his health. Why deliberately expose the
voice to danger of loss or permanent impairment by advising that it
can be used with safety during the period of transition? Far better
to be on the safe side, wait until manhood or womanhood is definitely
established, and then begin lessons as soon as possible.

CHAPTER III

ON BREATHING: INSPIRATION

We speak of the breath of life; and breath is the life of song.
Beautiful singing is predicated upon correct methods of breathing,
without which, though there be a perfect larynx and perfectly formed
resonance chambers above, the result will be unsatisfactory. Breathing,
in fact, is the foundation of the art of singing.

Breathing consists of taking air into the lungs and expelling it again,
or as the physiologist would say, respiration consists of inspiration
and expiration. Although they are essentially different actions, the
laws governing each frequently have been confused by teachers of
voice-culture.

There are books in which the singer is told to breathe naturally, and
this direction is harped on and extolled for its simplicity. Surely no
rule could be more simple; and, so far as simplicity goes, it is
admirable. So far also as it casts doubt upon various breathing-methods
which teachers of singing put forth as their own individual and pet
devices, without which, they claim, aspirants for the concert and
operatic stage would be hopelessly lost, this direction serves a useful
purpose. The trouble with it is, however, that it is too simple. It does
not go far enough. It leaves too much to the individual. For obviously
there will be, if not as many, certainly nearly as many opinions among
as many different people as to what constitutes natural breathing; and
a person may have become so habituated to a faulty method of breathing
that he believes it natural, although it is not.

Correct breathing, although a function of the body, also is an art. The
method of a singer to be correct should be based on artistic, not merely
on natural, breathing. For while all artistic breathing is natural, it
does not follow that all natural breathing is artistic. Therefore, the
first direction to a singer should be, breathe artistically, with some
definition of what constitutes artistic breathing.

Could the singer be relied on to breathe as naturally and unconsciously
as in normal slumber, when the body is in a state of calm, nearly
everything that has been written on the art of si