start with the following:

[Illustration: musical notation]

This I sing in middle voice and very softly. Thereby I do not become
tired and I don't bother the neighborhood. If I sang this in the big,
full lower tones and sang loud, my voice would be fatigued rather than
benefited and the neighbors would hate me. This I continue up to _D_ or
_E_ flat.

[Illustration: musical notation]

Above this I invariably use what is termed the head tone. Female singers
should always begin the head tone on this degree of the staff and not on
_F_ and _F#_, as is sometimes recommended.

I always use the Italian vowel _ah_ in my exercises. It seems best to
me. I know that _oo_ and _ue_ are recommended for contraltos, but I
have long had the firm conviction that one should first perfect the
natural vocal color through securing good tones by means of the most
open vowel. After this is done the voice may be further colored by the
judicious employment of other vowels. Sopranos, for instance, can help
their head tones by singing _ee_ (Italian _i_).

I know nothing better for acquiring a flexible tone than to sing trills
like the following:

[Illustration: musical notation]

and at the same time preserve a gentle, smiling expression. Smile
naturally, as though you were genuinely amused at something,--smile
until your upper teeth are uncovered. Then, try these exercises with the
vowel _ah_. Don't be afraid of getting a trivial, colorless tone. It is
easy enough to make the tone sombre by willing it so, when the occasion
demands. You will be amazed what this smiling, genial, _liebenswuerdig_
expression will do to relieve stiffness and help you in placing your
voice right. The old Italians knew about it and advocated it strongly.
There is nothing like it to keep the voice youthful, fresh and in the
prime of condition.

THE SINGER MUST RELAX

Probably more voices are ruined by strain than through any other cause.
The singer must relax all the time. This does not mean flabbiness. It
does not mean that the singer should collapse before singing. Relaxation
in the singer's sense is a delicious condition of buoyancy, of
lightness, of freedom, of ease and entire lack of tightening in any
part. When I relax I feel as though every atom in my body were floating
in space. There is not one single little nerve on tension. The singer
must be particularly careful when approaching a climax in a great work
of art. Then the tendency to tighten up i