tural condition of society is the outgrowth.

Between 1809 and 1813 were born Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt,
and Wagner. These men are known as the founders of the modern romantic
school of music. They grew up with the new civilization and could not do
otherwise than reflect its complexity in their music. That the new
civilization was responsible for the new art there is no doubt whatever.
All old types have passed away. All branches of art have suffered
radical changes in conforming to new ideals.

Since the wave of scientific investigation started around the world
nothing has been able to escape it. The hand of the scientist has been
upon everything, and to him rather than to the voice teachers must be
given the credit for originating scientific voice teaching.

When the scientists began publishing the results of their investigations
voice teachers at once became interested. The plan looked promising. It
offered them a method shorn of uncertainties. A method that brought
everything under the operation of physical laws; a method that dealt
only with finalities, and would operate in spite of a lack of musical
intelligence on the part of the student, and at the same time enable
them to lay to their souls the flattering unction of science. True it
ignored altogether the psychology of the matter. It said "do it this way
and a beautiful tone will come whether you are thinking it or not,
because scientific laws eternally operating in the same way eternally
produce the same results."

The scientific method gave voice teachers an opportunity to work with
something tangible, something they could see; whereas the development of
tone concept, the artistic instinct, musical feeling, and musicianship
had to do with things which to most of them were intangible and elusive.
No one doubts the honesty of the teachers who became obsessed with the
scientific idea. To them it meant increased efficiency and accuracy,
quicker results with less effort, and so they broke with the old
Italians, the basis of whose teaching was beautiful tone and beautiful
singing. In spite of the honesty of purpose of all those who followed
the new way, the results were calamitous. The art of singing received a
serious setback. Voices without number were ruined. From the middle to
the end of the nineteenth century the scientific idea was rampant, and
during that period it is probable that the worst voice teaching in the
history of the world was done.