VOICE PRODUCTION

Evening Star, Issue 21744, 12 June 1934, Page 11

VOICE PRODUCTION

BERNARD SHAW'S VIEWS LETTER TO DUNEDIN TEACHER The civic reception to Mr George Bernard Shaw, in Christchurch was heard with pleasure by listeners throughout the dominion. A well-known , Dunedin music teacher, who has made a close study of the speaking and singing voice, was particularly interested in Mr Shaw’s distinctive style, and wrote to him in appreciation of the clarity and vitality of his speech. His letter elicited the following charming little acknowledgment:— “ I was unable to get as far south as Dunedin in the time at my disposal, otherwise 1 should have given myself the pleasure of .calling on you; for !■ am one of the few people wno appreciate the importance of your profession. As it happens, voice production was my mother’s hobbyand late in life she made a profession of teaching. 1 have such a very commonplace voice that 1 had some difficulty in persuading her to teach me how to use it (I was one of the people classed as having ‘no voice ’); but her lessons have stood me in good stead ever since. Her method was her religion. Many teachers of singing are persons who, having broken their own voices, are driven to make a living by breaking other people’s. This should be made a capital offence; for breaking a voice means breaking everything. I hope you will enable the_ people of Dunedin to retain their voices Os long as they retain their breath. Many thanks for your kind letter.”