Guide to breathing for singers and public speakers, referencing the theory of breathing, expiration during singing, control of the breath, tone-production, resonance-chambers, and more; "My book differs from the great majority of other works upon voice-culture in still another respect. The majority have been writ ten when their authors were yet in the teens of their professional career. In perusing these volumes we come across many' places where the thought involuntarily crosses our minds: How much better it would have been if the author had waited twenty years before writing his book! I entered the musical profession young in life, and have always been a very close student, especially of vocal science; still I did not dare to come out with one printed sentence until I was satisfied that I could say something that had been matured within myself, and that had borne fruit for years in the many pupils who do credit to the principles Of my book. To the friends of the first edition, who may miss a great many things in this volume that were in The Old Italian School, I wish to say that my intention is to publish the remainder some day in a separate book. The reason that I have paid so much attention to the laws of tone-production is because I know that without them voice-culture is a farce, and instead of leading to artistic singing, vocal instruction is degraded to a system of tricks and to virtuosity in howling."

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