Voice and Speech in the Theatre.pdf

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voiceandspeech in the theatre sixth edition edited by Jane Boston (Head of Artistic Research and Development, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)

methuen | drama

Sixth edition 2007 A & C Black Publishers Limited 38 Soho Square London W1D 3HB ISBN 978-0-7136-8188-8 © 2007, 1950, 1956, 1977, 1993, 2000 A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd First published 1950 by Pitman Publishing Ltd Second edition 1956 Third edition 1977 Fourth edition 1993 Fifth edition 2000 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of A & C Black Publishers Limited.

A & C Black uses paper produced with elemental chlorinefree pulp, harvested from managed sustainable forests. Typeset in 11 on 12.5pt Minion Printed and bound in Great Britain by Caligraving Ltd, Thetford, Norfolk

Based on the Master Copy provided by the Fifth Edition of Voice and Speech in the Theatre (2000), with some small additions re-inserted from the Third Edition of 1977 (A & C Black Publishers).

contents

Foreword Introduction to the sixth edition

v vii

1. The voice in theory

2. The voice in practice

3. The tone

4. The note

5. The word

6. The voice in action

103

7. Conclusion

137

Appendix: Voice and speech routines

147

Index

158

iii

Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring. Hamlet, II, ii Then they said unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan. Judges, xii, 6

foreword

Clifford Turner was a born teacher. It was his vocation and his passion. Generations of teachers have carried on his principles and generations of students benefited from his wisdom. I was lucky to be one of them. I remember a tall, graceful man with the kind of gravitas that only the most perfectly placed voice could ever confer. It took some awe-struck weeks to discover that he also had a wicked sense of humour, and a few more to recognise the iron discipline that he felt was as essential to the actor as it is to the dancer. His job, as he saw it, was to provide the actor with a means of communication that would support whatever challenges he or she might face in their subsequent careers. Those challenges might come from the avante-garde, the classical or the new – in 2000seaters, studios, films or television – in dialect or RP. ‘You must intend to be heard’ he’d say. ‘The intention is paramount but don’t neglect the equipment’. He was formal, kindly and above all practical. Clifford saw the body as an instrument and the voice as its purpose. A musician can be full of music but without the ability to play the notes there will be only cacophony or frustrated silence. A dancer can be full of dancing but without obedient muscles the choreography will be wasted. Clifford believed the same was true of the voice. Lips, tongues, mouths needed to be exercised. Breathing needed to be expanded and controlled, resonance to be explored and increased. His primary method was rib-reserve breathing – holding the ribs out, whether inhaling or exhaling, while pumping the air from the diaphragm. The principle is not unlike maintaining air in the bagpipes. From there he moved to the maintenance of tone, whatever the pitch – the whole supported by a relaxed and fit body. He was the first I believe to introduce the Alexander technique to RADA. We are lucky in England to have a language that has been allowed to evolve freely. In France and Germany, for instance, where shifting boundaries have made the language an instrument of unification, there have been deliberate limitations of form and vocabulary. Here the successive waves of Romans, Saxons, Scandinavians, Normans have added

voice & speech in the theatre

layer upon layer of nuance to a language already rich, creating over the centuries a supreme vehicle for dramatic communication. There are few rules in English. Gender has gone, so too pedantic word order, and stress follows meaning, not just grammar, and can be varied. Consequently we don’t have a mask tradition, nor mime, nor dance. With such an astonishing palette of sound and meaning, such traditions were simply unnecessary. Clifford loved language. He loved the combination of thought and feeling that it could convey. He would linger over a dipthong, relishing the sounds that made it up. ‘Italian doesn’t have these,’ he’d say. ‘Treasure them.’ And he would spend as much time on the meaning of a poem as he would on its delivery. The exercises in this book are entirely practical. Some are witty, some quite moving, others just fun. They add up to a necessary drudgery, like the scales for a singer, or bar exercises for a dancer. It mattered to Clifford not just how he taught or who, but what. Words were everything and he practised what he preached. I remember one day at RADA trying to take dictation against a background of Gower Street trafficnoise. We complained. He immediately lifted the pitch of his voice, flattened the tone and the words came through. There was no ‘voice beautiful’ nor psycho-babble – just simple clarity. He was the best of the best – the Godfather of the voice. Terry Hands (Director, Clwyd Theatr Cymru)

introduction to the sixth edition

Clifford Turner was one of the most significant and admired of British voice teachers in the 20th century. At his memorial service in St Martin-in-the-Fields in London on 13th November 1964, The Times1 noted that numerous luminaries of the British theatre had been present, including Sir Laurence Olivier, who delivered the main lesson, Ms Gwynneth Thurburn, principal of the Central School of Speech and Drama, and Mr John Fernald, principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Significantly, the congregation also included many past and present students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, to whom Turner had devoted a large part of his working life. Even though his brilliant career fell into the first half of the 20th century, his reputation looks set to endure into the 21st. To understand this phenomenon fully we must look at two contributing factors. Firstly, there is the legacy of his role as a teacher. Secondly, there is the even richer legacy of his success as a writer. Former students of Turner bear witness to the profound influence he had upon their careers. Some of them regard his teachings as among the most significant in their actor training. John Gray, retired senior Alexander practitioner at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, says, ‘I found Clifford’s work at RADA probably the most useful of all …’2 George Pensotti, an actor, adds: ‘He really was an inspirational voice teacher, but without ever becoming didactic or even too serious … his classes were captivating.’3 Many also speak fervently of the impact of Turner himself. His physical presence was striking, at well over six-foot-four, with, as John Gray describes, ‘a wonderfully resonant deep voice which we all tended 1

14th November 1964. Gray, John. Notes to editor. 20th January 2006. 3 Pensotti, George. Letter to editor. 2nd September 2006. 2

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to imitate’;4 professional verse reader and founder of Speak-a-Poem, Betty Mulcahy, similarly remembers, ‘(He) had a magnificent voice, and was always aware of the sound,’5 whilst actor James Dodding goes so far as to refer to his ‘God-like’ influence.6 Of his voice, again, Pensotti memorably adds: … it was magical. There’s no other word for it. His own voice was so unforced, having a musical quality that I can still recall so clearly. Certainly it was one of the most distinctive voices I’ve ever heard.7 Another ex-student, Vanessa Rosenthal, further enriches these collective impressions by remembering how Turner’s ‘Edwardian’ demeanour left a firm and highly stylised impression upon her as a young acting student in the 1960s.8 For some young people, such as herself, his uncompromising professionalism, commanding example and resonant Received Pronunciation may indeed have been somewhat intimidating. It is important to remember that by the early 1960s, the world of British theatre was in a state of flux, mirroring the wider social and political changes in society. The pre-war British reverence for the voices of authority was beginning to be challenged, causing a breakdown in many of the old and rigid class structures. London’s Royal Court Theatre, for example, ensured that a wider range of socially representative identities reached the main stage than had previously been the case. Their regional voices provided a marked contrast to the prevailing tradition of the standard or ‘received’ accent, for which Clifford Turner was widely renowned. For the first time in the 20th century, Received Pronunciation began to lose its ascendancy in the British theatre. It is abundantly clear, however, that although the memory of his voice remains a highly influential benchmark for many working actors today, it is as an author that Turner is primarily remembered. His book, Voice and Speech in the Theatre, first published in 1950, remains an absolute classic in its field. It is also the textbook of choice for many of 4

Gray, John. Notes to editor. 20th January 2006. Mulcahy, Betty. Interview with editor. 22nd April 2006. 6 Dodding, James. Letter to editor. 3rd August 2006. 7 Pensotti, George. Letter to editor. 2nd September 2006. 8 Rosenthal, Vanessa. Informal discussion with editor. 12th August 2006. 5

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introduction

the leading contemporary voice teachers in the UK and the US, including Lynette Erving9, Joanna Weir Ouston, Leigh Smiley and Deborah Hale10. It is important, therefore, in this sixth edition, to consider both Turner’s exemplary reputation as a teacher and also his skill in translating his practice into one of the most successful voice textbooks of the past century. It is also important to examine some of the book’s inevitable anachronisms and to suggest ways of rereading them in the light of recent advances in training techniques. It must not be forgotten that approaches to teaching have changed since Turner began his career, and some of his attitudes can now seem old-fashioned until appropriately contextualised. It must also be remembered that he lived in a time when scientific knowledge about the voice was not nearly as advanced as it is now. Neither could he have foreseen the ways in which tastes have changed with regard to the criteria for evaluating the modern voice in performance. Given that there are invariably elements in any methodology that fail to survive beyond the age of their conception, it is remarkable that there is so much in the book that remains wholly relevant to the contemporary theatre. What has changed, crucially, is society itself, and for this reason alone the book needs some serious re-introduction. The early part of the new millennium is markedly different from the middle of the last century when it first appeared, and clearly the sociological background to contemporary voice work needs some discussion. Conventions about vocal production and aesthetics have always had a relationship to social hierarchies and racial and gender stereotypes, but this was never more so than in the Britain of the 1950s when the book first came out. As a consequence of this, the contemporary voice practitioner or student may initially regard Turner’s exercises as inappropriate for the modern mind and body. It is important, therefore, to see how their intrinsic worth can transcend their era, and that only on the surface might they be termed ‘old-fashioned’. David Carey, former head of the MA Voice training programme at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, offers an 9 10

Erving, Lynette. Discussion with editor. 24th March 2006. Weir Ouston, Joanna. Smiley, Leigh. Hale, Deborah. Informal discussions with editor. 7th April 2006, at ‘Giving Voice’ conference in Aberystwyth, Wales.

voice & speech in the theatre

observation about the early editions of the book coming out of a more ‘buttoned-up and tight-lipped era’11. We can consider that this ‘buttoned-up’ image referred not only to the actual attire of Turner’s male students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but also to an outdated, authoritarian concept of teaching and learning involving students receiving a top-down wisdom from their master teachers, rather than engaging in a dialogue with them. Similarly, the ‘tight-lipped’ epithet signals the manner in which teacher and student perceived the training in the light of culturally elevated expectations of the classical tradition, of which Turner was an eminent practitioner. MA Voice studies degree student Samantha Mesagno at the Central School of Drama begins to unpick some of the practical and sociological reasons for this classroom status quo: Clifford only taught men (apparently that was the normal approach in those days); men taught men and women taught women. The reason it seems was so that the men had a good masculine voice to tune to in their teacher. Likewise for the women teaching women, it was felt that women had a very different feminine quality in their voice, with more inflections and registers and being much lighter in diction.12 The fact that Turner taught in single-sex groups to male students, who were requested to keep their shirts buttoned and their ties tied, sounds anomalous in the 21st century. In retrospect, however, we can see that it simply reflected the fact that separate spheres for the sexes was more prevalent in Western teaching academies and was more in keeping with the world outside the classroom. It also reflected the idea that those who trained their voices were expected to possess a recognised gravitas, and would be regarded as both a vocal and a social example to others. It was probably inevitable that these mid-20th century social structures and attitudes would have an impact on students’ vocal production, and may also have been part of the reason why young men had no option but to ‘imitate’ Turner’s own voice. Whereas contemporary 11 12

Carey, David. Informal discussion with editor. January/February 2006. Mesagno, Samantha. E-mail to editor. 4th May 2006.

introduction

vocal teaching invites students to discover their own vocality, in the mid-20th century it was deemed appropriate to follow the example of one’s teachers more closely, even if it took the individual away from their own vocal centre. John Gray adds, ‘I don’t think we really found our natural placing and the ease that should come from it’.13 Carey, Mesagno and Gray collectively refer to a socially stratified era in which behaviour, voice, clothing and physical expression were all linked to gendered notions of decorum, discretion and deference. In the early to mid-20th century, in general terms, society’s elders and ‘betters’ still knew best, and within specific learning environments it was considered important that each sex only taught its own. Whilst the sociology of voice is a complex and subtle issue needing much deeper discussion than the remit of this revision allows, the relationship between society and performance practice is clearly important when approaching Turner’s work today. We have to remember that within British society, social stratification is not as rigid as it was, and the freedom of the individual’s right to expression has grown. The freedom to reflect these rights has also transformed the modern body. The physique of the new millennium has offered a far greater range of expressive possibilities in dance, therapeutic movement, sport, and so on, and is governed by much freer social and sexual codes than in the past. As a result, some of Turner’s expectations of the sound he aimed for out of the 1950s body can seem irrelevant to the body, mind and voice of today. This distance can prove useful, however. For many contemporary students and practitioners, the refreshing aspect of the book is the very fact that it does come from a different era. As such, it serves as an invaluable guide to an approach that pre-dates the ‘freer’ vocal teaching methods of today. It also provides a salient reminder about certain modern approaches that have a tendency to neglect the fundamental area of technique. Gray continues: It is considered old-fashioned to have a lovely, resonant, varied tone with colour, flexibility and full range using all the registers; and yet what a joy it is when you hear them. Critics always remark on this more and more rare experience.14 13 14

Gray, John. Notes to editor. 20th January 2006. Gray, John, ibid.

voice & speech in the theatre

As we have already seen, the social conditions under which Clifford Turner worked at RADA and elsewhere in the 1950s and 1960s have changed beyond recognition. It is also important to review the technical information in the book, much of which was inherited from speech scientists as far back as Turner’s mentor, Dr W.H. Aiken, at the turn of the 20th century. The final part of the 20th century has yielded much new knowledge that neither of them could have foreseen: … the past 30 years have yielded an extraordinary increase in knowledge about the voice, partly because of the collaboration of so many different disciplines – from engineering to linguistics, neurology to computer science, through aerodynamic studies, acoustic studies, even intonation studies.15 Most of the main tenets of 20th-century voice theory can be traced back to Dr W. Aiken. Elsie Fogerty, founder of the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, first recruited him to the profession in 1912. Aiken eventually taught at Central for more than 20 years: [He contributed immensely] … to the formation of the Central ethos that was to be passed on to such acolytes as Clifford Turner and Gwyneth Thurburn, who both trained at Central shortly after the First World War.16 Turner clearly saw himself in direct relationship to Aiken’s lineage, and pays homage to him in his second book, The Stage as Career, ending a chapter on voice with an emotional quote foreshadowing the ‘new age’ tastes of the 21st century: This chapter ends with a quotation from ‘Carmen Vocis’, by Dr W.A. Aiken, who holds for the author many affectionate memories:

Karpf, Anne, The Human Voice: The Story of a Remarkable Talent, p.14 (London: Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2006). 16 Carey, David, With One Voice (June 2004). Retrieved from: A Vocal Process production: www.vocalprocess.net.

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introduction

My soul is in my breath and with my breath will I lift up my voice in speech and song … For I am in my breath and in my voice; and all my countrymen will hear me and understand.17 Aiken’s own book, The Voice: An Introduction to Practical Phonology, published in 1951 was a reprint of his book written 50 years earlier, in 1910 – which in itself was a remodelling of his earlier The Voice, Its Physiology and Cultivation, written in 1900. It is in these books that much of Turner’s scientific evidence is to be found. Vocal specialist and author Gillyanne Kayes suggests that writers such as Aiken were following an even earlier tradition where empirical approaches to voice work were linked to the medical sciences pioneered by practitioners such as Manuel Garcia as far back as the middle of the 19th century. Manuel Patricio Rodriguez Garcia (1805–1906) taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London between 1848 and 1895, and invented the laryngoscope in 1854. This provided the early foundations for the twinning of science and practice within the modern tradition of voice work. From the later 20th century onwards, we can see ‘an acceleration of interest in links between both medical science and voice and physics and voice’.18 With his practice based firmly in empiricism as well as the medical sciences, Turner clearly belongs to this Garcia/Aiken tradition. Where he departs from it is in the readability of his prose, aiming slightly more for the lay-person than for the expert. He mostly eschews scientific jargon for a writing style that remains accessible for those with performance specialisms. Few writers on performance have matched the thorough all-round wisdom and readability of Turner’s book, enabling both the specialist and the general reader to understand and benefit from his approach to voice production. Significantly, he also positioned his voice science within a wider context of the humanities, where an appreciation of heightened poetic language was assumed. Here, he advocated the use of certain dramatic 17

Turner, Clifford, The Stage as a Career, p.60 (London: Museum Press Limited, 1963). 18 Kayes, Gillyanne, With One Voice (June 2006). Retrieved from: A Vocal Process production: www.vocalprocess.net.

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texts and verse texts stemming from the English literary canon that also linked him to the heart of classical actor training concerns in the United Kingdom, both then and now. Although there is a more inclusive view of the ‘canon’ today, involving a range of texts (verse and prose) from a wider and more multicultural perspective, it is still possible to appreciate Turner’s choices, many of which can provide readers with a clear record of language that requires a particular muscularity of diction. Contemporary voice practitioner Joanna Weir Ouston, for example, remarks upon the continuing usefulness of Turner’s selection of exercise passages: Turner’s received pronunciation exercises are brilliant and important, especially now that many students are remaining in a zone of their own sound more and more as they are cast to sound ‘natural’ … The passage beginning Rosario (p.103 Fifth edition: Exercise for OH), is particularly useful to get people to feel the different energy of the sound of received pronunciation.19 It is important above all to appreciate that Turner’s place in the heart of actor-training and the humanities gave him the insight to relate the healthy functioning of the voice to the expressive, emotional and artistic need implicit in the art of being human. This introduction also invites a new interpretation of Turner’s preferred breathing method known as ‘rib-reserve’. In a preface to Chapter 2, I will set the scene for this method and offer examples of current practitioners who utilise the work or question aspects of it. I will also offer current ways of addressing the method with counterbalancing ideas from the Alexander Technique.20 By taking a balanced overview, Turner’s comments about the effectiveness of rib-reserve breathing can be qualified with current thought about the possible tension it can set up for people who adopt it. It is important, however, that Turner’s way of describing the method should remain as a resource for teachers, scholars and students and as one of the few places in print where it is described.

19 20

Weir Ouston, Joanna. Informal discussion with editor. 7th April 2006. Alexander Society, contact 020-7284-3338.

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introduction

Together with Malcolm Morrison, Turner’s previous reviser, I hope that I have helped to perpetuate the reputation of this immensely practical, sensible and challenging teacher, and that an entirely new generation will continue to benefit from his eloquent depiction of the essential ingredients of voice work. Not only should this book be regarded as the profound record of the man and his craft, but it should also be seen as an invaluable guide for anybody interested in the possibility of developing and transforming their own voice. Jane Boston Royal Academy of Dramatic Art September 2006

1 • the voice in theory When the technical equipment of the actor is considered, voice and speech are of paramount importance. The actor’s art, it is true, consists of much more than the delivery of the lines, but take away the element of voice and very little is left. Even if the actor were to forget the aesthetic implications of his or her craft, mere economics compel perfection and care of the voice, and the acquisition of control over speech. It may be retorted that some actors have succeeded in spite of poor or indifferent vocal equipment, and that others have successfully capitalized peculiar individualities of voice and diction. The very highest manifestations of any art are always characterized by a technique so flawless that it is unnoticeable and becomes one with the art itself. This book is not addressed to those whose aim is to exploit their peculiarities. There is a place in the theatre for voices of many types, but no room whatsoever for any voice that is incorrectly managed, or for voice and speech which is not appropriate to the play.

Voice and speech as a habit Voice is instinctive and speech is an acquired habit. The child does not have to learn how to cry and croon, but speech is the result of much laborious experiment, which is forgotten as soon as the movements of the tongue and lips have been repeated a sufficient number of times to set up a habit.

The results of conditioning Both voice and speech are conditioned by a large number of factors, for example the influence of social and regional environment. No two persons have identical voices, although many have family resemblances, but there are many who make use of identical speech movements. The actor makes use of the gift of voice and the acquired habit of speech, and some degree of proficiency in the day-to-day use of both

voice & speech in the theatre

has always been obtained before they are employed in the theatre. It is clearly not so with the other arts. In these, the acquisition of a technique is obvious, and the habits that are thereby acquired are conditioned entirely by the art. Voice and speech for the majority are haphazard affairs, but what passes in everyday life will not stand the test of performance in the theatre, and the qualities that are essential for the actor cannot be acquired overnight, let alone during the process of rehearsal. The voice and speech of the embryo actor, then, are already determined before acting begins. Unfortunately, difficulties often arise when bad habits have to be discarded and prejudices overcome before the new habits can be substituted. In many ways it would be simpler for all concerned were he or she in a position to start from scratch. The text of a play has often most aptly been compared with a musical score. The actor is the link between the dramatist and the audience. The voice is the means by which the dramatist’s work is bodied forth, and is the main channel along which thought and feeling are to flow. The voice, in fact, is an instrument, a highly specialized instrument, which is activated and played upon by the actor’s intelligence and feeling, both of which have been stimulated by the imaginative power he or she is able to bring to bear upon the dramatist’s creation. The actor not only has a most rigorous standard of integrity to which he or she must adhere, but bears a definite responsibility to the dramatist, the director, fellow actors, and the audience.

The voice as an instrument Once this is admitted, it is obvious that the most exacting demands are made upon the voice, which is capable of achieving its objectives only when it has become a responsive instrument capable of great refinement of detail. This attitude towards the matter may be likened to the relationship which exists between a musician and the instrument. Supreme moments are achieved only when there is a balance held between the instrument and the person who plays it, and when both contribute equally, for the virtuoso will be hampered by an indifferent instrument, and the tyro will achieve but meagre results from the most sensitive instrument. The two are complementary. And so it is with the actor. Even the most brilliant intellectual and emotional grasp of character and situation will be diminished in effect by poor vocal equipment, and mere voice, whether ‘full of sound and fury’ or not, will signify next to nothing.

the production of voice

The aim of this book is to indicate the fundamentals of training which will put at the actor’s command a technique of voice and speech; a technique which will embody the essentials of the art, but which cannot in the nature of things be in any way final or conclusive. A technique matures only with the development and maturing of the imagination by which it is controlled and whose servant it is.

The production of voice When the term voice is used it refers to the quality of the tone by which a speaker may be identified. But tone pre-supposes a resonator, and a resonator is lifeless and inert until it is activated, and only then are its properties heard. To understand the voice in its essentials, we must understand the importance of a whole sequence of events which must take place before tone results. Before the tone of an instrument such as the violin is heard, the strings must be bowed. The energy of the arm movements is transferred to the strings, which then vibrate, and so set up a note. This note acquires tone through the resonating properties of the wooden belly of the instrument. Excitor, vibrator, resonator There are thus three separate and distinct factors to be taken into account– 1. The Excitor: the force which is essential to initiate any sound. The energy behind the arm movements of the violinist and the drummer. The breath of the oboe player. 2. The Vibrator: that part of the instrument which resists the excitor, or to which the energy of the excitor is transferred. The strings of the violin, the stretched skin of the drum, the reed of the oboe. 3. The Resonator: that part of the instrument which amplifies the note resulting from bringing the excitor and vibrator into association. The wooden part beneath the strings of the violin, and the whole of woodwind and brass instruments into which the reed is inserted or into the mouthpiece of which the player blows. In a violin, as in many other man-made instruments, the tone is determined by the skill of the craftsman who makes the instrument. The

voice & speech in the theatre

instrumentalist, although initially concerned with the setting up of a note which will do nothing to destroy or mar the tone of which the resonator is capable, is primarily concerned with the movements which the particular instrument demands to render the printed score in terms of sound.

Voice as a secondary activity The genius of the human species has been that of having the ability to adapt the function of a number of bodily organs to achieve the same results. This function of the organs is only secondary to their main and vital functions. Thus the air exhaled from the lungs is utilized by man as an excitor. The exhaled air may issue from the lungs as it entered them, as mere breath, or it may be resisted in the larynx by the vocal cords which form the vibrator. The vocal cords work on the principle of a reed, and cause the exhaled air to be cut up into a series of minute puffs which constitute the note. Before this note reaches the outer air it must pass through the pharynx, whose main function is concerned with swallowing. It can then pass through the mouth, one vital function of which is chewing; or the nose, whose main function is associated with respiration and the sensation of smell. These cavities form the triple resonator of the voice. In speakers the tone may be non-existent, may have been impaired through mismanagement of the organs concerned, or may be merely latent. Few speakers utilize the tone of which they are capable, and some employ tone which resembles the sound of their remote ancestors. Others attempt to combine the vital and vocal functions of these cavities, and swallow at the same time as they declaim. Many chew their conversation, while others would seem to attempt the impossible task of smelling the tone as it issues from their noses! So far no mention has been made of the movable nature of the mouth resonator. This can assume an infinite variety of shapes by reason of the variable position of the tongue and lips, singly or in combination. It is this variation in the shape of the mouth which has the effect of imprinting the character of the vowels on the tone.

Quality and character In listening to a speaker we hear the tone of the voice, which is the result of the effect of the whole resonator upon the note produced. We also

consonants

hear the character of the sound, due to the change in shape of the resonators. We might, therefore, say that we can recognise who is speaking by the quality, and what they are saying by the characters of the sounds. Clearly it is possible for the quality to be satisfactory and the character unsatisfactory. In other words the tone is good but the pronunciation is bad. In the same way it is possible for the pronunciation to be impeccable, but the tone indifferent. We shall see later that one of the main problems of voice production is to achieve maximum resonation, or tone, for each vowel, without sacrificing the clarity of its character.

Consonants The resonator possesses the additional function of impeding the free, open passage of the tone and in so doing forms the consonants of a language. Thus the three cavities may be thrown into communication with each other by bringing the lips together and lowering the soft palate, as in the case of M. The mouth may be eliminated as a resonator when the pharynx and nose only are used, as in the case of NG. The resonator may be completely closed and then suddenly opened, as in the case of B. The exit from the mouth may be narrowed in a great variety of ways by bringing the articulatory organs close together as, for example, in V. Tone and word The distinction between voice and speech should now be clearer. Voice is tone which is produced by a speaker in a manner exactly analogous to its manner of production in man-made instruments. The words of a printed page, on the other hand, may be regarded as a record of the movements of the speech organs, and correspond to the movement of the instrumentalist when he reads notes from the printed score. When the actor learns his words he is in reality committing to memory the sequence of movements for which the words are the visual symbols. If this seems a surprising way of regarding the matter, the reader should speak this, or any other sentence which enters the mind, using the breath alone. Do not attempt to read it aloud, or to make the words carry, but speak the words on the breath. There must be no sound in the accepted sense of the word. What you have done could be heard quite easily a short distance away, for you have imprinted the vowel

voice & speech in the theatre

shapes and the articulatory movement on the breath as it issues from the lungs. When these movements have been recorded they are recalled at the moment of performance. But in order that these movements should reach the members of the audience farthest away from the stage, the excitor, vibrator, and resonator are all brought into service in order to produce tone, on which the movements are superimposed and by means of which the movements are carried to the last rows of the theatre. Every time the actor speaks, this dual character of his instrument is made evident. It is at one and the same time a tone-producing instrument and a word-producing instrument. The human resonator, therefore, excels all others in its complexity and fascination, and yet the resonator, and in fact the whole instrument, behaves perfectly providing its natural functioning is not interfered with, and is developed on correct physiological principles.

Breath, note, tone, word This double action of the resonator must be continually borne in mind if the voice is to function correctly: in fact, it is safe to say that when the two functions are confused in training, success is rarely, if ever, achieved. There are, then, four aspects of utterance to be considered in training the voice; namely, the breath, the note, the tone, and the word. Each must be developed on its own merits, in the right order, and related to the rest during this process. The foregoing may be summed up in tabular form thus – 1. Breath 2. Note 3. Tone 4. Word

EXCITOR VIBRATOR

}

RESONATOR

{

Lungs Vocal cords Pharynx, mouth and nose Mouth and nose

} Sum total size shapes } Variable and contacts

The order of occurrence may now be grasped visually. The breath is seen to be the foundation upon which utterance is built. The first modification of the breath occurs when the vibrating vocal cords cut up the breath stream and in so doing form the note. The whole resonator then modifies the note and imparts tone. The shapes the

speech in the theatre

resonator assumes, and the articulatory movements it makes, modify the tone. Speech, then, is the result of a whole chain of interrelated events. It is heard in perfection only when harmony exists between them, and only then will the instrument respond with subtlety and sensitivity to the intention of the actor.

Speech in the theatre Speech in the theatre must be governed by the necessity of speaking to large numbers of listeners at one and the same time, so that every word carries convincingly; and yet it must be so controlled that the illusion of reality is not destroyed. Obviously, this is not true of most speech situations, where the demands on the voice are comparatively insignificant. But consider what is demanded of a Juliet in Act III or a Macbeth in Act V. Such roles can never be lightly undertaken, even by the most technically accomplished. At the opposite extreme we may consider stage dialogue which is written with the express purpose of creating the illusion that what is spoken from the stage is not only true to life but is life itself. In this case the audience is in the position of a privileged spectator for whom the fourth wall of a room has been conveniently removed. It might be argued that such dialogue presents even greater problems for the actor. It is certainly the most deceptive, for the unwary are deceived by its apparent likeness to life, and fall into the trap of adopting the speech habits of real life, under the mistaken impression that these not only serve but also enhance the impression of reality. All stage dialogue, whether cast in the romantic or in the realistic moulds, is composed, pruned, and shaped to create a designed impression, and Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Noel Coward all demand the same heightened form of utterance, the difference between them being merely one of degree. The two hours’ traffic of the stage demands such compression of dialogue that every breath, every note, every tone, and every syllable of every word must be given their due value. These preliminaries have brought us back to the concept of the voice as an instrument and the script of a play as a musical score which awaits interpretation by the living voice of the actor – created in the actor, and responsive to the emotions engendered by his or her life and art. On this the actor plays by means of articulation, and so brings words to life.

2 • the voice in practice No instrument can be played without making use of the force of the excitor, and we cannot speak at all without using the breath. The way in which we use it is of great importance. Interpretation rests upon the most shaky of foundations if the breath force will not respond automatically to all the demands made upon it by the emotional powers of the artist. Indeed, interpretation cannot even begin until this force is developed and controlled.

Control It is relatively a simple matter to obtain correctly an increase in the breath supply, but uncontrolled force is a menace to the note and tone of the voice. We need, therefore, not only to obtain sufficient capacity to ensure impeccable phrasing and to bring about all the manifold changes in volume that may be necessary, but also the ability to control the breath so that it is used with the firmness and controlled power that are behind the bow of the violinist.

Breathing for life It has been noted that the use of the breath as an excitor is secondary to the main and vital function it plays in respiration. It follows, therefore, that the organs concerned must be developed on correct physiological lines. In other words, we are not free to impose a series of movements on our breathing mechanism if these movements are contrary to their natural action, but our minimum requirements must be achieved by developing those movements for which the organs themselves were designed. In breathing exercises, however, the rhythm of the normal breathing cycle is disturbed. In quiet breathing this cycle consists of a comparatively slow intake, a comparatively quick outlet, followed by a pause. In sustained utterance it is obvious that the output takes considerably longer than the intake, and that any pauses

breathing for voice

which are made are governed by either logical or emotional considerations, and are usually only of momentary duration. In rearranging the timing of these movements in practice, therefore, we are merely preparing ourselves for the conditions which prevail.

Breathing for voice In everyday life breathing is what is termed a reflex act, which means that the movements are carried out without the will being involved. We do not have to say to ourselves that it is some time since a breath was taken so we must breathe again. Nor are we conscious of the movements themselves, except when for some reason they are laboured and in consequence we experience a sense of discomfort. But the essence of a technique is that all movements should be consciously directed until a new habit is formed. Therefore we have to decide which movements of the breathing mechanism will bring about the best results in the voice, and repeat these movements under the direction of the will until they become habitual. They will then automatically come into play whenever the voice is to be used under conditions which make conversational habits unsuitable. Our problem is, firstly, to direct the breathing movements in such a way as to achieve good working capacity, so that the normal functioning of the organs is disturbed to the minimum extent; and, secondly, to regulate and control the exhaled breath, so that the best possible results are achieved when it is used as an excitor to initiate the note. It will be seen later that the method of breathing adopted has most important repercussions on the tone. Introduction to the concept of rib-reserve breathing A key signature note of Turner’s technical voice theory is his focus on the action of the ribs. Many practitioners today still hold fast to this aspect of his teachings and pay great tribute to it, in particular to the fact of separating the rib movement from that of the abdomen and the diaphragm as part of a longer process of exploration.21 This is regarded as working the musculature of breathing support with greater conscious control than other methods. [Editor’s comment]

Carey, David. Informal discussion with editor. January/February 2006.

voice & speech in the theatre

It is important to bear in mind, however, that many contemporary practitioners offer words of caution when approaching aspects of Turner’s method for breathing support: The problem with rib reserve is that it can create tension and holding. Anyone who has tension problems generally, and a tendency to hold back the breath, should certainly avoid it, at least until they have remedied these tendencies.22 As we can see, the reason that many practitioners from the 1970s onwards have disregarded the rib-reserve work is because of its occasional tendency to encourage physical tension. However, many contemporary practitioners now fear that something may have been lost in the departure from this approach. It is also clear that there will always be different opinions about the most effective ways of working the ribs. For example, RADA singing teacher Philip Raymond feels that as long as there is flexibility in the system and the inspiration is right, the ribs will naturally stay elevated and wide, whilst others believe, like Turner, that you need to get the ribs strengthened, and then the rest will follow.23 Still others feel that there is no point in holding ribs up and out because it puts too much extra pressure on the body.24 Gray offers the useful suggestion that: … more emphasis should be placed on the ‘out’ breath and the reflex nature of breathing, explaining how air fills a vacuum when the ribs move freely.25 Common to all approaches since Turner has been the idea of pursuing muscular flexibility in all work with the ribs, the diaphragm

Houseman, Barbara, Finding Your Voice, p.64 (London: Nick Hern Books, 2002). 23 Raymond Philip. Informal discussion with editor. January/February 2006. 24 Vocal Process: editor’s personal workshop training notes taken at Vocal Process 2003. 25 Gray, John. Notes to editor. 20th January 2006. 22

breathing for voice

and the abdominals. It is recommended, therefore, that any reader who wishes to adopt Turner’s rib-reserve methodology should do so with a view to also achieving an interconnected, flexible and more spontaneous muscularity, letting the breath happen rather than making it happen, such as is advocated through the Alexander Technique. Gray usefully observes: ‘Rib-reserve’ therefore needs a rethink so that it becomes more akin to good natural breathing with the added element of ‘conscious control’.26 As a general rule, then, we can appreciate that if the ribs are worked in gentle, relaxed yet focused ways, the best of Turner’s ideas can be realised along with the newer thinking about avoiding unnecessary tension by focusing on the recoil or reflex breath. In sitting comfortably and enjoying a sensation of soft and gently dropped shoulders and a springy elasticity in the ribs, whilst also thinking of widening and lengthening in the tradition of the Alexander Technique, the ribs can be best approached. In so doing, readers can effectively begin to harness current thinking to that of the past. Although it is clear that the Alexander Technique informed Turner, he drew upon it less overtly than is common practice for voice teachers today, and it is this conscious application of release and freedom of the anatomical structure as mentioned in the Technique that can make the real difference. Gray again: Clifford Turner never mentioned the words ‘Alexander Technique’, as far as I remember, but when I eventually started lessons I realised that much of his work was based on it, though perhaps with a slightly more mechanical approach.27 Again, with regard to rib-reserve breathing, it is advisable to work in tandem with consciously relaxed, simple-recoil breathing, in order to maximise the opportunities to stay as closely as possible to a natural free breath. 26 27

Gray, John, ibid. Gray, John, ibid.

voice & speech in the theatre

A recoil breath can be found by letting the breath leave the body whilst emitting a focused ‘F’ exhalation over the lips, and then allowing the breath to enter back into the body on the recoil action of the muscles, thus focusing on the out breath prior to what is taken back in. Finally, taking into consideration recent holistic thinking about breath, it is useful to reflect on the fact that: … the ability of your lungs to expand completely is directly related to the flexibility of the intercostal muscles (the muscles in between the ribs) and the openness of the spinal column and rib cage. If the spine becomes rigid it will in turn limit the movement of the lungs … Because breathing is a whole body movement, every part must act in synchrony with every other part to form the extraordinary movement we call breathing.28 [Editor’s comment]

The mechanism of breathing It is common knowledge that the lungs are enclosed in a more or less conical cage formed by the ribs, which increase progressively in size from top to bottom. The base of this cone is formed by the diaphragm, a muscular partition separating the upper and lower parts of the trunk. Air is drawn into the lungs when the size of the chest is increased. This increase may be brought about by the contraction of the muscles which move the ribs and by the descent of the diaphragm when its muscle fibres contract. Not everyone breathes in an identical way and not everyone makes use of both these movements; even when they do, they are not always equally employed. But as they are the movements which must be developed and controlled if a technique is to be established, they must be examined in some detail, so that the extent and nature of the movements, and the manner of adaptation necessary to establish good working capacity and efficient control, may be made clear.

Farhi, Donna, The Breathing Book, p.66 (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996).

basic rib movement

Some common problems When the muscles which move the ribs contract, they tend to draw the whole cage in an upward and outward direction. The upward pull of the muscles causes them to move outwards as well as upwards, and it is the outward movement of the ribs which should be encouraged. Any tendency to lift the rib cage vertically as a whole must be resisted and there must be no raising of the shoulders. Such movements result in shallow breathing. It is almost impossible to control the breath which is obtained in this manner, for, on speaking, the ribs collapse with inevitable harshness of attack, and control of volume and tone becomes impossible.

Basic rib movement Lateral movement is to be encouraged and vertical movement resisted. This lateral expansion of the ribs should be felt at a ‘central’ level by placing the fingers on the ribs with the thumbs behind, pointing towards the spine, three or four inches above the waist just in front of the armpits. Taking care not to draw the elbows back, direct the ribs to move outwards, sensing the lateral movement as the air is drawn in. The movement should be originated at the point where the thumbs can be felt against the ribs at the back. The sensation should be that the whole of the back widens through from side to side. The wrong sensation is that the ribs and breastbone are thrust forward in front. This exercise should be the basis of all practice until the sensation is arrived at that the ribs spring out effortlessly to their maximum excursion with no movement whatsoever of the upper part of the rib cage. This will, of course, take time to achieve, although the implication is not that one remains on this exercise until boredom sets in. An important point to note is that the breath should enter and leave the lungs silently. The value of expansion is not increased by the accompaniment of a sustained sniff. When the correct movement of the ribs has been acquired, the same exercise is performed again, only this time the breath is taken in through the nose and released through the mouth by relaxing the jaw downwards, paying especial attention to the easy unstiffened jaw position and the noiseless emission of the breath. With the jaw in this condition, the breath is then inhaled as well as exhaled silently through the open mouth. The difficulty is increased by counting thus – in, two,

voice & speech in the theatre

three: hold, two, three: out, two, three. The breath must be held without having recourse to tension.

Developing control So far inhalation and exhalation have been of equal duration, but the first step towards control is to hasten the former and to retard the latter, which may be done by employing a shorter count during inhalation and a longer one during exhalation, until eventually the ribs swing out instantaneously but move inwards to a mental count of twenty. Important note At this stage, however, no such prolonged exhalation should be attempted. The principal object should be to direct the breath to the right place in the right way. The reader may gradually increase the counting, but never to such an extent that discomfort is experienced. The power to control the outlet of the breath must be acquired gradually, with no attempt to take a short cut.

The diaphragm The diaphragm forms the base of the conical cage, as we have seen. It arches up into the thorax so that it presents a convex surface to the lungs. When it contracts it descends and in so doing tends to displace the organs lying immediately beneath it. These organs are not compressed, however, for the muscles of the upper abdominal wall relax and are moved forwards.

Feeling the diaphragm move This forward movement is most easily observed when one is in a relaxed position lying on the floor. The finger-tips of one hand should be placed just above the waist on the soft part between the ribs. No conscious effort should be made to breathe, and the fingers should merely note, but not assist, the movement. There may, at first, be no movement at all, as the diaphragm is frequently sluggish, and the extent of its downward movement and the ease with which this can be induced varies considerably between one individual and another. The move-

developing capacity

front

side

Fig.1 Ribs and diaphragm in position of rest. The horizontal lines indicate the area to which attention should be drawn when sensing the expansion of the ribs and diaphragm.

ment of the abdominal wall below the waist should be almost negligible. If there is a decided movement of the whole abdominal wall, the movement is probably being made by these muscles alone, and not as a result of the movement of the diaphragm, and will therefore be incorrect. When the correct movement has been established it should be done in the standing position until it can be performed at will.

Developing capacity It should by now be obvious that full capacity should be obtained by combining the movements of the ribs and diaphragm. In this connection there is an important point to note. The diaphragm is attached by its circumference to the lower ribs, so that when these move outwards they draw the edges of the diaphragm with them. The extent of the downward movement of this muscle is thereby restricted. There is, however, no diminution of the breath capacity, since the lack of downward movement is compensated for by the increase in the size of the area in which the diaphragm moves. It is the equalizing and balancing of the two movements which not only enable us to acquire full capacity but also ensure against an ungainly protrusion of the abdominal wall.

voice & speech in the theatre

Basic rib and diaphragm movement The fingers of one hand should now be placed on the ribs as described and the finger-tips of the other hand in the region where the result of the diaphragm movement may be felt. On a mental count of one direct the ribs to move outwards. On two, the diaphragm is to descend: the hand at the centre is moved forward. On three, the lungs are deflated and both hands move inwards in following the movement of the chest walls. The counting should be rhythmical and slow, and the movements should be regular and definite and should occupy the whole of the time taken by the mental count. Short staccato movements are not to be used. Care must again be taken to check any tendency to raise the ribs and shoulders and the whole movement must be easy and comfortable. If there is any feeling of strain or discomfort, it will probably mean that the movements are being performed too vigorously, so that an unmanageable quantity of breath is being taken in. In cultivating deep breathing, it must be remembered we are developing the bellows of the instrument and that the normal breathing cycle is being disturbed. In other words, we are taking in more breath than the body actually requires. Slow, regular practice will be the most successful in the long run and will result in full capacity with an absence of discomfort. It is pointless to attempt to force the pace.

Development of breath control The breath thus obtained must be conserved by controlling its outlet, not only so that all the demands of phrasing may be met, but also that the note of the voice may be initiated with correct pressure and attack. Uncontrolled force is undesirable in playing any instrument. What success would the violinist have if the force necessary to set the strings in vibration were not applied under control? A similar question could equally be asked of the pianist and the singer. Innumerable speakers try to get by when they are deficient in control, and then wonder why they do not get the best results. Control, in the first instance, means delaying the rate of exhalation. This can be achieved by using separately the two movements already described. Thus, a full breath is taken by the simultaneous movements

development of breath control

of the ribs and diaphragm. The breath is then emitted by means of the rising diaphragm alone. The ribs are then allowed to descend. This should be done to a count of three. The two exercises may be set out thus – A ‘One.’ ‘Two.’ ‘Three.’

The ribs are expanded. Hand is moved outwards. The diaphragm is lowered. Hand is moved forward. The ribs descend and the diaphragm is raised simultaneously, thus deflating the lungs. Both hands move inwards in following the movement.

B ‘One.’

The ribs are expanded and the diaphragm is lowered simultaneously, thus obtaining full capacity. Fingers of both hands are moved outwards. The diaphragm is raised. Fingers of hand at centre move inwards. Ribs out, resting against the fingers. The ribs are lowered. Fingers of other hand move inwards.

‘Two.’ ‘Three.’

The object of separating the movements in the first exercise is chiefly to ensure full rib movement before the diaphragm descends, but the separation in itself is a valuable exercise in control for those in whom the combined movement is already habitual. Ribs and diaphragm ultimately always move together as in the first count of the second exercise. The difficulty of both exercises is increased by prolonging the time taken over exhalation. In the first exercise the two movements grouped under ‘Three’ could eventually be performed to a count of twenty. In the second exercise the movements under ‘Two’ and ‘Three’ should be performed to a count of ten each. Eventually! Do not jeopardize the final result by forcing the pace. When the second of the above exercises can be done easily, we are ready to pass to the final form of control which is really an extension of what has already been achieved. For this the movements are exactly the same as for the second exercise, but the movement under ‘Three’ is omitted. Thus, with the hands in position, a full breath is taken. Breath is then exhaled by raising the diaphragm, but when this has taken place the ribs are not allowed to descend but remain extended. The diaphragm is then contracted to replenish the breath supply, and again is allowed to rise to expel a quantity of breath. Breath is alternately

voice & speech in the theatre

inhaled and exhaled by the diaphragm which contracts and relaxes rhythmically. The fingers of one hand sense this movement, but the fingers on the ribs sense that there is no inward movement of the chest walls. This is sometimes found to be difficult but, with perseverance, ultimately becomes as simple and easy as breathing in any other way.

Rib-reserve breathing This method of control has been aptly termed rib-reserve breathing,29 for the maintained elevation of the ribs holds back a reserve of air which we may utilize whenever there is a special need. No speaker who develops rib-reserve is ever in the position of speaking on the tail end of the breath, so that audibility, as far as the breath is responsible, is ensured. Support is given to the note, so that steady, even pitch is easily maintained and the danger of vibrato diminished. It is a powerful aid in tone building, although discussion of this aspect of rib-reserve must be deferred until Chapter 3. The best possible way to develop ribreserve is to use it whilst walking. That the ribs are expanded may be sensed by the tighter fit of one’s clothes. The movements of the diaphragm are timed to the movement of the limbs, and the number of breaths taken by the diaphragm to each step may gradually be decreased. The arms, legs, and possibly the head, are moving, so there is little likelihood of muscular tension arising, which is always a possibility when attention is drawn to a movement of which we are not normally conscious.

Maintaining the reserve In the course of time it is found quite easy to maintain the ribs in the expanded position during the sustained utterance of a passage of some length. This is possible owing to the relationship which exists between the diaphragm and the abdominal muscles. These are what are known as antagonistic muscles, which means that when one contracts the other relaxes and vice versa. This action of muscles can very easily be observed by grasping the arm and noting what occurs when the arm is alternately 29

For the use of the term ‘rib-reserve,’ and for many of the views expressed in the following pages, I am indebted to the late W. A. Aikin, M.D., whose pupil I was at one time privileged to be. [Clifford Turner]

relaxation

extended and bent. If the muscles responsible for these movements contract simultaneously, the arm is stiffened and rigidity sets in. Movement again becomes possible only when one muscle relaxes and gives way to the opposition exerted by the contracting muscle. Much the same conditions apply where the diaphragm and abdominal muscles are concerned. In inhalation, the diaphragm is active and contracts and the abdominal muscles yield by relaxing; but in breathing out, the diaphragm is passive, and will return to its arched position only at the rate at which the abdominal muscles contract. These may be brought under the direct control of the will, and so the rate at which the breath passes out of the lungs can be determined. It is by the use of rib-reserve that we gain firm and sensitive control over the force of the breath. The term ‘breath force’ is one that has been in common use since the publication of Aiken’s book in 1900 – but should be considered alongside the proposition that such terminology might also subtly create tension and thereby directly reverse the positive effects of breath management. Many recent researchers on breath remind us that it is a complex process with many psychological and physiological influences, not least of which are the terms used to redirect its use. [Editor’s comment] Failure to achieve this control results in uncontrolled force, which will do nothing but hamper the development of tone.

Relaxation Side by side with the development of breath control it is necessary to cultivate the ability to relax. Nothing is so destructive of one’s ease of tone as the tensing of those muscles which are not essential for the performance of a specific movement. Extreme cases of tension lead to loss of voice and often to permanent impairment of the vocal cords. It is well, therefore, to develop the power to relax at will from the outset, as this is just as essential to good voice as the performance of a series of graded exercises. All the exercises in the world will not lead to success if tension is present. Speech is movement. The movement of the respiratory organs has been described. Before this breath is heard as speech it is modified in innumerable ways by the movement of certain organs brought about by

voice & speech in the theatre

muscular contraction and relaxation. In speaking the foregoing sentence well over forty muscles are involved. Other things being equal, perfection of utterance is achieved only when perfection of muscular co-ordination is reached, and such co-ordination is impossible if the action of these muscles is hampered by tension.

The effects of tension The conditions under which an actor practises his or her art are peculiarly conducive to tension. It is a paradox that technique is the means by which outward and inward causes of nervous tension may be circumvented, and that perfection of technique never results before the ability to eliminate tension has been acquired. Technique enables the imagination to flower. Tension causes it to wither at the roots so that nothing but a pale replica of the intention is revealed. In his book My Life in Art, Stanislavski describes how an actor so schooled himself that the muscular tensions to which he was prone disappeared the moment he made his entrance on to the stage. Again, in An Actor Prepares he recalls how a certain actress of unusual temperament was able to free her emotion only on rare occasions. At other times she had recourse to effort. At dramatic moments unintentional facial contractions would creep in. Eventually this was overcome with an accompanying relaxation of the other muscles of her body and a consequent freeing of her emotional powers. These two cases illustrate the importance of becoming aware of the relation between the mind and the body so that relaxation can be induced at will, even when conditions tend to produce the opposite effect. In the case of the actress, the facial effort was communicated to other parts of the body, possibly to the voice, with consequent diminution of effectiveness.

Exercises for relaxation Relaxation, when it has been induced, assists one to cope with the situation. One feels better when relaxed and, consequently, one is less inclined to worry. From the strictly vocal angle, the relaxation of the large muscles controlling posture must first be achieved so that a sense of ease pervades the whole body in order to induce relaxation in the smaller but no less vital muscles concerned in voice. The best position in which to bring about an awareness of relaxation

exercises for relaxation

is to lie on the floor or some other flat surface which will not yield to the weight of the body. The back of the head should be supported by a cushion or a fairly thick book. The arms should lie at the sides with the palms of the hands downwards and the elbows roughly six inches out from the sides. With the heels some eighteen inches apart, the legs and feet should be allowed to rotate outwards under their own weight. The knees should then be drawn up towards the ceiling until the feet rest flat on the floor with no sensation of tightness across the instep. In this position the spine should be allowed to mould itself, as it were, along its whole length to the surface of the floor, but should not be forced down in any way. It should not be possible to insert the fingers between the floor and the spine. If the fingers can be inserted, draw the knees up towards the chin until the feet are off the floor with the thighs parallel to the chest. Concentrating on the position of the spine, allow the legs to resume their former position, disturbing the back as little as possible. The body is now inert, the muscles which hold the body erect being flaccid. All activity should be taken out of the limbs, so that if someone were to lift the limbs, no muscle tension or spasm would occur. The mind, however, should actively be recording the ease resulting from such deep relaxation so that the sensation may be recalled at will. In addition, the head and shoulders should be mentally directed outwards from the body. When lying relaxed in this way, the body is in an ideal position in which to observe and check the movement of the diaphragm. To do this, transfer the hands to the abdominal wall immediately above the waist and, without breathing consciously, note the outward and inward movement of the abdominal wall as the diaphragm respectively contracts and relaxes. Before standing, allow the legs to extend until they assume the position first described. While doing this the attention should be concentrated on the spine so that its position is disturbed as little as possible. On standing, first recall the sensation of ease experienced in the supine position, and, while maintaining this condition, direct the ribs outward and breathe by making small panting movements with the diaphragm. The movement in and out should be regular and equal and, as proficiency is gained, should take place extremely rapidly. This is a purely technical exercise, valuable in that it establishes independence of diaphragm movement and is a means of developing the power of holding

voice & speech in the theatre

the breath and keeping the throat open at the same time. The breath may be taken through the nose or the mouth. Logically, these remarks on relaxation should have preceded those on breathing. The voice is a living instrument and as much a part of the body as any other organ. It will not function at its best unless we develop it in relation to the body as a whole. Perfect breathing will never be achieved if the body is not relaxed and posture, in consequence, is bad with the body out of true alignment. When posture is good, however, it helps in the acquisition of rib-reserve, which comes to be sensed as part of the general bodily attitude towards movement as a whole, and not only as the most effective form of breathing to obtain the best results from the voice.

Application of the exercises Assuming the exercises so far given can be carried out, it remains to bridge the gap between breathing as a technical exercise and as a practical means of getting the best results from the voice. The transition should be made gradually, as the attempt to sustain a long speech with the aid of rib-reserve is generally found diffficult. The necessary slow, firm, upward movement of the diaphragm may be brought about by a simple exercise.

Exercise 1 Count up to ten or twelve whilst maintaining the ribs in the raised position. The backs of the fingers of one hand should be placed where the movement of the diaphragm may be sensed. With firm even pressure breathe out whilst counting aloud: one (breathe in); one, two (breathe in); one, two, three (breathe in), and so on up to twelve. The diffficulty may be increased by varying the volume of tone used.

Exercise 2 Proceeding exactly as before, start the counting with full, resonant tone, and, as the counting proceeds, decrease the volume, still maintaining good tone. Reverse the procedure by starting the count clearly, but extremely quietly, and, maintaining good tone throughout, gradually increase the pressure, and consequently the volume, ending the count on a full, powerful tone which, however, does not suggest shouting.

application of the exercises

Exercise 3 To speak a sonnet whilst using rib-reserve breathing is to provide oneself with a simple, yet searching test of one’s attainments in breathing. The sonnet should preferably be one in which each line is more or less self-contained in thought and the mood is expressed objectively. Drayton’s The Parting, Shakespeare’s When in the chronicle of wasted time, and Andrew Lang’s The Odyssey are random examples. In the first, where the phrasing is relatively simple, the breath pause coincides with the end of each line, which means that a fresh diaphragm breath is taken for each line and that the ribs do not descend until the last word has been spoken. In all three the tone must receive firm, even support right through from the first word to the last.

Exercise 4 Breathe in and, at the same time, raise the arms at the sides to shoulder level. Bend the arms at the elbows and rest the fingers on the nape of the neck. With the arms in this position and with the shoulders well down, breathe in and out, whilst keeping the ribs extended. In this position speak the following – Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crost lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents’ strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love, And the continuance of their parents rage, Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (Romeo and Juliet, Prologue.) Your attention throughout this section has been directed to one of the focal points of the speech mechanism, and to the basic area of control, and from now on whenever breathing is referred to the use of ribreserve will be implied. 23

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It has been impossible to indicate the length of time it takes to acquire this form of breathing, as it will vary from individual to individual. It is much better to take things gradually and to master each exercise before passing to the next, than to attempt them one after the other in rapid succession. In any case, such a procedure would probably end in failure. Little by little is good advice where breathing is concerned, but be sure it is little and frequent. The foregoing exercises may be summarized thus – 1. General exercise on relaxation. 2. Free, easy rhythmic expansion of lower ribs at the ‘central’ level. 3. Expansion of ribs, followed by descent of diaphragm, followed by exhalation to a rhythmic count. 4. Simultaneous expansion of ribs and diaphragm. Breath exhaled, first by means of raising diaphragm, followed by descent of ribs. 5. As above; only ribs are maintained in their expanded position, which is felt to be part of the poised attitude of the body towards the voice as a whole. 6. Maintaining the expanded rib position, breathe by making small panting movements with the diaphragm. 7. Speak a passage of moderate length whilst maintaining the raised ribs. This may be assisted in the first place by placing the hands behind the head as described.

Other advantages of rib-reserve In conclusion, mention must be made of several secondary advantages of rib-reserve. It is silent, always providing that tension in the airways is not present. Nothing is more ridiculous than when vigorous delivery is punctuated by a series of snorts or gasps as the breath enters the lungs: a point to be borne in mind when rapidity exercises are introduced. It is invisible. Delivery is equally ridiculous when punctuated by a series of heaves and shoulder raisings. Any material will furnish opportunities for developing breath control, but as the demands made upon the breath are brought home most by rhetorical speeches, the following are suggested for further study –

other advantages of rib-reserve

Troilus and Cressida, opening chorus. Henry VIII, opening chorus. Henry V, any of the choruses. Henry IV, II, the epilogue. As You Like It, the epilogue.

3 • the tone So far, the breath has been treated as if it had an existence apart from the other factors of note, tone, and word. Although, as we have seen, this is not so, it is best in the first instance to regard the breath in this light, since success in managing the remaining factors depends upon the correct exploitation of the force of the breath. (For an explanation of this term please see the note on page 19.) It would seem that the next logical step to take would be to develop the note, as the first modification of the breath takes place in the larynx where the note itself is formed. There are, however, a number of reasons for by-passing the note at this stage, the most important of which will be discussed in Chapter 4. The point to be made here is that before the note reaches our ears it too must of necessity undergo a modification, as the resonator through which the note must pass is between the vocal cords and the outer air. On its outward passage, therefore, the note gains tone, good, bad, or indifferent, through the property of resonation. An introduction to work on tone A clearly defined starting point for the vowel position in the AH sound had already been considered the place from which all other vowel sounds in English should be measured from at least the time of the publication of W.A. Aiken’s work in 1900.30 It is always important to remember that although this starting point might be contentious, it can also usefully be regarded as a position of rest. Here Aiken explains: ‘It is principally a position of rest, except as regards the soft palate, which directs the breath through the mouth by closing, or nearly so, the way into the nose.’ 31

Aikin, W. A., The Voice: An Introduction to Practical Phonology, p.44 (new edition by H. St. John Rumsey, London: Longmans, 1951). 31 Aikin, W.A., ibid p.45. 30

good tone

His following quote is also useful in terms of better understanding Turner’s aesthetic, which, as we have shown, is already a derivative of Aiken’s own: In the selection of this position of the vowel-sound ah I have been guided not only by the thought of phonological perfection, but also by the experience of a great number of examples, and I believe that it fairly represents a normal and natural sound which would be acceptable to anyone.32

Training the resonator The resonator, then, comes next in order of training, so that we may develop its powers and control its use, and thus make its influence on the note as perfect as possible. Take the resonator away from the strings of an instrument and what is left to the executant? He or she can play the notes, but the sound of the strings minus the tone of the instrument would be reminiscent of the tinklings of a hurdy-gurdy. The actor who fails to develop tone is in the same predicament. He or she has nothing on which to play but the comparatively feeble notes of a reed. He or she too could vary the notes, and also carry out articulatory movement, but the resultant sound would be meagre and of a papery texture, reminiscent of the sixth age that lies ahead – … his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. (As You Like It, II. vii.)

Good tone The tone of the actor’s voice must be flexible and responsive to a high degree. The intention clearly must not be to reduce acting to the terms of vocal technique, however good this may be, although cases could be cited in which this has unfortunately occurred; but the bulk of the

Aikin, W.A., ibid pp.46–7.

voice & speech in the theatre

actor’s work will, in all probability, call for generous and full tone and all his work will call for forwardness of production, unless character or situation demands a modification.

The principal resonators The resonator of the voice consists of the three principal cavities above the larynx. These are the pharynx, the mouth, and the nose. The pharynx is a tubular cavity, the walls of which are muscular. The mouth is, roughly, hemispherical in shape. The cheeks form the walls, and the lips and jaw a variable orifice or outlet for the tone. The tongue forms the floor of this resonator and the roof consists of the hard palate, immediately behind the upper teeth, and its continuation, the soft palate, which terminates in the uvula. The soft palate is freely movable and may be raised or lowered by muscular action. This valve-like action of the soft palate opens or closes the entrance to the third resonator, the nose. This is a more or less triangular cavity largely occupied by bony structures. The size and shape of these cavities determine to a very large extent what we hear, and give rise to general and particular resonation. It is essential that the difference between the two should be grasped, and to this end some aspects of tone already touched upon must be elaborated.

Voice quality What general resonation means may best be understood by analogy. If notes of identical pitch and volume were to be played on the violin and piano one after the other, no one would be likely to mistake them, even although the instruments themselves were unseen. The two notes would be similar and dissimilar. The elements of pitch and volume would be identical. We account for the difference we should hear by saying that the two sounds differ in quality. Voices differ from each other in the same way. Two persons who possess identical AH vowel sounds could speak or sing them at the same pitch and with the same volume. We should be able to distinguish between the two voices because the general quality of the voices would be different. It is, for example, general quality which enables us to recognize voices over the telephone before the speaker’s name is revealed. Various adjectives are brought into service to express the effect made on our senses by voices

balanced tone

of different quality. We speak of the tone of voices as bright or dull, rich or thin, hard or soft, pleasing or raucous, irritating, maddening, and doubtless other epithets will occur to the reader! Other things being equal, it is the size and shape of the cavities which are responsible for the differences. Size and shape are the inner features of the instrument, so to speak, and just as no two faces are exactly alike, no two persons possess identical inner features. One may have a highly arched palate or a long neck. One may have small lips and another a large nose!

Balanced tone We may say that the tone is at its best when each section of the resonator contributes more or less equally to produce the sum total effect. Excessive use of the mouth and too little use of the pharynx will result in thin, reedy tone. Excessive use of the pharynx results in heavy, dull tone. Excessive use of the nose results in an overdose of nasality. In some cases complete absence of nasal resonance results in a tight, whining twang. In developing the tone, therefore, we shall not achieve our goal unless we acquire the power of controlling the quota of resonance that each cavity contributes to make up the overall impression. Each of the three resonators possesses an inherent size and shape, and these inner features determine the general quality or tone. We think of full, resonant sonorous tone as being the result of well-

nose mouth pharynx

}

vocal cords

resonators TONE

}

NOTE

Fig.2 The resonators of the voice.

voice & speech in the theatre

expanded resonators, and of thin, reedy tone as the result of the opposite conditions. This aspect of the tone, then, is referable to the size of the cavities.

The vowels Not only does the resonator possess this inherent size and shape, but one section of it, the mouth, by reason of the movable tongue, lips and jaw, has the power of assuming a great diversity of shapes. It is our ability to alter the shape of the mouth which enables us to impress the character of the vowels on the tone. The general quality or tone may be heard as a constant factor owing to the constant size, and more or less constant general configuration, of the resonator, while, at the same time, the specific resonance changes according to the vowel shape through which the note passes. We see that every vowel is a musical note which is the result of the operation of the excitor, the vibrator, and the resonator, and that the latter not only possesses the function of imparting tone, but also that of determining the character of the vowel by reason of the shape through which the tone is moulded. We cannot materially alter the inherent shape of the cavities. If the palate is highly arched, for example, it cannot be altered, and if the mouth is large it cannot be reduced. A great deal can, and usually must, be done, however, with the contribution each cavity makes towards the total effect.

Expanding the resonator In expanding the resonator it is of advantage to start with the position in which it is normally the most open, the position of the vowel sound AH. For this, the teeth should be approximately one inch apart. The lips must lie loosely on the teeth and play no active part in assuming the position. It is especially important that their corners should not be drawn back. The tongue should lie flat on the floor of the mouth with its tip touching the inner surface of the lower front teeth. The soft palate should be raised. There must be a sense of openness and freedom through absence of constricting tension.

achieving good tone

The open jaw and the forward tongue for AH opens the resonator at two vital regions where narrowing and constriction most often occur, namely, at the jaw and at the junction of the mouth and throat. It is simple to open the jaw for this vowel, but not so simple to open it for all vowels, and more diffficult to maintain the open position in speaking. It is not easy to open the throat, and yet it is essential to do so if throaty tone is to be avoided. The resonator may be expanded still further by means of rib-reserve breathing, which has the effect of drawing down the larynx from below, thus bringing about an increase in the size of the pharynx. The physiological explanation of how this comes about need not concern us here. That this does occur can be demonstrated, and the beneficial effects of the expansion of the lower resonator are heard as practice develops. But the enlargement of this cavity can only be brought about indirectly by means of correct poise, controlled breathing, and an absence of tension throughout the resonator. Any attempt consciously to bring about this enlargement is doomed to failure, and will successfully bring about those conditions of tension which it is essential to avoid. Much contemporary work on tone has focused on making students precisely aware of the free vibration of the vocal folds and any laryngeal constriction that may affect that process. Gillyanne Kayes refers to this in her book Singing and the Actor (2000), where the term ‘silent laugh posture’ is used as a reference to a technique for overcoming problems of fold vibration that can be caused when the ventricular folds constrict.33 [Editor’s comment]

Achieving good tone There are three regions or areas of expansion. Of these only one can be seen and felt. We can see and feel the open jaw, and the tongue tip makes known its whereabouts through its highly developed sense of touch. The open throat can be observed to some extent through the use of a mirror, but we can feel it is open only in a very minor degree. We need to develop and train our sense of hearing so that by its acuity and awareness we may bring about the right degree of openness in this area.

Kayes, Gillyanne, notes on Vocal Process from Vocal Process Ltd, July 2003.

voice & speech in the theatre

We can neither see nor feel the extent to which the pharynx is expanded and must rely entirely on the evidence of our ears. In developing tone, therefore, two of our senses enter as controlling factors: touch and hearing. By means of the former we sense that the jaw is open and the tongue is forward, and that the lips are doing what is required of them. Through the sense of movement in our respiratory organs we may check the breathing and make sure that by keeping the ribs expanded we are assisting pharyngeal expansion. It is in this way that the resonator is enlarged at its two extremities, and through the openness of the whole cavity we achieve tone with full-throated ease.

Whispering The by-passing of the note, to which reference has already been made, is not only theoretical but also practical. In examining the properties of the resonators we are best able to understand their ultimate effect on the note if this is temporarily eliminated. By so doing we learn to understand the action of the cavities, and also develop the resonator on its own merits, and so bring about all the conditions which are favourable to effective resonation. The other reason for proceeding in this manner is that by breathing or whispering through the cavities we acquire the power of eliminating any tendency to constrict the passages, which would have the effect of diminishing their size and would result in defective resonation. The breath to be used for such purposes is a pure whisper as distinct from any forced or stage whisper. No effort must be made to make the breath carry to any great distance, and the breath must not be prefixed by any clicking sound. If the breath be thought of as an H sound, there is little likelihood of this occurring. In training the resonator our initial aims are – 1. Expansion of the cavities in order to impart full sonority to the note. 2. The achievement of balanced resonation, so that no one cavity predominates to the detriment of the total effect. 3. Perfection of the shapes which mould the tone and give it particular character in the form of vowels.

variations in resonant pitch

Resonant pitch If we breathe out with the resonator in the position for the vowel AH, as defined, we at first hear nothing more than the character of the vowel. On listening carefully, however, we hear that this vowel possesses a note of a definite and distinctive pitch which is the result of breathing out through the resonating cavities in this position and in this only. This pitch is referred to as the whispered or resonant pitch, as distinct from the vocal pitch which is present only when the vocal cords are in action. We cannot vary the resonant pitch to any great extent without altering the character of the vowel, but the character of the vowel may remain constant while the pitch of the vocal note may be varied considerably as in singing. The resonant pitch is heard more distinctly if the breath is directed to the ear by holding one hand a few inches in front of the mouth and the other close to, but not touching, the ear. The resonant pitch is fixed and determined by the size of the resonator, which obeys the laws governing the action of all cavities. The pitch of a large resonator is lower than the pitch of a small resonator. The pitch of a resonator is also determined by the number and size of its openings. In a resonator with one opening the pitch is lowered if this opening is diminished in size and raised if it is increased.

Variations in resonant pitch Now the whispered pitch of AH will vary very slightly in individual cases, primarily because we do not all possess resonators of identical size, and it may at first be found that the whispered pitch the reader succeeds in obtaining will not match that which is given in these pages. This is due to the fact that the positions here described represent positions of maximum resonation which are obtainable only after training has begun. At this stage, however, the principles are more important than the actual pitches recorded. During training, there is invariably some lowering of the resonant note with consequent enrichment of resonation when the vocal note is introduced. For a man a good average resonant note for AH is C on the treble clef, and for a woman E flat on the treble clef.

voice & speech in the theatre

Maintaining tone The position for the vowel AH, as defined, is favourable to the maximum expansion of the cavities. It is of little use, however, to have one vowel on which satisfactory resonance may be obtained, and yet this is precisely the position in which the majority of untrained speakers find themselves. With such speakers, in passing from AH to EE, for example, the jaw is immediately closed and the lips are widened almost to the position for a grin. Thus, in forming the series of vowels which fall between these two positions, the tone deteriorates as the successive stages of jaw-closing and lip-spreading are assumed. In order to prevent such deterioration of tone, we must train ourselves to move the tongue and, for other vowels, the lips, irrespectively of the jaw. Vowels, as we have seen, are the result of altering the shape of the resonator by these means. If, therefore, we acquire the ability to assume the correct shapes without altering the size of the resonator, we shall reach a state in which the tone will be present as a constant factor while the specific character varies with the changing shapes. It is in this way that a ‘line’ of resonance is achieved which in its turn makes the use of sustained tone possible, and this is one of the distinguishing features of the well-managed voice.

AH – the beginning position This can be best obtained by thinking of certain aspects of the AH position as basic positions for all vowels, which are differentiated from AH merely by rounding the lips or raising the tongue. The forward tongue tip and the controlled breathing are constant factors, therefore; the lip rounding and the tongue raising are variable factors and are determined by the particular vowel to be spoken or sung. There are, usually, small changes in jaw position to obtain the various vowel sounds. Although it is desirable to minimize this jaw movement in order to obtain maximum resonance, care should be taken not to develop rigidity and tension in the jaw.

Exercise 1 Maintaining the jaw in its open position the lips should now be rounded to the size of a pencil. On breathing out we recognize the character of the vowel OO, but in reducing the size of the opening we hear that the resonant pitch has, in consequence, fallen by an interval

some things to watch for

of a fifth. These two positions should be alternated until the lip movement for OO can be performed –

´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH, HOO. HAH, HOO. HAH, HOO. HAH, HOO. HAH, HOO.

Exercise 2 Starting from the basic AH position, and making sure the tongue tip is against the lower teeth, the body of the tongue should be raised high up in front of the mouth. It is especially important to resist the tendency of the lips to assume a spread position. They should remain as for AH. On breathing out, we hear the character of the vowel EE, but in raising the tongue we have diminished the size of the mouth and notice that in consequence the pitch has risen by an interval of an octave. These two positions should be alternated until the tongue movement can be made independently of the jaw and lips –

´ E . HAH, HE ´ E . HAH, HE ´ E . HAH, HE ´ E . HAH, HE ´ E. HAH, HE

Some things to watch for 1. Some difficulty is usually experienced in assuming these positions independently of the jaw, and this is especially the case when the tongue is raised. The use of a mirror is of help, and it is valuable to place the fingers of one hand on the chin as an aid in checking the tendency of the lower jaw to move upwards. 2. Many find it extremely difficult to prevent the lips from spreading in passing from AH to EE when the steady jaw position has been arrived at. In addition to watching the change of shape, the tendency to widen the opening may be resisted if each forefinger is placed at the sides of the lips when the AH position is taken up. The fingers do not prevent the widening by exerting pressure, but assist the lips to remain relaxed during the change of shape by a consciousness of the absence of movement through the sense of touch. The position of the resonator should be present to the mind, rather than the vowel which the shape produces. It has been remarked that all speakers habitually widen the lips for a whole series of vowels. If in practising, therefore, we think of the vowel itself, naturally the lips will only too readily repeat the old, bad, habitual movement.

voice & speech in the theatre

More exercises to develop resonant pitch With precautions taken not to spread the lips or close the jaw, the succeeding exercises should be carried out rhythmically and stressed as indicated. One starts or returns to the open, relaxed AH position, altering only the position of the tongue or lips as required. When the ability to direct the movements has been acquired, the exercise should be linked with breathing as indicated on the following page.

´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH HOO, HAH HEE, HAH HOO, HAH HEE, HAH HOO, HAH ´ ´ ´ HEE, HAH HOO, HAH HEE. ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH HEE, HAH HOO, HAH HEE, HAH HOO, HAH HEE, HAH ´ ´ ´ HOO, HAH HEE, HAH HOO. ´ HAH HOO, ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH HAH HEE HAH HOO HAH HEE, HAH HEE ´ ´ ´ HOO, HAH HOO HAH HEE. ´ HAH HOO, HEE ´ ´ ´ HEE HAH HOO, HEE HAH HOO, HEE HAH ´ HAH HOO HEE. ´ HOO, HEE ´ ´ ´ ´ HOO HAH HEE, HOO HAH HEE, HOO HAH HEE, HOO HAH ´ ´ HEE, HOO HAH HEE HOO. ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH HOO HAH HEE, HAH HOO HAH HEE, HAH HOO HAH ´ ´ ´ HEE, HAH HOO HAH HEE. ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HOO HEE HOO HEE HOO HEE HOO HEE HOO HEE HOO ´ HOO HEE ´ HOO HEE. ´ HEE It is essential that each exercise should be performed rhythmically. In the course of time it will be noticed that in each case a jingle of notes is heard. The clearer and more defined this jingle is made, the better for the clarity of the vowels. The rapidity of the exercises is gradually increased whenever the movements can be correctly executed. Each exercise becomes doubly effective as the agility of the lips and tongue is developed in moving accurately, and with rapidity, from one position to another, whilst maintaining the basic conditions conducive to good tone.

more vowels with lip rounding

Tone and breath control It is but one step farther to control the breathing at the same time as the movements are being carried out. The position for rib-reserve is assumed, and the ribs remain extended whilst the breath passes out and in by the raising and lowering of the diaphragm. When this can be done satisfactorily, a separate breath is used for each position, whilst the ribs remain extended. Thus the diaphragm performs small panting movements, and each position is made audible on the outgoing breath alone. This exercise constitutes a simple and yet valuable training in co-ordination of the two sets of movements. It is a fairly big step to pass to this exercise, and it is usually necessary to develop the panting exercise as suggested on page 18 before it is brought into association with the changing vowel shapes.

More vowels with lip rounding Both OO and EE represent extreme positions of the tongue and lips respectively. Between OO and AH, four intermediate degrees of lip rounding give rise to the vowels in ‘could, code, cawed, cod,’ represented by the symbols oo, OH, AW, o˘. For OH, the lips are rounded approximately to thumb size. For AW, they are rounded approximately to the size of the first and third fingers with the second placed on top of them. Intermediate roundings between OO and OH and AW and AH give rise to˘ oo and o˘. But such indications are merely rough and ready and will not necessarily result in the vowels which it is my intention to indicate. A much better guide to their formation is to be found in their whispered pitches. In passing through this series from OO to AH, we successively increase the size of the opening and, as we have seen, the effect of thus increasing the size of the opening of a resonator will be to raise its resonant note. In whispering this series, therefore, the following scale of notes may be heard. Average Man

voice & speech in the theatre

Average Woman

More vowels with tongue raising In between AH and EE, six degrees of tongue raising produce the shapes for vowels in ‘hut, hurt, hat, head, hate, hit.’ In this series the lips are not involved and should remain in the position they assume for AH, that is, the opening of the resonator is of a constant size. But the tongue in moving forwards and upwards successively diminishes the size of the mouth as a resonator, and thus produces a rising scale of whispered resonances for these vowels. Average Man

Average Woman

The resonator scale There is an important difference between the two series. Every time we breathe out through any vowel shape, the breath passes through two cavities, each of which must of necessity possess its own resonant pitch, as each must be of a certain size. In the series AH to EE, every time the

more vowels with tongue raising

body of the tongue moves forwards and upwards, it diminishes the size of the mouth, as we have seen. Every forward and upward movement, however, must increase the size of the pharynx, as the sum total size of the two cavities together is constant. In this series, therefore, we hear a double scale of notes rising in the mouth and falling in the neck. In the series AH to OO there is no such disparity between the relative size of the two cavities, which to all intents and purposes are in unison. The whole scale when set out appears –

ER AH

Fig. 3 Relative tongue positions for EE, AY, ER and AH.

Scale of whispered resonances Average Man

Average Woman

tone

all

not

part

must

serve

and

then

shape

ﬁt

speech

through good

e



voice & speech in the theatre

The vowels are numbered for convenience and to prevent ambiguous reference. The circle beneath each vowel denotes the open, expanded condition of the resonator and the open jaw which do not change throughout the whole scale. The inner circle, from 1 to 4, denotes the gradual increase in the size of the lip opening; and the segments, from 6 to 12, the gradual decrease in the size of the mouth consequent upon the raising of the tongue. The phonetic symbols, underneath the keywords, are included here and elsewhere in this book for those who are phonetically minded. They should be ignored by those to whom they are unfamiliar. There is often some difficulty in hearing the lower resonant notes of the vowels after AH, as it is, at first, difficult to dissociate the pitch of the vowels from their character. They may be more easily distinguished by cupping the hands over the ears and listening from within. These lower resonant notes are made very audible and distinct by placing one finger on the base of the lower resonator, just above the larynx, and tapping it with a pencil for each position the tongue assumes.

Simple and compound vowels Each of these vowels demands an unchanging position of the resonator, and on this account they may be termed simple vowels, as distinct from compound vowels which demand more than one position. OH and AY are two exceptions, for in both cases the resonator undergoes a slight change. In OH, there is a modification in the direction of˘ oo, and in AY, in the direction of ˘ı . This diphthongal character is essential in both cases but must not be exaggerated. The vowels from 1 to 5 may be termed lip vowels, since they are principally effected by varying degrees of lip rounding, and the series 5 to 12 are tongue vowels, in that they are differentiated by the varying degrees of tongue raising.

Long and short vowels There is one further point to be mentioned. Those printed in capitals are the so-called long or main vowels; and those in smaller type the so-called short or subordinate vowels. The terms long and short are applicable only when the vowels are pronounced in isolation, or with

sustained tone

identical surrounding sounds, since the length of any vowel is influenced by its position in a word, and by the sounds which follow it. All vowels are of equal importance, whereas the terminology of main and subordinate would seem to indicate otherwise. These terms, however, will be retained, since they do imply certain characteristics which are important in exercises; for instance, the vowels denoted by capitals may be prolonged, whereas the remainder tend to lose their character when so treated. There is one simple vowel which does not figure in the scale. This is the so-called neutral vowel, which is heard only in unstressed positions, ‘ascribe, parliament, method.’ The pitch of this sound lies approximately between that of ER and u˘. In final positions, this vowel must never be so open that it approximates to u.

Sustained tone The sequence of whispered resonances produces what has been called the resonator scale, which is the means by which tone is developed through the natural working of the resonator. Its expansion is first gained by the open jaw and forward tongue which open up the back of the throat. Its expansion is increased, principally indirectly, through the use of rib-reserve breathing, which induces full pharyngeal expansion. Our aim, so far, has been to expand the resonator, and to acquire the ability to form the shapes of the vowels, and the ability to pass from one to the other without any alteration in the size of the resonator as a whole. The relative size of the two cavities varies but not the sum total size. In developing resonance by means of this scale, we ultimately hear the tone as an unchanging, constant factor, brought about by our general bodily attitude towards the resonator, which by its open expansion imparts a full, rich quality. The tone, that is to say, is sustained irrespective of the shape, and is equally distributed throughout the whole range of these simple vowels. If this condition is not arrived at, a deterioration of the tone may always be heard in passing from the lip vowels to the tongue vowels. We may here distinguish a difference between the function of the two main resonating cavities. The mouth is primarily concerned with imparting the character of the vowel to the tone, while the pharynx is concerned entirely with imparting sonority to the note, and does not exercise a selective faculty comparable to that possessed by the mouth.

voice & speech in the theatre

The importance of posture It is in this connection that posture of the body is of such importance, for it is only by an absence of muscular constriction in a correctly poised body, that rib-reserve can effectually be attained, and it is ribreserve breathing that supplies the answer to pharyngeal expansion, to which there is no short cut. To gain sonority by other means is to sacrifice the placing of the tone to the sonority, and thus to lose that balance between the resonating properties of the two cavities to which attention has already been drawn. A case in point is when the larynx is forced down from above by muscular tension at the base of the tongue. This does gain sonority, but only at the expense of the ‘placing’ of the tone, which becomes thick, throaty, and muffled. It is the full expansion of the pharynx from below which enables the vowel to be placed far forward in the mouth, thus giving a light, clear, ringing character to the vowel through ‘top’ resonance, while the fullness of the tone comes principally from the ‘under’ tone, or lower resonance, which results from pharyngeal expansion. In this way the vowels are perfected through their resonant properties, and the basic or general tone is developed. One further feature of the scale remains to be noted. With three exceptions, all the pitches of the vowels are acoustically equidistant. It is this even spacing of their resonant notes which enables a clear and distinct differentiation to be made between them.

Movement and tone The concept of utterance which leans to the view that sounds are strung together to form syllables, and that syllables are strung together to form words, and that words are strung together to form phrases, is destructive of rhythmic ease in speaking. The rejection of this attitude of mind brings us back to the idea of utterance as an alliance between tone and movement, to which reference has already been made. If proof of the validity of this view were needed, the resonator scale supplies the answer. By perfecting the vowels through their resonant properties, we set up a ‘line’ of tone which is heard as a constant factor and is the direct result of maintaining the cavities at a constant size. The tone does not vary from vowel to vowel, as it is the product of the musical function of the resonator. On the other hand, in practising the scale we change the shape of the mouth thirteen times. By so doing, we impress

common problems with posture

the character of the vowels on the tone, and thus make prominent the linguistic function of the resonator. This stream of moulded tone is further modified by articulatory movement into the consonants of a language. The complex of tone and movement is constantly varied by a continually changing pattern of stress and volume, pitch and inflection, in response to the logical and emotional states which the actor is called upon to portray, and is ‘coloured’ still further when the tone sensitively responds to the emotions experienced. When the principles upon which the scale is founded are grasped it is necessary to link posture, breathing, and the conditions conducive to good tone, as ultimately all three are inseparable and react beneficially on each other. The relation of correct posture to breathing has been pointed out, but it is especially important to pay attention to the way in which the head is held on the shoulders, as tone cannot be developed if this is incorrect. Again, release of unnecessary tension is the important factor to be considered at all times when focusing on the issue of posture.34 We must appreciate that appropriate posture can only be arrived at by means of a process, and cannot be corrected by a series of externally worked exercises alone. Long-lasting results can only occur when the mind works with a process of the visualisation of ideal conditions, the body experiences the hands-on work of a practitioner trained to generate physical change, and there is a conscious application of a combination of these experiences as a matter of daily routine.

Common problems with posture The position of the head most frequently seen is one in which it is poked forward in such a way as to restrict the resonator. This position is usually wrongly corrected by throwing up the chin, which results in the opposite fault, and successfully produces a state of tension in the throat. Another fault is a position in which the whole chest is thrown out and the head held back in a stiffened ‘military’ attitude. Yet another is when the shoulder blades are forced back as if in the endeavour to make them meet. 34

Gray, John. Notes to editor. 20th January 2006.

voice & speech in the theatre

Correct posture and the correct carriage of the head may be helped by the following exercises. As in the exercises on relaxation, the object is to induce an awareness of the way in which the body is being held and there is little value in the exercises as such unless they are used as a means to this end.

Exercise to establish basic posture Stand with the back against, but not touching, a wall with the heels two inches out from the wall and with the feet some eighteen inches apart. Next, recall the sense of ease and relaxation associated with the supine position so that one feels equally at ease in the standing position. The arms should hang loosely, but not heavily, from the shoulders, and the knees should be straight but not braced back. Then allow the whole trunk to move back from the ankles until the back is touching the wall. The buttocks and the shoulders should reach the wall simultaneously. In this position, ideally, the spine should be nearly flat against the wall, the exception being in the lumbar spine, where it should be possible to pass the fingers between the wall and the back. The shoulders should be allowed to flatten out against the wall, but should not be forced back. The head should be directed forwards and upwards. This is a mental direction given to the head, which should be balanced easily with the eyes held level and with the chin neither tilted up nor drooping down. If the back of the head touches the wall, the position is incorrect. Allow the head to turn easily from side to side so that it does not become fixed. In this position, without allowing the back to come away from the wall and without raising the heels, slide the knees over the toes so that the back travels down the wall some twelve inches. As this occurs, the part of the lumbar spine which was not previously touching the wall should gradually make contact with it. The sensation should be that the head remains up while the knees travel forward. To resume the former position, try to feel that it is the head which moves up while the rest of the body follows and that one does not push oneself up from the feet. Do this several times to memorize the position of the back. Then, without pushing oneself away from the wall, wait until the balance of the body is restored as the body moves away from the wall in a straight line from the heels to the top of the head.

exercises linking tone and relaxation

Exercises linking tone and relaxation We are now in a position to attempt to link up relaxation, posture, and breathing with the development of tone. The exercise on pages 31–32 should be repeated, and then extended to cover the subordinate vowels. One should be aware of carrying out all the movements involved according to definite principles. The new pattern of movement should be sensed.

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Exercise 1 ´ ´ ´ ´˘ ´ HAH HOO. HAH Hoo. HAH HOH. HAH HAW. HAH Ho. ´ ´ ˘ HAH HER. ´ ´ ˘ HAH He. ´ ˘ HAH HAY. ´ HAH HAH. HAH Hu. HAH Ha. ´ ´ HAH Hi. ˘ HAH HEE. Exercise 2 )

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The subordinate vowels are then treated in the same fashion. ´ ˘ HAH Hoo ´ HAH Hi ´ HAH Hi ´ ´ ˘ HAH Hoo ´ ˘ HAH Hoo, HAH Hi etc. ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ HAH He˘ HAH HOH HAH He˘ HAH HOH HAH He˘ HAH HOH, etc. ´ ˘ HAH Ho ´ ˘ HAH Ha ´ ˘ HAH Ho ´ ˘ HAH Ha ´ ˘ HAH Ho, ´ ˘ etc. HAH Ha ´ HAH Hu ´ ˘ HAH HER ´ HAH Hu ´ ˘ HAH HER ´ HAH Hu, ´ ˘ etc. HAH HER

Exercise 3 The following verses should first be whispered, then intoned, and, finally, spoken. Initiate the utterance from the diaphragm, falling back on the reserve breath when necessary. This applies especially to the final examples. Row us out from Desenzano, to your Sirmione row! So they row’d, and there we landed – “O venusta Sirmio!” There to me thro’ all the groves of olive in the summer glow, There beneath the Roman ruin where the purple flowers grow, Came that “Ave atque Vale” of the Poet’s hopeless woe, Tenderest of Roman poets nineteen hundred years ago, “Frater Ave atque Vale” – as we wander’d to and fro Gazing at the Lydian laughter of the Garda lake below Sweet Catullus’s all-but-island, olive-silvery Sirmio! (Frater Ave Atque Vale – Lord Tennyson)

voice & speech in the theatre

All along the valley, stream that flashest white, Deepening thy voice with the deepening of the night, All along the valley, where thy waters flow, I walk’d with one I loved two and thirty years ago. All along the valley while I walk’d to-day, The two and thirty years were a mist that rolls away; For all along the valley, down thy rocky bed, Thy living voice to me was as the voice of the dead, And all along the valley, by rock and cave and tree, The voice of the dead was a living voice to me. (In the Valley of Cauteretz – Lord Tennyson.) Over the mountain aloft ran a rush and a roll and a roaring; Downward the breeze came indignant, and leapt with a howl to the water, Roaring in cranny and crag, till the pillars and defts of the basalt Rang like a god-swept Iyre, and her brain grew mad with the noises; Crashing and lapping of waters, and sighing and tossing of weedbeds, Gurgle and whisper and hiss of the foam, while thundering surges Boomed in the wave-worn halls, as they champed at the roots of the mountain. Hour after hour in the darkness the wind rushed fierce to the landward, Drenching the maiden with spray; she shivering, weary and drooping, Stood with her heart full of thoughts, till the foam crests gleamed in the twilight, Leaping and laughing around, and the east grew red with the dawning. (Andromeda – Charles Kingsley.) Now I will do nothing but listen, To accrue what I hear into this song, to let sounds contribute towards it. I hear bravuras of birds, bustle of growing wheat, gossip of flames, clack of sticks cooking my meals, I hear the sound I love, the sound of the human voice,

reasons for nasality

I hear all sounds running together combined, fused or following Sounds of the city and sounds out of the city, sounds of the day and night, Talkative young ones to those that like them, the loud laugh of workpeople at their meals, The angry base of disjointed friendship, the faint tones of the sick, The judge with hands tight to the desk, his pallid lips pronouncing a death-sentence, The heave’e’yo of stevedores unlading ships by the wharves, the refrain of the anchor-lifters, The ring of alarm bells, the cry of fire, the whirr of swift-streaking engines and hose carts with premonitory tinkles and coloured lights. The steam-whistle, the solid roll of the train of approaching cars, The slow march play’d at the head of the association marching two and two, (They go to guard some corpses, the flag-tops are draped with black muslin). (Song of Myself – Walt Whitman.)

Nasal resonance Up to this point the nasal resonator has been somewhat cursorily dismissed when tone has been under discussion, and yet the power of the nose as a resonator is very considerable. Nasal resonance must never be allowed to predominate, but when the two main cavities of mouth and neck are fully expanded, nasal resonance may be present in the form of an added richness and helps to impart to the voice a ringing vibrant quality. In developing nasal resonance, it is imperative to bear in mind the necessity for preserving a balance in tone between the main cavities and the nose itself.

Reasons for nasality If, for some reason, this balance between the main cavities and the nose is not achieved, the condition known as nasality is present. If this exists as a constant factor, or merely on vowel sounds in the proximity of nasal consonants, it is a fault in production. Nasality may sometimes be

voice & speech in the theatre

present as the result of insufficient expansion of the main cavities so that the resonance of the nose predominates. If this is so, it is usually eradicated in the course of training, when full expansion of the pharynx and mouth has been obtained. In this way the nose resonance is, as it were, absorbed by the resonance of the other two cavities One of the characteristics of the habitually nasal speaker is an apparent inability to open the jaw and throat. The importance of so doing is now seen to be more imperative than ever. On the other hand, nasality often persists, even when the jaw is open and the mouth and pharynx are being fully used. This is explained by the inability of the speaker to raise the soft palate sufficiently vigorously and thus to close the entrance to the naso-pharynx and nose proper. The remedy for this is to train the ear to detect the nasal quality, and at the same time to develop greater muscular activity in the soft palate. Yet another form of nasality results from excessive tension of the muscles of the palate, often spreading to such an extent that the tension can be seen in the nostrils. This imparts a hard, metallic quality which is the distinguishing feature of nasal ‘twang.’ In reality, it is the result of complete absence of true nasal resonance. It is the pinching, tightening condition which is the cause of this.

Absence of nasal resonance ‘Speakig through the dose’ is yet another type, and is associated with either a temporary or a permanent cold in the head. This, again, indicates complete absence of nasal resonance and is the result of congestion and blockage.

How to obtain nasal resonance Nasal resonance may best be obtained by alternating nasal consonants and vowels. M is the most satisfactory for this purpose. In forming the M the lips, as we have seen, are brought lightly together over the open jaw. The lips must not be pursed or tightened in any way. The tongue is to lie flat on the floor of the mouth as for AH. A note is now sung, the sensation being that the vibrations of the note are sent directly on to the closed lips which should tingle markedly. If the lips are plucked apart by a finger, the tone is heard to be full and clear as it issues from the mouth. If, on plucking the lips apart, the resultant sound is dead

exercises for nasal resonance

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and muffled, the result is not that intended, and is probably due to closing the jaw and bunching up the tongue, and thereby filling the mouth. When the M can be easily made in this manner, the hands should be cupped over the mouth and nose, and M and AH should be alternated. The rest of the main vowels should then be similarly treated. There should be no break in the sound.

M AH M AH M AH M AH M AH M AH M AH M AH M AH The vibrations for the consonant should be felt strongly on the fingers and in passing from the M to the vowel a trace of this vibration, but only a trace, should remain. The ear, however, must be the final arbiter in controlling the amount of nasal resonance which is present. It is also profitable to listen to nasal resonance from within by closing each ear by pressure of the fingers and repeating the above exercise. Only the faintest trace of nasal resonance must be heard on the vowels.

Exercises for nasal resonanace These words are then repeated one after the other on a continuous note, and in so doing a continuous hum or buzz is to be set up.

Exercise 1 mummy mummy mummy mummy mummy mummy mummy ninny ninny ninny ninny ninny ninny ninny money money money money money money money memory memory memory memory memory memory memory niminy niminy niminy niminy niminy niminy niminy Remember the money, remember the money, remember the money, remember.

Exercise 2 Naomi remembered that June night, when the moon shone on the town and the moor, as she wandered aimlessly towards the ruined mansion, framed against a background of elms. Peering through a mullioned window, the moon glinted on the money the mad Mannering was fingering and counting.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 3 How sweet it were, hearing the downward stream, With half-shut eyes ever to seem Falling asleep in a half-dream! To dream and dream, like yonder amber light, Which will not leave the myrrh-bush on the height; . . . To watch the crisping ripples on the beach, And tender curving lines of creamy spray; To lend our hearts and spirits wholly To the influence of mild-minded melancholy; To muse and brood and live again in memory, With those old faces of our infancy Heap’d over with a mound of grass, Two handfuls of white dust, shut in an urn of brass! (Song of the Lotus-eaters – Lord Tennyson.)

Exercise 4 From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: When nature underneath a heap Of jarring atoms lay, And could not heave her head, The tuneful voice was heard from high, ‘Arise, ye more than dead!’ Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry, In order to their stations leap, And Music’s power obey. From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: From harmony to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in Man. (A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day – John Dryden.)

Exercising the soft palate To correct nasality arising from insufficient activity of the soft palate, it is necessary to recognize the sensation accompanying the high arching of the palate. This may best be done by whistling a sustained low note.

exercising the soft palate

Unless the entrance to the nose is closed, this cannot be done. Another way is to yawn. The soft palate will then rise quite definitely to close the entrance to the nose. One should then endeavour to retain the soft palate in this arched position while slowly allowing the mouth to resume its normal condition. In addition, hold the lips very loosely together and barely touching and breathe out sufficiently vigorously to cause them to vibrate. This cannot be done if the soft palate is not raised.

Exercise 1 Alternate NG and AH. For this exercise, the jaw is to be fully opened and the whispered breath is to be used. The breath is to be taken in through the nose with the tongue in the NG position. This sounds rather complicated. All one has to do, however, is to assume the position for NG silently, and breathe in whilst maintaining the position. The breath is to be exhaled strongly on AH. On repeating these sounds continuously one after the other, one is able to hear a slight clicking sound as the soft palate rises and the tongue is lowered to the position for the vowel. This resembles, but is not quite so strong as, a K. This slight K is to be made as clear as possible.

Exercise 2 NG A´H NG A´H NG A´H NG A´H NG A´H NG A´H Repeat with OO and EE.

Exercise 3 In the following words the final consonant should first be detached from the preceding sounds and the pause between the two gradually shortened whilst carefully noting that no nasality is heard until the final nasal consonant is reached – ti ... me tow ... n

ti .. me tow .. n

time town

n .. i .. ne n . i . ne m .. i .. me m . i . me

nine mime

and with any words in which similar conditions obtain.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 4 Articulate the following with extreme clarity on all the nasals – In the beginning she was singing while he was bringing the ripping dripping. Later he was tinkering and sprinkling with the blinking watering can, while she was tacking and hacking at the black lining of a hunting jacket. Like a rocket shot to a ship ashore The lean red bolt of his body tore, Like a ripple of wind running swift on grass; Like a shadow on wheat when a cloud blows past, Like a turn at the buoy in a cutter sailing When the bright green gleam lips white at the railing, Like the April snake whipping back to sheath, Like the gannet’s hurtle on fish beneath, Like a kestrel chasing, like a sickle reaping, Like all things swooping, like all things sweeping, Like a hound for stay, like a stag for swift, With his shadow beside like a spinning drift. (Reynard the Fox – John Masefield.) It was eight bells ringing, For the morning watch was done, And the gunner’s lads were singing, As they polished every gun. It was eight bells ringing, And the gunner’s lads were singing, For the ship she rode a-swinging, As they polished every gun. (The Fighting Temeraire – Sir Henry Newbolt.) Nasality resulting from tension is best tackled by using the exercises given to encourage nasal resonance. The lines should be spoken dreamily and slowly, exacting full value from the ‘m’s’ and ‘n’s’ and taking special care to relax the facial muscles against the back-ground of a relaxed posture.

4 • the note Our method of procedure, so far, has been that of the craftsman who fashions an instrument in such a way that the skilled executant is enabled to evoke the most aesthetically satisfying tone of which the instrument is capable. It is to this end that the separation of the vibrator and resonator is necessary. By examining and developing the resonator on its own merits by means of the whispered voice, we have prepared the way for the introduction of the element of note, so that this may be reinforced and amplified to the full by the open, expanded resonator. We have also seen that one way in which the vocal instrument may be played is by means of changing the shape of the resonator without materially affecting its size. In so doing we produce vowels which are at the same time similar and dissimilar. Similar in that their general quality or tone is constant, and dissimilar in that their specific quality or vowel tone is variable. But the playing of an instrument is thought of principally in connection with the variations which become possible by the introduction of the element of pitch. It has already been made clear that there is not much point in considering this aspect of an instrument or of the voice unless the notes of varying pitches can first be satisfactorily resonated.

The vocal cords For practical purposes a detailed knowledge of the structure of the larynx is entirely unnecessary, as it would be of no assistance in developing the action of the cords which can be influenced only by indirect means. The term ‘vocal cord’ is unfortunate, in that it suggests two strings slung across the top of the windpipe. A truer, but rough, picture can be gained by imagining a tube, closed at one end by a flexible covering which is slit along its diameter. We should imagine the front of the slit as fixed, and the back ends as movable and free. The two edges of the

voice & speech in the theatre

slit represent the vocal cords. The edges, when seen from above, appear as two white bands stretched across the throat, the fixed ends being in the front and the movable ends at the back. These white bands are the actual vocal cords, which are composed of elastic tissue. When we breathe in, the free ends of the slit are drawn away from each other by muscular action. When we breathe out, they move closer together, and when we vocalize, they meet, closing the slit completely.

Producing the note When the cords are brought together the air is thereby completely boxed up, and can escape only by causing the edges of the slit to open. When we begin to breathe out, the pressure of the air inside the lungs is increased, making it possible for the breath to overcome the resistance offered to it by the closed cords, which are then moved apart. Because they are elastic, they spring together again, and the slit closes. Again they are parted, as breath pressure accumulates, and again they spring towards each other. It is the rhythmical opening and shutting of the slit which has the effect of cutting the breath stream up into a series of minute puffs which give rise to a musical note. The rapidity of the movement of the cords determines the pitch of the note; the interval of an octave, for example, is obtained by doubling, or halving, the number of times the cords part in a second of time.

Voice types The length and mass of the cords determine the voice type. Thus, the bass voice will have longer, thicker cords than the baritone, and the tenor’s cords may not be so long as those of the baritone. Similar differences account for the different types met with in women’s voices. The lower voice of the man is also partially explained by the slightly longer and thicker cords he possesses, compared with those of the woman. In discussing the note we have to consider – 1. The way in which it is set up or ‘attacked,’ its continuity, and the way in which it is terminated. 2. The compass or range of notes which may be demanded of the voice in portraying character and in meeting the demands of situation.

the glottal stop

The closing and opening of the vocal cords and the rate at which this occurs is instinctive, and must remain so. The infant does not have to learn to cry. It expresses its disapproval of being born only too easily and, probably, too often! We do not have to learn how to bring the vocal cords together.

Duration of note Whenever we breathe out, the vocal cords move towards each other. In speaking and singing the mere desire to speak or sing is sufficient to bring the cords into contact with each other and to close the slit. Thus the vowel AH can be alternately whispered and vocalized, and we remain unconscious of the process, apart from the desire to alternate them. The note will last as long as we wish, always providing the breath supply is sufficient. The note will cease immediately we cease breathing out or pause in order to replenish the breath, and the cords will swing wide apart so that the intake is noiseless. The breath, in other words, is responsible for bringing the cords together, and also for the duration and cessation of the note. The cords will function perfectly, providing their natural action is not tampered with and we make no attempt to become conscious of the movements taking place in the larynx. If, however, there is imperfect co-ordination between the breathing muscles and those responsible for bringing the cords together, the attack of the note will be incorrect.

Correct attack Correct attack or onset is the result of perfect timing between these two sets of muscles. The note must begin at the instant we start breathing out. In this way the cords are, as it were, brought into the breath stream.

The glottal stop If, however, the timing is faulty, the slit closes too soon, in which case the cords are separated violently before the note begins. The effect of this is to prefix each note by a hard, clicking sound, known as a glottal stop. This hard, ‘glottal’ attack is fortunately simple to overcome, but where the habit exists it is often most persistent. To guard against its occurrence, all initial work on vocalization should begin with an H

voice & speech in the theatre

sound, so that the responsibility of the breath for the attack of the note is inculcated. When the sense of starting the note on the breath has been acquired, the H may be lessened in duration and eventually dispensed with.

Incorrect ending A vowel which is sustained may be terminated abruptly by a tightening in the throat, in which case a sharp clicking sound would be heard to end the note. This is much more likely to occur in singing whenever vowels have to be sung forte at the top of the compass, but it is sometimes heard when a vowel is sustained in the course of developing the speaking voice. It may be avoided by breathing in when the note is to cease.

Breathy quality The note should, in all normal circumstances, be full and clear with no trace of a woolly or breathy quality. If it is present, it should be noted whether the breath is being drawn in to the base of the lungs and whether shallow breathing, which is the result of expanding the upper part of the thorax, is not a contributory cause. The breath should pass out firmly but slowly from the base of the lungs and the ribs should not be allowed to collapse. The note should be attacked strongly at the instant exhalation begins, and the vowel which is to be sung should be prefixed by an M. The M sound is to be sustained for an appreciable time, and the lips are to be opened directly on to the vowel. While singing the M, the vibrations should be felt strongly upon the lips. It is not possible to go further than this in writing of this condition, which is often difficult to eradicate, and is the reverse of that which is essential for true clarity of utterance.

Hearing the note The ear is responsible for the pitch of the note, and, therefore, for bringing about the complex movements in the larynx which enable the pitch to be varied. To reproduce a note of a given pitch, all that is necessary is that it should be correctly heard. Into the marvellous intricacies which explain the way in which this is done, we need not enter.

the ‘centre’ note

If the sense of pitch is defective, it is impossible correctly to reproduce a given note. This situation can be remedied only by ear training and by concentrating on a clear mental ‘picture’ of the note in the mind at the instant it is to be reproduced. If the note is defective in any way, it will be noticeable, since the resonator of the voice does not possess the power of completely altering the note, as is the case with some instruments, but only of modifying it. We can now say that perfection of voice demands not only perfection of resonance but also perfection in the way in which the note is attacked and sustained.

The tremolo In sustaining a vowel, unsteadiness of pitch is frequently heard. This does not refer to the inability to hear the pitch of a note which results in singing flat or sharp, but to minute variations in frequency throughout the duration of a note which produces the effect known as tremolo. Of greater importance in singing where vowels are sustained beyond their normal duration, it can, nevertheless, frequently be detected in spoken passages when these are taken at a slow pace. This unsteadiness serves no purpose except to call attention to itself and is irritating to the ear when its presence is marked. To eradicate this fault care should be taken that the breath pressure is firm and constant. The ear, by concentrating on the desired note, should keep the pitch true. It is often a help to imagine that the note proceeds along a perfectly horizontal line with no deviation above it or below.

The ‘centre’ note Before bringing the vibrator and resonator into association, it is necessary to decide on the best pitch to use for practice. This will be one which lies towards the middle of the speaker’s compass. This ‘centre’ note may easily be ascertained by first singing down the scale until the lowest note which can be sung is reached. Sung, not growled! An octave above this will give a note towards the middle of the voice, and this, or a note slightly below, should be used in the first place for all vocalization exercises.

voice & speech in the theatre

Every actor should be aware of their centre note, as the bulk of their work will involve the middle part of the voice. In the course of time the sense of where to pitch the voice becomes instinctive. This is always important, especially when delivering a major speech of some length. In this case the voice should not be pitched too high at the beginning, which might make it impossible effectively to reach the notes demanded by an emotional climax, or to reach the pitch which a particular situation might demand.

Average centre note The average centre notes for the voice types which are customarily distinguished are given below, although, as pointed out above, the centre note of the individual’s voice may be readily ascertained.

A guide to the centre note

NOTE:

there will be variations between individuals.

Resonant and dictated pitch When singing the vowels, the resonant pitch is no longer heard as such because the vocal note is the stronger of the two. It is the greater strength of the vocal note which makes it possible to sing any vowel on any pitch within a given compass. But the effect of the resonant pitches on the note is made audible in the richness of the resultant tone. This may be clearly heard by a simple experiment on the vowel EE. This is to be sung on the same pitch throughout. The jaw is first closed, but not clenched, and the lips are spread, and the vowel is sung. The jaw then remains closed, but the lips are relaxed, and the vowel is sung. Finally, the jaw is opened, and the loose lip position retained, and the vowel is sung. A marked improvement in resonation is noticed each time the position for the vowel is improved. The explanation of this may be understood if the experiment is repeated by means of the breath alone. A distinct lowering of the resonant note is heard as the expansion of

resonant and dictated pitch

the cavities is increased. It is in this way that every note which is sung is given maximum resonation by means of the notes on the resonator scale.

Exercise 1 In the correct AH position, a breath is passed through the cavities, attention being paid to the whispered pitch and the complete absence of constriction, which, if present, would be heard in the form of a rasping, scraping quality of breath. The note which is to be sung is then played, or heard mentally, and reproduced prefixed by an H. The breath pressure is to be firm and constant throughout the duration of the note which is to begin at the instant of breathing out and neither before nor after, and to cease before any sensation of breath shortage is experienced. The pitch of the note is to remain ‘true’ from start to finish and there must be no suggestion of a tremolo.

Exercise 2 In the easy, poised position, with rib-reserve breathing, each of the following vowels is first to be whispered. The whispered pitch should be checked, and also whether the resonator is free from constriction and fully open. The centre note is then introduced, prefixed by an H and terrninated by a fresh intake of breath represented by the final H. H H H

AH – centre note – AH H. OO – centre note – OO H. EE – centre note – EE H.

Exercise 3 The following pairs of vowels are then to be sung on the centre note, one breath being used for each pair –

H AH OO, H AH OO, H AH OO, H AH OO. H AH EE, H AH EE, H AH EE, H AH EE. H OO EE, H OO EE, H OO EE, H OO EE.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 4 In the same way proceed to the following –

H AH OO EE, H AH OO EE, H AH OO EE. H AH EE OO, H AH EE OO, H AH EE OO. H OO AH EE, H OO AH EE, H OO AH EE. H OO EE AH, H OO EE AH, H OO EE AH. H EE AH OO, H EE AH OO, H EE AH OO. H EE OO AH, H EE OO AH, H EE OO AH.

Exercise 5 Follow this with every vowel of the resonator scale prefixed by HAH using one breath, with ribs extended, for each pair.

Exercise 6 Repeat the scale, only this time omit the H. Repeat both exercises, but make the breath continuous. )

AH OO AH oo AH OH AH AW AH o˘ AH AH AH u˘ AH ER AH ˘a AH e˘ AH AY AH ˘i AH EE. In all these exercises, if the resonator is functioning correctly, the tone will be full and clear and will not deteriorate in passing from one vowel to another. The sung note, if correct, will be effortlessly produced, and will remain constant in passing through any of the series of shapes.

Compass In the establishment of tone up to this point, we have been principally concerned with obtaining satisfactory resonation for every vowel on a fixed note of the compass, and in maintaining an unbroken line of resonance so that the basic tone remains unimpaired, irrespective of the speech movements which are superimposed upon it. The tone, in other words, has been developed horizontally. This is a fundamental condition of good voice production, but a great deal more is demanded of the actor’s voice, which seldom, if ever,

tone and range

is sustained on one note for an appreciable time. The actor’s voice must range over a whole series of notes which are determined, in the first instance, by the particular inflections required to speak a line and point its meaning. But the range of an inflection and the particular point of the compass at which it starts is determined principally by the emotional context of a situation in a play. If the tone is not to be impaired under these conditions, we must acquire the power of extending the range of the voice, and in so doing develop the tone vertically. In normal conversation the voice is used round about its middle note and does not rise above or fall below this note to any marked extent. If this conversational range is not extended in both directions, the untrained voice will sound forced and strained whenever its upper limits have to be used.

Fixed range No-one has complete freedom where range is concerned, for the extreme limits to which the voice can rise and fall are more or less fixed when adolescence is reached. In other words, a high voice can rarely become a low voice, and vice versa, and the tone must be developed within the limits of the compass set by a particular voice. This is not to imply that range cannot be extended, for few speakers make use of all the notes of which their voices are capable. The essential point is the ability to produce free, open tone on all notes which lie within the compass. No voice can be forced into a mould for which it was not designed. A person, therefore, who cannot speak low may tend to drive the voice down, and thus to throw the whole resonating system out of gear. When the voice is deemed too high and, when this is not merely because it is being pitched too high above its natural centre, much can be done to give the impression of lowness by attending to the tone.

Tone and range The full open expansion of the resonator will give an impression of body and depth which will largely compensate for any lack of low notes in a particular voice. An illustration of what may be done has already been noted in the case of the vowel EE. When expansion is absent a

voice & speech in the theatre

thin, high effect is produced, whereas, if the same note be sung with maximum expansion of the cavities, the difference in resonation is marked, and the added sonority obtained has the effect, apparently, of lowering the pitch of the note. It is usually the person with thin or otherwise indifferent tone who wishes to ‘get the voice down.’ A voice of whatever pitch will always be aesthetically satisfying so long as the tone itself is not meagre or otherwise defective.

Maintaining placement In the following exercises, it is the spoken vowel which is to be sustained. That is, the character of the vowel must not be sacrificed in order to gain fullness of tone, but must be kept well forward in the mouth, the richness and fullness being given to the notes entirely by the openness of the throat and the general expansion of the whole cavity. Special care is necessary to avoid any tightening when ascending the scale. When the highest notes are reached the sensation should be that they are being produced as effortlessly as the centre note. The higher the note, the more open and relaxed should one feel. In singing down, the tendency to make the lowest notes heavy, throaty, and ‘thick’ must be resisted. On the other hand, it is important to realize that to warble a series of notes, however charmingly, is of value to no-one. We must produce tone on the notes we sing, but be sure it is tone which suggests an enrichment of the speaking voice and not the ‘fruity’ backward placed tone which is associated with an unctuous pomposity.

Exercises for pitch All the precautions already detailed must be present to the mind. The good poise, the easy, erect carriage of the head, the open expanded throat, and the forward tongue. Every singing exercise is to be preceded by whispering the vowel which is to be sung, so that the resonating conditions may be heard to be at their best before the notes are introduced.

Exercise 1

exercises for pitch

HOO HOH HAW HAH HER HAY HEE and then with Ho ˘ o Ho˘ Hu˘ He˘ Ha˘ Hı˘ The scale given does not cover the range of notes which every actor should possess. One and a half octaves is the minimum requirement, but a really flexible voice will be able to range over two octaves with complete ease. In giving exercises for all who may read this book, it is impossible to be aware of any limitations in the reader’s compass, so that this is really as far as it is safe to go in dealing with this matter on the printed page.

Exercise 2 For those who are certain the exercise given can be performed with perfect ease so that the highest note does not cause the slightest suspicion of strain, and the lowest note does not become a fruity growl, the starting note may be raised by a semi-tone and then lowered by a semi-tone which will develop the lower notes equally with the higher ones. Always providing the exercise can be performed with complete ease, it is safe to proceed in this way until two octaves can be covered, but it is pointless to force the notes at the extremes of the compass. Forcing prevents the voice from reaching the required notes; it not only becomes painful to listen to it, but it may be the means of causing irreparable damage to the voice.

voice & speech in the theatre

The correct management of the note, and the easy, flexible distribution of the tone throughout the compass of the voice is the second of the main objectives which must be reached.

Exercise 3 Starting midway between one’s ‘centre’ and lowest notes, the following lines should be intoned, raising the pitch by a semi-tone on each succeeding line. Be careful that the pitch of the note remains steady throughout the duration of each line and that the pitch does not drop. Give each line controlled support from the breath and initiate the voice from the diaphragm and see that the tone is clear and forward on the lips. There are additional examples on pages 43–4. With eyes upraised, as one inspired, Pale Melancholy sat retired; And from her wild sequester’d seat, In notes by distance made more sweet, Pour’d through the mellow horn her pensive soul: And dashing soft from rocks around, Bubbling runnels joined the sound; Through glades and glooms the mingled measure stole, Or o’er some haunted stream, with fond delay, Round a holy calm diffusing Love of peace and lonely musing, In hollow murmurs died away. (The Passions – William Collins.)

Exercise 4 These lines from G. K. Chesterton’s ‘Lepanto’ provide a good test of the efficient management of all the elements so far discussed, and an opportunity for vigorous articulation and control of volume of tone. They should be spoken. Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard, Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred, Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half-attainted stall, The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall, The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung,

exercises for pitch

That once went singing southward when all the world was young, In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid, Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade. Strong gongs groaning as the guns boom far, Don John of Austria is going to the war, Stiff flags straining in the night-blasts cold In the gloom black-purple, in the glint old-gold, Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums, Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes. Don John laughing in the brave beard curled, Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world, Holding his head up for a flag of all the free. Love-light of Spain – hurrah! Death-light of Africa! Don John of Austria Is riding to the sea. Further material is – The Song of the Lotus-Eaters, Lord Tennyson. Samson Agonistes (Messenger speech), John Milton. Hippolytus (Messenger speech), John Milton. Electra (Messenger speech), John Milton. Richard III, v. iii. (Richmond: More than I have said), Shakespeare. Henry VI, III. i. 4. (Queen Margaret: Brave warriors, Clifford and Northumberland), Shakespeare.

5 • the word All the steps so far taken have been towards acquiring an unbroken line of tone, which is to be sustained through all the changes in the resonator resulting from the vowel shapes. We must now consider how these conditions are to be maintained in spite of the interruptions of the tone occasioned by the introduction of consonants. Whereas all vowels are the result of the passage of the note through the open resonator, the third and final modification of the breath stream is brought about by impeding the outward passage of the breath. This may be done by completely closing the resonator and then opening it, or by bringing the articulating organs close together so that the breath stream issues through a restricted opening.

Types of consonants Consonants differ from each other in five ways – 1. They may be voiced or voiceless. 2. They may be made in differing manners. 3. They may be made in different places. 4. Some demand a closed jaw, others a partially closed jaw, and some may be made with an open jaw. 5. They may vary in strength of articulation. The main difference between the following pairs is that the first of each pair is voiceless and the second is voiced, i.e. the vocal cords are in vibration, and this is indicated by the straight and wavy lines beneath them. This distinction cannot be heard unless it is realized that the name and the sound of a consonant are two different things. Thus f, v, z, and k are called eff, vee, zed and kay, but their sounds can be heard without any accompanying vowel. In alternating the following pairs, the articulating organs must not be allowed to move –

F V F V F V F V F V F V S Z S Z S Z S Z S Z S Z

Place of articulation If the sounds of D, L, N, S, are made, it will be noticed that they are made in the same place but that they differ in manner. Similarly with G and NG.

Manner of articulation P, B, T, D, K, G, on the other hand, are all made in the same manner, but each pair is made in a different place. The sounds M, N, L, P, B, T, D, K, G, NG, and H can all be made with an open jaw, although at this stage some may have difficulty in so doing, whereas S, Z, and the SH and CH sounds require a closed jaw. In the tabulation shown opposite, the vertical columns indicate the way in which each sound is formed and the horizontal columns the place where they are formed. The first of each pair is voiceless and the second voiced. Some of these consonants call for consideration here, since they are not consonants in the strict sense of the term and do not appear in any of the consonant exercises. They are H, W, and Y.

H H does not demand any closure of the resonator whatever, as it is formed by the passage of the unvocalized breath through the vowel shapes. Before an H is heard the articulating organs take up the position for the following vowel. The shape is then breathed through for the H. The position of the organs does not then change, but the vocal cords come into vibration for the vowel. An H, in other words, could justifiably be considered more as an unvocalized vowel than a consonant. There are actually as many H sounds as there are vowels, although it is never necessary to distinguish between them. It is surprising to realize that there are voiced H sounds. These occur only when the H is between two vowels and are not in the consonantal repertoire of all speakers. Practice on H is not necessary as this will already have been

voice & speech in the theatre

undertaken in association with the vowel shapes. In ‘He had his hat on his head,’ the number of Hs which are pronounced depends upon the number of stresses and the speed at which the words are spoken. It is possible to speak this phrase perfectly correctly with only three of the H sounds made audible. To pronounce them all in all circumstances would sound highly unnatural.

W and Y The consonants W and Y are very similar, acoustically, to vowel sounds. Nevertheless they are always regarded as consonants on functional grounds, i.e. they are always used, like consonants, at word and syllable boundaries. W is a rapid voiced glide beginning approximately at the position for the OO sound. Y is a rapid voiced glide beginning approximately at the position for EE. Some speakers waste effort over the initial sound in ‘when, where, why, what’, etc. This particular sound has now lost currency and it is not necessary to make the distinction between voiced and unvoiced, unless to reinforce the onomatopaeic value of the words. Context will always ensure the distinction between such pairs as ‘weather, whether’; ‘way, whey’; ‘which, witch.’

Some common problems The consonant table should give all the indication necessary as to the formation of the majority of these sounds, but some of them call for detailed examination owing to the difficulty experienced by many speakers when they come to be used in connected speech. These are the explosives, L sounds, R sounds, and the sibilants.

The explosives – P, T, K; B, D, G These consonants, otherwise known as plosives, may be considered together, as they are all subject to the same errors in formation. All explosives are formed by imprisoning the air by completely closing the resonator at some point and then separating the articulating organs. The air, suddenly released, produces the slight explosive sound which is

aspiration

Place of Formation

Manner of Formation

Complete Closures Explosives

Partial Closures Lateral

Nasal

Rolled and Tapped

Open resonator

Semivowel

H– P B

Two lips

–M

Lower lip and upper teeth

F V TH TH [θ] [ð]

Tongue-tip and teeth Tongue-tip and upper gums Tongue blade and front of hard palate

Fricative

T D

–L

–N

CH GE [] [] (church) (judge)

–R

S Z SH ZH [ʃ] [ ] (rouge)

Front of tongue and hard palate Back of tongue and soft palate

–Y

K G

– NG [ŋ]

r – the untrilled English r is not shown on this chart as it is a frictionless sound

characteristic of these consonants. The escaping air necessarily continues for an appreciable time after the articulating organs have been separated. They cannot, therefore, be pronounced without an independent sound.

Aspiration In the case of P, T, and K this independent sound is an H and in the case of B, D, and G it is a short form of the neutral vowel. This should be verified by repeating the consonants in pairs, i.e. P, B; T, D; K, G. The sound of the consonants must be given and not their names – not PEE,

voice & speech in the theatre

BEE; TEE, DEE; KAY, GEE. If the pairs are pronounced with a following vowel, it will be heard that the independent sound remains in the case of P, T, K, but that its place is taken by the following vowel in the other group, i.e. PhAH, ThAH, KhAH, but BAH, DAH, GAH. P, T, K on this account are said to be aspirated. The degree of aspiration varies considerably from speaker to speaker. It should never be prominent to a marked degree, and to this end the articulating organs must be separated neatly and with rapidity. If they part slowly, the organs pass through the position of the corresponding fricative consonant and cause it to become audible. Thus ‘tea for two’ becomes ‘tsea for tsoo.’ Imagine a Ulysses who gave full bent to aspiration – Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for oblivion, A great sized monster of ingratitudes: Those scraps are good deeds past; which are devour’d As fast as they are made, forgot as soon As done: . . . (Troilus and Cressida, III. III.)

Absence of aspiration On the other hand, complete absence of aspiration is either comic or affected. In practising B, D, G, in final positions, care must be taken to avoid an intrusive vowel, e.g. ‘biger, bader, doger’. This is the result of fully voicing these sounds which are always partially de-voiced when in final positions. They begin voiced and end breathed.

Incomplete explosives Not all explosives are completely articulated. When one is followed by another, only the stop of the first and the release of the second are heard. Compare ‘gape, gaped; rob, robbed; look, looked; sag, sagged.’ The same situation occurs when final and initial explosives are in juxtaposition, e.g. ‘rhubarb pie, hot dog, black gloves.’ In ‘sit tight, glad day, ripe pears, herb broth, black cat, leg grip,’ the pairs of consonants are identical but neither is complete, for we hear only the stop of the first and the release of the second. It is the length of the silence which gives

exercises for explosives

the impression of two sounds. The stop, its duration, and its release must all be duly observed, otherwise the impression is of one sound only. Compare ‘red ear, red deer.’ The only difference between these two pairs is in the length of the stop. Some speakers, under the impression that they are gaining additional clarity, separate these and similar pairs, often with quite ludicrous effect. There is no occasion for this. To do so in a play which reproduces the conversational mode of speech would be absurd and a travesty of the truth.

Nasal and lateral plosion A vowel should not be inserted between an explosive and a following nasal, e.g., ‘cottn, muttn, rottn, buttn, hiddn, suddn,’ and not ‘cottun, muttun, rottun,’ etc. The insertion of a vowel between an explosive and a following L is also unnecessary, e.g. ‘littul’ for ‘little,’ ‘mortul’ for ‘mortl’.

Exercises for explosives All the explosives may be practised in association with the vowels. Thus the vowel scale is used in this fashion –

Exercise 1 OOP POO OHP POH AWP PAW AHP PAH AYP PAY EEP PEE OOB BOO OHB BOH AWB BAW AHB BAH AYB BAY EEB BEE OOT TOO OHT TOH AWT TAW AHT TAH AYT TAY EET TEE OOD DOO OHD DOH AWD DAW AHD DAH AYD DAY EED DEE OOK KOO OHK KOH AWK KAW AHK KAH AYK KAY EEK KEE OOG GOO OHG GOH AWG GAW AHG GAH AYG GAY EEG GEE OOP BOO OHB POH AWT DAW AHD TAH AYK GAY EEG KEE, etc.

Exercise 2 When three explosives are in juxtaposition the question of treatment and clarity becomes more involved. In ‘act two, sagged door; hope to, hoped to; rob doctor, robbed doctor; knock twice, knocked twice; bog down, bogged down,’ separation of the respective pairs would result in

voice & speech in the theatre

‘acth two, hopedh to, knockedh twice and saggeder’ door, robbeder’ doctor, boggeder down,’ which is ridiculous. The distinction between ‘hope to’ and ‘hoped to’ lies in the length of the stops for the T sounds, and this must be of the right duration to distinguish between the following pairs – wrap ten scrub too cook dinner rag Dora

wrapped ten scrubbed too cooked dinner ragged Dora

pastimes buy toast good answer room eight

past times bite toast good dancer room mate

Exercise 3 On the other hand, ‘wrapped parcels, escaped prisoner, scrubbed benches, bagged game, talked quietly, stopped barking, parked car, begged gifts,’ can and should be separated. Example – Saturday was a sad day to wake up to. Not only a sad day, but a bad day, for Kate Pringle, our good cook, for the third time planned to leave us – and before breakfast too – and we had to catch the train at Great Batterton at eight ten. This entailed eight dreary miles in the old Dodge. Cook had downed tools on Friday at being asked to bake two fruit tarts of bottled black currants to follow the creamed cod and grilled chops. But my smart, pressed trousers and neatly tied tie made cook smile as with gloom graved deep on my brow, I took up the eight kippers for breakfast and prepared to cook them. ‘You’re past praying for,’ said Kate. ‘Cook kippers and all dressed up to kill?’ So for the third time she stayed. We returned at night to find she had repented during the day and had planned a good meal of herb broth, roast pigeons, and rhubarb pie.

Exercise 4 The following may be taken as a test for aspiration – In Tooting two tutors astute, Tried to toot to a Duke on a flute, But duets so gruelling End only in duelling When tutors astute toot the flute.

formation of L sounds

The glottal stop There is yet another explosive which is often heard but which is never indicated in the spelling of a word. It is known as the glottal stop, and is formed in the larynx by a closure of the vocal cords, much as a P is formed by the closure of the lips. It is represented by phoneticians by the symbol [] and the sound is regularly heard from many speakers. In extreme cases, it is used to replace the other explosive consonants, especially P, T, and K, and is a marked characteristic of a number of dialects. In such speakers a series of ‘clicks’ is substituted for the explosives. The difficulty does not lie in learning to acquire the correct sound, but in remembering to use it in preference to .

The glottal before vowels Again, many speakers prefix an initial vowel by the glottal stop as an additional means of emphasis – It’s awful. To eliminate this explosive it is necessary to intone a vowel, listening carefully to hear that the vowel is terminated by the closing consonant, and not by clicking the cords together. For this purpose all the exercises in vowels followed by P, T, and K should be used, both to eliminate the sound when it is substituted for an explosive and also in those cases when it is inserted before an explosive.

Formation of L sounds Every L sound has a primary and a secondary articulation. In both popular varieties of L the primary articulation is the raising of the tongue tip to the upper gum ridge and the lowering of the sides. It is the secondary articulation which determines the difference between the two L sounds; known as ‘clear’ and ‘dark’ L. In the case of clear L the front part of the tongue, behind the tip, is raised towards the hard palate and gives the sound a slight ‘i’ resonance. During the formation of dark L the back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate, as a secondary articulation, giving the sound a slight OO resonance.

voice & speech in the theatre

Use of clear and dark L Clear L is usually used before vowels and dark L before consonants, also at the ends of words. For example, clear L is heard in ‘leave, alone, please’ and dark L in ‘old, pool, little.’ When in final positions, and when the next word begins with a vowel, the ‘dark’ L becomes ‘clear.’ Thus in ‘orange peel’ the L is ‘dark,’ but in ‘Peel an orange’ it is ‘clear.’ In spite of the fact that the two Ls are not interchangeable, some speakers use ‘clear’ L in final positions under the mistaken impression that this is an added refinement in speaking. It has the effect of making speech sound unreal and stilted. It may be noted in passing that the ‘clear’ L in final positions is one of the characteristics of Irish speech. For many speakers L sounds are a source of great trouble. If the tongue is lazy, the tongue-tip articulation is omitted, in which case the L ceases to exist and a vowel of the˘ oo type remains. In such cases ‘till’ becomes ‘ti˘ oo’, ‘milk’ becomes ‘mi˘ ook,’ ‘railway’ becomes ‘rai˘ ooway,’ ‘bell’ becomes ‘be˘ oo,’ and so on. Vigorous exercise of the tongue tip will usually overcome this error. Many speakers use a very ‘dark’ L and this, combined with general tongue laziness, drags the preceding vowel down to an incorrect position. In such cases ‘field’ becomes ‘fiulled,’‘mail’ becomes ‘meull,’‘while’ becomes ‘whahl.’ To overcome this an L with higher resonance must be obtained.

Fig.4 Formation of clear L (left) and dark L (right).

use of clear and dark L

Exercise 1 With the tongue tip on the upper gums a series of Ls should be pronounced, each having the resonance of the vowels from 5–12. This should be repeated until the secondary articulation of any of these Ls can be assumed at will. The tongue tip must not leave the upper gums during this exercise, and the Ls and the vowels are to be formed simultaneously, and may be represented thus –

LAH Lu˘

LER

La˘

Le˘

LAY

L˘i

LEE

The tongue tip articulation should be maintained through the sense of touch, and the position of the body of the tongue should be controlled by the ear. It is waste of time to try to feel what the rest of the tongue is doing. At first the exercise will sound more like a series of vowels than a series of Ls, but with some adjustment both the L and the resonance of the vowel may be heard in equal proportions.

Exercise 2 When this can be done the L with ER resonance must be isolated and used to terminate all vowels.

AH AH

LER

marl

e˘

LER

fell

u˘

LER

gull

LER

fail

LER

furl

˘i

LER

fill

a˘

LER

pal

LER

feel

A dark L is often heard from Scottish speakers in such words and phrases as ‘will you, tell you, million, familiar, brilliant, pillion, scullion, Italian, Australian.’ When the formation of a vowel before L is incorrect, the correction of the resonance of the L will usually bring about a correction in the formation of the vowel, and it is generally a waste of time to tackle the vowel before the L has been corrected.

voice & speech in the theatre

The voiceless L It has already been noted that there is no voiceless L in normal English although one is often heard as a speech defect for S. Voiceless L is a characteristic of Welsh, in which language it is represented by ll as in Llewellen. Shakespeare indicated this voiceless L by the F in ‘Fluellen.’

Comparing clear and dark L The following pairs of words may be practised for comparison and for obtaining a clear distinction between the two varieties –

Exercise 1 leap lip lane lead lap luck lurch lark

peal pill nail dell pal cull churl carl

lop law loan look loot allow lie alloy

poll wall mole pull tool owl isle oil

Exercise 2 While London Laughs is the title of a brilliant musical likely to draw, or almost pull, all the town when it is installed at the Plaza. The film sparkles with a wealth of lively, lilting lyrics in Val Carlyle’s most powerful style. The eye is alternately regaled and, at intervals, almost assailed by really beautiful and enthralling scenes which ably fill the bill. I must not steal the thunder and indulge my liking for divulging the plot, and indeed cannot, for there is no denial that it was difficult to unravel. As a spectacle, the film is compelling, and culminates with Bucolic Frolic and Lido Love-tale. In the former, twelve festal vestals in purple and yellow farthingales girdled with myrtle leaves, revolve before a back cloth of rolling Alps and with rippling trills compete with a concealed chorus of pulsating nightingales. The latter is a bold, alluring spectacle inspired by Canaletto. ‘Les Girls’ exult in soulful strains as they float in gondolas along a real canal, illuminated by opal and emerald hues, to the full throated chorus of kilted gondoliers. This film is elsewhere described by several of my colleagues as puerile, juvenile, and infantile.

common problems with R

R sounds There is only one letter in the alphabet to represent the three varieties of this sound which are heard normally. Two others are heard as speech defects. The two most important members of this family of sounds are known as the frictionless or untrilled R, and the trilled or rolled R.

Untrilled R Untrilled R is made by curling back the tip of the tongue in the proximity of the upper gums. It is the character- Fig. 5 Untrilled R – the most istic sound given to initial R by the common R sound in English. great majority of speakers and is the only one possessed by many southerners.

Trilled R Trilled R is made by a rapid succession of taps by the tongue tip against the upper gums. It is the sound regularly used in all positions by the majority of Scottish speakers.

Tapped R Tapped R is a near relative of trilled R and is made by one flick of the tongue tip against the upper gums.

Common problems with R Southern English speakers and those who follow them do not pronounce the R in all positions. It is always heard initially, but when final and when before consonants it is silent – A he(r)d of red dee(r). He(r). He(r) book.

voice & speech in the theatre

Many southern speakers employ the tapped R when it occurs between two vowels and also as a linking consonant when one word ends with an R and the following word begins with a vowel, e.g. – )

Fathe(r), but father and mother. Fa(r), but far and near. He(re), but here it is. Mo(re), but more and more. )

)

In the West of England and in Ireland the untrilled R is pronounced in all positions. Often the curling back of the tongue is simultaneous with the formation of the vowel so that the vowel and the R coalesce. This is an expected characteristic in good American speech, and is known as retroflection. The actor must be able to reproduce any of these R sounds at will, and use them in such a way as to render his speech both credible and acceptable, even to the native speaker whose speech habits he is reproducing.

Linking R The tapped R often links words together when one ends with an R and the other starts with a vowel. If the R is not used in these positions, an ugly hiatus results. It is essential when using this linking R that the stress should fall on the vowel of the following word to avoid turning her eyes into ‘her reyes.’ Many speakers are so terrified of doing this that they cut out the linking R altogether and so fail to make use of a consonant which aids smooth, legato delivery. What usually happens then is that a glottal explosive is inserted to prevent the two vowels from being run together. This is not only ugly, but unnecessary. This linking R is not used when the final syllable begins and ends with an R, e.g. ‘deare(r) and dearer,’ ‘empero(r) and empress.’

Acquiring a rolled R For those who wish to acquire a rolled R, great perseverance is necessary. All general exercises which employ the tongue tip are of value but in addition the syllables ‘ter,’ ‘dah’ should be repeated with considerable

the W substitute

rapidity, forming the T sound on the teeth and the D in the usual place. This eventually results in a faint roll of the tongue tip. Rolled R may also be acquired by trying to hold the tongue tip loosely in the proximity of the upper gums and breathing out very strongly so that the tip flutters.

Intrusive R When words ending in the vowels ER, IER, AW, are followed by an R, the R is silent when the words are final, or when followed by a consonant, but linking R is used when they are followed by words beginning with a vowel as we have seen – )

He(r). He(r) book. Her eyes. He(re). He(re) they are. Here it is. Mo(re). Some mo(re) please. More and more. )

)

Many words contain these same vowel sounds but have no R in their spelling. When they are followed by a word beginning with a vowel the tendency is incorrectly to insert an R – Sofa. India. Caw.

Sofa R and chairs. India R and China. Caw R of the rook.

A gala R opening. The Infanta R of Spain. Nostalgia R and tears.

The W substitute The other defective R is more widely heard. It is the ‘weath of vewy wed woses’ sound, but is not really a W. The tongue is in the OO position and the lips are in the V position. The principal difficulty in its removal is the re-education of the tongue and remembering not to make use of the incorrect sound once the correct position has been established. If the tongue starts in the position of the medial consonant in ‘measure, leisure, treasure,’ it will be in the right position for R. This medial consonant should then be isolated and prolonged. When this can be done for a reasonable time, the tongue tip should be curled back whilst prolonging the sound. This will produce an untrilled R which will sound breathy and blurred, but once the position has been learnt it should be practised until the R becomes clear and defined. It will be necessary at first to dismiss

voice & speech in the theatre

the sound of R from the mind altogether. If this is not done, the stimulus will cause the articulating organs to assume their faulty positions. It will be especially important to resist the tendency of the lower lip to move up to the upper teeth. Another method is to insert the bent knuckle of the fore-finger under the tongue whilst pronouncing the medial consonant in ‘measure.’ When the position of the tongue has been learnt, it must be practised until it can be correctly assumed at will. These remarks are made more for the benefit of those who wish to acquire this faulty R and who cannot do so by imitation, than for those who possess it already.

Exercise 1 ‘India is the place’ remarked Gloria Ayles to me to-day. She and Aurora O’Malley are co-stars in Oriental Revels, a saga of fear shot amid the heat of Africa and India and the snows of China and Tibet. The Rajah is played by Jonah O’Dyer. The high spot comes when Gloria and Aurora are toying with vanilla ices to the faint strains of the Sonata in G, under an umbrella erected over a table on the piazza of the palace. From behind a bamboo sofa on their right, after gnawing a bone, a jaguar springs, and the paw of the beast is almost on Gloria as the Rajah appears to ward off the clutching claws and to restore law and order. Aurora is always expert in awe and sustains this scene well. But the idea of Gloria all red and raw in technicolour vanished as I thought of her glorious curls framed in a panama and veil on the placards of Poona and Putney.

Exercise 2 For once upon a raw and gusty day. (Julius Caesar, I. ii.) In awe of such a thing as I myself. (Ibid.) I speak too long; but ’tis to peize the time To eke it, and to draw it out in length, To stay you from election. (The Merchant of Venice, III. ii.) The attribute to awe and majesty. (The Merchant of Venice, IV. i.)

forming S

Exercise 3 The actuary’s honorary secretary showed her extraordinarily literary superiority by working literally solitarily in the library particularly regularly during February. Literary secretaries are fortunately a rarity.

Exercise 4 Contemporary literature literally littered the library table.

Exercise 5 The desultory plenipotentiary’s interrogatory remarks were superogatory.

S and Z The sibilant nature of these consonants and their frequency of occurrence in English make it necessary to pay great attention to them. A perfect S depends not only upon the position of the tongue, but also upon the condition of the air channel through which the breath passes, and, possibly, upon dentition. Incorrect position of the tongue will, of course, result in a lisp. When the tongue tip is too far forward a lisp of the TH type is present. The other type of lisp results when the breath is allowed to flow over the sides of the tongue instead of over its tip, a type of voiceless L being substituted for S. The removal of such defects is imperative. Their removal is simple in theory, but the extremely fine adjustments which are needed for the perfect S require great patience and are often most elusive.

Forming S If either of the speech defects exists, the tongue can be got into the right position for S from the T sound which should be present to the mind throughout the following exercise. If the S is present to the mind, the tongue will receive the wrong stimulus and will take up the position for the defective sound. The T should be pronounced extremely slowly, so that the tip is barely removed from the upper gums, whilst the sides of the tongue remain in contact with the upper teeth. Another method is to start from a whispered EE. Whilst continuing this the tongue tip should be raised until it is a fraction away from its correct position.

voice & speech in the theatre

A satisfactory S may also be obtained by placing the tongue tip behind the lower teeth and raising the body of the tongue to approximate with the gum ridge. In order to avoid excessive sibilance, whichever formation you use, it is important to think and direct the air stream across the cutting edge of the front, upper teeth. Even when the correct position of the tongue is habitual, there is great divergence between the S sounds which can be heard. The finer adjustments of the tip of the tongue, the size and shape of the air channel through which the breath flows, as well as the dentition, are then the determining factors.

Correcting faults To correct such faulty esses is a matter of adjusting the position of the body of the tongue and also its muscular tone until an S of the desired frequency results. That a perfect S is the result of correct frequency may easily be proved by making a series of S sounds on a rising scale of whispered notes. The lowest S of the scale will sound ‘flat’ and the highest will sound strident. If the S is flat, it often helps to make an S with the body of the tongue in the EE position, and if it is strident and whistles an attempt may be made to lower its frequency by making the sound with the body of the tongue in the ER position. But these are nothing more than rough guides which may be attempted in the absence of expert help.

Exercises for S When the desired S has been obtained it should be practised in initial, final, and medial positions.

Exercise 1 The S should be prolonged before passing to the vowel, when the first group is attempted, thus –

S S S S

. . . .

EE ˘i

AY e˘

exercises for S

and so on with all the vowel sounds whilst gradually lessening the duration of the S.

Exercise 2 All the vowels are then to be followed by S and afterwards by Z and finally practised medially; neither consonant in these exercises is to be prolonged – EE AY AH AW OH OO

. . . . . .

S S S S S S

EE AY AH AW OH OO

. . . . . .

Z Z Z Z Z Z

Take great care to preserve the right degree of voice when final S represents the Z sound. Many speakers devoice final Z completely and so make their speech more sibilant than necessary.

Exercise 3 To be followed by S in consonantal groups – SP OO, ST OO, SK OO, SM OO, SN OO, SL OO, OO SP, OO ST, OO SK,

SP OH, ST OH, SK OH, SM OH, SN OH, SL OH, OH SP, OH ST, OH SK,

SP AW, ST AW, SK AW, SM AW, SN AW, SL AW, AW SP, AW ST, AWSK,

SP AH, ST AH, SK AH, SM AH, SN AH, SL AH, AH SP, AH ST, AH SK,

SP AY, ST AY, SK AY, SM AY, SN AY, SL AY, AY SP, AY ST, AY SK,

SP EE. ST EE. SK EE. SM EE. SN EE. SL EE. EE SP. ES ST. EE SK.

OO SPS, OO STS, OO SKS,

OH SPS, OH STS OH SKS,

AW SPS, AW STS, AW SKS,

AH SPS, AH STS, AH SKS,

AY SPS, AY STS, AY SKS,

EE SPS. EE STS. EE SKS.

Exercise 4 All consonants have their value, and esses may be used in such a way that their aesthetic possibilities are exploited in the same way as those of M,

voice & speech in the theatre

N, and L, which are usually regarded as the more ‘musical’ consonants. Consider the opening quatrain of Keats’s sonnet – It keeps eternal whisperings around Desolate shores, and with its mighty swell Gluts twice ten thousand caverns, till the spell Of Hecate leaves them their old shadowy sound. With ‘flat’ or strident esses the beauty of such language will vanish even as it is uttered. If the following are not to become ‘a very vile jingle of esses’ they will ‘ask some care in the true performing’ of them – My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou remember’st Since once I sat upon a promontory And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin’s back Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, That the rude sea grew civil at her song, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, To hear the sea-maid’s music. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, II. i.) How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look, how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims, Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. (The Merchant of Venice, V. i.)

maintaining vocal tone

Other problems Many speakers make the S predominate far more than it need by an unnecessary increase in muscular pressure during its formation. Both the tongue and the breathing may be involved. This gives the impression of pushing or spitting the S out and is best avoided. Others frequently linger over these sounds as if they were savouring their sibilance. Leave should be taken of an S as quickly as possible. When these sounds are correct, there is no need to practise them as their presence is already only too noticeable.

Maintaining vocal tone Where vocal tone is concerned, consonants are to be regarded as a necessary evil. Necessary, because they are the means whereby the tone is articulated into speech, and evil because, unless correctly managed, they interfere unduly with the free, open production of tone, and not infrequently ruin it. The consonants which should first be brought into association with the resonator are those which cause no cessation of the note and at the same time require the least degree of closure. This will exclude all voiceless consonants and all explosives. Of the remaining continuants M, N, and L are of special value, as through them we may acquire the ability to move the lips and tongue without impairment of tone. To this end vowels are chosen which represent the most open position of the resonator and the most extreme positions of the tongue and lips respectively, namely, EE, AH, and OO. Every vowel should be practised in association with these consonants but at present we are more concerned with the establishment of a principle than with its extension to all vowels.

Exercise 1 The conditions favourable to good resonance should be adopted for this and all exercises incorporating this principle. The good, easy, erect poise; the deep, controlled breathing; the open jaw and forward tongue, in association with a feeling of openness in the throat, and the ‘free’ production of the centre note ‘on the breath’. To connect these three vowels AY and AW are employed and the complete exercise can be set out thus –

voice & speech in the theatre

Each vowel is first prefixed by an H, the exercise being made continuous. Care must be taken to avoid spreading the lips on AY and EE.

Exercise 2 When this exercise can be done with ease, the vowels are prefixed by M. For this consonant, the lips are to meet lightly. They must not be tensed together as in the formation of an explosive, but must be, as it were, brought together over the teeth, which must remain apart throughout the exercise. The usual way of forming an M is to close the jaw and bunch the tongue up in the mouth, which results in a boxed-up, muffled, dead M. With the open jaw and flat, forward tongue the vibrations are to be felt sufficiently to cause the lips to tingle. This sensation of forward production can be increased by feeling that the whole of the sound is directed towards the closed lips and not to the soft palate. The lips should be plucked apart by a finger, in which case, if the M is being correctly made, the tone is heard to be full and forward in the mouth. Each M is to be sustained and of equal duration with the vowels.

Exercise 3 N is treated in precisely the same way as M, with the vibrations to be felt on both the tongue tip and upper teeth. The open jaw for this consonant serves to bring home the fact that the tongue, in coming forward and upwards, opens up the back of the mouth with beneficent effect, whereas with the closed jaw there is an appreciable falling off of tone.

Exercise 4 For L the tongue tip articulation is the same as for N, but the soft palate is not lowered and the breath flows over the sides of the tongue, whilst

maintaining vocal tone

the tongue tip is in approximation with the upper gums. This exercise is performed slowly at first, but the speed is gradually increased until extreme rapidity of tongue movement and clarity of formation are present in equal proportions. When this can be done, the exercise should be performed with equal rapidity in combination with M and N, although in the case of these consonants, it is first necessary to establish the tone before proceeding to rapidity. This rapid practice is extremely necessary, as through it we become conscious of the sense of touch possessed by the lips and tongue tip, and through this muscular consciousness we are able to focus the attention in the very fore-front of the mouth. This sensation of forward placing of the tone, and forward production of the articulation, is of paramount importance, since one of the distinguishing features of the well-managed voice is this very sensation that the whole act of speech is concerned solely with this area of the articulatory apparatus.

Exercise 5 The three consonants are then treated in the same way, one after the other using the vowel figure opposite, i.e.

MAHNAHLAH, MAYNAYLAY, MEENEELEE, MAYNAYLAY, MAHNAHLAH, MAWNAWLAW, MOONOOLOO, MAWNAWLAW, MAHNAHLAH.

Exercise 6 The vowels are then prefixed by TH, and then by V and Z.

Exercise 7

)

) )

)

These six consonants are then practised one after the other without the insertion of a vowel –

M N L TH V Z The tone is to be continuous throughout.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 8 Then in association with all the vowels and to different rhythms –

´ ´ ´ MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH ´ LAY ´ THAY VAY ZAY ´ MAY NAY ´ LEE ´ THEE VEE ZEE ´ MEE NEE ´ ´ ´ MAW NAW LAW THAW VAW ZAW ´ ´ ´ MOO NOO LOO THOO VOO ZOO The sound is to be continuous, thus –

´ ´ ´ MOONOOLOOTHOOVOOZOO the spacing above being adopted for clarity.

Exercise 9 The rhythm is then altered and a great many changes may be rung, e.g. – ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ´ MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH

Exercise 10 The exercise is then made continuous and in this form is more difficult than it appears. M A W N A W L A W, etc

M O O N O O L O O, etc

M AY N AY L AY, etc

M A H N A H L A H T H A H VA H Z A H

M A W N A W L A W, etc

MEENEELEE, etc

M AY N AY L AY, etc

The genius of a language conditions its speech sounds. Though the English language has perhaps more than its due share of consonants, and a preponderance of sibilants owing to its grammatical structure, it is just these facts which give it its virility, and this happens also to be a quality which is essential to true clarity of articulation.

consonantal combinations

Interplay of vowels and consonants The interplay of vowels and their durational values, and the range of consonantal and syllabic variety, are nowhere better heard than in – Angels and ministers of grace defend us! – Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou comest in such a questionable shape That I will speak to thee: I’ll call thee Hamlet, King, father, royal Dane: O, answer me! Let me not burst in ignorance; but tell Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death, Have burst their cerements; why the sepulchre, Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn’d, Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws To cast thee up again! (Hamlet, I. iv. – William Shakespeare.) But to whom else should we look for wonders such as these?

Audibility It is sometimes instructive to count the number of vowels and consonants occurring in a given passage. In Hamlet’s opening speech to the Players from the beginning to the first full stop, the proportion is fortytwo vowels to sixty-two consonants. And all in thirty-eight words! A nice indication of what must be done! More or less equal value must be given to tone and consonants with the emphasis, if anywhere, on the latter. In the whole speech, out of a total of one hundred and forty-four words, no fewer than eighty are terminated by a consonant. Conclusive proof of what is required of the consonants where audibility is concerned.

Consonantal combinations Consider too the English way with plurals of words and the past tense. ‘Task, tasks, tasked; clasp, clasps, clasped.’ And its liking for doubling and even trebling consonantal beginnings; ‘ripe, tripe, stripe.’ And what of ‘sprinkle’? Six consonants to one poor miserable vowel. But

voice & speech in the theatre

sufficient indication has been given of what is required of the actor where initial and final consonant groups are involved. There follows a list of the simplest and most complicated consonantal endings and some tricky consonantal beginnings. A word of warning, however, must be added. It has already been made clear that the production of vowel tone should be characterized by a complete absence of muscular force and tension in the resonators. The clarity of consonants, on the other hand, depends upon the muscular agility with which the tongue moves from one position to another, making all the adjustments with precision and accuracy. The clarity of the explosives depends upon the firmness of the contacts and the sharp release of the articulating organs. When a purely articulatory exercise is undertaken it is essential that the respective functions of the resonator and the articulators should not be confused. The tone must always be free and flowing and the energy with which the consonants are formed must never be allowed to spread to the production of tone. In these exercises the tone must always be produced legato, the staccato effect being confined to the consonants. The different action of the two instruments must never be confused if the tone is to remain unimpaired and freely produced on the breath, and this is the stage at which self-inculcation of these principles must begin.

Exercise 1 OOP OHP AWP AHP AYP EEP OOB OHB AWB AHB AYB EEB OOPT OHPT AWPT AHPT AYPT EEPT OOSPT OHSPT AWSPT AHSPT AYSPT EESPT

Exercise 2 OOT OHT AWT AHT AYT EET OOD OHD AWD AHD AYD EED OOST OHST AWST AHST AYST EEST OOZD OHZD AWZD AHZD AYZD EEZD

Exercise 3 OOSTS OHSTS AWSTS AHSTS AYSTS EESTS

consonantal combinations

)

Exercise 4

)

OOST STOO. OHST STOH. AWST STAW. AHST STAH. AYST STAY. EEST STEE.

Exercise 5 OOK OHK AWK AHK AYK EEK OOG OHG AWG AHG AYG EEG OOKT OHKT AWKT AHKT AYKT EEKT OOSKT OHSKT AWSKT AHSKT AYSKT EESKT

)

) )

Exercise 6

)

OOKT TOO. OHKT TOH. AWKT TAW. AHKT TAH. AYKT TAY. EEKT TEE.

)

) )

Exercise 7

)

OOSKT TOO. OHSKT TOH. AWSKT TAW. AHSKT TAH. AYSKT TAY. EESKT TEE.

Exercise 8 OOTH OHTH AWTH AHTH AYTH EETH OOSTH OHSTH AWSTH AHSTH AYSTH EESTH OOSTHS OHSTHS AWSTHS AHSTHS AYSTHS EESTHS OOT,THS OHT,THS AWT,THS AHT,THS AYT,THS EET,THS

)

) )

Exercise 9

)

OOST THOO. OHST THOH. AWST THAW. AHST THAH. AYST THAY. EEST THEE.

)

) )

Exercise 10

)

OOSTH TOO. OHSTH TOW. AWSTH TAW. AHSTH TAH. AYSTH TAY. EESTH TEE.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 11 OOF OHF AWF AHF AYF EEF OOV OHV AWV AHV AYV EEV OOF,THS. OHF,THS. AWF,THS. AHF,THS. AYF,THS. EEF,THS.

)

) )

Exercise 12

)

OOV THOO. OHV THOH. AWV THAW. AHV THAH AYV THAY. EEV THEE.

Exercise 13 OOM OHM AWM AHM AYM EEM OON OHN AWN AHN AYN EEN OONG OHNG AWNG AHNG AYNG EENG

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Exercise 14

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

PLOO PLOH PLAW PLAH PLAY PLEE BLOO BLOH BLAW BLAH BLAY BLEE KLOO KLOH KLAW KLAH KLAY KLEE GLOO GLOH GLAW GLAH GLAY GLEE PROO PROH PRAW PRAH PRAY PREE BROO BROH BRAW BRAH BRAY BREE TROO TROH TRAW TRAH TRAY TREE DROO DROH DRAW DRAH DRAY DREE KROO KROH KRAW KRAH KRAY KREE GROO GROH GRAW GRAH GRAY GREE SPROO SPROH SPRAW SPRAH SPRAY SPREE STROO STROH STRAW STRAH STRAY STREE FROO FROH FRAW FRAH FRAY FREE THROO THROH THRAW THRAH THRAY THREE SHROO SHROH SHRAW SHRAH SHRAY SHREE

silent exercises

Intrusive vowels No vowel must be inserted between the pairs which prefix the vowels. This intrusive vowel may be avoided by taking up the position for the second consonant during the closure for the first. Thus when L and R follow the explosives the tongue assumes the position for these sounds during the stop for the explosives. In ‘troo’ and ‘droo,’ the T is made further back than in ‘too’ to facilitate this method of articulation. This is, of course, the customary mode of procedure, so it is necessary for consideration to be given to such matters only by those who insert the ER.

More practice for the lips and tongue Consonants in final positions, and those which are in groups, are those which cause the greatest difficulty and which are frequently omitted or inaudibly articulated, and for this reason they have been placed in final positions for practice. It is valuable to practise them in initial positions to stimulate the movement of the lips and tongue, thus –

´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ PPPPPPPPP PAH PPPPPPPPP PAY PPPPPPPPP PEE, etc. ´BBBBBBBBB ´ ´ ´BAH BBBBBBBBB ´ ´ ´ ´BAY BBBBBBBBB ´ ´ ´ ´BEE ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ TTTTTTTTT ´ ´ ´ ´ etc. TTTTTTTTT TAH TTTTTTTTT TAY TEE, ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ DDDDDDDDD ´ ´ ´ ´ DDDDDDDDD DAH DDDDDDDDD DAY DEE ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ KKKKKKKKK KAH KKKKKKKKK KAY KKKKKKKKK KEE, etc. ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ GGGGGGGGG ´ ´ ´ ´ GGGGGGGGG GAH GGGGGGGGG GAY GEE each consonant representing a separate articulation.

Silent exercises The tongue and lips may be exercised silently in the following way.

Exercise 1 Alternately point and spread the tongue to a rhythmic count. In the pointed position the tip should be protruded, and in the spread position the tongue should lie just behind, and midway between, the upper and lower teeth.

voice & speech in the theatre

Exercise 2 Funnel the tongue so that its edges curl up at the sides. Altemate this with AH.

Exercise 3 Try to touch the nose, and then the chin, with the tongue-tip alternately and in time.

Exercise 4 Roll the upper lip until it touches the nose. Roll the lower lip until it touches the chin.

Exercise 5 Without spreading the lips, but with vigorous rounding, pass rapidly through these vowel positions – )

´ EE OH ´ EE oo ´ EE AW ´ EE o˘´ EE AH EE OO ´ OO ˘i´ OO EE. ´ OO u´ ER´ OO a´ OO e´ OO AY

Exercises with short vowels The so-called short vowels are often found in combination with a consonant and following L. There is seldom any difficulty in this articulation except when the L is faulty in formation, but exercises on them are included as it is better to err on the side of inclusion than omission where the consonants are concerned. )

)

˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘iNL ooNL oNL uNL eNL aNL ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘iNTL ooNTL oNTL uNTL eNTL aNTL ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘aNDL ˘iNDL ooNDL oNDL uNDL eNDL ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘aMBL ˘iMBL ooMBL oMBL uMBL eMBL ˘ uPL ˘ ePL ˘ aPL ˘ ˘iPL ooPL oPL ˘ ˘ ˘ aBL ˘ ˘iBL ooBL oBL uBL eBL ˘ uSL ˘ eSL ˘ aSL ˘ ˘iSL ooSL oSL ˘ uFL ˘ eFL ˘ aFL ˘ ˘iFL ooFL oFL )

) )

)

) )

In all these cases the L is what is termed syllabic, which means that it forms a syllable without the assistance of a vowel.

further practice material

Further practice material Many of these consonantal combinations and some new ones will be found in the following – Reason thus with life – If I do lose thee, l do lose a thing That none but fools would keep: a breath thou art, Servile to all the skyey influences That do this habitation, where thou keep’st, Hourly affflict: merely, thou art death’s fool; For him thou labour’st by thy flight to shun, And yet runn’st toward him still. Thou art not noble; For all th’ accommodations that thou bear’st Are nursed by baseness. Thou’rt by no means valiant; For thou dost fear the soft and tender fork Of a poor worm. Thy best of rest is sleep, And that thou oft provok’st; yet grossly fear’st Thy death, which is no more. Thou art not thyself; For thou exist’st on many thousand grains That issue out of dust. Happy thou art not; For what thou hast not, still thou striv’st to get, And what thou hast, forget’st. Thou art not certain; For thy complexion shifts to strange effects, After the moon. (Measure for Measure, III. i – William Shakespeare.) Certainly a full measure of consonants! ‘The greatest story of past times’ was the unanimous verdict of the critic’s circle when they were asked to Arctic Snows, the latest documentary to be revived this year. The strength of six-sixths of this starkest drama consists simply of the close-ups of the snow-covered clothes, the choicest shots, and the swiftness with which the climax is built up. Fast-moving down to the last cue, with a series of swift strokes, the climax seems to burst before our astonished sight. The width and breadth of the conception is striking. Smith’s slick sixth scene is most moving when, past caring, he hacks through the snows with the strength of hardest steel to rescue his companions, who look like ghosts seen through the Arctic mists. The seventh scene of

voice & speech in the theatre

this breathless epic is past description. The snows cease, the mists clear, and as the party prepare for their last tasks, we see the screen flecked with choicest stars. Since this distressing tendency to sibilance in my speech seems most certainly to constitute a serious set-back to my prospects of success on the stage, l have, of necessity, enlisted the assistance of this series of sentences, not essentially sensible, but so composed as to exercise to the utmost those speech organs responsible for producing (eventually I trust with some measure of success) this troublesome sound. For I must confess, at present, l find myself at a distinct disadvantage, since the splendid pathos and soul-stirring sadness of my most emotional passages is simply shattered by this distressing, distracting, whistling ‘S,’ which is sufficient to give the least discerning audiences the impression that they are listening to the hysterical hissing of incensed geese! The practice of consonants brings home the fact, even more clearly than in the case of the vowels, that speech is movement, and that utterance consists of tone on which these movements are superimposed. That this is so, is borne out by our ability to make ourselves understood by means of consonantal movement alone when this is allied to the breath. Thus if any of the above lines are whispered, with no attempt to make the words carry to an abnormal distance, the element of tone is obviously non-existent, and yet what is said is made intelligible by the movements of the articulatory organs. The movements for the consonants are perhaps of more importance than those for the vowels in this respect.

General exercises for breath, note, tone and word At this stage we are in a position where we may link the four factors of breath, note, tone, and word together. As before, the centre note may be alternately advanced and lowered a semi-tone with the precautions to which reference has already been made. It is not necessary to confine oneself to scales. Simple easy melodies, well within the compass of the voice, and preferably those which do not

general exercises for breath, note, tone and word

demand the singing of very marked intervals, may be most usefully employed. The main vowels should be taken first, and they should be prefixed by H. Each note of the melody is to be made distinct, and the voice is not to slide up to the note above or down to the note below that which is being sung. Next sing the whole tune on M and then on N, and then on M, N, L, plus any of the main vowels, and then on any consonant, first voiced and then voiceless, in combination with any of the vowels, and finally with the words of the chosen song. Starting on a note at least a fourth below the top note of the compass, sing down the scale until a note one octave below is reached. On each note of the scale the first eight vowels of the previous exercise are to be sung prefixed first by M and then by N and, finally, by L. This exercise is to be carried out with great rapidity and with light, agile movements of the lips and tongue. Starting on a note at least a fourth above the lowest note of the compass, sing up in fourths until one octave above is reached.

MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH THAH FAH SAH PAH BAH TAH DAH KAH GAH

MAY NAY LAY THAY VAY ZAY THAY FAY SAY PAY BAY TAY DAY KAY GAY

MEE NEE LEE THEE VEE ZEE THEE FEE SEE PEE BEE TEE DEE KEE GEE

MAY NAY LAY THAY VAY ZAY THAY FAY SAY PAY BAY TAY DAY KAY GAY

MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH THAH FAH SAH PAH BAH TAH DAH KAH GAH

MAW NAW LAW THAW VAW ZAW THAW FAW SAW PAW BAW TAW DAW KAW GAW

MOO NOO LOO THOO VOO ZOO THOO FOO SOO POO BOO TOO DOO KOO GOO

MAW NAW LAW THAW VAW ZAW THAW FAW SAW PAW BAW TAW DAW KAW GAW

MAH NAH LAH THAH VAH ZAH THAH FAH SAH PAH BAH TAH DAH KAH GAH

MAY NAY LAY THAY VAY ZAY THAY FAY SAY PAY BAY TAY DAY KAY GAY

MEE NEE LEE THEE VEE ZEE THEE FEE SEE PEE BEE TEE DEE KEE GEE

voice & speech in the theatre

MAH MAY MEE MAY MAH MAW MOO MAW MAH NAH NAY NEE NAY NAH NAW NOO NAW NAH LAH LAY LEE LAY LAH LAW LOO LAW LAH THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH VAH VAY VEE VAY VAH VAW VOO VAW VAH ZAH ZAY ZEE ZAY ZAH ZAW ZOO ZAW ZAH THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH FAH FAY FEE FAY FAH FAW FOO FAW FAH SAH SAY SEE SAY SAH SAW SOO SAW SAH PAH PAY PEE PAY PAH PAW POO PAW PAH BAH BAY BEE BAY BAH BAW BOO BAW BAH TAH TAY TEE TAY TAH TAW TOO TAW TAH DAH DAY DEE DAY DAH DAW DOO DAW DAH KAH KAY KEE KAY KAH KAW KOO KAW KAH GAH GAY GEE GAY GAH GAW GOO GAW GAH

MAH MAY MEE MAY MAH MAW MOO MAW MAH MAY MEE MAY MAH MAW MOO MAW MAH NAH NAY NEE NAY NAH NAW NOO NAW NAH NAY NEE NAY NAH NAW NOO NAW NAH LAH LAY LEE LAY LAH LAW LOO LAW LAH LAY LEE LAY LAH LAW LOO LAW LAH THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH

VAH VAY VEE VAY VAH VAW VOO VAW VAH VAY VEE VAY VAH VAW VOO VAW VAH ZAH ZAY ZEE ZAY ZAH ZAW ZOO ZAW ZAH ZAY ZEE ZAY ZAH ZAW ZOO ZAW ZAH THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH THAY THEE THAY THAH THAW THOO THAW THAH

FAH FAY FEE FAY FAH FAW FOO FAW FAH FAY FEE FAY FAH FAW FOO FAW FAH SAH SAY SEE SAY SAH SAW SOO SAW SAH SAY SEE SAY SAH SAW SOO SAW SAH PAH PAY PEE PAY PAH PAW POO PAW PAH PAY PEE PAY PAH PAW POO PAW PAH BAH BAY BEE BAY BAH BAW BOO BAW BAH BAY BEE BAY BAH BAW BOO BAW BAHTAH TAY TEE TAY

TAH

TAW

TOO

TAW

TAH

TAY

TEE

TAY

TAH

TAW

TOO

TAW

TAH

DAH DAY DEE DAY DAH DAW DOO DAW DAH DAY DEE DAY DAH DAW DOO DAW DAh KAH KAY KEE KAY KAH KAW KOO KAW KAH KAY KEE KAY KAH KAW KOO KAW KAH GAH GAY GEE GAY GAH GAW GOO GAW GAH GAY GEE GAY GAH GAW GOO GAW GAH

general exercises for breath, note, tone and word

This is to be done on a good, forward, resonant M. When the note an octave above the starting place is reached, the M is to be held for a second or two so that a ringing quality is felt strongly on the lips. They should then be opened on to an AH, which, prefixed by M, is to be sung staccato on each note down the scale until the starting point is reached. This exercise is valuable in helping to obtain clarity and firmness of attack. It should be continuous, with no break between the sections. The following speeches provide demanding exercise for breath, note, tone and articulation of consonants. Truewit. If you appear learned to an ignorant wench, or jocund to a sad, or witty to a foolish, why she presently begins to mistrust herself. You must approach them in their own height, their own line; for the contrary makes many, that fear to commit themselves to noble and worthy fellows, run into the embraces of a rascal. If she love wit, give verses, though you borrow them of a friend, or buy them, to have good. If valour, talk of your sword, and be frequent in the mention of quarrels, though you be staunch in fighting. If activity, be seen on your barbary often, or leaping over stools, for the credit of your back. If she love good clothes or dressing, have your learned council about you every morning, your French tailor, barber, linener, etc. Let your powder, your glass, and your comb be your dearest acquaintance. Take more care for the ornament of your head than the safety; and wish the commonwealth rather troubled, than a hair about you. That will take her. Then if she be covetous and craving, do you promise anything, and perform sparingly; so shall you keep her in appetite still. Seem as you would give, but be like a barren field, that yields little; or unlucky dice to foolish and hoping gamesters. (The Silent Woman – Ben Jonson.)

Mistress Otter. By my integrity, l’ll send you over to the Bankside; I’ll commit you to the master of the Garden, if I hear but a syllable more. Must my house or my roof be polluted with the scent of bears and bulls, when it is perfumed for great ladies? Is this according to the instrument when I married you? that I would be princess, and reign in mine own house; and you would be my subject, and obey

voice & speech in the theatre

me? What did you bring me, should make you thus peremptory? do I allow you your half-crown a day, to spend where you will, among your gamesters, to vex and torment me at such times as these? Who gives you your maintenance, I pray you? who allows you your horsemeat and man’s meat? your three pairs of apparel a year? your four pairs of stockings, one silk, three worsted? your clean linen, your bands and cuffs, when I can get you to wear them? – ’tis marle you have on them now. – Who graces you with courtiers or great personages, to speak to you out of their coaches, and come home to your house? Were you ever so much as look’d upon by a lord or a lady, before I married you, but on the Easter or Whitsun holidays? and then out of the banqueting-house window, when Ned Whiting or George Stone were at the stake? (The Silent Woman – Ben Jonson.) How this vile world is changed! in former days Prologues were serious speeches before plays; Grave solemn things, as graces are to feasts, Where poets begged a blessing from their guests. But now, no more like suppliants we come; A Play makes war, and Prologue is the drum: Armed with keen satire, and with pointed wit, We threaten you who do for judges sit, To save our plays, or else we’ll damn your pit. But for your comfort, it falls out to-day, We’ve a young author, and his first-born play; So, standing only on his good behaviour, He’s very civil, and entreats your favour. Not but the man has malice, would he show it, But, on my conscience, he’s a bashful poet; You think that strange – no matter, he’ll outgrow it. Well, I’m his advocate – by me he prays you, (I don’t know whether I shall speak to please you) He prays – O bless me what shall I do now! Hang me, if I know what he prays, or how! And ’twas the prettiest Prologue as he wrote it! Well, the deuce take me, if I ha’n’t forgot it! O Lord, for Heaven’s sake excuse the Play, Because, you know, if it be damned to-day,

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I shall be hanged for wanting what to say. For my sake then – but I’m in such confusion, I cannot stay to hear your resolution. (Runs off) (Prologue (spoken by Mrs. Bracegirdle) to The Old Bachelor – William Congreve.) Of those few fools who with ill stars are curst, Sure scribbling fools, called poets, fare the worst: For they’re a sort of fools which Fortune makes, And after she has made ’em fools, forsakes. With Nature’s oafs ’tis quite a different case, For Fortune favours all her idiot-race. In her own nest the cockoo-eggs we find, O’er which she broods to hatch the changeling-kind. No portion for her own she has to spare, So much she dotes on her adopted care. Poets are bubbles, by the town drawn in, Suffered at first some trifling stakes to win; But what unequal hazards do they run! Each time they write they venture all they’ve won: The squire that’s buttered still, is sure to be undone. This author heretofore has found your favour; But pleads no merit from his past behaviour. To build on that might prove a vain presumption, Should grants, to poets made, admit resumption: And in Parnassus he must lose his seat, If that be found a forfeited estate. He owns with toil he wrought the following scenes; But, if they’re naught, ne’er spare him for his pains: Damn him the more; have no commiseration For dullness on mature deliberation, He swears he’ll not resent one hissed-off scene, Nor, like those peevish wits, his play maintain, Who, to assert their sense, your taste arraign. Some plot we think he has, and some new thought; Some humour too, no farce; but that’s a fault.

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Satire, he thinks, you ought not to expect; For so reformed a town who dares correct? To please, this time, has been his sole pretence, He’ll not instruct, lest it should give offence. Should he by chance a knave or fool expose, That hurts none here, sure here are none of those: In short, our play shall (with your leave to show it) Give you one instance of a passive poet, Who to your judgments yields all resignation; So save or damn, after your own discretion. (Prologue (spoken by Mr. Betterton) to The Way of the World – William Congreve.)

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6 • the voice in action In the opening chapters a distinction was drawn between voice and speech. It was remarked that the voice was, at one and the same time, a tone-producing instrument, and a word-producing instrument. Both tone and word, as we have seen, are referable to the resonator. Tone, it is true, cannot exist without the element of note, but tone is imparted to the note solely by the cavities through which it passes. The tone of the voice must therefore of necessity possess not only general character but also specific character, since the resonator must assume a certain shape, and, as we already know, shape is responsible for the vowel which is heard. In addition, the resonator may be closed, either partially or completely, in the formation of the consonants. It is these movements, for shaping the vowels and articulating the consonants, which are impressed on the tone. The resonator therefore has a musical function in producing tone, and a linguistic function in assuming the shapes for the vowels and carrying out the movements necessary to form the consonants. That this distinction is not merely theoretical may be borne out in practice.

Securing clear articulation Exercise 1 To this end the following lines are to be spoken in the whispered voice. Full attention is to be paid to the neatness and clarity of the articulation, and the consonant movements are to be felt far forward in the front of the mouth. The use of the word ‘felt’ is not fortuitous. The sense of touch possessed by the tongue-tip and the lips is to be fully utilized. This, combined with the feeling of freedom as the breath passes through the unrestricted resonator, leads to the impression that the act of speech is concerned with the very forefront of the mouth and with that area alone.

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Ah, Moon of my Delight who know’st no Wane, The Moon of Heaven is rising once again: How oft hereafter rising shall she look Through this same garden after me – in vain! I sometimes think that never blows so red The Rose as where some buried Ceasar bled; That every Hyacinth the Garden wears Dropt in her Lap from some once lovely Head. And this reviving Herb whose tender Green Fledges the River-Lip on which we lean – Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen! (Fitzgerald.) These three stanzas contain no fewer than one hundred and ninety-two consonant sounds and, of these, only eleven involve the back of the tongue. The lips and tongue tip, therefore, make one hundred and eighty-two separate articulations in the course of speaking twelve lines! It is no wonder that clarity depends upon the precision and forwardness of the movements involved.

Exercise 2 The lines are then repeated one by one, only this time they are to be intoned. The tone is to be full and aesthetically satisfying, and clear and bright, so that every vowel sounds as if it were being made as far forward as possible. In combining tone and movement in this way, we are conscious only of the extremities of the instrument. We direct the breath so that it comes from the bases of the lungs with firm, even pressure, and we shape and mould the tone by the energy and precision of the articulatory movement, but if the ability to speak with the open throat has been achieved there should be no consciousness of the mechanisms involved in the production of note and tone.

The technique of inflection When this can be done, and the principle is clearly grasped, it is but one stage further to give the note its freedom, so that it responds to the intention of the author and speaker, and ‘points’ the meaning by inflec-

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tional variety. Comparatively little inflection is called for in this passage. Immediately character and complex situations are present the issue becomes confused, because the mind is apt to become divided between the character and the technique by which it is portrayed. For the present the alliance between tone and movement must not only be grasped, but sensed bodily, although ultimately the reverse situation obtains. The actor, once the method has become incorporated in his or her technique, is completely unconcerned with the voice as such, which responds automatically to the demands made upon it.

Exercise 3 Black is the beauty of the brightest day; The golden ball of heaven’s eternal fire, That danc’d with glory on the silver waves, Now wants the fuel that inflam’d his beams; And all with faintness, and for foul disgrace, He binds his temple with a frowning cloud, Ready to darken earth with endless night. Zenocrate, that gave him light and life, Whose eyes shot fire from their ivory brows, And temper’d every soul with lively heat, Now by the malice of the angry skies, Whose jealousy admits no second mate, Draws in the comfort of her latest breath, All dazzled with the hellish mists of death. (Tamburlaine, II. iv.) The single moulded lines and the forward impetus of Marlowe’s verse make the passage singularly applicable to the methods advocated. The whole scene is a perfect example of what is demanded of the voice by romantic tragedy at this stage of its development.

Exercise 4 Elizabethan drama, being predominantly masculine, does not provide an equally good example for women. If desired the following lines from Comus may be substituted for Marlowe’s verses. The Star that bids the Shepherd fold, Now the top of Heav’n doth hold,

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And the gilded Car of Day, His glowing Axle doth allay In the steep Atlantick stream, And the slope Sun his upward beam Shoots against the dusky Pole, Pacing toward the other gole Of his Chamber in the East. Mean while welcom Joy, and Feast, Midnight shout, and revelry, Tipsie dance, and Jollity. Braid your Locks with rosie Twine Dropping odours, dropping Wine. Rigor now is gon to bed, And Advice with scrupulous head, Strict Age, and sowre Severity, With their grave Saws in slumber ly. We that are of purer fire Imitate the Starry Quire, Who in their nightly watchfull Sphears, Lead in swift round the Months and Years. The Sounds, and Seas with all their finny drove Now to the moon in wavering Morrice move. And on the Tawny Sands and Shelves, Trip the pert Fairies and the dapper Elves; By dimpled Brook, and Fountain brim, The Wood-Nymphs deckt with Daisies trim, Their merry wakes and pastimes keep: What hath night to do with sleep? Night hath better sweets to prove, Venus now wakes, and wak’ns Love.... Com, knit hands, and beat the ground, In a light fantastick round. (Comus – John Milton.)

Exercise 5 O God! methinks it were a happy life, To be no better than a homely swain; To sit upon a hill, as I do now, To carve out dials quaintly, point by point,

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Thereby to see the minutes how they run, How many makes the hour full complete; How many hours bring about the day; How many days will finish up the year; How many years a mortal man may live. When this is known, then to divide the times: – So many hours must I tend my flock; So many hours must I take my rest; So many hours must I contemplate; So many hours must I sport myself; So many days my ewes have been with young; So many weeks ere the poor fools will ean; So many months ere I shall shear the fleece: So minutes, hours, days, months and years, Past over to the end they were created, Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave. Ah, what a life were this! how sweet! how lovely! (Henry VI, III. ii. v.)

Exercise 6 And just as Shakespeare himself progressed from this stage to the intricacies of the sleepless Henry IV, and the imprisoned Richard II, so the speaker must first master the rudimentary yet fundamental vocal principles involved. Alas, she hath from France too long been chased! And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps, Corrupting in its own fertility. Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart, Unpruned dies; her hedges even-pleacht, Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair, Put forth disorder’d twigs; her fallow leas The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory, Do root upon, while that the coulter rusts, That should deracinate such savagery; The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth The freckled cowslip, burnet, and green clover, Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, Conceives by idleness, and nothing teems

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But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs, Losing both beauty and utility. (Henry V, V. ii.) Women may substitute Titania’s lines These are the forgeries of jealousy: And never, since the middle summer’s spring, Met we on hill, in dale, forest, or mead, By paved mountain or by rushy brook, Or in the beached margent of the sea, To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport. Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain, As in revenge, have sucked up from the sea Contagious fogs; which, falling in the land, Hath every pelting river made so proud, That they have overborne their continents. The ox hath therefore stretched his yoke in vain, The plowman lost his sweat, and the green corn Hath rotted ere his youth attained a beard; The fold stands empty in the drowned field, And crows are fatted with the murrion flock, The nine men’s morris is filled up with mud; And the quaint mazes in the wanton green, For lack of tread, are undistinguishable. The human mortals want their winter here; No night is now with hymn or carol blest. Therefore the moon, the governess of the floods, Pale in her anger, washes all the air, That rheumatic diseases do abound. And thorough this distemperature we see The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose, And on old Hiem’s thin and icy crown An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds Is, in mockery, set. The spring, the summer, The childing autumn, angry winter, change Their wonted liveries; and the mazed world,

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By their increase, now knows not which is which. And this same progeny of evils comes From our debate, from our dissension; We are their parents and original. (Midsummer Night’s Dream, II., i.) The process is here more complex, and is conveyed by a series of visual images in broken phrases of varied length. These examples are all taken from romantic plays in verse, not only because the highest demands on the voice are made by such plays, but also because they in themselves often call forth the best that is in a voice. The intention, of course, is not that everything which is spoken should be subjected to the same vocal treatment in the matter of tone. If this were so, it would be the negation of technique. It is a simple matter to give a lighter character to the tone when occasion demands, but richness of texture can never be suddenly acquired. The process takes time, and the technique is built up gradually. Repetitive practice work on existing dramatic or verse text is not preferred as exercise material by some contemporary practitioners because it is felt that the content can be thereby rendered less significant than the technical structure. That said, however, the extracts offered by Turner can provide readers with an excellent opportunity to experience some of the challenges inherent in the complex ‘heightened’ language that comprises much of the ‘classical’ canon. It is recommended that readers flex their articulatory muscularity on the shorter tongue-twister type passages, leaving the longer pieces for the example they provide rather than for the use of repetitive drilling.

Sound and meaning We can now return once more to the nature of the medium in which the actor works. It is seen to be not only sound, but sound which is meaning, and meaning which is sound. The sound is tone, which embodies and shows forth the emotional conception of a role. At the same time, this variable tone, variable in volume, in pitch and texture, carries the movements of speech to a distance. The movements give definition to the tone and therefore to the emotions of the character.

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The movements themselves must be clear-cut and firm, and in the very forefront of the mouth.

Formation of vowels Up to this point, utterance has been approached from the musical angle alone. We have considered to what extent we may arrive at perfection by a conscious direction of the movements of our voice mechanism on correct physiological lines. Such adaptation as is necessary has been governed by the extent to which the normal action of the organs will allow of adaptation as determined by the physical laws governing the production of sound. This is the vital standard to which it is essential to adhere; the standard by which alone the latent beauties and inherent qualities of the voice may be not only revealed but preserved. Such matters are removed from controversy, resting as they do upon perfection of utterance, achieved through the movement of living organs working in coordinated harmony in the service of an art. In the descriptions, certain variations are noted for those who may need to acquire a dialect.

Simple vowels The following examples offer the opportunity for that iteration of movement which is essential when the adoption of a new habit is necessary. If a vowel is deemed incorrect, it is only the frequent repetition of the newly-acquired position, under the control of the sense of hearing, which will ensure the incorporation of the correct sound.

Exercise for OO The vowel in ‘loose’, ‘true’, ‘through’ [u]. This is frequently incorrectly diphthongized so that o˘ o + OO [uu] or OO + W [uw] result. The tongue and lips must assume the correct position at the outset, and must not creep up to the position. Marked dialectal pronunciation occurs when the resonance is too high, as in Cockney when the tongue is too advanced. The correct position may be obtained by whistling a low note. There is much ado about the new roof show, Moonlight in Peru, due in June at Boosey’s Jubilee Rooms. Juan de la Rue has imbued the show with the magic of Peruvian tunes. The show includes the Two Loons in Human Roulette, The Crooning Goose, The Blue Lupin

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Troupe of hoola-hoola cuties in their cunning cut-aways who ululate their roulades with bravura, the Human Jewels, and the Broody Booths with their Boomerang in Buhl. As an alluring bonne-bouche the show concludes with Cerulean Mood, in which beauteous, blooming Cubans croon in coloratura to a ground tune of bassoons.

˘o Exercise for o The vowel in ‘cushion’, ‘could,’ ‘wood’ [u]. There are no marked varieties of this vowel. Especial care must be taken to round the lips adequately and to avoid undue influence by a following L. The careless, colloquial, unrounded˘ oo in ‘good-bye’ must be avoided. Cook said good-bye to her pudding-basins and cookery books when she took her bosom friend, Miss Goodchild, to Fulham to see Wolsey Foote in The Hook-Nosed Crook. The fulsome and ebullient Foote had fulfilled his wish to put Pushkin aside for good. Putting the stolen bullion in a bushel basket hooked from the butcher, he conceals it in some bushes at the foot of a cul-de-sac at Goodwood. But Fullwood, the bushy-bearded footman, hooded in worsted, was a looker-on. Protected by a holster full of bullets, he loses his foothold in the bulrushes by a brook, skilfully covering his splashes by imitating the cuckoo. When the crook forsook the bushes, Fullwood took the bullion and put crowsfoot in its place. All this we heard from cook as she took a last look round the kitchen before saying good-night.

Exercise for OH The vowel in ‘though’, ‘show’, ‘home’ [əu]. Although OH is included in the list of simple vowels on the Resonator Scale, it must be noted that it is truly a diphthong. The most usual pronunciation of this sound begins with the neutral sound [ə] as its first element and the tongue rises, as the lips round, towards oo for the second element. A ‘pure’ or single sound is frequently used by Scottish and northern speakers. The OH sound is subject to many variations among speakers; sometimes starting too near u˘, or too near o˘. Rosario, the Polish mezzo-soprano, broke her fast with hot chocolate and toasted rolls in her state-room on board the Ocean Queen. Interviewed by a host of reporters, she was seen against a background of mauve and snow white gladioli, gazing out of a porthole,

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and alternately toying with a rope of pearls with her beautifully moulded hands and smoking a cigarette in an outsize golden holder. Known at home to the beaumonde for her extensive wardrobe she is happiest when in homespun and brogues she hoes among her roses and potatoes. To billposters she is the most photographed mezzo known. In October and November she will be heard at the Rotunda in her favourite role of Mimi which she has made her very own. Ultimately she broke the silence in controlled and hollow tones. “I only hope London will like my Mimi.” She rose with unceremonious and irreproachable composure as with a roguish, provoking smile she autographed an endless number of photographs.

Exercise for AW The vowel in ‘law,’ ‘corn,’ ‘caught’ [ɔ]. Peculiarly liable to ‘throaty’ pronunciation as a result of tension at the base of the tongue. The lip rounding must not be extreme, otherwise a type of AW, resembling OH, will result. This may often be heard from London dialect speakers in whom ‘saw’ and ‘door’ become ‘sohwer’ and ‘dohwer.’ Northern and Scottish speakers who wish to acquire the southern pronunciation must take considerable care when this sound is followed by an R in the spelling. In the example given all the AW sounds are identical in southern English. An enormous audience foregathered at the Forum for the first night of Yorkshire Dawn. A mawkish, maudlin play, which stands or falls by the awe of Lord Cawth in act four when, torn on the horns of a dilemma, he pauses before four doors, before greeting the aforesaid Yorkshire Dawn on the lawn. The distinguished company were not at all well served by George their director, a staunch believer in the drawn out pause and the theory of the fourth wall. They were forced to talk upstage, which caused them all to be almost inaudible. The author in taking his curtain call was given a raw deal. Torn between the plaudits of the pit and the appalling cat calls of the gallery, he addressed himself in a short, plausible speech to his supporters in the stalls, by whom he was greeted with a roar of applause.

Exercise for o˘ The vowel in ‘off,’ ‘cough,’ ‘long’ [ɑ]. The principal variation in the formation of this sound is the failure to round the lips sufficiently, in which case it becomes a type of AH. This is characteristic of some

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American speech. ‘Solve,’ ‘revolve,’ etc., must be pronounced with o˘ and not with OH. It is not often I receive such a shock as I got when not long ago I read in the popular gossip columns that the populace will shortly be offered all the horrors of the Roman Colosseum. It appears that the popularity of dog racing has worn off. The dogs have had their very long day and have lost their monopoly. It will no longer be possible to say with jocularity that Dad has gone to the dogs. Pater has gone to the lions will be heard more often as time goes on. This offers great possibilities for obstreperous officers and ostracized tax collectors and any others numbered among the great unwanted. Such could make their swan-song by offering themselves to the lions and thus reconquer their lost popularity with the population. This is not contemplated as yet, for atomically-operated robots will be used. Concealed vox humana organ pipes will be operated softly to croon the spectators to their boxes. Not long afterwards the arena will throb realistically with the victims’ simulated sobs.

Exercise for AH The vowel in ‘calm,’ ‘hard,’ ‘past’ [ɑ]. Peculiarly liable to ‘throaty’ pronunciation through tensing the base of the tongue, in which case the pronunciation becomes ‘dark’ and AW-like. Great care must be taken not to allow the tongue to assume a ‘fronted’ dialectal pronunciation, a feature of the speech of some Londoners, and characteristic of Australians and New Zealanders. ‘Carlotta’s Past.’ To be released at last in March, this epic drama completely surpasses the earlier silent version. Arthur Marks plans to co-star Martha Marr and Charlie Garth. A glance at the scenario in advance was given me by Arthur in his smart apartment overlooking Marble Arch. Startling and remarkable transformations have been made. It was felt that Carlotta’s passing aberrations would be laughable to-day, and would give little chance for all the present refinements of cinema art. The last episode, in the earlier version, depicted Carlotta prancing as Margaret of Navarre at the Arts Dance. Now we are transported to Alexandria, where we glance at Martha held captive by Charles, who plays the Pasha, and runs a smart line in harems in a side street off a bazaar. Carlotta, half clad

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in scarlet, reflected in the water of a marble bath fanned by slaves with palms, is commanded to dance a nautch dance under the dark eyes of the Pasha. She salaams with mask-like charm and dances to the strains of muted guitars, played adagio from afar.

Exercise for u˘ The vowel in ‘one,’ ‘young,’ ‘bun’ [] . This is often given too high a resonant pitch with the result that the vowel sounds too like a short ‘fronted’ AH. Northern speakers will possibly need to acquire this sound, as it may not be in their repertoire at all. In broad Yorkshire, for example, the˘ oo vowel is substituted and, in other cases, a vowel lying between˘ oo and u˘. Special care is necessary when u is followed by L; ‘bulb,’ for example, must not become ‘bolb.’ The youngest inhabitants of Humpton-cum-Dunton summed up last Monday as the dullest they had ever suffered. Summoned by a fanfare of trumpets from the turrets of Humpton Hall they made their way to the sunken garden to witness a performance of the Dumb Brothers organized by Lady Lumley in aid of Our Young Friends Fund. Unluckily the summer sun was true to form and everyone put his umbrella up when a rumble of thunder announced the rain which came down in bucketfuls. The youngest and humblest thus saw the play through an utter forest of umbrella handles. The advent of the thunder was hailed by Lady Lumley as a lovely and consummate effect as it heralded the scene in which the somewhat dumb brother is struck by the utterly dumb brother whilst culling buttercups. The somewhat dumb brother then becomes utterly dumb, so giving rise to the title. The humbler inhabitants of Humpton were also struck dumb by the glumness of the whole proceedings as, one by one, they trudged through the mud to the Dun Cow, to their tea of butterless buns and honey. ‘Some fun,’ they muttered, one and all, looking somewhat glum.

Exercise for ER The vowel in ‘heard,’ ‘nurse,’ ‘verse,’ ‘myrrh’ [ə]. The principal variations in this vowel occur with speakers who pronounce the R in some form. When the R is not pronounced, care must be taken not to give this vowel too ‘forward’ a position in which case the tongue approaches e˘ (‘then’).

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The curtain rises to disclose to the retina a circular room furnished with all the appurtenances of modern comfort. A circular table placed centre is covered with purple serge and supports an epergne surmounted by odoriferous lavender, and a box encrusted with seed pearls. Down centre, on a firm base, is set a pedestal surmounted by the figure of Napoleon. A sofa and thirteen chairs are observed supporting the walls. The rest of the stage is perfectly clear for the actors’ turns. A clock strikes thirteen. The reverberations die away, and through the open door up centre, framing a parterre of wallflowers, enters Sir Ferdinand. His face is stern. His words are terse. His nerves are worse. He speaks in verse.

Exercise for a˘ The vowel in ‘glad,’ ‘plait’ []. Care must be taken to avoid a pinched, affected pronunciation approximating to e˘ , or too open a position, which is characteristic of Midland and Northern speech. Do not spread the lips. On the strand at Clacton, a band of fascinated graphic artists gathered round Professor Bangham, who demonstrated the theatrical value of plastics. To the garrulent professor, who held that the theatre lacked plasticity, canvas flats were anathema. With dramatic hands, he amassed and scattered sap green and gamboge plastic on the sand. With a flash of the hand he simulated the lapping of wavelets against an imaginary crag. ‘What a saving in time when no canvas has to be dabbed and splashed with paint.’ With emphatic audacity he sang the practicability of his plan. ‘Plastic tabs.’ ‘Plastics for the palace of the Mandarin.’ ‘Plaid plastics for Macbeth.’ The placid inhabitants of Clacton stood abashed before the extravagant attitude of the Professor towards his plan. The graphic artists were apathetic to a man.

Exercise for e˘ The vowel in ‘said,’ ‘spread’ [e]. Extreme pronunciations are either too ‘open,’ in which case the vowel resembles a˘ , or too ‘close,’ in which case it resembles AY. Do not spread the lips. When the eccentric Gregory Kneller chose for his farewell performance The Well of Death, the tenth melodrama penned by Redvers Redvers, one of the theatre’s greatest men of letters, his friends

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reprehended him. However, Kneller kept to his plans, and went so far as to spring a surprise in the letter scene, when he took the letter from a shelf up left. For, whereas he should have read it to himself, he let it fall, stepped dead centre, and spoke extempore, as if from memory, and addressed himself to the twelfth spectator in the second row of the dress circle. Interviewed next morning by a friendly member of the press who remarked on the resemblance this bore to another letter scene, he said he never read any plays but his own, and that Redvers Redvers concealed the identity of Gregory Kneller, a secret he had kept from the press throughout his seventy years on the West End stage.

Exercise for AY The vowel in ‘played,’ ‘they,’ ‘weigh’ [e] . Like OH, the sound AY is included in the list of simple vowels on the Resonator Scale, although it is strictly a diphthong. The sound begins, approximately, with the e˘, as in bed, and the tongue rises towards ˘ı, as in ship for the second element. In Scotland and many parts of the north this vowel is not diphthongized. The most frequent variations are in the starting point for this sound; sometimes starting with a˘ or even a sound near to AH as in certain varieties of Cockney. Do not spread the lips. The way Miss Grace Sage defends the ancient stage is of the greatest interest to playgoers. She maintains the present day has little to take the place of the motive of fate. She hails the Greek way and would not fail to alienate actors who would not undertake to mask their faces and sustain a stately declamation throughout the pages of a play. In this way the stage could be saved, claims Miss Sage, by raising it to a more elevated plane. Grace Sage may be seen any day, vacantly making her way through Long Acre, swathed in a chaste cape of ancient grey marocaine, or parading with an air of disdain in the foyers of St. Martin’s Lane.

Exercise for ˘ı The vowel in ‘guild,’ ‘ship,’ ‘pity []. When in final positions this vowel is often pronounced with too low a tongue position, the final vowel becoming almost an e˘ . The reverse is also frequently heard when the final ˘ı becomes EE; ‘city’ in this case becomes ‘citee.’ The hall-mark of the crooner’s diction! Extreme dialectal pronunciation gives a diph-

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thong of the er + i [ə] type. Many words have an alternate pronunciation with the neutral er as in the third syllable of infinity. It is better to avoid this for the sake of clarity. Words like ‘private,’ ‘locket,’ ‘horrible,’ are better with ˘ı than er. Final ed is always better with ˘ı, i.e. ‘actid’ and not ‘actered.’ Do not spread the lips. The prima donna’s singing was admitted by a select audience to be all that could be wished, in that it was well-nigh perfect. Her diction was distinct, and admirably suited to the immense size of the gilded auditorium, which was beautifully lit. The electricians outdid themselves with the brilliant and elaborate lighting they had provided for the set. Six spots were riveted on the prima donna, ready to pick out the delicacy of her every movement, even to the flicker of an eyelid. Unfortunately, she was a believer in the beauty of extreme repose, and her acting tactics consisted of remaining ecstatically static, except when she tripped, when taking the fifth curtain. This admittedly was hardly fitting, but was forgiven, and indeed scarcely noticed, owing to the generosity and inimitable grace with which she acknowledged the plaudits of the distinguished gathering. Witty Kitty McQuittey was a natty secretary to Sir Willy Gatty, the wholesale apothecary. She spoke excellently at the committee meetings of the fifty city companies in which Willy was financially interested. She principally excelled in very ably terminating the stodgy insipidity of Willy’s addresses, and instinctively knew when to do this. She was singularly successful in skilfully countering the rivalry and duplicity of his enemies by cryptically and often elliptically rigging the market. This drove them scatty. In her spare time she was happy to assist Lady Gatty in her many charities. Truly the perfect secretary.

Exercise for EE The vowel in ‘weed,’ ‘police,’ ‘received’ [i]. This vowel is diphthongized by many people, the tongue starting from ˘ı and sliding up to EE, which gives the ˘ı + EE [i] type. In marked dialectal pronunciations the tongue starts as low as ER which gives the pronunciation sER + EE [sə] for see. If the movement is very slight, it is allowable, but it is best to practise this vowel with no tongue movement whatsoever. Great care should be taken not to draw back the lips, and great care is necessary when L follows.

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In Act III we see the deeds of the three chief leads revealed. Their chief aim has been to please Queen Louise. The scene depicts her enfeebled and weak, but with regal mien, seated on her throne on the quay at Deal, receiving them kneeling in profile, speechless at her feet. For their Queen, they have been pleased to cross the seas with her fleet to achieve her dream of seizing a new kingdom in the East. Beneath a sky of ultramarine, across which seagulls weave and screech, all three speak discreetly in tones steeped with feeling. The scene, to be believed, must be seen. When OO is preceded by Y, the tongue is often brought too far forward, owing to the influence of the Y, giving rise to a dialectal pronunciation. There are many degrees of this. To correct an extreme pronunciation, the vowels EE and OO should be alternated with rapidity whilst concentrating on the two vowel positions. If the YOO sound is present to the mind in doing this, the incorrect movements will probably be made. Few new ballets are due at the New in June, but European Unicorn will be substituted for the amusing Cuban Fugue. The particularly tuneful music for tubas and lutes, somewhat in the style of Debussy, is suitably euphonious. Hugaroff uses his thews superbly as the semi-nude youth, and Eustanova luxuriates in the caprioles of the unicorn. The cubist decor is in beautifully subdued hues of fuchsia and petunia. Pursued by the infuriated unicorn, the unfortunate youth with acute ingenuity takes refuge behind a huge tulip-tree, which receives the unicorn’s cornuted protuberance, in full view of innumerable supine and superfluous supernumeraries.

Exercise for U The ‘neutral’ sound. The unstressed vowel in ‘alone,’ ‘other,’ ‘sofa’ [ə]. This sound, which is one of the most frequently used in any piece of English, occurs only in unstressed positions. It is a short sound and commonly used in weak forms of many words such as and [ənd] for [fə] but [bət]. When the neutral sound occurs finally in such words as other, rather, there may be a tendency to make a sound too near AH: this should be avoided. Ample practice for this sound will be found in almost any piece of English prose where the reader speaks in an easy colloquial style.

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Compound vowels These differ from the simple vowels in that they are gliding sounds, whereas the simple vowels demand a fixed and stable position throughout their utterance. In a compound vowel, the articulating organs start in the position of one vowel and immediately leave it and proceed in the direction of a second vowel. They are exceedingly difficult to describe on paper, especially as the majority of them do not start from exactly the same position as any of the simple vowels. Thus the vowel in ‘high’ does not start in the normal AH position, nor does it start from the u˘ position, but from somewhere in between the two. This position has been indicated for these vowels as far as is humanly possible, but the ear is ultimately the only true guide. All the compound vowels in English are stressed on their first elements; an exception to this would have to be made in the case of the vowel group ‘you,’ but the view taken in this book is that this sound is the vowel OO preceded by the consonant Y. All the compound vowels are monosyllabic in character, and if sung, the first element should be prolonged.

Diphthongs and triphthongs Compound vowels are usually divided into diphthongs and so-called triphthongs. As their name indicates, they are distinguished by the number of positions of the resonator involved. I and OW, when followed by the neutral form of ER, are usually considered as triphthongs. When AY, OH, and OY are followed by this vowel they are disyllabic and cannot, therefore, be so classed.

Exercise for I The diphthong in ‘sky,’ ‘high,’ ‘buy’ [a]. The tongue starts from a position roughly midway between AH and u˘ and moves towards i. It is not necessary fully to reach the ˘ı position. Pronunciations range between the affected ‘refaned’ a˘ + ˘ı [] type and the Cockney ‘broad’ I which starts on AH, or even from o˘ , resulting in a diphthong of the type AH + ˘ı [a]. This vowel is particularly liable to nasalization. It is often flattened when followed by L. In Yorkshire and Lancashire I starts approximately from u˘, which is lengthened. The Island in the Highlands is to be revived on Friday the ninth of July. Readers will like to be reminded of the delightfully surprising

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climax of this old-time melodrama. The final scene depicts the irate squire in a dim light, in the aisle of the ruined Byzantine chapel, on the Isle of Skye, where he holds captive Myra’s child Simon, whose death he desires. He is about to fire a revolver between Simon’s eyes when Myra enters with a wild cry, ‘My child, My child.’ With diabolical smile, the Squire fixes Myra with his fiery eyes. The skies are then rent with the sound of bagpipes. With a sigh of surprise he almost drops the child, which is caught in the nick of time by the McKay of McKay, who strikes the squire with an iron pike. He dies. Myra, Simon, and McKay cry with delight, while the pipers play ‘I’ll meet you in Skye.’ Lyceum twice nightly at five and nine.

Exercise for OW The diphthong in cloud,’ ‘now,’ ‘bough’ [au] The starting place for this vowel is somewhat in advance of AH. Pronounced with an AH, it sounds exaggerated and affected. The position then changes to that of oo. A great many varieties are to be heard, ranging through e˘, AH, o˘, and ˘ even ER as starting places [eu, ɑu, ɒu, əu]. Frequently the lip rounding for the second element is omitted. In extremes of London dialect, the second element is omitted altogether and the tongue position for the first is advanced, in which case ‘about’ becomes abaat [əbat]. ‘The Roundheads Carouse’ is the resounding title chosen by Professor MacLeod for this year’s town pageant, which will be mounted in the grounds of the Dower House, by kind permission of Lady Brown. The crowning episode shows the Countess Howard at sundown, against a set piece of mounting towers. Seated on a mound, under the branching bough of an oak, she is flanked by couchant boarhounds. Down right, the scowling roundheads stand on a bed of downtrodden flowers. Down left, the cowled monks lend their powerful aid. The Countess counters the mounting fury of the Roundheads by her cloudless brow, as they command her to surrender the crown. In a profound and lowering silence she propounds ‘Not for a thousand pounds.’ The ensuing silence is broken only by the hooting of downy owls from a flowery bower and the cowbells of the browsing cows.

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Triphthongs ‘Our’ and ‘ire’ are frequently ‘flattened.’ That is, the second position of these triphthongs is not made sufficiently prominent in which case ‘our’ becomes almost AH + er [ɑə] and ‘ire’ becomes AH + er [ɑə]. Such speakers would refer to the ‘tar on their tars’ and to both ‘empire’ and ‘empower’ as ‘empah!’ In correcting this ‘flattened’ formation considerable care must be taken to preserve the monosyllabic nature of these sounds. They must not sound like ‘i-yer’ [ajə] and ‘ow-wer’ [awə], which would be the case were the second element to become too prominent. par bar tar car far Shah jar lance marble

power bower tower cower flower shower Giaour allowance allowable

pyre byre tire crier fire shire gyre alliance liable

Exercise for OY The diphthong in ‘ahoy,’ ‘coil,’ ‘box’ [ɔ]. The starting place is a little difficult to define. It is roughly half-way between o˘ and AW. Care must be taken to avoid rounding the lips more than for AW, and never to have less lip rounding than for o˘ . Moya Malloy, after enjoying unalloyed popularity, has retired from the boisterous noise and the toil and moil of London to loiter the rest of her days in Croyde. Here, without annoy, she enjoys royal seclusion by boycotting the hoi polloi, and indulges her poignant liking for playing quoits in corduroys in a coign of her garden. One of her little foibles is to don a flamboyant coif and drive a carefully oiled and noiseless troika with adroit poise. ‘Hoity-toity’ call the hoydens and hobbledehoys of Croyde.

Exercise for EAR The diphthong in ‘peer,’ ‘pier,’ ‘rear’ [ə]. The starting place is exercise ˘ı, page 108. The tongue then proceeds to a vowel slightly lower in

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position than ER. The tongue must never be allowed to reach the u˘ position, which would result in the affected pronunciation usually represented by ‘heah!’ An intrusive Y must not be heard, i.e. ‘pee yer.’ [pjə]. In ‘standard’ pronunciation, the R is silent. In Scottish the EE sound is heard followed by a rolled R. Elsewhere, a frictionless R may be heard, or the consonant may be pronounced simultaneously with the vowel. This treatment of the R applies to the remaining diphthongs and will not be referred to again. Brereton Lear reappears every year never weary of portraying the Indian Vizier. He is revered for the mysterious, superior atmosphere he creates as, with queer, bleary leers, he steers the inexperienced Vera, and the tearful Victoria, quaking with fear, nearer and nearer to the sheer edge of the cheerless weir, where stands the sneering, imperial Emir.

Exercise for AIR The diphthong in ‘fair,’ ‘their,’ ‘pear’ [εə]. The starting place is approximately e˘ (see p. 107). Although a slightly lower position is admissible, it must never be so low as a˘ . Avoid ‘faiah’ and the intrusive Y – ‘fai yer’. In some parts of the north and the midlands a ‘flattened’ variety between e˘ and ER is heard. In Scottish, a simple vowel is heard, which is slightly more ‘closed’ than e˘ . Fair and Square is everywhere declared to be unbearably daring. Mary Baird, the dairymaid, disgraced by the Laird’s heir, wears her cares with rare bearing. We see her descend the stairs with a careless air with her pair of fair-haired bairns. Bare-headed, bare-foot and in despair, she stares at a chair, ere she utters a prayer, whilst carelessly tearing her bairns’ fair hair.

)

Exercise for OOR The diphthong in ‘tour,’‘sure,’‘poor’ [uə]. The first position is that of oo. The tongue then moves to the neutral ER, slightly lower in position as in the case of ‘here’ and ‘there.’ No intrusive W should be heard – ‘poower’ [puwə]. Care should be taken that the tongue does not start from the AW position. As with ‘here’ and ‘there,’ the Scottish use a simple vowel and roll the R, while in the north and south-west, the diphthong is followed by an untrilled R. The R is silent in ‘standard’ pronunciation.

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This sound is more appropriately retained in classical roles since it is rapidly losing currency in everyday conversational speech. The search for the Ruritanian crown jewels ends on the Cornish moors near Truro. Poor Muriel is immured with the neurotic McClure in a sort of Moorish Kursaal hung with lurid murals. Alluring in pure white tulle, she watches him casually secreting the jewels in a bureau. Steeling herself to abjure his boorish advances, she is reassured by the horn of the dour, but romantic, Stewart’s sixcylinder tourer. He creates a furore in bursting open the door, and endures a gruelling, but effectual, duel with the infuriated McClure. There remains the vowel sound in words like ‘sore’ and ‘wore.’ In many people’s pronunciation there is no difference made between words ending in ore and those ending in aw, so that ‘saw’ and ‘sore’ are identical. On the other hand, in some parts of the country a distinction is made. Whether one is to distinguish between ‘paw’ and ‘pore’ is largely a matter of taste and preference, and it is not simple to give a ruling. Those who already distinguish between them must beware of making the ‘ore’ words markedly diphthongal, for this is a distinguishing feature of the dialectal pronunciation of these sounds. ‘Ore’ demands more a slackening of the lip shaping than a definite move in the direction of ER. Great care, however, must be taken over ‘oor’ and ‘our’ words, as these are more frequently than not reduced to the level of the ‘aw’ words by all classes of speakers. All three sounds may be practised in the following lists – paw awe taw daw caw war

pore bore tore door core wore

poor boor tour dour gourd wooer

law for maw raw shaw yawl

lore four more roar shore yore

Lourdes petits fours moor rural sure your

Many a Claudius has failed to distinguish between a state of mind and the time of day – ’Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father: (Hamlet, I. ii.)

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and Portia has been heard to lapse from grace by offending the ears of her new found love – One half of me is yours, the other half yours – Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, And so all yours! (The Merchant of Venice, III. ii.)

Intrusive glides As we have seen, a compound vowel is the result of the gliding movement of the tongue and lips passing from one position to another. In connected speech, the articulation organs must of necessity pass through all the intermediate positions between one sound and another. It is a fault in delivery when these glides become audible. They are most likely to be heard when one word ends and the next begins with a vowel, especially when OO and oo are followed by a vowel, in which case an intrusive W is heard. When EE, i, AY are followed by a vowel, the intrusive glide is Y – so easy so eerie to wear the ear

not not not not

so wheezy so weary to air the year

to all how awed see all the oak

not not not not

to wall how warred sea yawl the yoke

The difficulties of the first list must not be surmounted by having recourse to the glottal explosive, which would give ‘so easy,’ ‘see over,’ etc., but by perfect timing of the stress. The stress must be given at the moment of shaping for the second vowel of each pair, and the tongue and lips must not exceed the limit of the movements for the vowel of the preceding word. ‘The ox, the ass, and the owl,’ and not ‘the yox, the yass, and the yowl.’ Imperfect timing of stress also causes the detachment of a consonant from the preceding syllable, so that it gives the impression of belonging to a following word, e.g. ‘thi sis the firs tan donly.’ Take care to avoid these intrusive vowel glides in the following example – Sir Hugo Ely, the operatic impressario, revealed his plans to me the other day, as he showed me over the new opera house which will be opened in early October, when the opera will be Aida. Sir Hugo

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always maintains there is no object in being too ornate or too eager to assault the ear throughout the three acts of this or any other opera. He plans to make the whole thing easy on the eye as well as on the ear. ‘How interesting it has been to meet you,’ said Hugo, as he saw me out. ‘May I say how eager we all are to invite you and your colleagues to the opening night?’

Simplification Speech sounds influence each other to a marked degree when they meet in connected speech. The pronunciation of a language is a record of the influences sounds have had on each other. The tendency has been, and still is, to simplify the speech movements when these are at all complex. Speakers fail to achieve the necessary delicacy of the minute movements of the speech organs, and a fresh, simplified pronunciation is gradually evolved. A great many of these simplifications are admissible through custom, but those which have not passed into current usage are inadmissible. There are many cases where pronunciation is hovering between what was said, and what is said. Recommendations in these cases are difficult. The most obvious simplification occurs in the omission of sounds when two or more consonants are in juxtaposition. Thus the italicized sounds are regularly omitted from ‘grandmother, handkerchief, Christmas, waistcoat, handsome,’ and to replace them would be pedanticism in its worst form. Striking examples of this form of simplification are to be found in colloquial usage, e.g. ‘bed n breakfast,’ ‘bread n butter,’ ‘cup n saucer,’ or even ‘bread m butter.’ Such simplifications must be heard from the actor only when they are indicative of the speech habits of the characters of the play.

Spelling pronunciation The opposite tendency is heard in the attempt to make the pronunciation of words match their spelling, and so to replace sounds whose omission custom has sanctioned. This often has a most ludicrous effect, and gives rise to the expression ‘spelling pronunciation.’ It was customary in the past to omit the H in, for example, the words ‘herb,’ ‘humour,’ and ‘hospital.’ The spelling of the words has influenced pronunciation, and the H has come into its own again, the process

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having been arrested in the case of ‘heir,’‘honest,’‘hour’ and their derivatives. Custom, therefore, decides in the case of this consonant. But the influence of spelling is seen at its most absurd in the case of vowels in unstressed syllables, when their stressed values are given to the italicized vowels in such words as ‘garden,’ ‘sailor,’ ‘pavement,’ making them rhyme with ‘den,’ ‘law,’ and ‘meant.’ Pronunciation changes, and is never set and fixed from age to age. Current pronunciations are the result of evolutionary processes, whereby difficulties in articulation have been solved by simplification, in the remote or more immediate past. Spelling, on the other hand, does not change to such a marked degree and is now to all intents and purposes fixed. Pronunciation and spelling, therefore, often bear no resemblance to each other. The individual is not free to make the one accord with the other. Custom is the authority in such matters, and where specific pronunciations have become established it is not only ridiculous but pedantic to swim against the current. The tendency to simplify the movements made by the tongue is ever present. When these are at all difficult, and omission of a sound is not possible, a compromise in movement is made. Some of these compromises have come to be accepted, but the majority of those usually heard are inadmissible. Thus ‘nature,’ ‘feature,’ ‘picture,’ and others of the same group were all at one time pronounced ‘natioor,’ ‘featioor,’ ‘pictioor.’ The simplifications to ‘nacher,’ ‘pickcher,’ and ‘feacher’ have become accepted. To say ‘natioor’ would nowadays merely call undue attention to the manner in which the word was being pronounced, and would lead to the speaker being branded as affected. But what of these words in the following contexts – ’Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature’s own sweet and cunning hand laid on: (Twelfth Night, I. v.) … for anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. (Hamlet, III. ii.)

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Look here, upon this picture, and on this. (Hamlet, III. iv.) In these cases it is necessary to compromise by avoiding the pedanticism of ‘natioor,’ as well as the colloquialism of ‘nacher,’ and this is the solution adopted by the judicious. ‘Nation’ and words ending in ‘tion’ were at one time spoken as ‘nasiown.’ It is often necessary to preserve a modified form of this pronunciation in verse, when the full syllabic utterance of the line makes ‘nashun’ impossible – Raining the tears of lamentation. (Love’s Labour’s Lost, V. ii.) Thou hast seal’d up my expectation. (Henry IV, II. IV. iv.) All these words have a similar feature in that the short cuts have been made in unstressed syllables. In stressed syllables, the careless speaker chube machewer chune chumult

for for for for

tube mature tune tumult

jupe jew juring

for for for

dupe due during

will take full advantage of the situation and lapse into the laziness of – although the latter would probably be indicated more correctly by ‘jawring!’ In colloquial speech, pairs of words suffer in the same way. ‘I’ll meet you’ becomes ‘I’ll meechoo.’ ‘Would you mind?’ becomes ‘Woojoo mind?’ ‘Immediate,’ ‘hideous,’ ‘tedious,’ ‘perfidious,’ are all subject to the same ill-treatment. Full value should be given to all their sounds, but the simplification is admissible in ‘righteous.’ ‘Celestial,’ ‘bestial,’ and all other ‘tial’ words must not degenerate into the ‘beschl’ pronunciation of ‘celeschl.’ ‘Presume’ and ‘resume’ as ‘prezoom’ and ‘rezoom,’ and ‘sued’ and ‘suit’ as ‘sood’ and ‘soot’ are illustrations of the careless omission of y which should always be included in these words.

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…for let the world take note, You are the most immediate to our throne (Hamlet, I. ii.) With that, methought, a legion of foul fiends Environed me about, and howled in mine ears Such hideous cries, that with the very noise I trembling waked . . . (Richard III, I. iv.) ‘A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus And his love Thisbe; very tragical mirth.’ Merry and tragical! tedious and brief! (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, V. i.) So lust, though to a radiant angel linkt, Will sate itself in a celestial bed, And prey on garbage. (Hamlet, I. v.) Now whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th’ event, . . . (Hamlet, IV. iv.) Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do that I shall be sorry for. (Julius Caesar, IV. iii.) Of a strange nature is the suit you follow. (Merchant of Venice, IV. i.) The very stones prate of my whereabout, And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. (Macbeth, II. i.) We are left with ‘issue’ and ‘tissue.’ The pronunciations ‘ishoo’ and ‘tishoo’ are true examples of simplifications by short cuts and may, perhaps, be justifiably heard in Noel Coward, but what of –

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‘ ’Tis not the balm, the sceptre and the ball, The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, The intertissued robe of gold and pearl…’ (Henry V, IV. i.) and She did lie In her pavilion; – cloth-of-gold of tissue (Antony and Cleopatra, II. ii) The following example gives ample opportunity for either avoiding or making these simplifications – Julia was actually due to be married to the Duke of Turin on the first Tuesday in June. It was naturally assumed by the multitude that she would eventually appear to receive their tumultuous greetings, suitably attired, and presumably wearing her superb jewels. But when the great day duly arrived, Julia’s mature duenna could not produce the jewels. A duologue ensued, during which Julia deduced they had been stolen, but the duenna was dubious, assumed the reverse, and immediately instituted a search. Julia felt suicidal, for at that moment the Duke, pursuant to his promise, had dutifully started a ducal serenade with a superfluous but celestially tuneful Tudor tune played on lutes and flutes, thus studiously pressing his suit to the last. Eventually a substitute was found, owing to the duenna’s aptitude for superhuman and enduring efforts, actuated by a combination of duty and gratitude.

Articulation and pace There is one further aspect of articulation to be considered. It must obviously be able to stand up to the pace which is demanded, not only by general considerations but also by the technical use of pace in relation to emotional or situational contexts. Clarity is relatively easy to attain when speech is taken at a general mean pace, but it cannot be assumed that articulation will stand the strain of the reverse condition, unless the actor has developed the power of speaking clearly at a greater pace than is ever likely to be required.

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Exercises for pace The passages given below are to be regarded as articulatory fences which are to be taken at an extremely rapid pace. All movements which are difficult by reason of the juxtaposition of certain consonants, or by a rapid succession of unstressed syllables, should be lifted out of their context and practised separately until the necessary agility is acquired. Every syllable is to be formed and given its due value. Each passage must be pointed in such a way as to convey its full implications, but in doing this the pace must not be sacrificed. They should not be treated as exercises on mere rapidity but on rapidity and dramatic intention in equal proportions. Phrasing will obviously be of great importance, and the places where breath is to be taken should be worked out in the course of practice. Each passage is first of all to be whispered, with the intention of conveying the meaning by means of the clarity of the articulatory movement alone. The minimum amount of voice possible is then to be introduced, still concentrating on the light, forward articulation of the whole. Gradually increase the volume and the pace, until each can be spoken with extreme rapidity without loss of clarity.

Exercise 1 Rats! They fought the dogs, and killed the cats, And bit the babies in the cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cooks’ own ladles, Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men’s Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women’s chats, By drowning their speaking With shrieking and squeaking In fifty different sharps and flats. (The Pied Piper of Hamelin – Robert Browning.)

Exercise 2 Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats, Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,

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Cocking tails and pricking whiskers, Families by tens and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives – Followed the piper for their lives. (Ibid.)

Exercise 3 The fox was strong, he was full of running, He could run for an hour and then be cunning, But the cry behind him made him chill, They were nearer now and they meant to kill. They meant to run him until his blood Clogged on his heart as his brush with mud, Till his back bent up and hid tongue hung flagging, And his belly and brush were filthed from dragging. Till he crouched stone-still, dead-beat and dirty, With nothing but teeth against the thirty. And all the way to that blinding end He would meet with men and have none his friend: Men to holloa and men to run him, With stones to stagger and yells to stun him; Men to head him, with whips to beat him, Teeth to mangle and mouths to eat him And all the way, that wild high crying. To cold his blood with the thought of dying, The horn and the cheer, and the drum-like thunder Of the horsehooves stamping the meadow under. (Reynard the Fox – John Masefield.)

Exercise 4 Valentine. Why, how know you that I am in love? Speed. Marry, by these special marks: first, you have learn’d, like Sir Proteus, to wreathe your arms, like a malcontent; to relish a lovesong like a robin-redbreast; to walk alone, like one that had the pestilence; to sigh, like a school-boy that has lost his A B C; to weep, like a young wench that had buried her grandam; to fast, like one that takes diet; to watch, like one that fears robbing; to speak puling, like a beggar at Hallowmas. You were wont, when you laugh’d, to crow like a cock; when you walk’d, to walk like one of the lions; when

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you fasted, it was presently after dinner; when you look’d sadly, it was for want of money: and now you are metamorphosed with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly think you are my master. (The ‘Two Gentleman of Verona’, II. i.)

Exercise 5 Biondello. Why, Petruchio is coming, in a new hat and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches, thrice turn’d; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta’en out of the town armoury, with a broken hilt, and chapeless; with two broken points: his horse hipt with an old mothy saddle, and stirrups of no kindred; besides, possest with the glanders, and like to mose in the chine; troubled with the lampass infected with the fashions, full of windgalls, sped with spavins, ray’d with the yellows, past cure of the fives, stark spoil’d with the staggers, begnawn with the bots; sway’d in the back, and shoulder-shotten; near-legg’d before, and with a half-cheek bit, and a headstall of sheep’s leather, which, being restrain’d to keep him from stumbling, hath been often burst, and new-repair’d with knots; one girth six times pieced, and a woman’ crupper of velure, which hath two letters for her name fairly set down in studs, and here and there pieced with packthread. (The Taming of the Shrew, III. ii.) A dictionary is advisable!

Exercise 6 Puff. I daresay now you conceive half the very civil paragraphs and advertisements you see, to be written by the parties concerned, or their friends? No such thing. Nine times out of ten, manufactured by me in the way of business. Sneer. Indeed! Puff. Even the auctioneers now – the auctioneers, I say, though the rogues have lately got some credit for their language – not an article of the merit theirs! – take them out of their pulpits, and they are as dull as catalogues! – No, sir; ’twas I first enriched their style – ’twas I first taught them to crowd their advertisements with panegyrical superlatives each epithet rising above the other like the bidders in their own auctionrooms! From me they learned to inlay their

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phraseology with variegated chips of exotic metaphor: by me too their inventive faculties were called forth. Yes, sir, by me they were instructed to clothe ideal walls with gratuitous fruit – to insinuate obsequious rivulets into visionary groves – to teach courteous shrubs to nod their approbation of the grateful soil! or on emergencies to raise upstart oaks, where there never had been an acorn; to create a delightful vicinage without the assistance of a neighbour; or to fix the temple of Hygeia in the fens of Lincolnshire! (The Critic, I. ii.)

Exercise 7 Lovemore. If they do bridle and hold a little, the struggle they undergo is the most ridiculous sight in nature. I have seen a huge oath quivering on the pale lip of a reigning toast for half an hour together, and an uplifted eye accusing the gods for the lots of an odd trick. And then, at last, the whole room in a Babel of sounds. ‘My lord, you flung away the game – Sir George, why did not you rough the spade? Captain Hazard, why did not you lead through the honours – Ma’am, it was not the play – Pardon me, sir – but ma’am, – but sir – I would not play with you or straws; don’t you know what Hoyle says? – If A and B are partners against C and D, and the game nine all, A and B have won three tricks, and C and D four tricks; C leads his suit, D puts up the king then returns the suit, A passes, C puts up the queen, and B trumps it; and so A and B, and C and D are bandied about, they attack, they defend, and all is jargon and confusion, wrangling, noise and nonsense; and high life, and polite conversation. (The Way to Keep Him – Arthur Murphy.)

Exercise 8 Tolkatchov. I have five lists in my pocket, and my handkerchief is nothing but knots. And so, my dear fellow, in the time between the office and the train, one’s tearing about the town like a dog with its tongue out – tearing about and cursing one’s life. From the draper’s to the chemist’s, from the chemist’s to the dressmaker’s, from the dressmaker’s to the pork butcher’s, and then back to the chemist’s again. In one place you trip up, in another you lose your money, in the third you forget to pay and they run after you and make a row, in the fourth you tread on a lady’s skirt … pfoo! Such a form of exercise sends one dotty and makes one such a wreck that every bone

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aches all night afterwards, and one dreams of crocodiles. Well, your tasks have been performed and everything has been bought – now kindly tell me how is one to pack all this truck? How, for instance, are you going to pack a heavy copper pan and a mortar with a globe for the lamp, or carbolic with tea? How are you going to combine bottles of beer and a bicycle? (An Unwilling Martyr – Anton Tchekhov.)

Syllabification The omission of syllables is not a matter on which an inflexible ruling can be given. Whether omission of syllables is permissible or not, depends, as do so many of the other aspects already discussed, upon the mode of speech which the actor is required to reproduce. In the conversational delivery of everyday life unstressed syllables are omitted with great frequency, chiefly in polysyllabic words, and no great harm is done. In a play in which dialogue reproduces the effect of this conversational mode it would be unwise to go the whole hog by giving every unstressed syllable equal value. In Shakespeare, on the other hand, in fact in all plays written in verse, their omission will often completely destroy the rhythm which orders their progression. The most notable examples of this are to be found in the necessity to give full value to the ‘ed’ of the past participle. Proceeding from the heat oppressed brain. (Macbeth, II, i.) Thy brother by decree is banished. (Julius Caesar, III. i.) This line immediately recalls what is demanded of a Romeo and Juliet in Act III, Scenes 2 and 3 where Romeo has an indication of both pronunciations. Hence banished is banish’t from the world. The elision of syllables, however, is most likely to occur in words ending in ‘ery’ and ‘ary,’ and in those which contain an unstressed ‘er’ medially. Might fire the blood of ordinary men. (Caesar, III. i.)

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My credit now stands on such slippery ground, That one of two bad ways you must conceit me, Either a coward, or a flatterer. (Ibid.) With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.

(Ibid.)

But such omissions are the result not merely of laziness in syllabification, but of an ear which is deaf to the rhythmic implications of the verse.

Exercises for syllabification Of the passages that follow, one serves as a model of what is required in the way of normal syllabification, and the others of the amusing effect which may be obtained by syllabic utterance. All of these are excellent exercises and demand much agility when taken at a smart pace.

Exercise 1 At this fusty stuff The large Achilles, on his presst bed lolling, From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause; Cries, ‘Excellent! ’tis Agamemnon just. Now play me Nestor; hem, and stroke thy beard, As he being drest to some oration.’ That’s done – as near as the extremest ends Of parallels; as like as Vulcan and his wife: Yet god Achilles still cries, ‘Excellent! ’Tis Nestor right. Now play him me, Patroclus, Arming to answer in a night-alarm.’ And then, forsooth, the faint defects of age Must be the scene of mirth; to cough and spit, And, with a palsy fumbling on his gorget, Shake in and out the rivet – and at this sport Sir Valour dies; cries, ‘O, enough, Patroclus; Or give me ribs of steel! I shall split all In pleasure of my spleen.’ And in this fashion, All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes, Severals and generals of grace exact, Achievements, plots, orders, preventions,

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Excitements to the field, or speech for truce, Success or loss, what is or is not, serves As stuff for these two to make paradoxes. (Troilus and Cressida, I., iii.)

Exercise 2 I am the very model of a modern Major-General I’ve information vegetable, animal and mineral, I know the Kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; I’m very well acquainted too with matters mathematical, I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical, About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news – With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse. I’m very good at integral and differential calculus, I know the scientific names of beings animalculous; In short, in matters vegetable, animal and mineral, I am the very model of a modern Major-General. (W. S. Gilbert.)

Exercise 3 My eyes are fully open to my awful situation I shall go at once to Roderic and make him an oration. I shall tell him I’ve recovered my forgotten moral senses, And I don’t care twopence halfpenny for any consequences. Now I do not want to perish by the sword or by the dagger, But a martyr may indulge a little pardonable swagger, And a word or two of compliment my vanity would flatter, But I’ve got to die to-morrow, so it really doesn’t matter. If I had been so lucky as to have a steady brother Who could talk to me, as we are talking, now, to one another, Who could give me good advice when he discovered I was erring (Which is just the very favour which on you I am conferring), My story would have made a rather interesting idyll, And I might have lived and died a very decent indiwiddle, This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter Isn’t generally heard, and if it is, it doesn’t matter. (W. S. Gilbert.)

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7 • conclusion During the course of this book, great emphasis has been laid upon voice and speech, since these two, which meet in utterance, form the very core of the actor’s art. Yet, in the theatre, utterance should be so perfectly adapted to character and situation, and the conditions under which the performance takes place, that the audience, becoming absorbed in the action of the play, whether this be outward or inward, cease to notice the means, at any rate the vocal means, by which they are affected. It was remarked earlier, that utterance is a means to an end. The voice must be the servant of the actor’s will and feeling, and anything in the voice which calls attention to itself, either because the actor appears to be voice conscious, or because the utterance is defective in some respect, will make a performance bad, shallow, or otherwise unconvincing. Technique and imagination must become one, and in the theatre both are dependent upon each other. This unifying of technique and the expression of feeling can best be brought about by thinking of the whole of speech as being motivated by the intellect and emotions, so that these, and the means by which they are bodied forth, no longer seem to be in separate compartments but give the impression of being fused.

Importance of articulation Attention has been directed to the relation between articulation and meaning, and the relation between tone and feeling. Thought and feeling must now be considered to be one with articulation. It is wellknown that the technically accomplished can recite the alphabet, and at the same time convincingly portray, for example, the emotions of joy or grief. And yet such a performance makes no intellectual impact on the hearer. The emotion does not take precise shape, because the

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jumble of vowels and consonants that the recitation of the alphabet involves bears no relation to the combination of letters and sounds with which we are familiar in the words of our language. Neither has the alphabet any grammatical structure! When Romeo first believes that Juliet is dead, he is so stricken with grief that he says – Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to-night. The words have a tragic irony, but we are not yet sure of their full purport. It is not until we hear – O mischief, thou art swift To enter in the thoughts of desperate men! that his emotion indicates his true purpose. Isolate the vowels in these words, and the lines mean nothing, and the emotion cannot be conveyed. Isolate the consonants, and there is a very different story to tell, and this can be represented to the eye – - m-sch- -f, th- - -rt sw-ft T- -nt-r -n th- th- -ghts -f d-sp-r-t- m-n. The emotion resides in the tone, and the meaning in the articulation. Unite them, and the emotion is channelled by the words and brought into focus. It is the articulation which is responsible for this. That this is so, may be proved by whispering the lines on the breath with the intention of conveying the feeling. You will find that this can be done, for although the emotion cannot be communicated because the tone is absent, it can be experienced, always providing a distinct intention of what is to be conveyed is present to the mind. One attempts to achieve the impossible, i.e. to convey the feeling by means of the articulation. This way of regarding the matter, not only in theory, but also in practice, is an effective means of giving to words that freshness, spontaneity, and vitality which all stage utterance demands. The sensation should be that the thought and feeling come right forward on to the lips. This is really the mental counterpart of the technical aspect of forward diction. One not only speaks forward, but thinks forward! To speak forward will help in bringing the thought forward, and to think

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forward will help in bringing the utterance forward. Both processes are mutually dependent. Speak the lines aloud, and the tone which is set up will carry the articulation in which meaning resides and which gives definition to the emotion, to the farthest recesses of a theatre.

Audibility To the farthest recesses of a theatre! If the conditions under which an actor performs are not to dwarf and smother their conception of a character, everything they do, including their utterance, must be larger than life. This problem has existed from the earliest times. The Greeks solved it by evolving a highly stylized form of utterance and movement, which must, in part, have been conditioned by the hampering effect of the tragic actor’s costume. Even so, and allowing for the funnelling of the voice by the mask, the mere delivery of the actor’s hexameters in vast open-air theatres must have demanded the most rigorous training in breath, note, tone, and word, and almost superhuman staying powers in performance. Now, the majority of naturalistic plays are often presented in theatres whose size is conditioned more by economic than by aesthetic considerations, so that even when a play is written, and its production designed, to convey an impression of truth to life, the fallacy of this claim is brought home when the actor is heard in all parts of the theatre: if it were true to life they would not be heard. This is a very real and an ever-present problem. That it must have existed over two thousand years ago we have seen, but for the English theatre the problem did not really exist until the playhouses assumed their present-day proportions, since it was not until the nineteenth century that size was considered to be an important feature of a theatre. In very large playhouses subtlety of effect becomes an impossibility. To overcome these conditions, the small, ill-defined everyday movements of real life must, for the stage, be designed and have breadth, in order that they may be seen effectively and acquire significance. Similarly, utterance must be magnified in all its aspects in order effectively to be heard.

Projection This aspect of utterance is included under the term projection. Projection of voice is necessary for one reason only, namely, that the actor’s conception should ‘Get Across.’ It has been insisted that mere voice (in

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large theatres it is often a case of sheer voice) means nothing at all. The voice, then, must not be projected for its own sake, but solely in order to project the thought. This being so, the closer the relationship between the mental processes and utterance, the better. A marriage between the two must be brought about. For the voice is the principal, although not the only link between the stage and the auditorium, and just as the external action of a play must appear to spring directly from the inner, mental action of the characters, so must the thought of the actor appear to prompt and bring about utterance itself. Only then does utterance become convincing, and only then can it become moving. The technical means of approach to this ideal has been indicated. We must now pass to the technical aspect of projection. The first question that arises is that of audibility, since it is obvious that nothing can be conveyed by means of utterance unless this is distinctly audible. This problem of audibility is ever present to the actor, for, even when the utterance is above reproach, it must always be adapted to the acoustics of the theatre in which he or she is speaking. It is a case of tuning the instrument for performance. Even a Stradivarius needs to be tuned.

Summary of important factors Rib-reserve can be one part of the answer to audibility. Some indication has been given in these pages of the way in which each factor of utterance contributes towards audibility, but they must here be passed in review. The whole structure will fall to the ground if the breathing does not support the note, the tone, and the word. The first two cannot even exist without the breath, and the word can be made to carry only a very small distance by the use of the whispered voice. Rib-reserve is the answer to audibility as far as this depends upon breathing, for, by maintaining a reserve in the lungs, one always has breath upon which to fall back in the event of a particularly long phrase, and there is always sufficient to support each phrase-end in emphatic or unemphatic delivery. A tailing-off of breath pressure will inevitably give rise to inaudibility.

Sufficient tone Clearly there must in general be a sufficiency of tone, principally for the purpose of carrying the articulation, but if audibility were dependent upon mere volume of tone, it would be impossible to get a scene over

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without recourse to shouting. Shouting should never be resorted to unless demanded by a specific situation, and, even then, there is a right and a wrong way to go about it. The advice ‘shout from the stomach’ is anatomically confusing, but contains a very large grain of truth, for the inexperienced will shout by means of tension and so will most efficiently box-up the tone they wish to produce. Always shout ‘on the breath,’ and by means of firm pressure at the base of the lungs.

Diction To project successfully, and yet not obviously, one must have ‘forward’ diction. The articulatory aspect of this has been reviewed. The tone must be aesthetically satisfying and gratify the ear, but must never be such that the character of the vowel is blurred. The essence of the sections in this book dealing with tone is that, when the tone is full, the positions for each vowel can be placed far forward in the mouth, which gives a bright forward ring to the character of the vowel, and this principle is illustrated and achieved by means of the resonator scale. If the placing of the tone is so far back as to appear muddy, it will always be a struggle to get the thought ‘across.’ But each part of the voice depends upon the other, and even if the breathing is perfect and forward diction present, inaudibility will result unless precision of articulation exists. Audibility, then, is gained principally by governing the voice at its extremities; and the recipe for success in projection is to become conscious of one’s vocal extremities and, once the tone is full, easy, and given a forward linguistic character, to keep it buoyant and responsive.

Inflection But audibility depends also upon the technical management of inflection. Discussion of this aspect of the note has been reserved for this chapter. It is well-known that in speaking the voice does not jump from note to note as it does in singing, but glides through a whole series of notes in making inflections. The separate notes of these inflections are indistinguishable. Discussion of inflection involves the voice only to a limited extent, as this element of utterance is referable more to the logical and emotional than to the vocal aspect of interpretation. The mere

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reproduction of an inflectional pattern will strike hollow if the thought and feeling which give rise to the pattern are not present. Voice and mind are seen to be inter-dependent if the finest results are to be achieved. There must be not only a voice but a mind to direct it, and the highest effect will result only when both are balanced in equal proportion. The voice, however perfect, will never touch the heights unless it is directed by a sensitive perception of the meaning and emotion to be conveyed, and these will be cabin’d, cribb’d, and confined, if the voice has not a high degree of flexibility to give them release.

Spontaneity It would be possible to reduce inflection to a series of rules, a method employed in the past by some who had more application than wisdom. Such a method is stultifying in the extreme, and would be the negation of one of the most vital qualities which should be possessed by every actor – spontaneity. When, therefore, the voice can be technically managed along the lines indicated, it acquires a disciplined freedom; disciplined in the sense that it is correctly managed and controlled, free in the sense that it is flexible, pliant, and responsive to the intention. When this is so, it is necessary that a part should be studied from the inside outwardly, and not in the reverse order. On the other hand, there are speeches which are entirely intellectual in content, and these, if interest is not to flag, not only must be ‘pointed’ to convey the thread of the argument but must be kept alive by variety of pitch and inflection, and by all the attributes of delivery.

Sustaining thought and tone In a major speech of any length the thought must be sustained. The voice plays a great part in doing this. Sustained tone having already been acquired, each section of a speech may be given its due value and related to the whole, so that the complete speech is received as a single complex thought, to which all the subsidiary thoughts contribute. If each phrase or each thought is given finality by means of inflection, the impression will be of a series of unconnected thoughts, instead of which, each thought should grow out of that which precedes it.

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There are innumerable illustrations of this particular problem: Gloster in Henry VI, Part III, III. ii; Queen Margaret in Henry VI, Part III, V. iv, and from the rhetoric of these to the figures of the tragedies, through Romeo and Juliet to the Macbeths.

Inflection In spite of the foregoing, certain technical aspects of inflection must be discussed, as audibility depends to a large extent upon the way some inflections are managed. English demands, broadly speaking, two inflectional patterns, one rising and the other falling. On these an infinite variety of changes may be rung and, by means of these changes, the logical and emotional content of a passage is ‘pointed.’ This variation of the two patterns may be compared to the variations on a theme in music. The general pattern of the theme is always heard at the same time that the variations upon it are perceived. When an impression of finality is to be given, the voice must often, but by no means always, reproduce a falling inflectional pattern. If the end notes of this pattern are not correctly managed, the voice will be ‘dropped,’ and inaudibility will result. In order to avoid a dropping of the voice, it must be ‘lifted.’ This does not mean that it may never go down, but does mean that a falling pattern which slides down from the highest note to the lowest must be rigorously avoided. O, how may I Call this a lightning? If Romeo allows this line to sink steadily down to the last stressed syllable which is ‘light,’ he will, as likely as not, become inaudible. But if the last stressed syllable is ‘lifted,’ the whole of the final word will be clearly audible even though the voice comes to rest on a note low in pitch. But it is best if the tune of speech is thought of, not as a series of rising and falling patterns, but as if the voice proceeded along a straight line, rising above it or dipping below, as occasion demands. At all costs the deadening effect created by a series of monotonous falls in pitch must be avoided. Inaudibility from this cause is, more often than not, the result of a failure to sustain the thought. It can, and must, be avoided mentally, as well as technically, by carrying the thought right through to the last syllable, and beyond. Do not cease to think until you have ceased to speak.

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Exercises for projection Assuming that what has been said about the vocal-technical aspect of projection has been grasped, if not perfected, one should stand in the centre of an imaginary series of concentric circles moving out far beyond one. The area behind the imaginary diameter on which one is standing should now be eliminated from the mind, leaving a semicircular series in front of one. Thus one retains the area most essential to the voice, which should always be imagined as progressing with a forward impetus. In reality, it travels in all directions, but it should always leave the speaker as through an imaginary megaphone.

Exercise 1 Choose a phrase, sentence or speech, and speak with the intention of conveying the logical and emotional content of the lines to the imaginary semicircles, one by one, until the farthest is reached. It is important not consciously to alter the volume of the voice, although this may change, indirectly, in response to the intention to reach the farthest point. At the same time, one should be subconsciously aware of the technical means by which utterance is controlled. All this might have been put more simply, as indeed it has been from time immemorial: ‘Always speak for the back row of the pit.’ The exercise presents an idea that is the opposite of shouting, which might result from the simpler way of putting it. Everything spoken in the theatre calls for the qualities which have been discussed – correctly managed voice, clarity of utterance, flexibility of response, pointing, sustained thought and projections. This book contains much material ready to hand, but Browning’s poems in soliloquy form, with their conversational style and difficult phraseology, are good for developing flexibility and pointing, for example, ‘How it Strikes a Contemporary’, and ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’. The intellectual content of many Shavian speeches presents inflexional problems; Man and Superman and Back to Methuselah furnish many examples. All this material calls for sustained utterance and thought. Material for developing projection lies to hand in those speeches which are spoken to, and for the especial benefit of, an audience, such as the epilogues to As You Like It and Henry IV, and a number of the choruses. Use should also be made of Restoration prologues, two of which have been included in this book. In all these the presence of an audience is either implied or stated.

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Summary Such then is the instrument of voice, and such is the way it is managed. It is a highly complex instrument, which must be tuned to perfection, kept at concert pitch, and activated at every performance by the actor’s will and feeling. The impact of the actor’s mind and soul upon the body, at the moment of performance, sets up a wave of sound which is voice. On this are impressed the movements of speech. In the tone and in the movements reside the feeling and the thought. The movements are felt to take place in the very forefront of the mouth, and not only turn meaningless sound into speech but give definition to the emotions. This complex wave of sound is still further modified by all the infinite variations and combinations of pitch and inflection, volume and stress, pace, timing, and emotional reflexes which, in their turn, are determined and controlled by the rhythm of the play as sensed by the director. The individual contribution of the actor is projected to every part of the auditorium, and so to all the members of the audience, who respond collectively to the intellectual and emotional stimulus which comes to them from the stage. It is fitting that this book should end with a poem which expresses perfectly the two-way traffic of the theatre – the magic that is in acting itself, the effect of the magic on the audience, and the necessity of the one for the other. Without an audience the actor does not really exist; and for the audience the actor’s transient art takes shape each time the auditorium is hushed and darkened. Never was anything so deserted As this dim theatre Now, when in passive grayness the remote Morning is here, Daunting the wintry glitter of the pale, Half-lit chandelier. Never was anything disenchanted As this silence! Gleams of soiled gilding on curved balconies Empty; immense Dead crimson curtain, tasselled with its old And staled pretence.

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Nothing is heard but a shuffling and knocking Of mop and mat, Where dustily two charwomen exchange Leisurely chat. Stretching and settling to voluptuous sleep Curls a cat. The voices are gone, the voices That laughed and cried. It is as if the whole marvel of the world Had blankly died, Exposed, inert as a drowned body left By the ebb of the tide. Beautiful as water, beautiful as fire, The voices came, Made the eyes to open and the ears to hear, The hand to lie intent and motionless, The heart to flame, The radiance of reality was there, Splendour and shame. Slowly an arm dropped, and an empire fell. We saw, we knew. A head was lifted, and a soul was freed. Abysses opened into heaven and hell. We heard, we drew Into our thrilled veins courage of the truth That searched us through. But the voices are all departed, The vision dull. Daylight disconsolately enters Only to annul. The vast space is hollow and empty As a skull. (Laurence Binyon.)

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appendix

Voice and speech routines The following routines have been provided to give an indication of what matter might be included in a simple, short ‘warm up’ for the actor. They follow the order and principles laid down by Clifford Turner and will, hopefully, encourage you to compose a logical and effective personal warm up, from the exercises already offered in the various sections of this book. I have not attempted to deal with all that might be required by individual actors; nor to provide therapeutic material for people with particular problems. Good voice and speech is a habit and requires regular and consistent practice in order to maintain and develop the technique. It is hoped that these routines might form a basis to begin daily practice. The routines can be used either by an individual, or by groups, wishing to do some kind of vocal warm up before rehearsal or performance. MALCOLM MORRISON

Daily routine – number one Relaxation and Posture 1. Stand with your feet slightly apart and slump as you stand. Feel your stomach slacken, chest cave in and your head fall on your chest. Over a slow count of ten feel yourself growing. The rib cage should lift away from the pelvis and the head rise to a poised position on the shoulders. Do this three times slowly. 2. When you are standing erect, raise your shoulders towards your ears, screw up the face. 3. Let the face relax quickly, as if you have taken a mask off, until you feel all the wrinkles gone from the forehead and the muscles of the face feel free of tension.

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4. When you have let the face go, let the shoulders drop so that your arms hang easily by your sides. Repeat numbers 2, 3 and 4, in sequence, five times. 5. Check your standing position; make sure your shoulders are straight and your head is well balanced on your shoulders. The stomach should be firm but without tension.

Breathing 1. Place the backs of your hands on your lower ribs and breathe in through the nose and out gently through the mouth, feeling an easy swing of the ribs. Do this twenty times. Do not take a lot of breath, just concentrate on feeling the movement of the ribs. 2. Breathe in on the ribs and gently count out to ten on a whisper. Feel that the whisper is just as strong at the count of nine and ten as it was at the count of one. Do this ten times. Don’t let all the breath go at once. 3. Breathe in on the ribs and as you do so raise your arms sideways until they are above your head. There should be a slight sense of reaching for something above you, without tension in the shoulders and throat. Pant gently, like a dog, feeling the movement of the diaphragm. Pant in and out five times, then breathe out smoothly, using the air from the ribs, as you lower your arms to your sides. Repeat this five times. 4. Take a breath in on the ribs followed by one on the diaphragm. Sigh out gently on a whispered AH sound using the air from the diaphragm, follow this by a whispered OO sound using the air from the ribs. Try to sustain each of the vowels for a count of six. Do this five times. 5. Repeat 4, but intone the vowel sounds making sure that the sound is steady and well supported.

Tone 1. Yawn on an AH sound feeling the arching of the soft palate. Do this three times. 2. Yawn on each of the following vowels – OO AH EE. Do this three times on each vowel. 3. Intone gently, making the vowels very long – ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Can’t you see?’ Do each sentence three times and ensure that the tone is rich on each of the words.

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4. Keep the lips together and make a number of quick ‘m’ sounds as if you were laughing. Repeat this several times. 5. Say a long M sound, as if you had seen something pleasant. Repeat this five times, getting louder each time. 6. Intone the following sentence gently, sustaining all M and N sounds: Make me many, many more.

Pitch 1. Speak the following letting your voice rise in pitch on each word:

higher and higher climb voice my make can I Do this five times, taking a slightly higher starting note each time. Make sure that you are speaking, and not singing, each word. 2. Speak the following letting your voice fall in pitch on each word Again, ensure that you are speaking each word.

I can make my voice fall lower and lower

Articulation Speak the following three times each, start slowly and gradually increase your speed. Speak very quietly but form each of the consonant sounds distinctly:

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The tip of the tongue, the teeth and the lips. Look at the windmills whirling in the wind. I’m pulling a long length of string.

Daily routine – number two Relaxation and Posture 1. Stretch and yawn. Feel the muscles in your body stretching and then releasing as you come to a good standing position, hands hanging loosely by your sides and shoulders straight. Do this three times. 2. Push your shoulders forward and then release them so that they are well placed, above the pelvis, and the arms hang easily by your sides. 3. Lift your shoulders up towards your ears, hold them for a count of three and then let them drop heavily. Do this five times. 4. Drop your head on your chest and let it swing heavily and easily from side to side. Don’t push the head. Do this five times to each side, then lift it slowly.

Breathing 1. Place your hands on your lower ribs and breathe in and out gently, feeling an easy swing of the ribs. Do this ten times, to relax and feel that everything is working. 2. Breathing in on the ribs to a count of three, raise the arms to your sides at shoulder height. Breathing out over a slow count of six, lower the arms. Repeat this exercise ten times. 3. Breathe in to a count of three and then count out slowly to six. Do this on a whisper. Do this five times, then increase the count to nine and, finally to twelve. 4. Place one hand on the ribs and the other just below the end of the breast bone, on the stomach. Breathe in to a count of three, feeling the ribs expand; then breathe in for a further count of three, feeling the movement of the diaphragm. Sigh out on an AH sound, using the air from the diaphragm, then count out steadily to six using the air from the ribs. Do this ten times. 5. Take a breath on the ribs and one on the diaphragm. Using the air from the diaphragm count out to three loudly, then count out to nine, quietly, using the air from the ribs. Repeat this exercise five times.

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6. Breathe in on the ribs and diaphragm. Count out to twelve on the diaphragm followed by a count of twelve on the ribs. Whisper this exercise five times. Then repeat, for a further five times, voiced.

Tone 1. Hum any simple tune you know on a M sound. Don’t push the voice from the throat, just breathe easily and hum gently. 2. Intone the following, feel your voice move forward on each sound: EE . . . . . . OO . . . . . . M. M. M. Do this six times. 3. Intone the following: M. M. M. M. M. MOO M. M. M. M. M. MAH M. M. M. M. M. MEE Ensure that the EE sound is as full and rich as the OO sound.

Pitch 1. Starting on a high note, think of laughing these sounds:

HOO

HAH

HOO HOO

HEE

HAH HAH

HEE HEE

2. Repeat exercise 1, but rise in pitch. Do each exercise five times. 3. Count from 1 to 10 beginning on a low note and getting higher on each number. 4. Begin on a high note at the count of ten and speak each number back to one, getting lower with the voice each time.

Articulation Repeat the following sentences three times each. Speak them quietly but form each consonant sound distinctly:

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Stand to and pipe the Captain aboard. Hot coffee in a proper copper coffee pot. I’ve got a lot of chocolate melting in my pocket.

Daily routine – number three Relaxation and Posture 1. Stretch upwards, then release from the waist. Let the head hang between the arms and allow the hands to brush the floor gently. Slowly uncurl the spine until you are in a standing position. Let the head and shoulders hang down until the very last moment. 2. Stand against a wall and bend your knees, keeping your back against the wall. Gradually rise, feeling that you can keep all of the back gently pressing the wall. 3. Step away from the wall and maintain the feeling of a straight spine, with your head balanced immediately above the shoulders. 4. Let your arms hang loosely by your side and gently punch towards the ground. 5. Drop your head forwards and backwards five times and then bring it slowly to an upright position.

Breathing 1. Begin with the simple rib swing exercise described in exercise 1 of routine number two. 2. Breathe in on the ribs and whisper the following: One and one are two (Breathe again) Two and two are four Four and four are eight (Breathe again) Eight and eight are sixteen Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two.

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daily routine – number three

3. Repeat number 2 – using voice. Do this three times and then gradually increase the volume as you speak it a fourth and fifth time. 4. Breathe in on the ribs and in on the diaphragm and count to ten on the diaphragm and then ten on the ribs. 5. Breathe in on the ribs and in on the diaphragm. Using the air from the diaphragm count up to ten slowly, gradually increasing the volume as you progress. Once the air from the diaphragm has been used then count back down to one, using the air from the ribs, getting quieter as you go. The exercise should end with a whispered count of one.

Tone Intone the following, repeating each pattern three times: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

No no no no no Nee nee nee nee Moo moo moo moo Mah mah mah mah No moh nee mah Repeat the first five exercises at various pitches. Whisper the following sentence, then intone it and finally speak it: Many maids milking on a May morning.

Articulation Repeat the following sentences three times each: 1. Two flew through the window. 2. Try to attend and take the test. 3. Clean the car as quickly as you can. Repeat the following three times. First whisper it then speak it: Articulatory agility Is a desirable ability Manipulating with dexterity The tongue, the palate and the lips.

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Daily routine – number four Relaxation and Posture 1. Swing your arms, forwards and backwards. Feel the weight of the hands and imagine it is that weight that is causing the arms to swing. There should be no sense that you are ‘working’ from the shoulders. Do this ten times to the front and back. 2. Rotate the shoulders towards the back and then swing the arms backwards and forwards three times. As the shoulders drop, the arms should begin swinging. Again, try to avoid the sensation that you are working from the shoulders. All should be easy and heavy. Repeat the sequence ten times. 3. With feet slightly apart (nine inches) gently drop the head from side to side. As you are bringing the head up from the shoulder, feel it balance for a moment, without tension, in the upright position, before you allow it to fall to the opposite side. Do this five times each side. 4. Repeat the exercise described in 3, but let the head fall forward and back instead of from side to side. 5. Check your standing position by placing a finger on the top of your head and lightly stretching towards it. Let the arms hang easily by the sides. Check that the hands are released and are not curled up or the fingers stretched.

Breathing 1. Begin by breathing in on two parts (ribs and diaphragm). The intake of air should be done to a count of three and the expiration of the breath should take a count of five each on diaphragm and ribs. Repeat this ten times. 2. Breathe in on the ribs, then take a very small, easy breath on the diaphragm and say, ‘One’, then count out to five using the air from the ribs. Be aware that you will need to take very little air on the diaphragm. Repeat this ten times. 3. Repeat exercise 2, increasing the rate at which you do it. Beware of building tension. Do not ‘overbreathe’. Only take the minimal amount of air needed for the task. Do this five times. 4. Using the breath from the diaphragm, with the air maintained in the ribs for support, speak the following, gradually getting louder: My voice is getting very loud.

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Repeat this five times. Then, instead of a gradual crescendo, begin by speaking loudly but allow the voice to become quieter. You should finish on a whisper. Beware of overdoing the loudness. The importance of the exercise is in the control over the breath. There should be no sudden jumps in volume. The sound should gradually swell and die away.

Tone 1. Repeat: niminy niminy niminy niminy niminy several times. Build the appearance of a continuous hum as you say it. Feel that the voice is forward and placed in the mask of the face. Do not force from the throat. 2. Add three N sounds to the above. Keep each one clear and separate from the others. Gradually build the pace as you feel you are able to place the voice easily and instantly: n n n niminy

n n n niminy

Do this fairly quietly. The important feature of the exercise is the placement of the voice, not the loudness, nor the effort with which you do it. 3. Speak the following sentence a number of times, maintaining the forward placement of the voice and the resonance on the m’s and n’s: Eliminating the naming of many eminently minimal men

Articulation 1. Repeat the following sentences, at speed, first as a whisper, then intoned and finally spoken. Do each sentence five times: Jeff met Terry in a friendly set of tennis. A record was set when ten men ate twenty lemons. Many sensitive men detest the excessive message. I met many women when I went to Jenny’s event.

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Daily routine – number five Relaxation and Posture 1. Lie on the floor, on your back, and draw your knees up over your chest. Gradually stretch out until the legs are on the floor. Pushing gently, from the heels, feel yourself stretch. Repeat this five times. 2. Gently and easily bring yourself to a sitting position and gently rock from side to side. The legs should be stretched out in front of you. 3. Kneeling forward, seated on your heels, gradually stretch from the waist and torso as you gently push your head towards the ceiling. Do this rhythmically and without excessive effort. 4. Stand up and flop forward from the waist, gradually returning to a standing position, feeling the spine gradually uncurl and the head coming into position last.

Breathing 1. Raise your arms sideways above the head as you breathe in to a count of three and then breathe out to a count of five. Feel the ribs swing out as you breathe in. As you breathe out, make sure the mouth is open and relaxed. There should be barely any sound. 2. Repeat exercise 1 but count out to five on a whisper. Ensure that ‘five’ is as strong as ‘one’; there should be no fading away. 3. Continue exercise 2 but elongate the vowels in each count. Let each word flow smoothly into the other: O-o-o-ne two-o-o-o three-ee-ee-ee fou-ou-ou-r fi-i-i-ve Repeat this exercise ten times, making sure that the breath flow is slow and consistent in strength. 4. When you have achieved exercise 3 on a whisper, repeat adding voice. 5. Breathe in on the ribs and then pant lightly for a count of ten using only the diaphragm. At the count of ‘ten’, allow the air retained by the ribs to be expelled on a long sigh of ‘Ah’. Do this five times. 6. Speak the alphabet from A to M using breath from the diaphragm, then continue from N to Z, using breath from the ribs. Do this five times on a whisper. Then repeat with voice.

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Tone 1. Whisper, intone and then speak the following: Anon the new moon wanes and summer nights are gone Autumn comes mid mild, mild rains and dark descends ere long

Articulation 1. Repeat the following several times. Gradually increase speed as you do so:

ch ch ch s/ l l l v/ w w w k/

ch ch ch s lllv wwwk

2. Repeat several times: Will you won’t you Join the chains to each edge Change the justifying switch Overdo the movement of the lips. Speak on a whisper first, extending the movements and gaining pace.

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index articulation, 137–9 exercises for, 149, 151, 153, 155, 156, 157 manner of, 67–9 and pace, 129 place of, 67 securing clear, 103–4 aspiration, 69–70 audibility, 89, 139, 140, 141 B sounds, 5, 68–70 breathing, breath, 6, 8–21, 22, 139 abdominal muscles, 16 basic rib movement, 13–14, 16 control of, 14, 16–18 daily routines for, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156 deep, 16 developing capacity, 15 diaphragm, 14–15, 16 exercises, 8, 12, 14–15, 17–21, 88–94, 96–104 for life, 8–9 maintaining the reserve, 16 mechanism of, 12 rib-reserve, 9–11, 15, 16, 19, 21, 26, 32, 37, 132 shallow, 13, 56 for voice, 9 whispered, 32 character of the sound, 5 compass or range (of note), 54–5, 57, 60, 61, 63, 64 conditioning of voice and speech, 1–2 consonants, 5–6, 66–88, 89–96 absence of aspiration, 69, 70 articulation of, 67 aspiration, 69, 70–72 and audibility, 89 combination of, 89, 92 explosives, 68, 70, 72 formation of, 69, 73

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and glottal stop, 73 interplay of vowels and, 89 and intrusive vowels, 93 L sounds, 73–76 maintaining vocal tone, 85–87 nasal and lateral plosion, 71 practice for lips and tongue, 93, 94 R sounds, 77–79 S and Z sounds, 81–83 types of, 66 voiced vs. voiceless 76 control, 8 breath, 8–12, 19 developing, 16–18 D sounds, 68–70 diaphragm, 9, 12, 14–15, 16 and abdominal muscles, 14 movement, 12–16, 18–19 in position of rest, 14 diction, ‘forward’, 141 dipthongs and triphthongs, 119–124 excitor, 3, 6, 8, 30 explosives (consonants), 68, 71–2 exercises for, 71–2 incomplete, 70–1 G sounds, 67–70 glottal stop (explosive), 68, 71–73, 116 before vowels, 73 H sounds, 67, 68 hearing, sense of, 31–2 inflection, technique of, 104–5, 141–2 intrusive glides, 124–5 intrusive vowels, 93 K sounds, 69–70, 73 L sounds, 73–76, 84 comparing clear and dark, 73–4

index

formation of, 73–4 use of clear and dark, 74–6 voiceless, 66, 76 larynx, 26, 31, 42, 53 lips, exercises for, 85–6 M sounds, 5, 48–49, 56, 85, 86 mouth, 28, 29, 30 function in speech, 5, 41 movement and tone, 41–2 N sounds, 67, 85, 86 nasal and lateral plosion, 71 nasal resonance, 47–9 absence of, 48 exercises for, 49–50 how to obtain, 48 nasality, 50–2 reasons for, 47–8 NG sounds, 5, 67 nose, 28, 29 note, 6, 26, 53–8, 103 attack, 54, 55 breath quality, 56 ‘centre’, 57–8 compass or range of, 54, 60–1 duration of, 55 exercises, 97–102 and glottal stop, 55–6 hearing, 56–7 incorrect ending, 56 maintaining placement, 62 production of, 54 and tremolo, 57 P sounds, 68, 73 pace and articulation, 129, 130 exercises for, 130–34 pharynx, 28, 29, 31, 32, 41 pitch, 28–9, 53, 56–7 exercises for, 62–5, 149, 151 resonant and dictated, 58–9 vocal, 33 whispered, 32–3, 37–9, 59 posture, 20, 21 common problems, 43–4 daily routines for relaxation and, 147–8, 150, 152, 154, 156 exercises to establish basic, 44

importance of, 42 production of voice, 3–4 projection, 139–40 exercises for, 144 R sounds, 77–9 acquiring a rolled, 78–9 common problems with, 77 intrusive, 79 linking, 78 tapped, 77 trilled or rolled, 77, 78 untrilled or frictionless, 77, 78 W substitute, 79–80 relaxation, 19–20 application of exercises, 22, 23–24 daily routines for posture and, 147–8, 150, 152, 154, 156 exercises for, 20–2 exercises linking tone and, 45–7 resonance, 60 nasal, 48–9 whispered, 39, 41 resonant pitch, 33 exercises to develop, 31–2, 36 and note, 57–9 variations in, 33 resonation, 5, 27, 28 general and specific, 30 ‘line’ of, 34 resonator scale, 38, 40, 43, 111 resonators, 3, 4, 5, 6–7, 27–28, 53, 66 and balanced tone, 29–30 dual function of, 6 expanding, 30–31, 42, 53 musical and linguistic functions of, 103 principal, 28 training of, 27, 32 rib-reserve breathing, 18–19, 22, 24, 31, 37, 140 ribs, 12, 14 basic movement of, 10, 12–13 in position of rest, 12 S sounds, 67, 82–3 correcting faults, 82 exercises for, 82–4 forming, 81 shouting, 141

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simplifications, 125 soft palate, 28 exercising, 50, 51 sound character of, 5 and meaning, 109, 110 speech, 16, 103 as an acquired habit, 1 conditioning of, 1–2 in the theatre, 7 vs. voice, 5 speech organs, 4–5 spelling pronunciation, 125–129 spontaneity, 142 stage dialogue, 7 syllabification, 134, 135 exercises for, 135, 136 T sounds, 67, 68, 72 tension, effects of, 21, 22 thought and tone, sustaining, 142, 143 tone, 3, 4–5, 26–52, 99 achieving good, 31, 32 balanced, 29, 30 and breath control, 37 characteristics of good, 27, 28 daily routines for, 148, 149, 151, 153, 155, 157 exercises for breath, note, words and, 96–102 exercises linking relaxation and, 45, 46, 47 and feeling, 137 maintaining, 34 maintaining vocal, 85–8 and movement, 42, 43 and range, 61, 62 sufficiency of, 140, 141 sustained, 41, 142, 143 voice quality, 28, 29 and words, 5–6 tongue, 28, 30 exercises for, 93, 94 relative positions for vowels, 38 touch, sense of, 30, 31 tremolo, 57 V sounds, 5 vibrator, 3, 4, 6, 30, 51, 57

160

vocal cords, 6, 26, 33, 53, 54, 73 action of, 4 effect of tensions on, 1 vocal pitch, 33 voice in action, 103–136 breathing for, 9 conditioning of, 1–2 as an instrument, 2–3 production of, 3–4 quality, 28, 29 routines, 147–157 as a secondary activity, 4 vs. speech, 5 types of, 54, 55 volume, 28 vowels, 30, 34, 66, 103 AH – the beginning position, 34 and audibility, 89 compound, 40, 119 dipthongs and triphthongs, 119–124 exercises with short, 94 formation of, 110 glottal stop before, 73 incorrect ending of, 56 interplay of consonants and, 89 intrusive, 93, 115–16 with lip rounding, 37 long and short, 40, 41 neutral, 41 resonator scale, 38–9, 41 simple, 35, 110–118 with tongue raising, 38 whispered, 39, 55 W and WH sounds, 68 whispered resonances, 32, 41 scale of, 39 whispering, 32, 95 word, 66–102, 103 exercises, 96–102 and tone, 5–6 Y sounds, 67–8 Z sounds, 81

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