why he does it. A singer should be able to produce the voice
correctly, no matter in what position the role he may be singing may
require the head or body to be in. In opera the head or body may be
placed in difficult unnatural positions, but these should not interfere
with good tone production.

REGISTERS

"I am asked sometimes if I teach registers of the voice. I can say
decidedly no, I do not teach registers. The voice should be one and
entire, from top to bottom, and should be produced as such, no matter in
what part of the voice you sing. Throughout the voice the same
instrument is doing the work. So, too, with voices of different caliber,
the coloratura, lyric and dramatic. Each and all of these may feel the
dramatic spirit of the part, but the lighter quality of the voice may
prevent the coloratura from expressing it. The world recognizes the
dramatic singer in the size of the voice and of the person. From an
artistic point of view, however, there are two ways of looking at the
question, since the lyric voice may have vivid dramatic instincts, and
may be able to bring them out with equal or even greater intensity than
the purely dramatic organ.

VOCAL MASTERY

"Vocal Mastery is acquired through correct understanding of what
constitutes pure vowel sounds, and such control of the breath as will
enable one to convert every atom of breath into singing tone. This
establishes correct action of the vocal chords and puts the singer in
possession of the various tints of the voice.

"When the diaphragm and respiratory muscles support the breath
sufficiently and the vocal chords are permitted to do their work, you
produce pure tone. Many singers do not understand these two vital
principles. They either sing with too much relaxation of the diaphragm
and respiratory muscles, or too much rigidity. Consequently the effort
becomes local instead of constitutional, which renders the tone hard and
strident and variable to pitch. Again the vocal chords are either forced
apart or pinched together, with detriment to tone production.

"The real value of control is lost when we attempt to control the
singing instrument and the breath by seeking a place for the tone the
singing instrument produces. When the vocal chords are allowed to
produce pure vowels, correct action is the result and with proper breath
support, Vocal Mastery can be assured."

XXVI

=J.H. DUVAL=

SOME SECRETS OF BEAUTIFUL SINGING

A young Fre