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CONCEPTS OF PHONATION |
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of "whispered vowels/' will be as an antidote for throat constrictions. [516]
Indirect approach favored. Arguments against direct control are summed up in Clippinger's statement: "It is physically impossible to hold the throat open consciously without a considerable degree of tension/' Furthermore, the throat must be kept in a "plastic" condition to allow the various adjustments for vowels and tone qualities to be made. [104, p. 8] Stanley agrees with this viewpoint- He is opposed to localized control because, as he puts it, opening the throat and relaxing the throat are a "direct contradiction in terms." [578]
Aikin claims that the throat is naturally always open and free; that is* if you leave it alone. [4] "The throat is always open," says Savage, "else we would choke to death." [490, p. 113] Samoiloff and Zerffi are equally emphatic in declaring that any conscious effort to relieve the throat while singing will surely impose a strain on it and physical stiffness will result. [485; 700] It defeats its own purpose. [Shaw, 518, p. 194] Don't consciously sing with your throat; merely use it as a passageway. fMack-lin 365; Ryan 480, p. 56] "Let the throat alone/' [Skiles 564] It functions automatically. [Huey 285]
Yawning as a device. Yawning is defined as an involuntary act, usually excited by drowsiness, consisting of a deep and long inspiration following several successive attempts at inspiration in which the mouth, palate and throat passageway are forced wide open. (W) The main idea in using this device is to capture the preparatory sensation of yawning without actually performing the deep inspiratory reflex that usually accompanies it. Thus the throat is indirectly held open for singing.
Queena Mario, soprano at the Metropolitan Opera House, calls "that open feeling of a suppressed yawn" the best test of correct tone production. [370] "Opening the voice [throat] is more like yawning than anything else to which it can be compared," says Fory. [191] Lilli Lehmann always teaches her beginners the yawning position. "It helps the tongue to lie in the right place." [337, p. 186] "We learn valuable lessons in tone production from the yawn," says McAll. [383, p. 25] Every condition that is essential to the correct singing position is thereby established. [Spohr 571, p. 110] It also improves vowel attack. [Dodds and Lickiey 139, p. 42] Gregory suggests pronouncing the wTord "hung" with the jaw dropped as a preparation for yawning. [211] Finally, Shakespeare's summary of phonation in motto form is instructive:
By silent breathing free the throat,
Start exactly on the note,
Sound the ah as if in yawning.
Breathe as in the act of warming. [517, p. 15] |
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