HOW PARIS MASTERS FORM THE VOICE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 71, 13 March 1876, Page 2

HOW PARIS MASTERS FORM THE VOICE.

A Paris paper has lately bad some curious and, presumably, perfectly authentic stories of the vagaries of certain professors of vocalism. For instance, a young man once came to Delsarte, and asked tbe Professor, to give bim lessons in singing. He was requested to sound a few notes in order that the power, scope, &c, might be seen. The young man did so ; his voice seemed pure and fresh, but somewhat thin. Delsarte shook his head. " Have you courage, young man ? " he iaid. "Certainly, M. Delsarte." "Well,; this is a peculiar method of my own.. It is tedious, but sure. I live on the sixth floor of my house. I want you to run down stairs as fast as you can, singing in every note of the sol-fa, the word * Bonifaocio.' Then run upstairs, still singing ' Bonifaccio.' Continue tbis for two hours eaoh day for eight days, and then come to me again." The young gentleman did as be was bidden. The house at Mootmartre, where Delsarte lived, was filled wilh artists, who, though not objecting to hear one another practice, got rather wearied of the apparently never-ending "Bonifaocio." On the second day M. G-ueymard, who lived on the first floor, rushed out of hia room and cried to the student, as he rushed up and down stair-?, "M. Bonifaccio does not live here." On the third day the occupants of the house laid a formal complaint to the concierge. It was all in vain ; tho young fellow persevered. On the fourth day each lodger stood at his doorway aud hurled boots aud walkingsticks at the pupil as be took his morning practice. On the fifth day they besieged M. Delsarte in bis apartmentß, and demanded he should stop the nuisance. M. Delsarte replied, " I wished to strengthen the young man's voice. I think he has done enough now, and I will commence to give him lessons." There is also a good tale told of tho celebrated Professor Wartell, who instructed Nillson, Jules Perkin, and Madame Marie-Rose Perkins in the Italian repertory. A pupil came to him for lessons ; the Professor asked him to sing a scale. The gentleman complied. His voice was of the most unpleasant description and of an execrably bad quality. Not a muscle of Professor Wartell's face moved as he said " Will you sing me the same scale with your mouth shut?" "I cannot," replied the pupil. "So much the worse. Unless you can do so you will never be able to get your living as a vocalist." A celebrated tenor (surely neither Roger nor Duprex) is a professor of singing, and one day there came to him a young lady who had just made a favorable debut at the opera. The girl wished to take finishing lessons. "My child," said the old Professor, " Will you kindly lie down?" " What I cried the girl. " Ob, you need fear nothing. Here is a sofa ; will you kindly lie down at full length upon it ?" "But, sir Pardon ! If you do not do what I tell you I can do nothing for you." The young girl trembled, looked frightened, and lay down on the sofa. The professor went to his book-case, took down a great folio, some big dictionaries, and one or two enormous scores, and placed them on tbe girl. He then took a glass, filled it full of water, nnd placed it on the top of the books. Thea, addressing the wondering and bewildered girl, he siid, "Now, will you sing, if you please ?" " How ! I sing ?" " Yes, my child. You must accustom yourself, in singing, to breathe as little as - possible. Each time you breathe too j hard the movements of your chest and throat will disturb the glass and spill tbe water. When you are able to sing without spilling a drop, I will take • charge of your musical education, Good fay* Au revoir" ,

! -. Stokes has been presented by the Lane family with an illuminated address, as a mark of gratitude for his braVe and persistent conduct in the discovery of the s Whiteehapel' tragedy. Harriet Lane's mother made the presentation. Mr Justice Ward still continues to relieve the monotony of legal proceedings by an occasional display of caustic sarcasm from the Bench. At Milton lately, when adjudicating upon the case of Mr White, a bankrupt and a potter, who had been accommodated by the National Bank with an unsecured advance of £4680, his Honor is reported to have indulged in the following playful remarks : — This peems to be the most benevolent bank I have been acquainted with for some time. This is a most refreshing instance of Christian kindness and unselfishness on the part of a bank, but I do not know how their conduct in this respect will meet the views of the shareholders. A costume cricket match was played at New Plymouth the other day, of which ihe News thus writes : — About two o'clock the rival teams mustered at Cottier's Hotel, and drove to tbe ground, the representatives of the stage being in appropriate costume, which was as follows : — Mr Harry Lynch (Ching Choog); Mr Robert Lynch (Rev. R. Stiggiris), who looked the character to a T, but did not seem -so partial to his peculiar beverage; Mr George Lynch (Miss Gum), a very pretty scion of Mr Alfred Stratham (Miss Gum), who looked her part to perfection; Mr William Lynch (Salamander Sam), and Mr Charles Keeley (Josephus Orange Blossom), represented their characters to the life; Mr E. Humphries. (Judy), looked remarkably well, though rather incliued to be embonpoint; Mr J. Paul (Uncle Jeff), with his bat "Jehu," caused roars of laughter; Mr J. T. V. Kirkby was quite at home on Friday, though he did not look quite " the nigger" at the end of the match; Mr W. Morey (Jacko) brought down the field with his tricks and antics — as mischievous as ever; and Mr J. C. Adams (the Country Bumpkin) was more at home in the cricket field than in his dress. The London correspondent of the Auckland Star writes : — The Church of England is waking up tremendously on the temperance question and the days of fac rectors and episcopal port ore fast drawing to a close. Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, and clergy are joining one after another in tho cry for legislative interference with the drink traffic. "You cannot make men sober by Act of Parliament," they say, "no; we allow that, but you must not make them drunk by Act of Parliament and that is what you are doing now." Sir Harcourt Johnstone is most sanguine about his bill, which provides for the reduction of licensed houses by the nonissuing of any more licenses until the number of houses is reduced to one for each 500 of the population. Theoretically this is an excellent plan, but tho difficulties surrounding its working are too manifest to need pointing out. I think the Permissive will, doubtless, be adopted sooner or later, and if it be provided that it shall only deal with lapsed or proposed new licenses, so as not to interfere with vested properties, I don't see that it will offend anybody except a few (I should say a great many) low clasß publicans. The best men in the trade are in favor of legislation of Borne kind. (/br continuation of News see fourth page.~)