which the hearer obtains by attentive listening to the tones produced.
This empirical knowledge, as it is generally called, indicates a state
of unnecessary throat tension as the cause, or at any rate the
accompaniment, of every faulty tone. Further, an outline is given of all
scientific knowledge of the voice. The anatomy of the vocal organs, and
the acoustic and mechanical principles of the vocal action, are briefly
described. Finally, the psychological laws of tone-production are
considered. It is seen that under normal conditions the voice
instinctively obeys the commands of the ear.

In Part IV the information about the vocal action obtained from the two
sources is combined,--the scientific knowledge of mechanical processes,
and the empirical knowledge derived from attentive listening to voices.
Throat stiffness is then seen to be the one influence which can
interfere with the instinctively correct action of the voice. The most
important cause of throat stiffness is found in the attempt consciously
to manage the mechanical operations of the voice. In place of the
erroneous principles of mechanical instruction, imitation is seen to be
the rational foundation of a method of Voice Culture. The mystery
surrounding the old Italian method is dispelled so soon as the
possibility is recognized of teaching singing by imitation. Practical
rules are outlined for imparting and acquiring the correct use of the
voice, through the guidance of the sense of hearing. The singer's
education is considered in its broadest sense, and training in
tone-production is assigned to its proper place in the complex scheme of
Voice Culture.

During the past twenty years the author has found opportunity to hear
most of the famous singers who have visited America, as well as a host
of artists of somewhat lesser fame. In his early student days the
conviction grew that the voice cannot reach its fullest development when
mechanically used. Siegfried does not forge his sword, and at the same
time think of his diaphragm or soft palate. Lucia cannot attend to the
movements of her arytenoid cartilages while pouring out the trills and
runs of her Mad Scene. A study of the theoretical works on Vocal
Science, dealing always with mechanical action and never with tone,
served only to strengthen this conviction. Finally the laws of
physiological psychology were found to confirm this early belief.

Every obtainable work on Voice Culture has been included in