rds, we
arouse the emotional power, the magnetism of the voice, and thus influence
the hearer. Through the elocution of singing we place our emotional, our
personal expression upon a high and lofty plane. We thus express the
central thought, the high ideals of the composer, and through the earnest,
impressive voice impart them to the hearer.

ARTICLE FOUR.

THE SEVENTH PRINCIPLE OF ARTISTIC SINGING.

The seventh principle of artistic singing is

_Interpretation_.

_Theory_.--Singing means infinitely more than the use of words and
music; it means the expression of the author's idea as a whole.

_Devices_.--The application of all true principles by drawing, as it
were, a mental and emotional tone-picture, as suggested by words and music.

The following article upon this subject was kindly written, especially for
this book, by my friend and pupil, the well known teacher, Mr. John
Randolph.

Interpretation in song is the faithful reproduction of the intention of
both poet and composer. This reproduction includes the revelation of the
characteristics of the poem itself, whether lyric, dramatic, or in other
ways distinctive. It also reveals the musical significance of the
composition to which the words are set. The melodic, rhythmic, and even
harmonic values must be made clear to the hearer. But interpretation
includes more than this reproduction, essential though it may be. If the
expression of the intention of poet and composer fulfilled the sum total of
interpretation, one performance would differ little from another. A
clear-cut, automatic precision would be the result, perhaps as perfect as
the repetition given out by a music-box and certainly no more interesting.
Another element enters into interpretation. The meaning of the poem and its
accompanying music must be displayed through the medium of a temperament
capable of self-expression. A personal subjective quality must enter into
the performance. The singer must reveal not only the significance of words
and music, but his own intellectual and emotional comment upon them. Upon
this acceptance of the inner meaning of words and music, and upon his
ability to weave around them some strands of his individuality, depend the
character and originality of the singer's interpretation as a whole. Let us
see how this comprehension of the meaning of songs may be acquired; upon
what foundations rests the ability to make the meaning clear; and if we can
do so, let u