The Canadian Elocutionist
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Anna Kelsey Howard >> The Canadian Elocutionist
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2.
The king stood still till the last echo died; then, throwing off the
sackcloth from his brow, and laying back the pall from the still features
of his child, he bowed his head upon him, and broke forth in the resistless
eloquence of woe:--
"Alas! my noble boy! that thou should'st die! Thou, who wert made so
beautifully fair! that death should settle in thy glorious eye, and leave
his stillness in thy clustering hair! How could he mark thee for the silent
tomb, my proud boy, Absalom!
"Cold is thy brow, my son! and I am chill, as to my bosom I have tried to
press thee! How was I wont to feel my pulses thrill, like a rich harp-
string, yearning to caress thee, and hear thy sweet '_My father_!'
from those dumb and cold lips, Absolom!
"But death is on thee! I shall hear the gush of music and the voices of the
young; and life will pass me in the mantling blush, and the dark tresses to
the soft winds flung;--but thou no more, with thy sweet voice, shalt come
to meet me, Absalom!"
_N. P. Willis._
3.
Noble old man! He did not live to see me, and I--I--did not live to see
_him_. Weighed down by sorrow and disappointment, he died before I was
born--six thousand brief summers before I was born.
But let us try to hear it with fortitude. Let us trust that he is better
off where he is. Let us take comfort in the thought that his loss is our
gain.
_Mark Twain._
4.
Forsake me not thus, Adam, witness heav'n
What love sincere, and reverence in my heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd; thy suppliant
I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not,
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid,
Thy counsel in this uttermost distress.
My only strength and stay: forlorn of thee,
Whither shall I betake me, where subsist?
While yet we live, scarce one short hour, perhaps
Between us two let there be peace, both joining,
As joined in injuries, one enmity,
Against a foe by doom express assign'd us,
That cruel serpent!
_Milton._
ASPIRATE QUALITY.
The Aspirate Quality is used in the utterance of secrecy and fear, and
discontent generally takes this quality.
Its characteristic is distinctness, therefore exercises on this voice will
prove invaluable to the pupil and deep inhalations are indispensable.
The aspirate is usually combined with other qualities and the earnestness
and other expressive effects of aspiration may be spread over a whole
sentence or it may be restricted to a single word.
The aspirate quality is entitled to notice as a powerful agent in
oratorical expression, and the whispered utterances of any well disciplined
voice will be heard in the remotest parts of a large theatre, and the voice
is greatly strengthened by frequent practice in this quality.
1.
Hark! I hear the bugles of the enemy! They are on their march along the
bank of the river! We must retreat instantly, or be cut off from our boats!
I see the head of their column already rising over the height! Our only
safety is in the screen of this hedge. Keep close to it--be silent--and
stoop as you run! For the boats! Forward!
2.
MACBETH. I have done the deed:--Did'st thou not hear
a noise?
LADY MACBETH. I heard the owl scream, and the crickets
cry. Did not you speak?
MACB. When?
LADY M. Now.
MACB. As I descended?
LADY M. Ay.
MACB. Hark! Who lies i' the second chamber?
LADY M. Donaldbain.
MACB. This is a sorry sight. [_Showing his hands._
LADY M. A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.
MACB. There's one did laugh in his sleep, and one
cried "Murder!"
That they did wake each other; I stood and heard them:
But they did say their prayers, and addressed them
Again to sleep.
_Shakespeare_
3.
"Pray you tread softly,--that the blind mole may not
Hear a footfall: we are now near his cell.
Speak softly!
All's hushed as midnight yet.
See'st thou here?
This is the mouth o' the cell: no noise! and enter."
_Shakespeare._
4.
Ah' mercy on my soul! What is that? My old friend's ghost? They say none
but wicked folks walk; I wish I were at the bottom of a coal-pit. See; how
long and pale his face has grown since his death: he never was handsome;
and death has improved him very much the wrong way. Pray do not come near
me! I wish'd you very well when you were alive; but I could never abide a
dead man, cheek by jowl with me.
FALSETTO QUALITY.
The Falsetto Quality is used in expressing terror, pain, anger, affection,
etc. Some people speak altogether in falsetto, especially those who are not
careful in pronunciation. It is harsh, rude, and grating, and is heard in
the whine of peevishness, in the high pitch of mirth, and in the piercing
scream of terror.
1.
I was dozing comfortably in my easy-chair, and dreaming of the good times
which I hope are coming, when there fell upon my ears a most startling
scream. It was the voice of my Maria Ann in mortal agony. The voice came
from the kitchen, and to the kitchen I rushed. The idolized form of my
Maria Ann was perched upon a chair, and she was flourishing an iron spoon
in all directions, and shouting "_Shoo-shoo_," in a general manner to
everything in the room. To my anxious inquiries as to what was the matter,
she screamed, "_O, Joshua, a mouse, shoo--wha--shoo--a great--shoo--
horrid mouse, and it ran right out of the cupboard--shoo--go away--shoo--
Joshua--shoo--kill it--oh, my--shoo._"
2.
SIR PETER.--Lady Teazle, Lady Teazle, I'll not bear it.
LADY TEAZLE.--Sir Peter, Sir Peter, you may bear it or not, as you please;
but I ought to have my own way in everything, and, what's more, I will,
too. What though I was educated in the country, I know very well that women
of fashion in London are accountable to nobody after they are married.
SIR P.--Very well, ma'am, very well!--so a husband is to have no influence,
no authority?
LADY T.--Authority! No, to be sure. If you wanted authority over me, you
should have adopted me, and not married me; I am sure you were old enough.
_Sheridan._
3.
"I've seen mair mice than you, guidman--
An' what think ye o' that?
Sae haud your tongue an' say nae mair--
I tell ye, it was a rat."
CHAPTER VI.
FORCE.
Force refers to the strength or power of the voice, and is divided into
forms and degrees. Very particular attention should be given to the subject
of force, since that _expression_, which is so very important in
elocution, is almost altogether dependent on some one or other modification
of this attribute of the voice. It may truly be considered the light and
shade of a proper intonation. Force may be applied to sentences or even to
single words, for the purpose of energetic expression.
The degrees of force are Gentle, Moderate, and Heavy.
GENTLE FORCE.
The Gentle Force is used in expressing tenderness, love, secrecy, caution,
etc., and the lungs must be kept thoroughly inflated, especially in
reverberating sounds.
1.
"Heard you that strain of music light,
Borne gently on the breeze of night,--
So soft and low as scarce to seem
More than the magic of a dream?
Morpheus caught the liquid swell,--
Its echo broke his drowsy spell.
Hark! now it rises sweetly clear,
Prolonged upon the raptured ear;--
Sinking now, the quivering note
Seems scarcely on the air to float;
It falls--'tis mute,--nor swells again;--
Oh! what wert thou, melodious strain?"
_Mrs. J. H. Abbot._
2.
Was it the chime of a tiny bell,
That came so sweet to my dreaming ear,
Like the silvery tones of a fairy's shell,
That he winds on the beach so mellow and clear,
When the winds and the waves lie together asleep,
And the moon and the fairy are watching the deep,
She dispensing her silvery light,
And he his notes as silvery quite,
While the boatman listens and ships his oar,
To catch the music that comes from the shore?--
Hark! the notes on my ear that play,
Are set to words: as they float, they say,
"Passing away! passing away!"
_Pierpont._
3.
Hear the sledges with the bells--silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle all the heavens, seem
to twinkle
With a crystalline delight--
Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells,--
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
_E. A. Poe._
MODERATE FORCE.
The Moderate Force is used in ordinary conversation and unemotional
utterances.
1.
She stood before her father's gorgeous tent
To listen for his coming. Her loose hair
Was resting on her shoulders like a cloud
Floating around a statue, and the wind,
Just swaying her light robe, reveal'd a shape
Praxiteles might worship. She had clasp'd
Her hands upon her bosom, and had raised
Her beautiful dark Jewish eyes to heaven,
Till the long lashes lay upon her brow.
Her lips were slightly parted, like the cleft
Of a pomegranate blossom; and her neck,
Just where the cheek was melting to its curve,
With the unearthly beauty sometimes there,
Was shaded, as if light had fallen off,
Its surface was so polish'd. She was stilling
Her light, quick breath, to hear; and the white rose
Scarce moved upon her bosom, as it swell'd,
Like nothing but a lovely wave of light
To meet the arching of her queenly neck.
Her countenance was radiant with love,
She looked like one to die for it--a being
Whose whole existence was the pouring out
Of rich and deep affections.
_N. P. Willis._
2.
Oh! sing unto the Lord a new song, for He hath done marvellous things: His
right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory. Make a joyful
noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and
sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice
of a psalm.
3.
POR. The quality of mercy is not strain'd;
It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes;
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings:
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's,
When mercy seasons justice.
_Shakespeare._
HEAVY FORCE.
Heavy Force, is used in giving the language of command, exultation,
denunciation, defiance, etc., and in using this force the lungs must be
inflated to their utmost capacity. In giving the accompanying examples the
student must exert every energy of the body and mind, and by earnest
practice he will increase the power and flexibility of his voice to a
surprising extent, and also acquire a distinctness of tone and earnestness
of manner, that will serve him well, as a public speaker.
1.
Banished from Rome! What's banished, but set free
From daily contact with the things I loathe?
"Tried and convicted traitor!" Who says this?
Who'll prove it, at his peril, on my head?
Banished! I thank you for't! It breaks my chain!
I held some slack allegiance till this hour--
But now, my sword's my own. Smile on, my lords!
I scorn to count what feelings, withered hopes,
Strong provocations, bitter, burning wrongs,
I have within my heart's hot cells shut up,
To leave you in your lazy dignities!
But here I stand and scoff you! here I fling
Hatred and full defiance in your face!
Your Consul's merciful--for this, all thanks:
He dares not touch a hair of Cataline!
"Traitor!" I go--but I return. This--trial?
Here I devote your senate! I've had wrongs
To stir a fever in the blood of age,
Or make the infant's sinews strong as steel!
This day's the birth of sorrow! This hour's work
Will breed proscriptions! Look to your hearths, my lords!
For there henceforth shall sit, for household gods,
Shapes hot from Tartarus!--all shames and crimes!--
Wan treachery, with his thirsty dagger drawn;
Suspicion, poisoning his brother's cup;
Naked rebellion, with the torch and axe,
Making his wild sport of your blazing thrones;
Till anarchy comes down on you like night,
And massacre seals Rome's eternal grave!
_George Croly._
2.
But Douglas round him drew his cloak,
Folded his arms, and thus he spoke:
"My manors, halls, and bowers, shall still
Be open, at my sovereign's will,
To each one whom he lists, howe'er
Unmeet to be the owner's peer.
My castles are my king's alone,
From turret to foundation stone;--
The _hand_ of Douglas is his own,
And never shall in friendly grasp,
The hand of such as Marmion clasp!"
Burned Marmion's swarthy cheek like fire,
And shook his very frame for ire--
And "This to me!" he said--
"And 'twere not for thy hoary beard,
Such hand as Marmion's had not spared
To cleave the Douglas' head!
And first I tell thee, haughty peer,
He who does England's message here,
Although the meanest in her state,
May well, proud Angus, be thy mate!"
_Sir Walter Scott._
3.
What man dare, I dare!
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger,
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: or, be alive again,
And dare me to the desert with thy sword!
Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence!
_Shakespeare._
VARIATIONS OF FORCE OR STRESS.
These are known as the Radical, Median, Vanishing, Compound, and Thorough
stress.
RADICAL STRESS.
This is used in expressing lively description, haste, fear, command, etc.,
and consists of an abrupt and forcible utterance, usually more or less
explosive, and falls on the first part of a sound or upon the opening of a
vowel, and its use contributes much to distinct pronounciation. It is not
common to give a strong, full and clear radical stress, yet this abrupt
function is highly important in elocution, and when properly used in public
reading or on the stage "will startle even stupor into attention." It is
this tone that prompts children to obedience, and makes animals submissive
to their masters.
1.
Out with you!--and he went out.
2.
There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower,
There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree,
There's a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower,
And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea!
_Bryant._
3.
But hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more,
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;
And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before!
Arm! arm! it is! it is! the cannon's opening roar!
Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro,
And gathering tears and tremblings of distress,
And cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago
Blush'd at the praise of their own loveliness;
And there were sudden partings, such as press
The life from out young hearts, and choking sighs
Which ne'er might be repeated! Who could guess
If ever more should meet those mutual eyes,
Since upon night so sweet such awful morn could rise?
_Byron._
MEDIAN STRESS.
The Median Stress is used in the expression of grandeur, sublimity,
reverence, etc., and smoothness and dignity are its characteristics, for it
gives emphasis without abruptness or violence. In using this stress, there
is a gradual increase and swell in the middle of a sound, and a subsequent
gradual decrease--thus giving a greater intensity of voice and dignity of
expression than Radical Stress.
1.
_Roll on_, thou dark and deep blue ocean, _roll_.
_Byron._
2.
We _praise_ thee, O God, we acknowledge _thee_ to be the
_Lord_.
3.
Father! Thy hand
Hath reared these venerable columns; Thou
Didst weave this verdant roof; Thou didst look down
Upon the naked earth; and, forthwith, rose
All these fair ranks of trees. They in Thy sun
Budded, and shook their green leaves in Thy breeze,
And shot towards heaven. The century-living crow,
Whose birth was in their tops, grew old and died
Among their branches, till, at last, they stood,
As now they stand, massy, and tall, and dark,--
Fit shrine for humble worshipper to hold
Communion with his Maker!
_Bryant._
4.
How are the mighty fallen! Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in
their lives; and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter
than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep
over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights; who put on
ornaments of gold upon your apparel! How are the mighty fallen in the midst
of battle! O Jonathan! thou wast slain in thine high places! How are the
mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
THE VANISHING STRESS.
The Vanishing Stress occurs as its name implies at the end or closing of a
sound or vowel, and is used in expressing disgust, complaint, fretfulness,
ardour, surprise, etc. The sound is guttural, and sometimes terminates in
sobbing or hic-cough. It has less dignity and grace than the gradual swell
of the Median Stress.
1.
Do you hear the rain, Mr. Caudle? I say, do you hear it? But I don't care;
I'll go to mother's to-morrow; I will; and what's more I'll walk every step
of the way; and you know that will give me my death. Don't call me a
foolish woman; 'tis you that's the foolish man. You know I can't wear
clogs; and, with no umbrella, the wet's sure to give me a cold: it always
does: but what do you care for that? Nothing at all. I may be laid up for
what you care, as I dare say I shall; and a pretty doctor's bill there'll
be. I hope there will. It will teach you to lend your umbrellas again. I
shouldn't wonder if I caught my death: yes, and that's what you lent the
umbrella for.
_Douglas Jerrold._
2.
CAS. Brutus, bay not me!
I'll not endure it. You forget yourself,
To hedge me in: I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.
BRU. Go to! you are not, Cassius.
CAS. I am.
BRU. I say you are not!
CAS. Urge me no more: I shall forget myself:
Have mind upon your health; tempt me no farther!
BRU. You say you are a better soldier:
Let it appear so; make your vaunting true,
And it shall please me well. For mine own part,
I shall be glad to learn of noble men.
CAS. You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus.
I said, an elder soldier, not a better.
Did I say better?
BRU. If you did, I care not!
CAS. When Caesar lived, he durst not thus have moved
me!
BRU. Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him?
CAS. I durst not?
BRU. No.
CAS. What! durst not tempt him?
BRU. For your life, you durst not!
CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love;
I may do that I shall be sorry for.
_Shakespeare._
COMPOUND STRESS.
Compound Stress is the natural mode of expressing surprise, and also--
though not so frequently--of sarcasm, contempt, mockery, etc. In using this
stress the voice, with more or less explosive force, touches strongly and
distinctly on both the opening and closing points of a sound or vowel, and
passes slightly and almost imperceptibly over the middle part.
1.
Gone to be married! Gone to swear a peace!
False blood to false blood joined! Gone to be friends!
Shall Lewis have Blanche, and Blanche these provinces?
It is not so; thou hast misspoke, misheard,--
Be well advised, tell o'er thy tale again:
It can not be;--thou dost but say 'tis so.
_Shakespeare._
2.
JULIA. Why! do you think I'll work?
DUKE. I think 'twill happen, wife.
JULIA. What, rub and scrub your noble palace clean?
DUKE. Those taper fingers will do it daintily.
JULIA. And dress your victuals (if there be any)? O, I
shall go mad.
_Tobin._
THOROUGH STRESS.
Thorough Stress is used in expressing command, denunciation, bravado,
braggadocio, etc. This stress has a degree of force a little stronger than
the compound stress, and it is produced by a continuation of the full
volume of the voice throughout the whole extent of the sentence. When the
time is short the tone resembles that of uncouth rustic coarseness.
1.
These abominable principles, and this more abominable avowal of them,
demand the most decisive indignation.
2.
Now strike the golden lyre again;
A louder yet, and yet a louder strain':
Break his bands of sleep asunder,
And rouse him, like a rattling peal of thunder'.
Hark! hark! the horrid sound
Has raised up his head,
As awaked from the dead;
And amazed he stares around.
Revenge! revenge.
_Dryden._
SEMITONE.
The progress of pitch through the interval of a half tone. It is called
also the Chromatic melody, because it expresses pity, grief, remorse, etc.
It may colour a single word, or be continued through an entire passage or
selection.
1.
The New Year comes to-night, mamma, "I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord"--tell poor papa--"my soul to keep,
If I"--how cold it seems, how dark, kiss me, I cannot see,--
The New Year comes to-night, mamma, the old year dies with me.
The Semitone is very delicate, and must be produced by the nature of the
emotion. An excess, when the mood or language does not warrant it, turns
pathos into burlesque, and the scale may very easily be turned from the
sublime to the ridiculous. Strength, flexibility, and melody of voice are
of little worth if the judgment and taste are defective.
MONOTONE
Is a sameness of the voice, indicating solemnity, power, reverence, and
dread. It is a near approach to one continuous tone of voice, but must not
be confounded with monotony. Much of the reading we hear is monotonous in
the extreme, while the judicious use of the monotone would sufficiently
vary it, to render it attractive. Monotone is of great importance in
reading the Bible, the beautiful words of the Church Service, and in
prayer, and the haste with which these solemn words are often slurred over,
is much to be deplored. Monotone is usually accompanied by slow time, and
it is, in fact, a low Orotund.
1.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handy
work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
_Bible._
2.
These, as they change, Almighty Father! these
Are but the varied God. The rolling year
Is full of Thee.--
And oft Thy voice in dreadful thunder speaks;
And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve,
By brooks and groves, in hollow-whispering gales.
In Winter, awful Thou! with clouds and storms
Around Thee thrown, tempest o'er tempest rolled--
Majestic darkness! On the whirlwind's wing,
Riding sublime, Thou bidd'st the world adore,
And humblest Nature, with Thy northern blast.
_Thomson._
3.
Now o'er the one-half world
Nature seems dead; and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep; now witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's off'rings; and wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl's his watch,--thus with his stealthy pace,
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost.--Thou sure and firm-set earth!
Hear not my, steps, which way they walk; for fear
The very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror for the time
Which now suits with it.
_Shakespeare._
CHAPTER VII.
TIME.
The varieties of movement in utterance are expressed by Time, which is the
measure of the duration of the sounds heard in speech, and it is divided
into three general divisions; viz.--Moderate, Quick and Slow time, these
being sub-divided by the reader, according to the predominate feeling which
the subject seems to require.
Time and Stress, properly combined and marked, possesses two essential
elementary conditions of agreeable discourse, upon which other excellences
may be engrafted. If either be feebly marked, other beauties will not
redeem it. A well-marked stress, and a graceful extension of time, are
essential to agreeable speech, and give brilliancy and smoothness to it.
MODERATE TIME.
1. Moderate is the rate used in narrative or conversational style.
1.
O bright, beautiful, health-inspiring, heart-gladdening water! Every where
around us dwelleth thy meek presence--twin-angel sister of all that is good
and precious here; in the wild forest, on the grassy plain, slumbering in
the bosom of the lonely mountain, sailing with viewless wings through the
humid air, floating over us in curtains of more than regal splendour--home
of the healing angel, when his wings bend to the woes of this fallen world.
_Elihu Burritt._
2.
But thou, O Hope! with eyes so fair!
What was thy delighted measure?
Still it whispered promised pleasure,
And bade the lovely scenes at distance hail.
Still would her touch the strain prolong;
And, from the rocks, the woods, the vale,
She called on Echo still through all her song;
And, where her sweetest theme she chose,
A soft, responsive voice, was heard at every close;
And Hope enchanted smiled, and waved her golden hair.
_Collins._
3.
Tell him, for years I never nursed a thought
That was not his; that on his wandering way,
Daily and nightly, poured a mourner's prayers.
Tell him ev'n now that I would rather share
His lowliest lot,--walk by his side, an outcast,--
Work for him, beg with him,--live upon the light
Of one kind smile from him, than wear the crown
The Bourbon lost.
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