You blocks', you stones', you worse' than senseless things. That is, not men, but blocks; not merely blocks, but stones; not merely senseless things, but worse than senseless things. In this example, the second emphatic word "stones" comes from a greater height than the first "blocks,' " and the strongest emphasis, you worse than senseless things," is pronounced not in a higher or a louder key, but in that lower and harsher voice which expresses great intensity. A climax of emphases is generally pronounced as if the emphatic words were immediately suggested to the mind. The emphatic words in succession come out abruptly, after such a pause as may be considered sufficient to enable the mind to start a new idea. Accordingly, it is not an artful management of the voice to slide up at the first emphatic word, as is often directed in books on Elocution, that the pupil may descend with force on the succeeding word, for it intimates that the speaker has already the stronger word in view, and thus takes off from the effect which is lent to it by its extemporaneous employment. Many would be disposed to rise on "blocks" in the last example, that the voice might accommodate itself more easily to the fall on the succeeding word; but the animation and force of the sentence would thereby be destroyed. It may be noticed here, that too much is generally sacrificed to what are called the preparatory slides on foregoing words. Although the voice were to rise on "blocks," in order, as is supposed, to give effect to the second emphatic word "stones," it would require to come down at the commencement of "stones," and then describe a circumflex with a strong fall. MODULATION, OR MANAGEMENT OF THE VOICE. The modulation of the voice is one of the most important requisites in a public speaker. Even to the private reader who wishes to execute his task with pleasure to others, it is a necessary accomplishment. A voice which keeps long in one key, however correct the pronunciation, delicate the inflexion, and just the emphasis, will soon tire the hearer. The voice has been considered as capable of assuming three keys; the low, the high, and the middle. This variety is undoubtedly too limited; but for the first lessons of a student, it may perhaps be sufficiently useful. A well-trained voice is capable of ranging in these with various degrees of loudness, softness, stress, continuity, and rapidity. Before pointing out passages where the adop❤ tion of these united qualities of voice is required, it is necessary to consider the means by which the voice, as an instrument, is made capable of acquiring these qualities. In practising the examples on inflexion, the student will by this time have insensibly acquired some of the qualities of voice to be noted under the head of Modu lation. The continuation of the vowel sounds in sliding will naturally lead to the vanishing and swelling of the voice, to be immediately noticed; and that force which has been by Dr Rush termed the explosive, is generally acquired in practising the downward slide in strong emphasis. But it is necessary that each of these peculiarities should be explained, and distinctly recognised. STRESS, SUDDEN AND GRADUAL. In the chapter on Articulation, the effect of tightening the muscles of the glottis was noticed; the tenseness of this organ, it was shown, produced sound. If additional power is lent, the sounds are given out with a force which has tempted some to call it Explosive Power. So important is this compression of the throat to the acquisition of distinctness and power in speaking, that I consider it impossible to arrive at eminence in speaking without its employment. This compression may be familiarly illustrated by stating, that it is nothing more than that exertion of the muscles of the breast and throat which we experience when we endeavour to raise any thing exceedingly heavy, or that occlusion of the throat which takes place before coughing. Mr Barber desires his pupils to cough out the word; but in such cases, as he himself remarks, there is a risk of mixing aspiration with the sound. If the pronunciation of a pupil is relaxed or feeble, he might be taught, in the pronunciation of such a word as power, to compress his lips-then to exert the muscular action of the throat, then to relax the lips suddenly, and the consequence will be a forcible pulsation of the voice. In doing this, the teacher must keep in mind that the compression of the lip must be firm, in accordance with the compression of the throat. This sudden and forcible utterance may at first be practised on vowels, or sounds beginning with mutes; in the syllables beginning with semi-vowels, the explosive action follows the aspiration; thus, in same, the hissing sound of s is first heard, and the muscular compression necessary to give stress to a, must be made immediately after. The practice of explosion has led several speakers into a disagreeable separation of the consonant and vowel sounds; thus, blame is sounded bl-ame, and sometimes with an approximation to the aspirate on the a, like bl-hame. Whatever force is given to the consonant sounds, or to the vowel sound on which they alight, the one should flow into the other smoothly. SWELL AND VANISH OF THE VOICE. What are termed the swell and vanish of the voice are accom. plished by a gradual compression and relaxation of the muscles, and are employed together in the pronunciation of such passages as Mr Walker has marked with the monotone-in solemn and magnificent passages. The vanish of the voice, as is remarked in the note, page 27, is frequently attended with a relaxed fall. SPEAKING VOICE-ACQUIRED VOICE. In common conversation, our tone is light, and appears to come from the lip; in serious and impressive speaking, it appears to be formed farther back, and is accompanied by a greater tension of the muscles of the throat. This deeper formation of the voice is the secret of that peculiar tone which is found in actors and orators of celebrity. Some have this voice naturally; but the greater number must acquire it by assiduous practice. Children can acquire this voice by a course of training, in which example and precept go hand in hand. Before I had seen the minute account of the process of its formation as given below, I had effected the object by desiring the pupil to speak farther down in the throat. This peculiar voice, which is adapted to the expression of what is solemn, grand, and exciting, "is formed in those parts of the mouth posterior to the palate, bounded below by the root of the tongue, above by the commencement of the palate, behind by the most posterior part of the throat, and on the sides by the angles of the jaw. The tongue, in the meantime, is hollowed and drawn back, and the mouth is opened in such a manner as to favour the enlargement of the cavity described as much as possible." LOW KEY. To acquire strength and distinctness in this key, the remarks made in the last paragraph will be found useful. Nothing more unequivocally marks the finished speaker than a command over the low notes of the voice; it is a rare accomplishment, but one which is a most valuable principle in oratory. Strengthening the low notes, after forming them, should be a great object with the master in Elocution; but it too often happens that the acquisition of a screaming high note is reckoned the desideratum in speaking. The difficulty of being distinct and audible in the low key, is at first discouraging; but practice will in most cases attain the object. MIDDLE KEY. This is the key of common discourse. It is capable of being rendered effective for public speaking, by the sudden force and swell which have been already mentioned. Sheridan points out a simple method of acquiring loudness in this key. "Any one, who, through habit, has fallen into a weak utterance, cannot hope suddenly to change it; he must do it by degrees and constant practice. I would therefore recommend it to him, that he should daily exercise himself in reading or repeating in the hearing of his friend; and that, too, in a large room. At first, his friend should stand at such a distance only as the speaker can easily reach in his usual manner of delivering himself. Afterwards, let him gradually increase his distance, and the speaker will in the same gradual proportion increase the force of the voice." In doing this, the speaker still keeps on the same tone of voice, but gives it with greater power. If his friend were to go beyond the reach of the middle tone, then the speaker would employ the high bawling note which one would use in calling to another on the opposite side of a broad river. It is material to notice, that a well-formed middle tone, and even a low one, is capable of filling any room; and that the neglect of strengthen ing the voice in these, leads a speaker to adopt the high shouting note which is often heard in our pulpits. Exhaustion and hoarseness ensue; and the difficulty of utterance gives a vehemence to the address of the speaker, which is often out of harmony with the sentiments which he delivers. It might become a matter of serious inquiry whether the neglect of the powers of the voice has not a debasing influence on the composition of a discourse; for a speaker who is constrained, by a deficiency of power and distinctness in the common natural tones of the voice, to exert himself violently, will naturally lean to that tone of sentiment which is in accordance with his extravagance of manner. Though he should avoid this, the incongruity of the matter and the manner must be painful to the audience, and, to a certain degree, unprofitable, for the language of reproof cannot find its way to the heart when it is given in the voice of highly-excited passion. HIGH KEY. This key of the voice, though very uncommon in speaking or reading, ought to be practised, as it tends to give strength to the voice generally, and as it is frequently employed in public speaking. Every one can speak in a high key, but few do it pleasingly. There is a compression necessary in the high notes, as well as the middle and the low; this compression distinguishes the vociferous passion of the peasant from that of the actor or orator. We are often struck with the height of tone assumed by the chivalrous actor; but we hear every day higher and louder tones from untutored people: the difference lies in the modulation. This temperance of tone, which must be preserved even in the "whirlwind of passion," is a rare attainment; hence many people of taste feel uneasy when a demonstration of any thing approaching to vehement passion is made. Strength and soundness in the high notes may be acquired by inflecting vowels, and continuing them on a monotone. TIME. We have noticed the principal keys of the voice, and the method by which they may be successfully attained, and also the stress or power of the voice in these keys. Modulation also includes the consideration of the time which is natural in the pronunciation of certain passages. The combinations, then, of pitch, force, and time, are extremely numerous: thus, we have low, loud, slow; low, soft, slow; low, feeble, slow; low, loud, quick, &c. ; middle, loud, slow; middle, soft, slow; middle, feeble, slow, &c. Thus, we have a copious natural language adapted to the expression of every emotion and passion. MODULATION OF EMOTION. The application of these qualities of the voice in the expression of emotion would lead us into a field of inquiry too wide for a volume such as this: the taste of the teacher will readily suggest to the pupil what is wanting here. A few passages, however, may be given here as fit exercises for particular combinations of these qualities. ADORATION—ADMIRATION-SOLEMNITY—SUBLIMITY.—LOW, LOUD, SLOW, CONTINUOUS. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. us. In addresses to the Deity, little deviation should be made from the key note. The inflexions should be little varied-even emphasis should not be strikingly marked. 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 stars hide themselves in the sky; the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave. But thou thyself movest alone: who can be a companion of thy course? The oaks of the mountains fall; the mountains themselves decay with years; the ocean shrinks and grows again; the moon herself is lost in the heavens; but thou art for ever the same, rejoicing in the brightness of thy course. When the world is dark with tempests, when thunders roll and lightnings fly, thou lookest in thy beauty from the clouds, and laughest at the storm. But to Ossian thou lookest in vain; for he beholds thy beams no more; whether thy yellow hair flows on the eastern clouds, or thou tremblest at the gates of the west. But thou art perhaps, like me, for a season; thy years will have an end. Thou wilt sleep in thy clouds, careless of the voice of the morning. MOURNFULNESS DESPONDENCY.-LOW, SOFT, MIDDLE TIME, Had it pleased heaven To try me with affliction; had he rained All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head; |