sharp and disagreeable. The teacher should see that all the exercises of the school are carried on in cheerful tones: 1. Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you,trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spake my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness. Oh! it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters -to very rags-to split the ears of the groundlings; who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb show and noise. I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant: it out-herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor. Suit the action to the word; the word to the action; with this special observance-that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature: for anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing; whose end, both at the first and now, was, and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature;—to show virtue her own feature; scorn her own image; and the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure. Now this, overdone or come tardy off, though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of which one, must, in your allowance, o'erweigh a whole theater of others. Oh! there be players, that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that neither having the accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, or man, have so strutted and bellowed, that I have thought some of nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well,-they imitated humanity so abominably! Shakspeare. 2. Because you flourish in worldly affairs, With insolent pride of station! But learn, for the sake of your mind's repose, And that all proud flesh, wherever it grows, Saxe. 2. The Orotund is used in expressing the language of grandeur, sublimity, awe, reverence, courage, etc.). It is round and full, and may be said to be the maximum of pure quality. It was named ore rotundo by the old poet, Horace, when speaking of the flowing eloquence of the Greeks: 1. l O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fathers! Whence are thy beams, O sun! thy everlasting light? Thou comest forth in thy awful beauty; the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave. 2. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. Oh, when the blast of war blows in our ears, Shakspeare. 3. The Pectoral gives expression to deep-seated anger, despair, great solemnity, etc. It has its resonance in the chest; is low in pitch; is usually accompanied by slow time, and is, indeed, a very low orotund: 1. Oh! I have passed a miserable night, 2. Macb. Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more. Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care, The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, Lady M. What do you mean? Shakspeare. 4. The Guttural (from guttur, throat) is used to express anger, hatred, contempt, loathing, etc. Its characteristic is an explosive resonance in the throat. 1. How like a fawning publican he looks! But more, for that, in low simplicity, He lends out money gratis, and brings down I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him! He hates our sacred nation; and he rails, Even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift, 5. The Plaintive is used in the language of pity, grief, etc. 6. The Aspirate gives the whispered utterance of secrecy, fear, etc. Its characteristic is distinctness—indeed, whatever is lost in vocality is made up in distinctness. For this reason exercise upon this quality is of great value in vocal culture. The aspirate is usually combined with other qualities. All's hushed as midnight yet. 1. Speak softly! See'st thou here? This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise! and enter 2. I fear thee ancient mariner! I fear thy skinny hand! And thou art long and lank and brown, As is the ribb'd sea sand. Coleridge. 7. The Falsetto is used in expressing affectation, terror, pain, mockery, anger, etc.) It is pitched above the natural range of voice: i etc.) 1. I'll not endure it-Duke or no Duke I'll be a Duchess, Sir! 2. Honey Moon. "How now? Woman-where, woman, is your ticket, That ought to let you through our wicket? Said Mr. H with expedition, "There's no Cow in the Exhibition." "No Cow! but here her tongue in verity, Set off with steam and rail celerity "No Cow! there ain't no Cow, then the more's the shame and pity. |