.'"

One of the greatest of modern singers, Mme. Lilli Lehmann, in her
interesting work, _How to Sing_, says: "Do registers exist by nature?
No. It may be said that they are created through long years of
speaking in the vocal range that is easiest to the person, or in one
adopted by imitation." She speaks of three ranges of the voice, or,
rather, three sections of the vocal range, as chest, middle, and head,
saying, "All three form registers _when exaggerated_." After speaking
of the hopeless confusion that results from clinging to the
appellations of chest, middle, and head _register_, confounding voice
with register, she concludes:

"As long as the word 'register' is kept in use the registers will not
disappear, and yet the register question must be swept away, to give
place to another class of ideas, sounder views on the part of
teachers, and a truer conception on the part of singers and pupils."

The trend of recent thought on this subject is further shown in
Ffrangcon-Davies' important work, _The Singing of the Future_, where,
having in mind "the useless torture to which thousands of students
have been subjected," he characterizes "breaks" and "registers" as
"paraphernalia supplied by credulity to charlatanism"; and adds: "How
many a poor pupil has become a practical monomaniac on the subject of
_that break in my voice between D and D sharp_!"

My own studies convince me that there is but one register, or, rather,
no such thing as register, save as it applies to the compass of the
voice; and that chest, middle, head, and all other registers are
creations of false education. Training based upon the theory of many
registers results in an artificial and unnatural division of the
voice.

THE VOICE AND INSTRUMENTS COMPARED

The organ of the voice has long been considered the analogue of every
other instrument except in regard to registers. Investigation
indicates that it is analogous in this respect also. Compare the voice
instrument with the pianoforte, violin, and organ and the similarity
will plainly appear. The artificial instruments undergo no change when
making a tone of higher or lower pitch other than the attuning of the
vibrator to the pitch desired. All other parts remain the same. So
when the voice is correctly focused and delivered, the only change
incident to altered pitch is that made in the vibrator so as to give
the proper number of vibrations for the pitch required. If the scale
is sung down,