LESSON 20 THE EXPRESSIVE VOICE With the exception of the rules for posture and breathing in Lesson 7, we have not discussed elocution, a subject which takes account of the expressive powers of the voice in speech. We have paid more attention to psychological aspects such as the organization of ideas, the gathering of material, the clear grasp of details, and methods of impressing all these things upon the audience. Now we wish to add that the mere selection of proper words in certain groupings will not bring the greatest success with an audience. The voice must be used effectively to get the best results. It is possible to spoil the most beautiful composition by poor vocal expression, harsh tones, and monotony. One must lend to the wisdom of the mind the beauty of the voice. In this lesson we shall consider what the voice adds to the message. The lesson may be regarded as a continuation of number seven; and it would be well for the student to review the advice given there before taking up this new matter. Excellence of posture and breathing will insure a good habitual tone of voice. In this lesson we shall analyze that voice as a succession of constantly varying sounds, and we shall explain the expressional effects of those variations. We assume, at the outset, that the student has developed a good normal tone-that he stands correctly, has complete control of his breathing, and speaks with throat well relaxed. He has no constriction any where and all the operations of sound production are easy, natural, full, and strong. The sounds which follow one another in speech are produced much like the notes of a wind instrument of the horn group. They have certain distinguishable characteristics. In the first place each has a recognizable quality, and they come forth at a more or less rapid rate; while each has a definite pitch and force. As we listen to the sounds of a man speaking, we notice changes in quality, rate, pitch, and force. We shall be interested in these possible variations in the tone of the voice and their value in expression. 1. QUALITY 1. Nature. If one were to hear a man talking, in the distance, though the exact words might not be audible, the human voice quality would be unmistakable. The voice could not be mistaken for the cry of an animal. Again, if you were to hear three people with whom you are familiar talking in the next room, and each should repeat the same words after the other, you could say, "Now Smith is speaking; now it is Jones; and now it is Brown." There is an individual quality which distinguishes each man's voice from that of every other man. 2. Physical Basis.-The raw material of every vocal sound which has quality, is an indefinite murmur made by the vocal cords. These cords are like little cushions or lips pressed together in the larynx (voice box or Adam's apple). As the air comes up the windpipe from the lungs, they rapidly press together and fly apart thus letting the air pass upward in a series of puffs. At the cords, the sound audible from these puffs is an indefinite murmur or buzzing. It is much like the buzz made by the lips of the player at the mouthpiece of a simple horn. But just as the tube and flaring bell of the horn modify, reinforce, and give quality to the miserable buzz at its mouthpiece, so also the cavities of the throat, mouth, and nose, give quality or tone to the vocal murmur. Agents of Resonation: SCHEME OF VOCAL ORGANS A-Hard and Fixed-Bones of Skull (B. S-K.), Bones of Nasal Cavity (N. C.), Superior Maxillary or Hard Palate (S. M.), Teeth (D), and Inferior Maxillary or Lower Jaw (I. M.). B-Soft and Flexible-Ventricle above Vocal Cords (V.), Upper Chamber of Larynx (L.), Epiglottis (E.), Pharynx (Ph.), Soft Palate (P.), Cheeks (Ch.), Tongue (T.), and Lips (L). Also note C. vocal cords, G. gullet, Tr. = trachea or windpipe. Cavities are left white. The passages through which the sound passes as it is modified in quality, have, in some places, hard and fixed walls, while in other places, the walls are soft and flex ible. The size and shape of these cavities and the texture of their walls, at the time the sound is being produced, determine the quality. Since the soft and flexible parts can change in size, shape, and texture, it is evident that a man's voice may have different qualities at different times. The human voice therefore has variable quality while that of the simple horn is fixed. On the other hand, the contributions of the hard and fixed parts, tend to preserve a fixed and individual element. We are particularly interested in the possibilities of quality change and what such changes express. This brings us to the mental factors involved. 3. Psychological Basis of Quality Changes.- -When one experiences an emotion, an integral part of that emotion is the physical adjustment. Thus in anger, the heart beats faster, the breathing is quick and the muscles grow tense. In joy, there is relaxation, a strong, steady heart . beat and depth of breathing. The whole body is affected, being dominated by the emotion in the mind. But of all the parts of the body to respond, one of the most sensitive is the resonation system near and above the vocal cords. The slightest emotion instantly alters the size, shape, and texture of the resonating cavities by action on the soft resonators. In anger there is constriction and tenseness of texture. The tone produced is flat and throaty. It is known as the guttural. When one is inspired by the magnificent and good, there is openness, relaxation, and expansion, and we hear the full, round orotund. In fear we get only a toneless whisper. In great joy, there is resiliency and power as reflected in the brilliant quality—a bugle-like tone. These are merely types and do not exhaust the list. There are numberless qualities just as there are numberless shades of emotion. Yet no emotion is so slight as not to show in the voice. Even a minor disappointment gives the voice a "hollow ring." 4. Application by the Speaker.-It is agreed that in speech we wish to convey our thoughts and feelings in the most complete and vivid manner possible. Every emotion experienced should show in the voice. Furthermore, our emotional responses to ideas throw much light on the nature of those ideas. If the ideas are clear and strong, their emotional accompaniment will be clear, and expression which gives the whole is far more than a lifeless outline. Let us illustrate by means of a passage from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. First read it to a friend in a perfunctory, business-like way, disregarding the notes in the margin and not taking the trouble to make all the images arise vividly in your mind. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered-those of neither have been fully answered. The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe unto that man by whom the offense cometh. If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both North and South this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to him? Fondly do we hope-fervently do we pray-that Normal feeling. Irony and Resignation. Solemnity. Confidence. |