rutus), about 1838, suffered from a broken
nose which defaced his handsome visage and spoiled his splendid voice.
His disability was so great that afterward he seldom played. That the
cause of this impairment of Booth's voice was due to the contraction
and more or less complete obstruction of the nasal passages is too
evident to call for comment.

Many singers have sweet but characterless voices that lack the
fulness, power, and ring they might have because they fail to avail
themselves of the augmenting power of the resonance cavities. The
singer must learn to habitually use all of the resonance cavities and
use them simultaneously.

Lilli Lehmann, in _How to Sing_, says that, "although the nasal sound
can be exaggerated,--which rarely happens,--it can be much
neglected,--something that very often happens." The context makes
clear that what in the English translation of the great singer's book
is called "nasal sound" is exactly what we term _nasal resonance_.

After charging the monotonous quality or lack of color in the voice of
a famous opera star to lack of nasal resonance, Madame Lehmann speaks
of the consummate art of Marcella Sembrich who "in recent years
appears to have devoted very special study to nasal resonance, whereby
her voice, especially in the middle register, has gained greatly in
warmth." She says further that nasal resonance "cannot be studied
enough. It ought always to be employed." "How often," she says, "have
I heard young singers say, 'I no longer have the power to respond to
the demands made upon me,' whereas the trouble lies only in the
insufficient use of the resonance of the head cavities."

From the foregoing, the conclusion follows that the head vibrations
are not only an essential element, but that nasal resonance is a most
important element in imparting to tone its brilliance and carrying
power. Without thought of the mechanism of _how_ nasal resonance is
produced, the singer has control over it by direct influence of the
will. The tones, low as well as high, should seem to start in the nose
and head, and the vibrations of the perfect tone can be plainly felt
upon any part of the nose and head. Without the head vibrations no
tone can be perfect, for nothing else will compensate for the lack of
these. Vocal organs used as here described will suffer no fatigue
from reasonable use; hoarseness will be to them a thing unknown, and
"minister's sore throat" an unheard of complaint. Not only