318 Dr. Felix Semon [March 13, 



which were preached were so firmly based upon facts of unimpeach- 

 able scientific accuracy that nothing remained to the professors of 

 the art itself but to bow before the superior wisdom of the theorist ; 

 and I make bold to say that such a superior wisdom does not exist 

 with regard to tbis question. Probably I of all persons shall least 

 be suspected of underrating the value and the importance of the 

 laryngoscope, and I firmly hope and believe that with further long 

 continued and careful studies this valuable little instrument will help 

 us in the future to further elucidate a great many questions concerning 

 the production and culture of the singing voice, about which at the 

 present we are still completely in the dark. At the same time it 

 canuot be strongly enough insisted upon that the millenium has not 

 yet come, and that at the present time the claims of the laryngoscope 

 to teach and lay down the rules for really reasonable and scientific 

 training of the singing voice are by no means completely established. 



This may be very disappointing to a good many of my hearers, 

 who jDOSsibly have expected that I would join the ranks of those who 

 know everything about the culture of the singing voice from i^hysio- 

 logical principles, but if it be true, as no doubt it is, that the very 

 foundation of every knowledge consists in the fact that one knows 

 the limitation of one's knowledge, I think that some good may be 

 done by simply strictly defending those claims which are justified 

 and refuting those which are based upon insufficient and solitary 

 experience of one or of a few cases. This will be the point of view 

 from which I sliall to-night approach my subject. As to my legiti- 

 mation I only have to add that for a good many years I have had 

 unusual opportunities of seeing the results of faulty training of the 

 singing voice ; that I have always taken a special interest in the 

 study of the nervous mechanism by which the production of song is 

 governed, and that I have for many years made experimental re- 

 searches in that particular line ; and finally, that I have had the good 

 luck for many years of having been associated by ties of friendshij) 

 with a great many of the leading singers and teachers of singing of 

 our age. 



Upon such basis I wdll venture to-night to give a few of the results 

 of my own experiences coupled with results of literary study and of 

 the scientific and important work of an American friend of mine, 

 Dr. French, of Brooklyn, through whose kindness I am in the position 

 to-night of showing you some of the most interesting and remarkable 

 facts concerning the production of the singing voice graphically, and 

 which have been recently elucidated by means of instantaneous 

 photograj)hy. 



The organ in which the singing voice is produced being the 

 larynx, it will be indispensable to give a short description of the 

 anatomical configuration of that part, which I shall strive to keep as 

 free from technicalities as possible. The larynx consists of a frame- 

 work of cartilages which are joined to one another by means of 

 ligaments and joints, and which allow to all the parts very free 



