• In an organ the supply of air is produced and controlled by the bel-
lows being forced into an air chamber, and there remaining as " com-
pressed air" until admitted into the pipe by the opening of a valve, then
rushing out and through the pipe, it produces the well-known sound.
The singer draws in the air and stores in the lungs, and the very first
thing to learn is to keep the supply of air always on hand. Never get
out of air. Regulate the supply and get this regulation to a nicety.
To Practice the Breathing Exercise : Let the singer stand before
a mirror and assume the following position, watching the reflection in
the glass, which will tell when you are doing wrong : Stand erect in an
easy attitude, with the head firmly but easily poised and shoulders
thrown back. Open the mouth as wide as possible without displacing
the features or muscles, especially the muscles at the corners of the
mouth. Breathe naturally — that is, slowly and regularly. Now arrest
the breath. Without inhaling a new supply of air, gradually expel from
the lungs all now in them, if possible.
Remember, this must be accomplished gradually. Throw out as
much air as you can. I presume it will not be possible for you to expel
it all, because some — a very moderate quantity, however — is bound to
be retained by the lungs. While you are doing this there should be a
feeling of effort in the lower part of the chest and abdomen, a " sink-
ing " sensation or compression centering in the region commonly called
the " pit of the stomach." This location may be determined in another
way, and it is, in some respects quite superior as a purely locative exer-
cise. Take the nose violently with handkerchief in hand, as if about to
blow it, or as if to sneeze. Close the mouth, stop the nostrils by the aid of
the handkerchief, and go through the evolutions of sneezing. This pro-
cess will produce a peculiar feeling in the abdomen, and will probably
give the operator a better idea of the location of the controlling power,
the abdominal muscles, than the first named.
What way you will, the first must finally be used, and having expelled
the air, carefully do as directed. Hold the organs in place (with the air
expelled) a brief time and gradually relax the parts which have been
exerted. The holding for brief time is at first a very difficult matter
and will often call for a most determined exercise of the will — but it
must be done! In singing you will be called upon to do the very same
thing, if you sing properly, and you cannot sing properly unless you
breathe correctly.
Gradually relax the exerted parts without disturbing the upper chest
or shoulders. When you are doing this part of the exercise, look in the
glass to see if your shoulders move. They must not be disturbed. This
relaxation will, without special effort on the part of the pupil, introduce
some fresh air into the lungs.
288 MUSICAL CHIMES.
By another act, repeat the exercise and expel the air. Again grad-
ually relax the parts and so keep on alternately compressing and relax-
ing the abdominal parts until you have absolute control of them.
Naturally the muscles of the chest and those of the abdomen work
directly opposed to each other, but they may be controlled so as to
exactly balance each other, and it is this lesson you have to learn.
Page 255
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
• In an organ the supply of air is produced and controlled by the bellows being forced into an air chamber, and there remaining as " compressed air" until admitted into the pipe by the opening of a valve, then rushing out and through the pipe, it produces the well-known sound. The singer draws in the air and stores in the lungs, and the very first thing to learn is to keep the supply of air always on hand. Never get out of air. Regulate the supply and get this regulation to a nicety.
To Practice the Breathing Exercise : Let the singer stand before a mirror and assume the following position, watching the reflection in the glass, which will tell when you are doing wrong : Stand erect in an easy attitude, with the head firmly but easily poised and shoulders thrown back. Open the mouth as wide as possible without displacing the features or muscles, especially the muscles at the corners of the mouth. Breathe naturally — that is, slowly and regularly. Now arrest the breath. Without inhaling a new supply of air, gradually expel from the lungs all now in them, if possible.
Remember, this must be accomplished gradually. Throw out as much air as you can. I presume it will not be possible for you to expel it all, because some — a very moderate quantity, however — is bound to be retained by the lungs. While you are doing this there should be a feeling of effort in the lower part of the chest and abdomen, a " sinking " sensation or compression centering in the region commonly called the " pit of the stomach." This location may be determined in another way, and it is, in some respects quite superior as a purely locative exercise. Take the nose violently with a handkerchief in hand, as if about to blow it, or as if to sneeze. Close the mouth, stop the nostrils by the aid of the handkerchief, and go through the evolutions of sneezing. This process will produce a peculiar feeling in the abdomen, and will probably give the operator a better idea of the location of the controlling power, the abdominal muscles, than the first named.
What way you will, the first must finally be used, and having expelled the air, carefully do as directed. Hold the organs in place (with the air expelled) a brief time and gradually relax the parts which have been exerted. The holding for brief time is at first a very difficult matter and will often call for a most determined exercise of the will — but it must be done! In singing you will be called upon to do the very same thing, if you sing properly, and you cannot sing properly unless you breathe correctly.
Gradually relax the exerted parts without disturbing the upper chest or shoulders. When you are doing this part of the exercise, look in the glass to see if your shoulders move. They must not be disturbed. This relaxation will, without special effort on the part of the pupil, introduce some fresh air into the lungs.
By another act, repeat the exercise and expel the air. Again gradually relax the parts and so keep on alternately compressing and relaxing the abdominal parts until you have absolute control of them. Naturally the muscles of the chest and those of the abdomen work directly opposed to each other, but they may be controlled so as to exactly balance each other, and it is this lesson you have to learn.