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MY BRFATHING SYSTEM

thus be performed vcry quickly, which is often necessaiy, but it is really a mistake to inhale through the nose while singing, becausc tbe back of the tongue will then rise and partly close the throat, and the notę produced will take a nasal twang.

Exhalation, on the other hand, is, of course, performed quitc differently to the method advised in " my complete breath.'' The elastic forcc of the expanded chest should be held in check by the contracted, or rather braced, abdominal musclcs. Certainly it is impossible to prevent the ribs from sinking somewhat at the moment when the abdominal muscles are contracted. But after this the chcst should be allowed to sink only gradually, and the volume of air in the lungs can thus bc controllcd at will by the momentary relaxation of the abdominal muscles, and can be emitted forcibly or gcntly, but always slowly. Fig. 51 gives a front view and Fig. 52 a side view of the right pose immediately after completed inhalation. The abdominal wali is verv slightly rctracted, the muscles being only braced, not drawn inwards, and the lower ribs tixed. 1 will take this oppor-tunity of pointing out that “ drawing in ” and " bracing " of the abdominal wali are two quitc ditferent things. This wali may be voluntarilv either relaxed or braced in any position between the fully distended and the completely retracted.

It is, of course, important to use as littlc air as possible in order not to make the sound breathy, in other words not to have " breath escape,” and, until the student has learnt how to do this automatically, he will never become a good singer or speaker.

This method was used by the old Italian singing masters for morę than 150 years. But in 1855 it was rejected by the French author, Mandl, who, in England, was followed by Lennox, Brownc and Behnke. Mandl recommcnded the

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