like Brignoli could, without protest, habitually
allow himself the liberty of substituting "la" for the words on all
high notes and phrases, simply because he found it easier to sing them
on that syllable. At song recitals, the words of the songs often are
printed on the programmes. Printed translations of words sung in
foreign languages serve an obviously useful purpose. But when an
English-speaking singer prints the words of English songs on his
programme, it virtually is a confession that he does not expect his
hearers to understand what he is singing to them in their own
language--so rooted in singers has become the evil of indistinct
pronunciation. Their songs are songs without words.

However, there has been an improvement in this respect. The old-time
opera libretto was so stupid that Voltaire was justified in saying,
"What is too stupid to be spoken is sung." But with Wagner the
importance of making the words clear to the hearer was recognized, and
since his works have established themselves in the repertory of the
operatic stage, and modern opera composers, following in his footsteps,
have striven to write music that would express the dramatic significance
of the words to which it is composed, the art of libretto construction
has greatly improved, and composers demand that the singer shall convey
to his audience some idea of what is being sung.

Similar progress has been made in song-composing and song-interpretation.
Just as the Italians formerly strove mainly for beautiful tone-production
without much thought of the underlying word or phrase, so song-composers
strove for beautiful melody--for music that was satisfying in itself,
whether it suited the verbal phrase or not. Now, as in opera so in song,
the relationship between words and music is recognized and the importance
of combined verbal and musical phraseology is insisted upon. Formerly,
interpretation was a matter of emotion only. Now, the intellectual
process, the intelligence that discriminates, the thought that justifies
the singer's emotional expression as that fitted to the words, are
weighed in the balance. Consequently the word must be clearly pronounced
by the singer. Vowel enunciation and consonant articulation--pronunciation
being a combination of these two processes--must be distinct, or rather
should be distinct, since there still is much fault to be found with
singers in this respect.

Much has been said, especially by American singers, a