nd my daughter's work since his lamented decease.

In the establishment of a rule or law founded upon general truths, a
number of examples bearing upon the subject under consideration are
relied on as conclusive evidence, and by their use we are enabled to
analyse reasons and deduce conclusions.

From the examination of a large number of cases of vocal failure in
singers and in speakers who have placed themselves under my tuition for
recovery of voice, I have found that among the most frequent and most
injurious mistakes are:--

1st. Wrong methods of breathing and of breath management.

2nd. Loud singing and shouting.

3rd. Neglecting to cultivate the resonators.

4th. Forcing: (_a_) the registers; (_b_) the top notes.

INCORRECT BREATHING.

As regards methods of breathing, the descriptions and instructions given
in this volume require no addition, and if carefully followed will prove
of inestimable advantage both hygienically and vocally. It is, however,
a fact that, not only in England, but also on the Continent, pupils are
taught to breathe clavicularly, in opposition to Nature's method, which
is diaphragmatic--_i.e._, the combined forms of rib and diaphragm
breathing. The following is a striking example of the evil of clavicular
breathing.

During last summer an American lady, who had been studying singing in
Milan for three years, came to me in great distress. She had expected to
appear in Grand Opera in London, but, alas! her voice broke down, and
serious throat troubles manifested themselves. She had lost all the
upper notes of her voice from C in alt. down to D in the stave, and what
was left of it was thin, reedy, and tremulous, like that of an old woman
instead of a girl of 24. Her master had insisted on clavicular
breathing, the result being that when her lung capacity was tested it
registered only 80 cubic inches instead of 240. In addition to faulty
breathing, she had been allowed to force up the registers of the voice
to such an extent as to bring on serious congestion, with varicose veins
in the vocal ligaments and in the pharynx. After several lessons the
breathing capacity increased to 200 cubic inches, the voice regained
some of the upper notes, and lost the "cracked," tremulous sound. In
time, with great care, the majority of the notes will come back, but
probably C in alt. will never be reached again, and the general
deterioration of voice may never be fully overcome.

Numerous similar