The called Adam's apple, which does not exist in boyhood, nor in females: and hence the reason why the voice of males is graver and deeper. deepest tones, indeed, are struck by animals which have the largest glottis, such as the ox, and the bittern; while singing birds, which sound the acutest tones, have a glottis capable of the closest contraction. The deepest roarings are produced by animals that have the cartilages of the windpipe entire, or imbricated, or tesselated with bones, as the lion, the elephant, &c. After the age of puberty, the larynx undergoes no other very remarkable change; except that its volume somewhat increases, and the projection in front, or Adam's apple, becomes rather larger. In man, the cartilages are partially converted into bone. In old age, this process continues, and at last becomes nearly complete, while the vocal chords diminish in size, become less deep-coloured, lose their elasticity, and at last undergo modifications similar to those of the rest of the muscular system. The voice maintains the character it acquires at puberty till the approach of old age; at least its modifications during this interval are inconsiderable, and chiefly respect its note and volume: but as old age approaches, the voice becomes essentially altered; its note is changed, and its extent diminished. Singing is more difficult-the sounds resembling cries, and being produced with difficulty and labour. The organs of pronunciation are altered-the teeth being shorter and often lost. All these phenomena become more remarkable as old age advances, the voice becoming weak, tremulous, and broken. The same remarks apply to singing; the defects in both cases arising from the imperfect contraction of the muscles, the slowness in the movements of the tongue, the loss of the teeth, and the proportionably increased length of the lips. QUALITIES AND DEFECTS OF THE VOICE. It is extremely difficult to distinguish the different shades of voice in precise language, on account of the vagueness of the terms which we are obliged to employ. To say that a particular voice is loud or soft, full or thin, sweet or brilliant, or rich, smooth, or harsh, will all be understood in different senses by different individuals, according to their associations, taste, and delicacy of ear. As the voice, also, from not nearly resembling any instrument either in tone or variety, and as no two voices are exactly alike, there is no proper standard by which to judge of its excellences. We must be contented therefore with the terms, vague as they are, which have been employed to designate the different qualities and defects of the voice. The ancient orators divided the nature of the tones into quantity and quality thus: QUANTITY OF THE VOICE. The body or volume. The compass. Smallness or feebleness. The narrow scale. The soundness and dura- Weakness, liable to fail. An old author, Julius Pollux, in his curious work entitled Onomasticon, has given many more distinctions which we think it may be useful t The varieties of the voice which we have just sketched belong more peculiarly to speaking than to singing; but in the latter the differences are not less numerous, and perhaps even more important. It will be sufficient, however, for our purpose, to keep to the three great divisions of treble, tenor, and bass, commonly recognised. Indeed, we may consider them, without impropriety, under the two great divisions of grave and acute, in general having a difference of about one octave. Men have commonly grave voices; but those whose voice is the most grave may form acute sounds, by taking what is called the falsetto. By adding all the notes of an acute to those of a grave voice, the extent will be nearly three octaves; but it does not appear that any singer has ever possessed a voice of this compass in which the sounds were clear and agreeable. The differences which exist between different voices do not altogether regard their compass. There are strong voices, the sounds of which are loud and noisy; soft voices, with sweet mellow notes like those of a flute; fine voices, the sounds of which are full and harmonious; and just, false, flexible, light, hard, and heavy voices. Many singers have their good sounds irregularly distributed,-some in their bass, some in their treble, and others between. In a common voice there are about nine notes between its highest and its lowest tones; the most extensive voice does not much exceed two octaves in full and well-formed sounds. The Italians, who are great masters of singing, distinguish two principal qualities of the voice: the voce di petto, or natural voice, formed as the term implies in the breast, and terminating generally in a male soprano, at D or E, in a contralto at G, A |
