Key for your voice.) It must be realized that this brief list is meant only to help the
student start the adventure of discovering fresh vocal works.

Russian French

(Russian songs are sung mainly in English) CHAUSSON Poeme de 1'Amour

et la Mer
ARENSKY Little Fishes Song
Bolero DEBUSSY Recueillement
CUI
Proses Lyriques
GRETCHANINOFF Snowflakes
Lullaby DUPARC Extase
Soupir
MEDTNER Vocalise
Cradle Song of the Poor FAURE Clair de Lune
MOUSSORGSKY Au Bord de l'Eau
Oriental Chant
RIMSKY-KORSAKOFF Arias from Snegourotchka POLDOWSKI Colombine
Hymn to the Sun (Le Coq d'Or)
The Rose and the Nightingale POULENC Air Champetre
The Maid and the Sun Air Vif

RUBENSTEIN Thou Art Like Unto a Flower RAVEL La Flute Enchant6e

Es Blinckt der Thau
SAINT SAENS La Bonheur est
TSCHAIKOWSKY Cradle Song Chose Leg£re
WhetheT By Day
Why SZULC Walcourt

German

Die Unterscheidung MARX (Josef) Venezianisches

SCHUBERT Und Gestern Hat
Der Musensohn
Die Liebe Hat Gelogen Rosen Gebracht
Der Konig In Thule
STRAUSS (Richard) Friihlingsgedrange
SCHUMANN Stille Tranen Meinem Kinde
Die Nonne
Sehnsucht
Er Ist's
BRAHMS Minnelied
Waldeseinsamkeit
English
Blinde Kuh
WOLFF (Erich) Knabe und Veilchen We are not listing English-language songs because every well-
Rosignolette equipped music shop carries a special folder of the latest,
Marchen as well as the traditional, American and English vocal works.
Goldene Wiegen Schwingen
 68
Recordings of Great Singers

It is of invaluable benefit to the student to listen to great singers. Frequent attendance at vocal recitals and opera performances
is a "must", so the student can both see and hear the finest in beautiful tone, diction, style and stage deportment. Since it
is not difficult to see and hear modern singers, the following list of recordings emphasizes the great artists of the past. This
list is just an indication of the great vocal treasures available to the modern student.

Coloratura ERAT-11 (Victor) . Amelita Galli-Curci

Sop. ML-2084 (Columbia) Lily Pons
ERAT-21 (Victor) . Elisabeth Rethberg
Lyric LCT-1126 (Victor) . Elizabeth Schumann
Sop. LCT-1133 (Victor) . Maggie Teyte
7001 (Classic Ed. Emmy Destinn
ERAT-19 (Victor) . Rosa Ponselle
Dramatic LRM-7031 (Victor) . Helen Traubel
Sop. EHA-18 (Victor) . Kirsten Flagstad
LM-1737 (Victor) . Kirsten Flagstad

Mezzo LM-1793 (Victor) . Gladys Swarthout

(Sop.) 9533 . . (Decca) Conchita Supervia
LM-1146 (Victor) . Marian Anderson
LM-7008 (Victor) . Marian Anderson
Contralto LCT-1111
(Alto) (Victor) . Marian Anderson
149-6 . . (Remington Karin Branzell
LCT-1005 (Victor) . Schumann-Heink

Lyric ERAT-12 (Victor) . Beniamino Gigli

Ten. ERAT-22 (Victor) . Tito Schipa
ERAT-17 (Victor) . John McCormack
Spinto LM-1771 (Victor) .
Ten. Jussi Bjoerling
Dramatic ERAT-5 (Victor) .
Ten. ERAT-7 Enrico Caruso
(Victor) . Enrico Caruso
Heldentenor LCT-1105 (Victor) .
E-109 . Lauritz Melchior
(MGM)
Lauritz Melchior
Lyric ERAT-25 (Victor) .
Bar. 7505 . . John Charles Thomas
(Decca)
451 & 462 Giuseppe De Luca
(Eterna)
Mattia Battistini
Dramatic ERAT-23 (Victor) .
Bar. 474 . . Lawrence Tibbett
(Eterna)
4 Wagnerian baritones (Schwarz, Bohnen,
Rhode, Zador)
Bass-Baritone 460 . . (Eterna)
50019 Michael Bohnen
(Cetra) .
Italo Tajo
LM-1751 (Victor) .
LCT-3 . Ezio Pinza
(Victor) .
LCT-1157 (Victor) . Feodor Chaliapin
Baaso-Profundo Alexander Kipnis
199-73 .
(Remington)
Emanuel List
Many great LCT-1004 (Victor) . .
stara of the LCT-1006 Golden Duets
past (Victor) . .
LCT-1115 (Victor) . . Golden Age at the Metropolitan
Critic's Choice