more so, and the
numerous subtleties in the French language are difficult enough to
justify this special stress laid upon correct pronunciation.

It requires a very particular ability in a foreigner to attain the
atmosphere of perfect French to any very high degree. Italian is
generally considered an easier language to pronounce in song, as indeed
it is, all the vowel sounds being full and sonorous and lacking that
"covered" or mixed quality so often occurring in the French.
Nevertheless, Italian has its difficulties, particularly in the way of
distinctly enunciating the double consonants and proper division of the
liaisons, or combining of final vowels with initial vowels, and the
correct amount of softness to be given to the letter C.

All this, of course, is from the standpoint of those to whom these
languages are foreign.

Certainly no singer can be called a great artist unless his diction is
good, for a beautiful voice alone will not make up for other
deficiencies. A singer endowed with a small voice or even one of not
very pleasing quality can give more pleasure than a singer possessing a
big, impressive voice, but no diction.

Some people claim that a pronunciation too distinct or too much insisted
upon spoils the real voice quality, but this should not be the case if
the words are correctly and naturally brought out. Doubtless, this
impression has come from the fact that, particularly in France, many
singers possessed of small voices must exaggerate their diction to
obtain their effects. But if they did not have this perfect diction they
often would have little else to recommend them. I would aver that a fine
enunciation, far from interfering with it, aids the voice production,
makes it softer and more concentrated, but diction should act rather as
a frame for the voice and never replace it.

Each of the three languages, French, German and Italian, has its
peculiar characteristics, which are of aid to the student in the general
study of pronunciation, and it is well to have a knowledge of them all
outside of the fact that an artist nowadays needs to have this knowledge
in order not only to rank with the greatest, but to cope with the
demands of an operatic career.

The Italian language in its very essence is rich in vowels and vowel
combinations, from which comes principally the color in tones, and it
has consequently been called the "language of song." Italians thus have
naturally what it is so much trou