How to sing the words under the notes Final lesson Before the beginning singer commences [singing] the words, several conditions must...

‘The chief exercise of the chest and vocal organs is “vociferation”, which is singing, reading, or crying [loud shouting], which has the...

‘Although our declamation cannot be notated, it seems to me that one might be able to preserve it in some way. It would be sufficient if...

‘Many great lovers of Singing are discouraged from Learning for want of a good Voice; which by experience I know they ought not to be,...

Verse makes Heroick Vertue live, But you can life to Verses give: As when in open aire we blow The breath (though strain'd) sounds flat...

[pp. 44-45] 'No historical method mentions this type of voice [the voix sombrée] ; it is only since Gilbert Duprez's debut that we have...

‘… The unearthly efforts required by the French method wear out their [the singers’] voices even before they can appear on stage, and the...

‘The Praefectus (director of the choir) should also take special care that none of the singers shout excessively. Not only does it sound...

‘The theatres of the ancients were vast squares, ours are vessels of small dimensions. Hence, in order to be heard in them by the...

‘First therefore let the whole choir endeavour to control their voices, so that the words may be clearly heard and understood by the...

‘We discoursed upon the subject of Dr. Burney’s travels, of which he was a professed admirer; and mentioned with great approbation that...

‘When Handel went through Chester, in his way to Ireland, this year 1741, I was at the Public-School in the city, and very well remember...

'Few have understood, how this Measure can be exhibited to the ears without a percussion, or stroke, in Musick, very diminute and of many...

‘Ten notes are said to be natural to every voice, because ordinarily all singers come to produce them with a voice that is said to be of...

‘Although manuscript collections of solfeggi were centerpieces in the training of musicians in the days of Bach and Mozart, today the...

‘Although they are set only in the system of the cantus, these examples of accentus and variation of intervals can be used in the other...

'The Strascino [slide] (which is the continued plasma of the Ancients, and which is done by raising or lowering continuously the voice,...

‘A great defect into which some of the best modern singers have fallen is that of having introduced florid ornaments into recitative,...

‘The reasons why professional musicians have failed to apply our very extensive and ever-increasing knowledge of Classical- and...

‘As for singing on the book in many parts made impromptu, my sentiment is that it is almost impossible to do well… I maintain that it is...