control of the stream of breath through the vocal cords, and in
disregard of the head tones, that is, of the overtones; as well as in
forcing the pitch and power of the tone upon a wrong resonating point
of the palate, and in constricting the throat muscles. In these points
almost invariably are all mistakes to be looked for; and in the
recognition of them the proper means for correcting them are already
indicated.

The cure is difficult and tedious. It needs an endless patience on the
part of the sufferer as well as of the physician--that is, of the
pupil and the _singing teacher_ (the only proper physician for this
disease)--because the nerves of the head are already sufficiently
unstrung through the consciousness of their incapacity; yet they
should be able to act easily and without effort in producing the head
tones.

The repairing of a voice requires the greatest sympathetic
appreciation and circumspection on the part of the teacher, who should
always inspire the pupil with courage; and on the part of the pupil,
all his tranquillity, nervous strength, and patience, in order to
reach the desired goal.

_Where there is a will there is a way!_

SECTION XXII

THE TONGUE

Since it is the function of the tongue to conduct the column of breath
above the larynx to the resonance chambers, too much attention cannot
be given to it and its position, in speaking as well as in singing. If
it lies too high or too low, it may, by constricting the breath,
produce serious changes in the tone, making it pinched or even
shutting it off entirely.

It has an extremely delicate and difficult task to perform. It must be
in such a position as not to press upon the larynx. Tongue and larynx
must keep out of each other's way, although they always work in
cooeperation; but one must not hamper the other, and when one can
withdraw no farther out of the way, the other must take it upon
itself to do so. For this reason the back of the tongue must be raised
high, the larynx stand low.

The tongue must generally form a furrow. With the lowest tones it lies
relatively flattest, the tip _always_ against and beneath the front
teeth, so that it can rise in the middle.

As soon as the furrow is formed, the mass of the tongue is put out of
the way, since it stands high on both sides. It is almost impossible
to make drawings of this; it can best be seen in the mirror. As soon
as the larynx is low enough and the tongue set elastically