of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains.

Before stating how to produce the laugh, the sob, the sigh,
the snarl, the moan, bell effects, ejaculations and
"trick-singing," all of which come under the head of
_characterization_, I would say that if an ultra thing is
undertaken it must be done boldly. The spirit of the old
rhyme above quoted must be acted upon, or fear will paralyze
the efforts put forth, and failure will be the result. In
choral singing, as in other things, the masculinity of the
doing, the boldness, the daring, the very audacity with
which an extreme effect is produced, carries success with
it. Therefore do not attempt a daring thing feebly or by
halves.

[Sidenote: TIMBRE IN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

In instrumental music, timbre is also a highly potent influence in
arousing emotional states, and we are all familiar with the fact that
an oboe passage is often associated with the simplicity of outdoor
rural life; that a melody for English horn has somehow become
connected with mournful thoughts; the sound of trumpets, with martial
ideas; and the grunting of the lower register of the bassoon, with
comic effects. It is well known, also, that the skilful violinist can
cause his instrument to sound an infinite variety of shades of color.
But these means of expression are almost wholly under the control of
the individual players and of the composer (as orchestrator), and
cannot therefore be profitably discussed in a work on conducting.

[Sidenote: PHRASING]

The phrase in music is very similar to the phrase in language. In both
cases, it is a thought (usually incomplete and forming a part of some
larger idea) which must be slightly separated from the preceding and
following phrases, that it may be correctly understood; yet must be
so rendered in relation to the neighboring material as to seem an
integral part of the whole. In addition, it is of course necessary to
emphasize the important words in a language phrase and the most
significant tones in a musical one, as well as to subordinate the
comparatively unimportant parts, in such a way that the real
significance of the whole may be clear. Phrasing is thus readily seen
to be an extremely important factor in the expressive reading of
language, since one could scarcely interpret intelligibly if he did
not first of all read as a group the words that belong together as a
thought; and one