e._

If there be such a thing as scientific voice production it will be found
in the sense of what is inherently beautiful, and the scientific tone is
one which will perfectly express a right idea or emotion, and in the
nature of things there is an appropriate tone for everything that may be
legitimately expressed, for they are correlated ideas.

Whence originated this so called scientific voice teaching? That the old
Italian knew nothing of it is well understood. They considered the
process artistic rather than scientific. _How does it sound_, was their
slogan. The thing uppermost in their minds was beautiful tone, and they
were wise enough to know that when one has a definite concept of the
pure singing tone he has a more valuable asset than all the mechanical
knowledge he can acquire. They had but one end in view, namely, a
finished artist, and everything they did was made to contribute to it.
The artist always has in mind the _finished product_. The scientist
tries to find out _how it is done_. The artist begins with the idea and
works forward to its complete expression. The scientist begins with the
physical mechanism and works backward toward the idea.

What is responsible for the change from the methods of the the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? It is safe to say that it did not
come through the voice teachers.

In the early part of the nineteenth century an interesting thing
happened. How it happened or why it happened at that particular time is
not known nor does it matter. The human mind became all at once
aggressively inquisitive. The desire to get at the ultimate of
everything took possession of humanity and still holds it. The result
was an era of scientific analysis and invention, the aim of which was to
control the forces of nature. Previous to that time methods of living,
production, transportation, agriculture, etc. were little different from
that of biblical times. People and nations lived much to themselves.
They looked within for their inspiration and developed their own
national characteristics. But with the invention of the steamship,
railway, and telegraph a change came. These improved methods of
transportation and communication brought all of the mentalities of the
world together, and soon all habitable parts of the globe were in daily
and hourly contact. The result was a mental fermentation which increased
the complexity of civilization immeasurably and the present exaggerated
and unna