ises is not
enough; it is of vital importance that the exercises be sung in some
particular manner. There is one certain way in which the voice must be
handled during the practice of singing. If the vocal organs are
exercised in this particular manner, the voice will improve steadily as
the result of practice. This progress will continue until perfect
technical command of the voice is acquired. But if the vocal student
fails to hit upon this particular way of handling the voice in practice
the voice will improve little, or not at all. In such a case perfect
vocal technique will never be acquired, no matter how many years the
practice may continue.

What is this peculiar way in which the voice must be handled during the
practice of singing? This is the practical problem of tone-production,
as it confronts the student of singing.

It is important that the exact bearing of the problem be clearly
understood. It is purely a feature of education in singing, and concerns
only teachers and students of the art. Properly speaking, the finished
singer should leave the teacher and start on the artistic career,
equipped with a voice under perfect control. There should be no problem
of tone-production for the trained singer, no thought or worry about the
vocal action. True, many authorities on the voice maintain that the
artist must, in all singing, consciously and intelligently guide the
operations of the vocal organs. But even if this be the case the fact
remains that this ability to manage the voice must be acquired during
student days. In seeking a solution of the problem, that period in the
prospective singer's training must be considered during which the proper
use of the voice is learned.

It may be taken for granted that teachers of singing have always been
aware of the existence of the problem of tone-production, and have
always instructed their pupils in the correct management of the voice.
Yet it is only within the past hundred and fifty years that vocal
management has been the subject of special study. A brief review of the
history of Voice Culture will serve to bring this fact out clearly.

To begin with, the present art of singing is of comparatively recent
origin. It is indeed probable that man had been using the voice in
something akin to song for thousands of years before the dawn of
history. Song of some kind has always played an important part in human
life, savage as well as civilized. To express our emotions