Page images
PDF
EPUB

I pr'ythee, daughter, do not make me mad!-
I will not trouble thee, my child-farewell.-
We'll meet no more-no more see one another
Let shame come when it will, I do not call it ;-
I do not bid the thunder-bearer strike,

Nor tell tales of thee to avenging heaven:
Mend when thou canst-be better at thy leisure ;-
I can be patient-I can stay with Regan.

Darkness and demons!-
Saddle my horses-call my train together;
Degenerate viper I'll not stay with thee!
I yet have left a daughter-Serpent! monster!
Lessen my train, and call them riotous!
All men approved-of choice and rarest parts,
That each particular of duty know.-

Dost thou understand me, man?
The king would speak with Cornwall; the dear fa-

ther

Would with his daughter speak :-Command her service.

Are they inform'd of this ?-My breath and bloodNo-but not yet, may be he is not well.

PART. III.

MODULATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE VOICE.

THE Voice is the organ of eloquence, and has the entire dominion over one sense. All that language and tones can effect to influence the understanding and to win the' affections depends on the power of the voice addressed to the ear. To understand, and be able to manage the voice, must be a matter, therefore of the highest importance to the public speaker. The ancient orators, sensible of this, bestowed uncommon pains, and used every effort to improve the

qualities of the voice, and exerted all their art in the management of it.

The voice, as to its nature, may be divided into quantity and quality.

[blocks in formation]

The modulation of the voice is the proper management of its tones, so as to produce grateful melodies to the ear. Upon the modulation of the voice, depends that variety which is so pleasing, and so neces-sary to refresh and relieve the organs of the speaker, and the ears of the audience, in a long oration. The opposite fault is monotony, which becomes at last so disagreeable, as to defeat altogether the success of a public speaker, by exciting the utmost impatience, and disgust in his audience.

The following states of the voice may be considered as pitches or keys; they are all included in Modula-tion.

High, loud, quick.

Low, soft, slow.{

}

Forcible, may be high, loud, and quick; or low, loud and quick. Feeble may be high,soft, and slow; or low, soft and slow.

[blocks in formation]

These different states of the voice properly managed, give rise to that striking and beautiful variety, which always prevails in good speaking and reading; and which according to Quintilian, alone constitutes eloquent delivery.--It may not be improper here, to state (what is frequently confounded) the difference between loud and soft, and high and low tones. They are totally different. Piano and forte have no relation to pitch or key, but to force and quantity; and when applied to the voice, they relate to the body or volume which the speaker or singer gives out. We can, therefore, be very soft in a high note, and very loud in a low one; just as a smart stroke on a bell, may have exactly the same note as a slight one, though it is considerably louder. When we take a high pitch and give little force, we speak high and soft; when we take a high pitch, and give great force, we speak high and loud; when we take a low pitch and give little force, we speak low and soft; and when we give to the same pitch great force, we speak low and loud.--It may be remarked, that the nature of the human voice is such, that to begin speaking or singing in the extremes of high and low, are not equally dangerous. The voice naturally slides into a higher tone, when we want to speak louder, but not so easily into a lower tone when we want to speak softly. Experience proves to us, that we can raise our voice at pleasure to any pitch it is capable of; but it at the same time tell us, that it requires infinite art and practice to bring the voice to a lower key when it is once raised too high. It ought therefore to be a first principle with all public readers.

*Vide Elements of Elocution.

and speakers, rather to begin below the common level of their voice than above it.

The tones of the speaking voice ascending from the lowest to the highest, may be considered in the following series.

1st, A whisper-audible only by the nearest person.

2d, The low speaking tone or murmur-suited to close conversation.

3d, The ordinary pitch or middle-suited to general conversation.

4th, The elevated pitch-used in earnest argument. 5th. The extreme-used in violent passion.

To the variety so grateful to the ear, not only change of tone is requisite, but also change of delivery. According to the subject, the rapidity of the utterance varies, as the time in the different movements in music. Narration proceeds equally, the pathetic slowly, instruction authoritatively, determination with vigour, and passion with rapidity;

DIRECTIONS..

1st, As the vital principle of the voice consists in those tones which express the emotions of the mind; and as the language of ideas however correctly delivered, without the addition of this language of the passions will prove cold and uninteresting, variety in delivery is a most important point..

2d, As the difficulty of pitching the voice is very considerable, especially if the place be large and the speaker not accustomed to it, he should begin somewhat below rather than above the ordinary pitch : for it is much easier to ascend than to lower the pitch..

3d, Every speaker ought to deliver the greatest part of his discourse in the middle pitch of his voice. For this is the pitch which admits of ascending or descending with the greatest ease: and the organs having more practice in this than any other, they are stronger, and can continue longer without being fatigued.

4th, The speaker must take great care not to run out of breath, which always occasions pain to the audience; except in the expression of some particular passions; and even then he must only seem to be deficient. The lungs should therefore always be inflated to a certain degree, that he may have a plentiful supply always at command.

5th, In rooms or places where the echo from its quick return' disturbs the speaker, he must lessen the quantity of his voice till the echo ceases to be perceptible. When he is disturbed by the slowly returning echo, let him take care to be much slower and more distinct in his utterance than usual, and to make his pauses longer. He should attend to the returning sound, and not begin after a pause till the sound is ceased.

6th, In very large buildings, where the speaker has little more advantage than if he were in the open air, he must regulate his voice accordingly, and make it audible as far as he can, without straining: in such situations, loudness is preferable to highness of voice.

7th, A speaker, to be well heard by all his audience, must fill the place in which he speaks; he will discover that he has accomplished this by the return of his voice to his own ear. In order to be well heard, distinctness of articulation is the first requisite.

8th, Every speaker should know the power and extent of his voice of this he is enabled accurately to

:

« PreviousContinue »