things to be sought in the artistic voice: one is concentration of
consciousness in the vibration of the tone so that the voice may be filled
with conscious motive; the other is the response of the free voice to the
powerful act of the imagination. Affirmatively, the voice vibrates with
the individual message. Reflectively, it mirrors the ideal conceived at
the moment of speech. The orator must have the former of these two powers
of the voice. The artist, though emphasizing the latter, can scarcely
achieve power in this without also attaining the former.


LYRIC INTERPRETATION

In the rendering of lyric poetry there are two extremes to be avoided. One
is the musical tendency to obscure the sense, as in "sing-song" rendering;
the other is the reactionary effort made by many would-be sensible people
to make prose of the poetry by excluding all the music and rhythm in
emphasizing the literal meaning. The following rule will be found a safe
guide. Use the rhythm and quality pertaining to the full musical
expression, modified by the inflection called for by the meaning, having
careful reference to the perfect phrasing of the thought. The fulfilment
of both of these complementary requirements will produce rhythmical and
tone modulations characteristic of the poetry as such, and at the same
time the full meaning will be brilliantly manifest. It has been said that
the meaning of all great poetry is emphasized by its music. Much more
attention should be given than is ordinarily devoted to the consideration
of rhythm. Even prose has its peculiar rhythmic movement which constitutes
its style and gives impetus.

Finally, by concentration of every distinctive phase, synthesized by a
vital motive aroused by the message spoken, the voice becomes musical,