Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me.-From the Bible. Read the above as a command. Read the following exercises, noting the inflections and their kind: 1. Can storied urn or animated bust Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? 2. To be or not to be that is the question. 3. Napoleon was sitting in his tent; before him lay a map of Italy. He took four pins and stuck them up, measured, moved the pins, and measured again. Now, said he, that is right; I will capture him there. 4. You shall die, base dog! 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 6. What is it the gentlemen wish? 7. Within its shade of elm and oak, The church of Berkley Manor stood. 8. For always I am Cæsar. Shall Cæsar send a lie? 9. Cassius. Brutus. I may do that I shall be sorry for. 10. Dear, patient, gentle, noble Nell was dead. 11. Please give me a penny. 12. No; I will not. 13. The war is inevitable. 14. Shylock. Antonio is a good man. Bassanio. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary? Shylock. Oh, no, no, no, no;-my meaning in saying he is a good man, is to have you understand me that he is sufficient. From "Merchant of Venice"-Shakespeare. 15. Shylock. Three thousand ducats- well? Bassanio. For which, as I told you, Antonio shall be bound. Shylock. Antonio shall be bound-well? Bassanio. May you stead me? Will you pleasure me? Shall I know your answer? Shylock. Three thousand ducats for three months and Antonio bound?—Ibid. 16. Metellus. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! From "Julius Cæsar "-Shakespeare. 17. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Questions are usually marked by rising, and answers by the falling inflection. Regard must be had, however, to the meaning of the question or answer, rather than to its mere form. In intense sentiment the question is marked with rising inflection on almost every word. It should be noticed that the closing word is not always so marked, but often the inflection culminates in the emphatic word. When a certain answer is expected or demanded, or where assertion is prominent, and often when the question is long and involved, it may be marked in whole or in part with the downward slide. Examples 1. Hold you the watch to-night? We do, my lord. 2. When can their glory fade? 3. Is it so nominated in the bond? 4. Has there any old fellow got mixed with the boys? 5. Hamlet. Now, mother, what's the matter? Queen. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. 6. Do you think I am easier to be played upon than pipe? a The student should select sentences for himself embodying these principles. The plays of Shakespeare abound in excellent examples. QUALITY "A natural voice is the golden key which unlocks the human heart." By Quality the kind of voice is meant. In all scientific study it is necessary to classify, to divide and sub-divide in order that each phase may stand out clearly. Men are divided into types, so are the voices in which they speak. These types or qualities simply represent extremes; and between them are numerous gradations which merge into each other. A certain tone is usually the language of harshness or violence, but these emotions may gradually recede until the voice takes its normal quality. These gradationscannot easily be shown, except by the living teacher. Therefore only extremes can be presented in a work of this nature, leaving the refinements and gradations of vocal expression to the intelligence of the student. These various qualities are a part of the tone language that is universal among animals, including man. The latter has modified, enlarged, and adapted this instrument of expression; but in the tones of his voice man has not gotten far from the natural animal expression, except in refinement and variety. Words may conceal thought, but it is difficult to conceal what the tone strives to express. In all extreme conditions of life, in sudden emotion, words are forgotten and the various kinds of cries predominate. We groan in sudden pain; when it is long continued we moan; when depressed we sigh, while fright expresses itself in a scream, and even when words are uttered under these conditions their utterance is of minor importance. The roar of the lion suggests power, so does the roar of Niagara, or the same quality in the human voice. The animal's scream suggests fright, and startles the listener; the same is true of the screech of a locomotive or the shrieks of a woman. A dog growls, so does the thunder, so does man, each suggests a threat. Animals moan, so do the winds, and so do men. Whenever these sounds are produced, whether by brutes, men, or inanimate nature, their effect is relatively the same. This truth is so common in its application, that we use the same terms in speaking of the sounds made by inanimate nature, as in speaking of those made by human or animal voices. The winds "sigh, moan, and howl; the brook chatters, babbles, and murmurs; the breezes whisper, the tempest shrieks, the waves sob, the thunder roars; thus literally nature 'speaks a various language.'" The qualities of sound are observed by musicians. The dirge differs from the serenade, and the music of the dance is unlike the stately march. Because of the different qualities of musical instruments, organs are in our churches, pianos in our parlors, stringed instruments in concert halls, while the drum and fife lead to battle. The human voice has a greater variety of power, when coupled with words, than all of these combined, and thus the value of division under quality becomes obvious. It is the purpose to follow the usual divisions under this head, and while these qualities might readily be subdivided, it is not believed to be best to do so in the present work. |