the most popular of our singers sing with the mouth nearly closed, with
others the voice is forced and strained, proceeding not from the chest,
but from the throat, the muscles of which are necessarily contracted in
the effort. We have, no doubt, many difficulties to overcome in the
structure of our language, in which the accent is thrown on the
consonants rather than on the vowels. Unlike the Italian, which is
thrown out, _ore rotundo_, directly from the chest, the English language
is spoken from the throat, and, in general, also with the mouth nearly
closed. The Italian singer finds no difficulty in bringing out his
voice; but the Englishman has first to conquer the habit of his life,
and to overcome the obstacles his native tongue opposes to his
acquirement of this new but necessary, mode of using the voice. The
difficulty, of laying this only foundation of real sterling excellence
in the vocal art, is very great, and much care and study is
indispensable. Those who have occasion to use the voice loudly in the
open air, insensibly acquire the power of thus eliciting the voice. The
chest tones in which many of the "Cries of London" are often heard in
the streets of the metropolis, are a familiar example of nature's
teaching; another instance of which may probably still be found among
the "_bargees_," of Cambridge, whose voices, in our younger days, we
well remember to have often heard and admired, as they guided or urged
forward their sluggish horses along the banks of the still more sluggish
Cam, in tones proceeding _imo profundo_ of the chest, and magnificent
enough to have made the fortune of many a singer. These men, indeed,
seemed to pride themselves upon their vocal powers; and many of them
could execute a rapid shake, with accuracy and precision. The voice is
nature's instrument, but, like the instruments fashioned by the hand of
man, it will not yield its best tones to the unskilful. There are many
instrumental performers whose chief excellence lies in their tone, and
who could call forth tones, from even an ordinary instrument, far