of study or of two years, the instruction
is based solely on empirical impressions of tone.

Little remains to be said of the nature of this empirical instruction.
It always retains the mechanical aspect. Whatever fault of production
is noted, the teacher seeks to correct the fault by applying some
mechanical rule. The futility of this form of instruction has already
been pointed out.

Only two ways of applying empirical knowledge of the voice are known to
the modern vocal teacher. These are, first, to tell the pupil to "open
the throat," or to "support the tone," or to perform whatever other
mechanical operation seems to be indicated as necessary by the sound of
the tone; second, to bid the student to "feel that the tone is
supported," to "feel that the throat is open," etc. Under these
circumstances the little advantage derived from empirical knowledge in
modern Voice Culture is readily understood.

CHAPTER VI

SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE VOICE

So far as any definite record can be made, the knowledge of the voice
obtained by attentive listening to voices has now been set down. The
next step in the scientific study of tone-production is the
consideration of all knowledge of the voice obtained from sources other
than empirical. In other words, the knowledge of the voice usually
classed as scientific is now to be examined.

Three sciences are generally held to contribute all that can possibly be
known about the vocal action. These are anatomy, acoustics, and
mechanics. Of these anatomy has received by far the most attention from
vocal scientists. The laws of acoustics, bearing on the voice, have also
been carefully considered. Beyond the theory of breath-control, little
attempt has been made to apply the principles of mechanics in Vocal
Science. Psychology, the science most intimately concerned with the
management of the voice, has received almost no attention in this
connection.

A complete record of the teachings of the established sciences with
regard to the voice demands the separate consideration of the four
sciences mentioned. Each will therefore be treated in turn. In the case
of each of these sciences it is seen that the most essential facts of
the vocal action have been definitely established. Many questions still
remain to be satisfactorily answered which are of great interest to the
theoretical student of the voice. Yet in spite of the lack of exact
knowledge on these points, enough is now k