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Somewhat back from the village street
Stands the old-fashioned country-seat;
Across its antique portico

Tall poplar trees their shadows throw;
And, from its station in the hall,
An ancient timepiece says to all,
66 Forever-never!

Never-forever!"-Longfellow.

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.-David.

LESSON IX.

The Vocal Apparatus.

Whenever we speak or sing, we make use of the lungs, the larynx, the mouth and the nose.

The LUNGS are contained in the cavity of the chest and furnish the breath, which is to speech what the steam is to an engine. When the supply of steam is low in the boiler, the engine comes to a standstill, and when the supply of breath is less than it should be, it

is impossible to speak well. It is important, therefore, to learn to keep the breath back while speaking, and not allow it to escape faster than is necessary; also to increase the capacity of the lungs for containing air. It is for this reason that we practise breathing-exercises, which strengthen and develop the lungs and give control of the breath. It is quite as important, however, that we should be able to let the breath go at will as that we should be able to retain it, and we should pay just as much attention to the relaxing movements which occur when we cease to hold the breath. This relaxation must be natural and gentle. The lungs should not collapse like a bursted bag, but the air must pass out quietly as it entered. Until we have gained control of the breath, all exercises should be practised very slowly. After a time, however, we may also practise taking and letting go of the breath suddenly, being very careful that movements are never violent.

The BREASTBONE has an important function in voiceproduction. It acts like the sounding-board of a piano or a violin, and serves to increase the resonance of the voice. If the chest be passive or sunken, the tone will be weak, no matter how much force we use; on the contrary, if the chest be active, the tones of the voice will be strong and vigorous.

The WINDPIPE or TRACHEA is the tube through which the air passes from the mouth to the lungs and back again. At its upper part it expands into a sort of box,

the front of which may be felt in the throat under the chin. This part of the windpipe is called the LARYNX. It opens into the mouth just back of the root of the tongue. When we swallow, this opening is closed so as to prevent the food from getting into the windpipe, which is both unpleasant and dangerous; when we speak, however, it is necessary to have this opening as free as possible.

All vocal sounds are begun in the larynx, which has within it a pair of lips called the VOCAL BANDS or CORDS. The edges of these are set in vibration by the air, as a violin string is by the bow or the reed of a clarinet by the breath of the player. Those of us who whistle adjust the lips and produce sound in much the same way that nature adjusts the vocal bands and produces speech; only nature, being a much more clever artist than the best whistler, manages her task in a far more delicate and perfect manner. She knows exactly how to make the sound we wish, and only asks us to let her alone and give her all the room possible in the mouth, in order to let the sound out after it is made. The throat, therefore, should be perfectly free and unconstrained, and we should particularly avoid making chewing or swallowing movements during speech, which, as we have seen, tend to shut the voice in.

Do not open the mouth so wide that the speech seems labored, nor keep it so tightly closed that the sounds seem to come through the teeth; it should be opened gently and comfortably. Do not pull the jaw

down, but let it relax naturally at the back, as if it dropped away from the upper jaw.

Let the tongue lie loosely and easily in the mouth. Do not twist it about unnecessarily nor cramp it in trying to keep it quiet. If the tongue persists in rising at the back so as to obstruct the sound, practise the vocal exercises with the tip pressed against the teeth and the back drawn down as in gaping, until the bad habit is overcome. Do not make this manner of practising habitual, however, or you will injure your voice. We shall have more to say of the tongue when we come to the subject of articulation.

It is important that the passages in the nose be kept free and open for the passage of sound. The practice of humming for a few minutes daily is of value for gaining "head-resonance," as it is called; that is, vibration of the resonance-chambers in the face.

TO THE TEACHER -Illustrate some of the wrong ways of using the vocal apparatus; for instance, speaking with collapsed chest, "nasal, "throaty" and "muscular" qualities, and impress upon the minds of pupils the necessity for a simple and unaffected manner of speaking with pure, resonant tone. Correct bad habits whenever they appear. If you teach other subjects, do not wait for the elocution hour, but insist that the multiplication-table be given a meaning as well as the reading-lesson. The habit of refined conversation is of more importance than the acquirement of a few showy pieces for exhibition purposes. The foregoing lesson may be used with good results as a study in emphasis, as the meaning will thereby be brought home to every pupil-an important point, as this lesson furnishes the key to many succeeding exercises.

LESSON X.

Vocal Exercises.

"Start" of the Tone.

Practise breathing-exercises for a few minutes as in Lesson IV., but breathing through the mouth as well as through the nose, letting the jaw fall easily. We should always breathe through the nose except in speaking or singing, when we use the mouth also.

EXERCISE I.

(1) Open the mouth as if to say ah. Be very careful that there is no constraint at the throat, and that the back of the tongue does not rise in the mouth.

(2) Slowly inhale through the mouth.

(3) As soon as an ordinary breath has been taken, trying not to allow any air to escape from the lungs, pronounce in a moderately loud tone the vowel-sound ah, as if asking a question.

(4) The instant the sound ceases, let the breath go; then, without closing the mouth, and still keeping the jaw relaxed, breathe in again and repeat the exercise. Use also the

Practise in a series of ten repetitions.

sounds ā, ē, ō, and ōō.

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