MODULATION.

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MODULATION.

MODULATION is the giving to each tone of the voice its appropriate character and expression-so as to produce melody to the ear.

According to the subject the time of modulation should be regulated. Narration proceeds equally; the pathetic slowly ; instruction, authoritatively; determination, with vigor; and passion with rapidity.

The voice is defined as capable of assuming three keys, the low, the high, and middle, or conversational key, and to acquire the power of ranging in these with varieties of degrees of loudness, softness, stress, continuity, and rapidity, the following characteristics of varied modulation will be found useful to the student:

EXAMPLES.

Adoration, Admiration, Solemnity, Sublimity, are governed by low, loud, slow tones.

Mournfulness, Despondency-by low, soft, tremulous tones. Fear, without guilt-by low, soft, tremulous tones.

Fear, with guilt-very low, slow tones.

Deep emotion-low, quick, and broken tones.
Conversational voice—is light, and of moderate time.

Dignity-loud and slow tones.

Earnestness-loud, middle tone.

Revenge-loud, aspirated.

Courage-high, loud, and slow.

Imitative modulation is a great power in the hands of a skillful speaker or reader. It marks the reader's appreciation of the sense and beauty of a passage. In poetic reading and recitation, this branch of elocutionary art is especially desirable to attain.

Immensity, Sublimity-are expresse by a prolongation and swell of the voicc.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll,
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain.

Motion and sound, in all their modifications, are, in descriptive reading, more or les imitated.

To glide, to drive, to swell, to flow, to skip, to whirl, to turn, to run, to rattle, etc., all partake of a peculiar modification of the voice, which expresses imitation.

The sound must seem an echo to the sense.

PAUSES.

Pauses are of consequence to a correct rendering of sense. They are of two kinds-first, emphatical pauses, and next, such as mark distinctions of sense. An emphatical pause is made after something has been said of peculiar meaning but the most frequent use of pauses is, to mark the divisions of sense, and to allow the speaker to draw breath.

The following dialogue, by Hannah More, between David and Goliath, will prove a useful exercise to the learner.

Goliath gives vent to his arrogance in a bombastic style. This should be borne in mind by the speaker. David, on the other hand, expresses himself with modesty, but in a tone of confident courage:

DAVID AND GOLIATH.

Goliath. Where is the mighty man of war, who dares
Accept the challenge of Philistia's chief?
What victor-king, what general drenched in blood,
Claims this high privilege? What are his rights?
What proud credentials does the boaster bring
To prove his claim? What cities laid in ashes,
What ruined provinces, what slaughtered realms,
What heads of heroes, or what hearts of kings,
In battle killed, or at his altars slain,

Has he to boast? Is his bright armory

Thick set with spears, and swords, and coats of mail,
Of vanquished nations, by his single arm
Subdued? Where is the mortal man so bold,
So much a wretch, so out of love with life,
To dare the weight of this uplifted spear?

Come, advance!

Sound, my herald,

Philistia's gods to Israel's.
Sound for the battle straight!

Say, where?

Direct my sight. I do not war with boys.

Dav. I stand prepared; thy single arm to mine.

Gol. Why, this is mockery, minion; it may chance
To cost thee dear. Sport not with things above thee:
But tell me who, of all this numerous host,
Expects his death from me? Which is the man
Whom Israel sends to meet my bold defiance?

Dav. The election of my sovereign falls on me.
Gol. On thee! on thee! by Dagon, 'tis too much!
Thou curled minion! thou a nation's champion!
'Twould move my mirth at any other time;
But trifling's out of tune. Begone, light boy!

And tempt me not too far.

Dav.

I do defy thee,

Thou foul idolator! Hast thou not scorned

The armies of the living God I serve!

By me he will avenge upon thy head

Thy nation's sins and thine. Armed with his name,
Unshrinking, I dare meet the stoutest foe

That ever bathed his hostile spear in blood.

T

Gol. Indeed! 'tis wondrous well! Now, by my gods!
The stripling plays the orator! Vain boy!
Keep close to that same bloodless war of words,
And thou shalt still be safe. Tongue-valiant ▾ arrior!
Where is thy sylvan crook, with garlands hung,
Of idle field-flowers? Where thy wanton harp,
Thou dainty-fingered hero?

Now will I meet thee,
Thou insect warrior; since thou dar'st me thus,
Already I behold thy mangled limbs,

Dissevered each from each, ere long to feed

The fierce, blood-snuffing vulture. Mark me well,

Around my spear I'll twist thy shining locks,

And toss in air thy head all gashed with wounds.

Dav. Ha, say'st thou so? Come on, then; Mark us well. Thou com'st to me with sword and spear, and shield;

In the dread name of Israel's God, I come;

The living Lord of Hosts, whom thou defi'st;

Yet though no shield I bring; no arms, except

These five smooth stones I gathered from the brook,"
With such a simple sling as shepherds use;
Yet all exposed, defenceless as I am,
The God I serve shall give thee up a prey
To my victorious arm. This day, I mean
To make the uncircumcised tribes confess

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There is a God in Israel. I will give thee,
Spite of thy vaunted strength and giant bulk,
To glut the carrion-kites. Nor thee alone;
The mangled carcasses of your thick hosts
Shall spread the plains of Elah; till Philistia,
Through all her trembling tents and flying bands,
Shall own that Judah's God is God indeed!
I dare thee to the trial!

Gol.

Follow me,

In this good spear I trust.

Dav.

I trust in Heaven!

The God of battles stimulates my arm,

And fires my soul with ardor not its own.

In this dialogue, the first speech of Goliath is simple vaunt. Confident in his huge bulk and strength, he strides occasionally from side to side while speaking, elevating his arms and throwing his limbs about as if anxious to display his powerful sinews and muscular proportions. He speaks very loud, as if willing to terrify all Israel with his voice.

In his second speech, Goliath partly stoops, half shuts his eyes like a person endeavoring to discern some diminutive object, and, after looking intently a short time, suddenly straightens himself up to his full height, and says arrogantly: "I see him not."

In his third speech, Goliath maintains the same ground, till, in the conclusion, he seems, at last, to have perceived David, and, turning away contemptuously, adds: "I do not war with boys."

In the latter part of the dialogue, Goliath becomes really furious, and is in haste to transfix David with his spear; while David, on the other hand, becomes more calm, collected, and observant as the critical moment approaches, thus denoting his firm and unwavering trust in the God of Israel. David makes but few gestures, but always assumes a reverential attitude when he mentions the name of Godnot puritanical by any means, but expressive of humble hope and smiling confidence.

ON THE WAVES OF THE VOICE.

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ON THE WAVES OF THE VOICE.

THE rising and the falling of the voice often take place in the pronunciation of one long syllable. These variations of the voice are called waves, and are either equal or unequal. The parts of which it consists are called constituents.

Whether equal or unequal, the waves may consist of two, three, or more constituents. The wave may commence with either an ascending or descending slide. If with an upward movement, it is called the Direct wave; if with a downward movement, the Inverted wave.

The equal wave of the semi-tone cannot be represented in any way to the eye. If on any long syllable, the learner will essay to express tender or sympathetic emotions, he will surely convey the direct or the inverted wave of the median tone. These tones exquisitely serve to enrich and melodize the voice.

To aid the learner in acquiring the command of the vocal movement called the Wave, the following illustrations are given, the substance of which is found in the Grammar of Elocution:

"Pity the sorrows of a poor old man.'

If long quantity and a plaintive tone be given to the words "poor" and "old," in the foregoing example, they will exhibit the direct wave of the semitone; and if the word "man" receive a plaintive expression and extended quantity, and the voice be made to rise on the second part of the wave, it will show the inverted wave of the semitone.

"Hail! holy light."

If the word "hail" is uttered with long quantity, with a preceptible downward ending, and without any emphatic stress, it will show the direct equal wave of the second.

The student will find it to his advantage to practice on the following lines: