Page:Choirmaster's Manual.djvu/21

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THE CHOIRMASTER'S MANUAL
9

the fifth line, softly and clearly, then sing descending scale without altering the feeling in head or throat.

\relative f'' { \key f \major \override NoteHead.style = #'harmonic-mixed
  f1\fermata ~ | f4 e d_( \revert NoteHead.style c |
  bes^\> a g f\!)\fermata |
  \override NoteHead.style = #'harmonic-mixed
  fis'1\fermata ~ | fis4 eis_( dis \revert NoteHead.style cis^\> |
  b ais gis\!)^\fermata fis |
  \override NoteHead.style = #'harmonic-mixed
  g'1 ~ | g4 fis^\>_( e d | \revert NoteHead.style
  c\! b a) g\fermata }
\addlyrics { oo __ _ _ oo __ _ _ oo __ _ _ }

and upward.


Practise diligently, taking a semitone higher each time. It is impossible to sing "oo" as an upper medium note on F or F♯ in most cases. If a clear head-tone is not obtained by all boys, it aids the effort to place the right foot slightly forward, resting the weight of the body on it, at the same time lowering the head a little, and thinking of the top of the head. With the writer, this has proved efficacious in all cases.

Having obtained clear head-notes on A♯, B, or C, or as high as you wish to train the boys, care must be taken that the "oo" vowel-tone does not become habitual with all head-notes. To avoid this use the following:

Exercise 3.

\new Staff << \new Voice = "notes" \relative f'' { \override NoteHead.style = #'harmonic-mixed
  f2 ~ f ~ f1 \bar "."
  fis2 fis fis1 \bar "."
  g2 g2 g1 \bar ".." }
  \new Voice = "space" { s2 s2^\> s2. s4\! | s2 s^\> s2. s4\! | s2 s2^\> s2. s4\! }
\new Lyrics \lyricmode { oo2 oh ah1 oo2 oh ah1 oo2 oh ah1 }
>>

and upward.


In singing this, take care that the tones on "oh" and "ah" are not louder than on "oo." These three vowel-sounds must be gradually merged into one another, "oh" being felt in the same position as "oo." This exercise gives a boy a real feeling of breath-control, especially on