SECRETS OF SONG.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1923, Page 1

SECRETS OF SONG.

fiv 11 a’ll > * Nellio Melba)

Kxcept in very exceptional cases, girl- slioold no! study singing until they arc seventeen. But any girl who at fifteen or sixteen shows promise of a good voire should work* very hard at piano, tl.imy, and languages. A girl who ha.- had good musical training while at school will make more rapid progves- than one who has to begin everything at once. To be able to play the piano and to read well at ■ sight are neces-ary for anyone who hopes to he regarded as an artist. A good general education is of great advantage to it singer, for the habit of ordeidv work cannot be formed too early : in fact , b must be lot tiled ear!\ oi mil at all with the average person. Many students who are anxious and eager to get on do not know how to I work. They work by tits and starts, | doing too mueb to-day and nothing to-

morrow'! They arc "in the mood or "not in the mood” to work, and they wonder why they do not net on very lasi ! Steady, regular work, with the mind eniicentrnted on what is being done, is absoluielv necessary. No work of any value can tie done without concentration. Concentration does not mean knitting the brows and i using every nerve and muscle. On the loutrary. there can be no eoncenii alien without relaxation. We must Is- -.till and quiet, with the mind in a receptive state. When we are aide, at will, to put away ;i" disturbing thoughts, we can give our minds to that which we wish to do—in other words, concentrate upon it. Then we lind that the ditlieult ies which had seemed insuperable melt away. Nearly till difficulties are of our own making and are the result of wrong or eon fused thinking; in other words, we try to do, or think of, several 1 kings at one<', fearing all the time that none of them is possible. (ONCI'INTKATE AND RELAX. 1 have said that there can lie no concentration without relaxation. The power of relaxing any part of the body at will show- complete control over the muscles and the nerves which convey the impulses In the muscles. It is inly when we have acquired this control that a.e Im.e the power to eoncentra'c. and o i- e-lb, when we toileont rate id we can work quickly and easily . The puticr of relaxing is one of the most important things in the sfudy ol singing, as it is m the preservation ol health and in the art ol lixiug. It is so simp!,.' a matter that it is dillicuh in make people understand how to relax. They will try, instead of .just letting the muscles remain quiet until j .hey are needed for some action, li i- one (if the greatest stumblingdoek in singing -everyone w ill try to j sing instead of just singing. I low ' nany people can drop the lower jaw I vail v loosely w!h'ii 11 ivy want to sing.' ■■m 'I i . ! 5i;,,..!,! S!IV. V"! tie I ■ •!■;. i! «" a - l > ' in: a . 'S' . nm- of !he hl'i ! ' ■ - ■ a or X ■ s«a^.r. L branches of her art. Every possible opportunity should be taken of hearing orchestral and instrumental music, especially the work of line violinists, for much about phrasing may he learnt from a violinist. Interest in the other arts is also necessary to a singer. Such interest develops the mind and broadens the 'sympathies, ll we think our own art is the only one our outlook will he very narrow and ottr work must suffer, iuL as mir bodies must suffer if wo take on I v one sort of food.

A linger should read line hooks, hotii poetry and prose, and. above all, learn to love pictures. Painting and music are the most nearly related arts, for both give us form and colour. A real and vivid love of the beautiful in all its manifestations will add life and colour to all I hat we do in our own art.

To do flood work wo must lio hiip]),v. nod to lio happy wo must be ill good health. I’easonable care of I lio health is ol vorv great importance. Hv this I do not moan Unit n singer should cuddlo herself and not do this or that for fear of catching fold or of making horsolf tirod. Kvcry singer should try to mako hot self so strong that she can resist colds and work with enjoyment. Not to do anything to excess, whether it he to eat, drink, work, or play, is an excellent rule. KXKKCTSK AND A M I'KlvM KXT. Abundance of fresh air and regular exercise are necessary to health. Walking is good exercise, hut it alone will not keep all the nerves and muscles of the hotly completely tit. For that the specialised exercises of physical training must he studied and practised regularly. Ten to fifteen minutes spelt' in physical exercise every day will make the difference between feeling fairly well and feeling very well. A certain amount of pleasure and enjoyment is necessary for a singer. The mind which is always fixed on one thing becomes dull and one-sided. If we work with enthusiasm, we return to work refreshed and keener than over. A singer must also come into con-

tact wi-tli other people, trying to see life through their eyes and to sympathise with their views. In this way social intercourse helps in our development. Not that we should meet people with the object of getting as much from them as we can. If we give of ourselves to others we * shall unconsciously gain much from them. It is not possible, however, to dance nearly every night and do good work during the day ; there must he moderation in til! things.

When we are physically lit (and only such as are lit can hope to have careers as singers) we feel glad to be at work and eniov all that we have to do, and it is only happy work that counts for anything. When we are dull and depressed we see nothing but difficulties ahead of us and we become discouraged and go back instead of forward. If wo

are happy, our difficulties seem to vanish and we tire left wondering why we worried about them. To he happy in our art we must believe in ourselves and in our power of 1 doing tine work. If we do not believe j in ourselves, we shall accomplish very f little. t A 1 JFK OF SACRIFICE. This is not conceit. Conceit is so ] satisfied with what it can do at present ; that there is no incentive to a striving , after anything better. Those who reat- . lv believe in themselves are usually very t bumble about their present attainj meats, for they see clearly how much they have to do before they can realise [ their ideal. f The life of a singer is in main ways , a very hard one, and we must he prepared to make many sacrifices if we wish to succeed. Most ot us are unite 1 ready to let our friends make sacrifices , for us, hut that is not what is necessary. We must make the sacrifices ! ourselves. When they are made we • shall generally find that what we have given up was of no moment and that wliat wo have gained in progress in our art more than compensates us. I.el no one think lie knows all there ; is to know about singing when lie lias studied for a year or so. Ihe wnnder- , fill thing about ali the arts is that we , can net or come to the end of them. 11 urn retain our voices by obeying Nature’s laws, we can go on studying ami singing and enjoying when we have reached what most people consider "old ago.’” Old age is a condition ol mind rather than a set number of j vears. Some people are old at forty j and some are young at eighty. Ale ; reach old age when we cannot assimilate new ideas and act upon them. II we keep our minds elastic and receptive by study, we keep old age at bay in a perfectly natural manner, without the aid of drugs or injections. In ('(inclusion: We must learn to let ' the mind he calm and quiet so that it may control all parts of the body, j Through ibis control we learn to relax and to emii'entrate on whatever we are asked to do at the moment. Then we will do everything in the most simple and direct manner possible and will find that it is easy to sing well.