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CONCEPTS OF BREATHING |
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DIAPHRAGMATIC CONTROL
In specialized training for singing, the rhythmical breathing actions of normal respiration are often disturbed. In their place, strong voluntary abdominal compressions are employed in order better to regulate the flow of the expiring breath stream. This is called diaphragmatic control. [Curry 124, p. 13] Of the 36 opinions gathered on this subject, 27 are in favor of conscious diaphragmatic action as a technique in singing and 9 are opposed to it.
Frances Alda, in an interview, expresses the opinion that all vocal muscles must be completely relaxed in singing except those of the abdominal wall where the bellows He. [6, p. 297] The bellows referred to are the diaphragmatic muscles. "The diaphragm must be kept as tight as a drum," she declares, "to produce, as a drum produces, volume of sound." [Ibid. 5] Margit Bokor, another distinguished artist, advises the student singer to focus attention upon the diaphragm. "The student should perfect the technique of diaphragmatic control before he thinks seriously of singing." [54] Lily Pons and Emilio de Gogorza likewise favor diaphragmatic control, declaring that the chest should be ignored entirely when singing. [451 and 134] Others who advocate this type of breathing control in singing are: Gould [206, p. 15], Armstrong [22] and Martino [375, p. 62]. Jessica Dragonette believes in establishing a combination of rib and diaphragmatic action. [146] According to Greene, who claims to have conferred with many professional singers, control of the diaphragm is a basic technique in singing, endorsed by expert opinion. As the breath is slowly exhaled in phonation, the abdominal wall gradually is drawn inward, providing a trained regulatory device for breathing. [209, p. 292] Whittaker also claims that breathing action is always controlled at the diaphragm. [662, p. 67] Gametti-Forbes holds the same opinion but adds that the normal breathing movement of the diaphragm is very slight and should remain so. Excessive volume of air in the lungs causes chronic tension in the diaphragmatic muscle and limits its normal downward and upward movements. Therefore, for singing, the intake of air should always be minimized and the outflow of air economically expended. [198, pp. 81 and 86]
William E. Brown's compilation of Lamperti's maxims for singers is a rich source of vocal information. "The diaphragm is never relaxed," says Brown. Vocal attack is a releasing of compressed breath previously prepared by an ever active diaphragm. Volume is determined by the quantity of breath that is thus released. [78, p. 46] William J. Henderson's book The Art of Singing presents a historical survey of the methods of vocal instruction employed during the Golden Age of Singing. Hender- |
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