PERHAPS THE MOST DELIGHTFUL and at the same time the most satisfying of all studies in voice, whether for conversation, reading or speaking, is that which deals with the effort to develop changing colors in the tones, and to recognize them as they appear. When one tone differs from another, there is magnetism in it; when you yourself can recognize the fact that one tone differs from another, then you are conscious of the presence of magnetism; for no voice, except one that is magnetic is able to make its tones change their color.

"TONE COLOR"

In more than ninety-nine percent of all people, the great defects of voice are:

1. Monotony of pitch.

2. Flatness of tone.

3. Lack of flexibility.

4. Absence of color.

Even a beautiful voice may be uninteresting after a few utterances.

Color of tone is the presence of feeling in the tone.

Persons are often unable to give expression to their real feelings from lack of color-development in the voice. For instance, a voice that has never been employed, except to express the merest commonplaces of life, would find it impossible to put any other color into the nobler or more beautiful thoughts, unless a systematic course of practice, like that given in these lessons, should be adopted. Without color all expression is mechanical and artificial. It is art without nature. Yet by the rules of art we can dive down into the hidden recesses of nature, and bring to the surface her most precious secrets; then, by practice, adopt and wear them as our own, for they are ours by heritage.

Our purpose is to provide a series of exercises for acquiring all the colors of the voice, by special practice, until they become natural.

Having said this much, we now invite the pupil to commence the most fascinating practice known in the art of expression. It is well to keep a record of the number of times each color is repeated, for all practice counts something, even if but once a week or month. It is only after repeated trials that the ear begins to recognize the real color; it may not be until after hundreds of repetitions that the color will be recognized; but when it comes, as come it surely will, a delicious feeling of pleasurable satisfaction is experienced.

While these lessons are not intended to include instruction in singing, hundreds of singers with colorless voices have applied for them during the last twenty-five years and have been greatly benefited by them.

All persons who speak, read, converse, or sing should develop tone color.

"TONE COLOR EXERCISES"

The feelings are many, and their colors should be made to harmonize with them. The greater number of colors you acquire, the more magnetic will be your voice.

Some colors are easily developed. They happen to coincide with your common moods. Others must be brought into your voice by placing your mind and feelings in the realm of existence that the thought seems to describe or indicate. Make no two colors alike.

(Only the words in quotation marks are to be colored. Colors that seem alike are quite different.)

1st Color.—Mild Determination. Color words: Impossible cannot.

"It is impossible, I cannot."

2d Color.—Strong Decision. Negative. Color word: Not.

"I will not." 3d Color.—Strong Decision. Affirmative. Color words: Will; bond.

"I will have my bond." 4th Color.—Surprise. Color words: Gone; married. "Gone! to be married!" 5th Color.—Wonder. Color word: Wonderful.

"Oh, a wonderful stream is the River Time!" 6th Color.—Amazement. Color words: There; look; steals.

"Why, look you there! look, how it steals away!" 7th Color.—Beauty. Color words: Heaven; thick; patines; bright gold.

"Look, how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." 8th Color.—Grandeur. All the words are equally colored.

"Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll." 9th Color.—Pride. Color words: Inch; king.

"Ay, every inch a king." 10th Color.—Arrogance. Color words: Like; myself. "I have no brother, I am like no brother, I am myself alone." 11th Color.—Defiance. Color word: Defied.

"I tell thee, thou'rt defied." 12th Color.—Dignity, Grave. Color words: God; come.

"Sir, before God, I believe the hour has come!" 13th Color.—Dignity, Earnest. Color words: This; self; true; any.

"This, above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." The foregoing sentiment builds a very magnetic voice. 14th Color.—Courage. Color words: Free; host; liberty; man.

"Now, my brave lads,—now are we free indeed! I have a whole host in this single arm. Death or liberty! We shall not leave a man of them alive!"

15th Color.—Affection. Color words: Wear; core; heart; thee.

"Give me that man that is not passion's slave, and I will wear him in my heart's core, ay, in my heart of hearts, as I do thee."

16th Color.—Greeting to a Friend. Color words: Glad; twenty; years.

"Well, Tom, I'm right glad to see you! It's twenty years since last we met."

17th Color.—Greeting to Country. Color words: Crags; peaks; again; you; still.

"Ye crags and peaks, I'm with you once again. I hold toyou the hands you first beheld, To show they still are free." 18th Color.—Coldness. Color words: Unwelcome; extend "Sir, you are unwelcome here! I do not wish to extend our acquaintance." 19th Color.—Indignation. Color word: Leave.

"You may leave this house." 20th Color.—Shame. Color words: Shame; blush.

"Oh, shame! where is thy blush!" 21st Color.—Anger. All the words are equally colored.

"What do you mean, sir!" 22d Color.—Caution. Color words: Hush; silence, word; word; lives.

"Hush! Silence along the line there! Not a word—not a word, on peril of your lives!" 23d Color.—Descriptive. Variable colors.

"From dumb winter to spring in one wonderful hour, From Nevada's white wing to creation in flower, December at morning tossing wild in its might; A June without warning, and blown roses at night." 24th Color.—Faith. Color words: Youth; bright; no. "In the lexicon of youth, which fate reserves for a bright manhood, there's no such word as fail."

One of the greatest actors of the last generation repeated this 24th color 20,000 times aloud.

25th Color.—Longing. Color words: Long; better; striving; heart; me; alone.

"I have another life I long to meet, Without which life my life is incomplete. O better self, like me, art thou astray, Striving with all thy heart to find the way To mine; seeking, like me, to find the breast On which, alone, can weary heart find rest."

20th Color.—Hope, Color words: Hope; angels; away,

"Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies, Deeply buried from human eyes; And, in the hereafter, angels may Roll the stone from its grave away." 27th Color.—Solemnity. Color word: Eternal.

"Oh, thou eternal one!" 28th Color.—Dark Intensity. All the words are equally colored. "Thou sure and firm-set earth, hear not my steps which way theywalk." 29th Color.—Sublimity.

"But thou, most awful form, risest from forth thy silent sea of pines, how silently! Around thee, and above, deep is the air, anddark, substantial, black,—an ebon mass. . . . But when I look again it is thine own calm home, thy crystal shrine, thy habitation from eternity."

30th Color.—Contempt. Color words: Loathe; scorn; taunt; fight.

"I loathe you in my bosom, I scorn you with mine eye! And I'll taunt you with my latest breath, and fight you till

I die." 31st Color.—Threatening. Color words: Pray; remorse, accumulate.

"If thou dost slander her, and torture me, never pray more; abandon all remorse; on horror's head horrors accumulate!"

32d Color.—Hate. Color words: Hence; Satan; behind; go; hate; despise.

"Hence! from my sight! Thou Satan, get behind me! Go from my sight! I hate and despise thee!"

There are a few other colors such as a tragedian would use on the stage, but they are not suited to this work.

Charles Dickens, in his readings, employed all thirty-two colors which are given in these lessons.

When once a color is developed in the voice, it never leaves it, but flows naturally with the tones at all times. This makes the voice natural and never artificial.

It can be seen at once that such a voice can never become monotonous or repellant.