d forward, and if the singer will gradually assume that
poise and again fill his lungs with air, he will find that to do so
requires less time and less strain. The forward poise of the body also
favors many of the muscles employed in inspiration, because many of
these extend upward and forward so that the forward inclination aids
them in assisting the horizontal lifting of the ribs and the resultant
enlargement of the chest-cavity. This assistance is greatly needed,
for the singer sometimes is required within the brief space of a quarter
of a second to expand the framework of the ribs sufficiently to take
into the lungs from 100 to 150 cubic inches more of air than they
previously held.

This forward poise of the body is another illustration of the sound
logic that lies in the application of physical laws to voice-production.
For the forward poise which singers find so advantageous and which aids
in the horizontal lifting of the ribs, also induces that gentle sinking
in of the lower abdominal wall which is the final detail in the correct
method of drawing in the breath and on which the old Italian masters of
bel canto insisted as an important factor in their methods.

In considering the diaphragm and its part in costal or rib-breathing,
care should be taken to make clear why it is that, while this muscle is
a valuable aid to inspiration, its value would be impaired were it
whipped into action like a conscript instead of being drafted, so to
speak, as a volunteer.

In breathing a singer is required to take in, on an average, from 100 to
150 cubic inches of air, and one of the purposes of artistic breathing
is to provide room in the chest-cavity for the expansion of the lungs
due to this intake. The natural, voluntary, and, I am tempted to say,
_logical_ descent of the dome of the diaphragm in artistic breathing
allows for 25 cubic inches of the number required, and by no effort can
it be forced down further to allow for more; or, to put the matter more
correctly, the gain will be too insignificant to make the effort worth
while. The gain of 25 cubic inches, although, of course, highly
important, seems slight when the size and shape of the diaphragm are
considered. It would appear as if the descent of the dome would allow
for a much greater displacement. But the discrepancy is accounted for by
the fact that about two inches above its lower border the diaphragm is
attached to the ribs so that only a partial displacement