450 EF. Cutter—Key Note of Auditoriums. 
note, only three or four words suffice as to the audience, which 
shows by attitude and attention that it hears what is said. 
Three or four words suffice to the speaker, because he finds 
that he speaks with ease and feels his voice to impinge on the 
farthest walls. If he does not find these results his pitch is raised 
or lowered till he obtains them. Strange as it may seem, the 
effort of getting and keeping the key note takes away the stage 
anthrophobia so apt to attack medical men who occasionally 
orate and who perhaps are about the poorest educated speakers 
to be found. 
VI. A scientific way would be to take into the auditorium a 
siren or, better, what might be termed Professor Papin’s electri- 
eal siren. Start it at 120 vibrations per second and then add 
one to each tone until the octave of 240 vibrations is reached 
if necessary. The most resonant tone should then be distin- 
guished and the exact number of vibrations given with less of 
error than with organs or pianos, whose notes may vary from 
the standard ; so much so that one may strike a piano or organ 
that has no note exactly corresponding with the key note, but 
a stringed instrument, where the tones are made by the finger- 
ing, can obviate this difficulty, as with a ’cello. 
VII. Having the key note of song, to determine that of 
phonation, simply sing La or other words staccato, that is, 
very par hee a Te peleRn For example, Jf 100 = ’ 
i= ©4888 eee mon then a little faster and you 
4-8 Le. Ona s iar 
La La 
will tae pionaain: 
VII. Having the phonation key note, to get the singing 
note it is only needful to prolong the basic vowel sounds some- 
what as in intoning in church. Always bear in mind that the 
basic vowel sounds are musical tones in both song and speech. 
Sometime there will be rules for phonational harmony as there 
are now for musical harmony. Then speech may be as sweet 
as song. 
Illustrations as to Direction I. This was sung in my parlor 
at Buena Vista Ridge and the key note was found to be E flat, 
which was sung or vocally played (i. e. sung without words as 
one plays on an instrument: if the human larynx is not a 
musical instrument to play on there is none) on before an open 
piano, which responded in E flat and its over-tones. “ Father,” 
said my son Edward, “I could feel the floor vibrate while we: 
were playing Haydn’s trio No. 5 for piano, ’cello and violin in 
E flat. Sounding Eee. ae on the ’cello alone, the floor 
eb 
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