414 CURIOSITIES OF THE VOICE. 



as its bifurcation; a spectacle truly astonishing to those who "witness it for 

 the tirst time. It is not possible to examine the organ of the voice with 

 the same facility in all; a man must have had some experience before he 

 can do it. 



A slight sketch of this organ will perhaps make the subject clearer. 

 From the breast there rises to the middle of the neck the jDassage for the 

 •air between the lungs and the mouth ; at one end it is divided into numer- 

 ous branches, called the bronchial tubes , at the upper end, like the capital 

 of a column, is seen the larynx, resembling an angular box ; strong carti- 

 lao-es make it very resistent ; and the interior is lined with a mucous mem- 

 brane forming folds, named the vocal lips. These separate, lengthen, or 

 shorten, in the foi^mation of various sounds. The largest of the four carti- 

 lao-es rises in an annular form, and protects the whole structure. It is but 

 slightly shown in the neck of the female, but strongly marked in the man, 

 iind is popularly called Adam's apple. Like everything else, the larynx 

 presents individual differences ; a fine develoj)ment is an indication of a 

 powerful voice ; as the child grows up there is a sudden alteration and in- 

 crease of size ; but it always remains smaller in the woman than in the man; 

 the angles are less sharp, the muscles weaker, the cartilages thinner and 

 more supple, which accounts for the sharp, treble notes in their voices. 



Singing demands a different kind of activity in the organs from speak- 

 inff. In society, where education requires a submission to rule, singing 

 belono-s to the domain of art; but, in a primitive state, all nations have 

 their songs. Musical rythm drives away weariness, lessens fatigue, detaches 

 the mind from the painful realities of life, and braces up the courage to 

 meet dano-er. Soldiers march to their war-songs; the laborer rests, listen- 

 ing to a joyous carol. In the solitary chamber the needle-woman accom- 

 panies her work with some love-ditty ; and in divine worship the heart is 

 raised above earthl}^ things by the solemn chant. 



A strong physical constitution, and a perfect regularity in the functions 

 of the organs used in singing, are inappreciable advantages. They should 

 be capable of rendering an inspiration short and easy, the expiration slow 

 and prolonged ; there is a struggle between retaining and releasing the air, 

 and with the well-endowed artiste the larynx preserves its position, not- 

 withstanding the great variety of sounds which it emits. But the evolu- 

 tions of the parts are multiplied, the vocal lips vibrate, and the configura- 

 tion of the cavity modifies the sounds which are formed in the glottis, and 

 determine the tone of voice. The most energetic efforts of the will cannot 

 change this tone in any sensible manner. Professors injure their pupils 

 by prescribing the position of themouth, from which perhaps they them- 

 selves derive an advantage. 



It is interesting to watch the play of the organs by the help of the lar- 

 yngoscope, and see the changes which succeed one another in the low and 

 high notes. At the moment when the sound issues, the glottis is exactly 

 closed; then the orifice becomes a very long figure, pointed at the two ex- 



