ments, practice the following exercises on all the pitches of the scale. 1. nōm, nōm, nōm. (Make the O well rounded and full.) 2. nām, nēm, nīm, nōm, nūm. (Give distinct form to each vowel.) 3. ō, ah, ē; ō, ah, ē. 4. too, ō, ah; too, ō, ah. 5. lä, lā, lē, lī, lō, lū. 6. bā, bē, bī, bō, bū. 7. nũ, nō, nạ, nä, nă, ně, nē, nī. VI. For quality, flexibility of voice and projection of tone, use some of the following quotations as exercises. Practice them on as many different pitches of the scale as the voice can take without straining. Vary the exercises by practicing them in arpeggios. 3. 4. The bowmen twang their strings. Calm and peaceful is my sleep. 5. Now let us sing," Long live the King." 6. "Green grow the rushes O!" 7. "Come," said the solemn sounding drum. 8. "He trod the ling like a buck in spring." 9. "They bound him strong with leathern thong." 10. "Alms, for the love of Allah!” 11. Oh, give me a home by the sounding sea! 12. There are two elms forming an arch of green. 13. I see a dancing star and a long moonbeam. 14. "There is a man sky-true, sword-strong and brave to look upon. 15. "If only I could borrow a rainbow from to-morrow!" 16. "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings." 17. "Solemnly, mournfully, dealing its dole, The curfew bell is beginning to toll." 18. "For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee." 19. "Sing as we float along; Sing as the tide grows strong." 20. "Kentish Sir Byng stood for his king." 21. "My soul to-day is far away, Sailing the Vesuvian Bay.' 22. "Melancholy! Melancholy! I've no use for you, by Golly!" 23. "Marching along, fifty score strong, 24. "The cattle are grazing, Their heads never raising, There are forty feeding like one." 25. "The one worth while, Is the one who will smile When everything goes dead wrong." 26. "My castles are the king's alone 28. "Saddle! saddle! saddle! 29. "Time is very long Without a song; TECHNICAL ELEMENTS IN ORAL ENGLISH VOCAL EXPRESSION Vocal Expression Defined.-Vocal expression is the revelation of thought and feeling by modulations of the voice. Wonderful as the human voice is in the production of vowel and consonant sounds, it is still more wonderful in its range of expression resulting from various combinations of the elements of force, time, pitch and quality. The next step is to consider each of these four criteria. FORCE Force is easily recognized in speaking and reading, even by untrained ears. However, it should not be confused with mere loudness for a big empty voice is not a forceful one. Force manifests the "degree of mental energy," and forceful reading is that in which clear thought predominates and compels attention. EMPHASIS Emphasis Defined. We emphasize thoughts when we use a different degree of force, a different pitch, a change of time (especially by pauses), or by a contrasting quality. Emphasis may be defined then, as the prominence given to a word, phrase or clause in reading or speaking to make the meaning clear. The following rules are not exhaustive, but may serve as aids to pupils in analyzing thought and relating it to utterance. RULES FOR EMPHASIS I. The subject and predicate of a sentence are generally emphatic. 1. Two firemen appeared and ascended the ladder. 2. Three hours later, the Spanish fleet was completely destroyed. II. Words expressing new ideas are emphatic. 1. "I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you." III. Words expressing a contrast of ideas are emphatic. 1. "The former target was now removed and a fresh one of the same size placed in its room.” 2. "I may neither choose whom I would, nor refuse whom I dislike." 3. "The cynic puts all human actions into only two classes— openly bad and secretly bad." IV. Words repeated to enforce a statement are emphatic. "The matter with him? What, indeed, could invest human flesh with such terrors-what but this? He was-he is-let me shriek it in your ear-a bore-a Bore! of the most malignant type; an intolerable, terrible, unmitigated BORE!" V. Any part of speech may sometimes be emphatic, but articles, conjunctions and prepositions are least likely to require emphasis. 1. I agree with the honorable gentleman. 2. Without praise, he is discouraged; with it, he becomes over confident. 3. This is the place for jolly campers. 4. "Not Liberty first, and Union afterward: but Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" Carefully analyze the following sentences for their con tent, and try to express it by reading each sentence aloud. What rule for emphasis does each sentence illustrate? Every Woman: Now, Youth, behold! Here's Poverty. Let's question her, and see (To Truth disguised as a beggar) Old woman, of thy wisdom, prithee, tell us Truth: A myth-a mocking mirage. A poet's dream. WALTER BROWNE: Everywoman. Reprinted by permission of Mrs. Walter Browne and Henry W. Savage. That is the doctrine you've inherited from our forefathers, and go on heedlessly proclaiming far and wide-the doctrine that the multitude, the vulgar herd, the masses, are the pith of the people—that they are the people that the common man, the ignorant, undeveloped member of society has the same right to condemn and to sanction, to counsel and to govern, as the intellectually distinguished few. HENRIK IBSEN: An Enemy of the People. Reprinted by permission of Walter H. Baker and Co. "These are bitter words, sir Knight," said Prince Edward with an angry frown. "And they come from a bitter heart," answered the unknown knight. "A true Frenchman's words may well be bitter, for bitter is his lot and bitter his thoughts as he rides through his thrice unhappy country." A. CONAN DOYLE: The White Company. It is easy to sit in the sunshine and preach to the man in the shadow. |