xpression of the singer; much more may be given if desired.

Strength must not be confounded with roughness; and the two must not
go hand in hand together. Phenomenal beings may perhaps be permitted
to go beyond the strength of others; but to the others this must
remain forbidden. It cannot become a regular practice, and is best
limited to the single phenomenon. We should otherwise soon reach the
point of crudest realism, from which at best we are not far removed.
Roughness will never attain artistic justification, not even in the
case of the greatest individual singers, because it is an offence.

The public should witness from interpretative art only what is good
and noble on which to form its taste; there should be nothing crude or
commonplace put before it, which it might consider itself justified in
taking as an example.

Of the breath sensation I have already spoken at length. I must add
that it is often very desirable in singing to breathe through the
nose with the mouth closed; although when this is done, the raising of
the palate becomes less certain, as it happens somewhat later than
when the breath is taken with the mouth open. It has, however, this
disadvantage, that neither cold air nor dust is drawn into the larynx
and air passages. I take pleasure in doing it very often. At all
events, the singer should often avail himself of it.

We feel the larynx when the epiglottis springs up ("stroke of the
glottis," if the tone is taken from below upward). We can judge
whether the epiglottis springs up quickly enough if the breath comes
out in a full enough stream to give the tone the necessary resonance.
The low position of the larynx can easily be secured by pronouncing
the vowel _oo_; the high, by pronouncing the vowel _[=a]_. Often
merely thinking of one or the other is enough to put the larynx,
tongue, and palate in the right relations to each other. Whenever I
sing in a high vocal range, I can plainly feel the larynx rise and
take a diagonal position. (See plate.)

The movement is, of course, very slight. Yet I have the feeling in my
throat as if everything in it was stretching. I feel the pliability of
my organs plainly as soon as I sing higher.

SECTION X

SENSATION AND POSITION OF THE TONGUE

We feel the placing of its tip against or beneath the front teeth; and
place the tip very low, so that it really curves over in front. (See
plate.)

Its hinder part must be drawn back toward the palat