ch, on the other hand, it seems to
come from the head rather than from the chest; so that all tones are
said to belong either to the _lower_ or _chest register_, or to the
_higher_ or _head register_. As both chest tones and head tones may be
obscured by impurities, and their resonance diminished or destroyed by
defective enunciation, the pure, clear, ringing utterance of tones of
both registers should be constantly striven for. The normal pitch of
utterance, referred to above, should always be such that the tones
comprised in it can be produced either from the head or from the chest,
at will; but for sustained efforts, for the best effects both of reading
and of oratory, the chest tones are much to be preferred, since, as
compared with head tones, they are capable of being produced with
greater resonance and penetrating power, and, for any considerable
length of time, with greater ease to the speaker.

All tones of the human voice, whether speaking or musical, whether of
the head or of the chest, are spoken of as having =quality=, or
=timbre=, and the term is also used more generally in reference to the
whole compass of utterance. The quality of the voice is its most
distinguishing characteristic, and it is upon its cultivation and
improvement that the greatest efforts of the student should be spent.
Pure voice is usually spoken of as being manifested in two qualities,
the _natural_ and the _orotund_.

=Natural Quality= may be described as a head tone to which some degree
of resonance is given by the chest; but the brilliancy of its resonance
is produced by its reverberation against the bony arch of the mouth. It
may, of course, vary in pitch, but tones of low pitch that are intended
to be impressive are most suitably rendered in orotund quality. In its
perfect manifestations, the natural quality should be clear, ringing,
light, and sparkling,--if it be possible to describe its characteristics
by such metaphorical words.

=Orotund Quality= is the result only of cultivation, but no speaker or
reader can produce those finer effects which are the appropriate symbols
of strong and deep emotion, whose voice cannot assume this mode at will.
It differs from the natural mode in obtaining from the chest a greater
supply of air, and a deeper and fuller resonance, and the reverberations
seem to be against the walls of the pharynx, or posterior regions of the
mouth, rather than against the palate, or upper part of the mouth. In