degree of intelligence and a fairly artistic temperament, so modulate his
voice as to convey to his audience the passions and emotions while feeling
none of them himself; so many great singers who are possessed of a good
musical ear, a good memory, and natural intelligence, although lacking in
supreme artistic temperament and conspicuous musical ability, are
nevertheless able to interpret by intonation and articulation the passions
and emotions which the composer has expressed in his music and the poet or
dramatist in his words. The intelligent artist possessed of the musical
ear, the sense of rhythm, and a well-formed vocal organ accomplishes this
by the conscious control and management of his breathing muscles and the
muscles of articulation, which by education and imitation he has brought
under complete control of the will. With him visual symbols of musical
notes are associated with the visual symbols of words in the mind, and the
visual symbols whether of the words or of the musical notes will serve to
revive in memory the sound of the one or the other, or of both. But he
produces that sound by alteration of tension in co-ordinated groups of
muscles necessary for vocalisation, viz. the muscles of phonation in the
larynx, the muscles of articulation in the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate,
and the muscles of costal respiration. _The mind_ of the orator, actor, and
dramatic singer exercises a profound influence upon the respiratory system
of nerves, and thereby produces the necessary variations in the force,
continuance, and volume of air required for vocal expression.

Sir Charles Bell, who discovered the respiratory system of nerves, pointed
out how the lungs, from being in the lower animals merely the means of
oxygenating the blood, become utilised in the act of expelling air from the
body for the production of audible sounds--the elements of human voice and
speech. Likewise he drew attention to the influence which powerful emotions
exercise upon the organ of respiration, including the countenance, e.g. the
dilated nostrils in anger. Again, "when the voice suffers interruption and