eck, that can so often be
seen in singers, is as wrong as the swelling up of the neck, looks
very ugly, and is not without danger from congestion.

With rapid scales and trills one has the feeling of great firmness of
the throat muscles, as well as of a certain stiffness of the larynx.
(See "Trills.") An unsteady movement of the latter, this way and that,
would be disadvantageous to the trill, to rapid scales, as well as to
the cantilena. For this reason, because the changing movements of the
organs must go on quite imperceptibly and inaudibly, it must be more
like a shifting than a movement. In rapid scales the lowest tone must
be "placed" with a view to the production of the highest, and in
descending, the greatest care must be exercised that the tone shall
not tumble over each other single, but shall produce the sensation of
closely connected sounds, through being bound to the high tone
position and pressed toward the nose.

In this all the participating vocal organs must be able to keep up a
muscular contraction, often very rigid: a thing that is to be achieved
only gradually through long years of careful and regular study.
Excessive practice is of no use in this--only regular and
intelligent practice; and success comes only in course of time.

[Illustration: Red line denotes vocal sensation of soprano and tenor.]

Never should the muscular contractions become convulsive and produce
pressure which the muscles cannot endure for a long time. They must
respond to all necessary demands upon their strength, yet remain
elastic in order that, easily relaxing or again contracting, they may
promptly adapt themselves to every nuance in tone and accent desired
by the singer.

A singer can become and continue to be master of his voice and means
of expression only as long as he practises daily correct vocal
gymnastics. In this way alone can he obtain unconditional mastery over
his muscles, and, through them, of the finest controlling apparatus,
of the beauty of his voice, as well as of the art of song as a whole.

Training the muscles of the vocal organs so that their power to
contract and relax to all desired degrees of strength, throughout the
entire gamut of the voice, is always at command, makes the master
singer.

As I have already said, the idea of "singing forward" leads very many
singers to force the breath from the mouth without permitting it to
make full use of the resonating surfaces that it needs, yet it stre