Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 36.djvu/256

244 and musicians have shown a plentiful lack of harmony in discussing it. The inherent difficulties of the subject have been increased by the fantastic terminology which has come down to us from a pre-scientific age, and by the erroneous observations of incompetent persons. I can touch only very lightly on the subject here, but those who wish for a full exposition of my views on the matter may be referred to a little work which I published some years ago, and which has been translated into eight languages. It may be asked, What is a register? The best definition I can offer is that it is a series of tones of like quality produced by a particular adjustment of the vocal cords to receive the air-blast from the lungs. The question is what the "particular adjustment" is in each case. The first step toward clearing up the subject is to discard the terms "chest" and "head" voice, which are meaningless and often misleading. Whatever number of registers there may be, and however they may be produced, it is certain that the change of mechanism takes place only in the larynx. I have suggested that the terms "long reed" and "short reed" register should be used to designate the two fundamental divisions of the human voice. In the former, usually called "chest voice," the vocal cords vibrate in their whole length, and the sounds are re-enforced largely by the cavity of the chest, the walls of which can be felt to vibrate strongly when this register is used. In the latter, "head voice," or falsetto, only a part of the cord vibrates, and the sound is re-enforced by the upper resonators, mouth, bony cavities of the skull, etc. It is this which has given rise to the absurd statements of singers that they could feel their head notes coming from the back of the nose, the forehead, etc. In the "long reed" register the pitch is raised by increasing tension of the vibrating element; in the "short reed" register by gradual shortening of it. This is effected by a curious process, which can be distinctly seen in the living throat with the laryngoscope. The two cords are forced against each other at their hinder part with such force as to stop each other's movement. While the notes of the chest register issue from the natural aperture of the larynx, the head notes come through an artificially diminished orifice, the chink becoming gradually smaller till there is nothing left to vibrate, when the limit of the voice is reached. The two registers generally overlap for a greater or less extent, a few notes about the middle of the voice being capable of being sung in either. Some voices have no break in their entire compass, the same mechanism being used throughout, but this is very rare. It was the constant aim of the famous old Italian singing-masters to unite the two natural registers so perfectly that no break should be perceptible.

Till a comparatively recent date the generally received