lete breath-control, for which in
turn carelessness in matters of hygiene largely is responsible. The
average German is of a naturally strong physique, and for this very
reason he is less apt to take care of himself. The singer, in order
to keep the keen, artistic edge on his voice, has to sacrifice many
things that contribute to the comfort of the average man; and this is
especially true of diet. A strict regime is a necessity. You will find
that every great singer has to deny himself many things. But the German
is apt to sneer at such precaution and to glory in what he calls "living
naturally," which means that he thinks it is all right to eat and drink
what he wants to and as much as he wants to. In point of fact, however,
the great singer does not "live" at all. He _exists_ for his voice,
sacrificing everything to it. His diet, his hours, are carefully
regulated. He is always in training. The German is apt to neglect such
matters. The inevitable result is shortness of breath and lack of
control of breath-emission. Voice is breath; lack of breath is lack
of voice.

I once attended a German performance of _Die Walkuere_ with an Italian
master of _bel canto_. "You call that a love-scene!" he exclaimed during
the latter part of the first act, between Siegmund and Sieglinde. "They
are barking at each other like two dogs!" And so they were.

The natural process of expiration is one of complete relaxation. Just as
the intake of air into the lungs inflates and expands them, so, when the
intake ceases, the elasticity of the lungs exerts a natural pressure on
the air they have taken in and causes its almost effortless exit. This
exit, however, is so gentle as to be useless for the production of
voice. For this reason the singer must control the breath and retard its
exit, and the slower his expiration, the more control he will gain over
the tone or phrase. Those familiar with the performances of some of the
great opera singers who have been heard here will have observed that,
when singing, they do not allow the chest to collapse, but hold it as
full and as firm as if the lungs still were inflated. This physical
index to a correct method of expiration is more easily noticed in men
than in women. The De Reszkes, Caruso, Plancon--these have been some of
the most notable exponents of correct voice-production who have appeared
on the American operatic stage. Let the reader, when next he hears
Caruso or Plancon, note that they nev