9. Anger and Rage. Hear me, rash man! on thy allegiance, hear me ! And kingdom! If when three days are expired, 10. Impetuous Courage. Now for the fight! now for the cannon peal! 11. Calling. What, ho! Lord William, rise in haste! 12. Shouting. Let loud Echo, from her circling hills, STRESS. STRESS denotes the manner of applying force in the utterance of single sounds. It is called Radical, when the force of utterance, commencing abruptly, is applied to the first part of a sound; Vanishing, when the force is thrown out at the end of a sound which terminates abruptly; Median, when the force is given on the middle of a sound; Compound, when the voice is strongly thrown out at the first and last part of a sound, leaving the intermediate portion comparatively without stress; Thorough, when a marked force, commencing and ending abruptly, is applied to all parts of a sound; Define anger. Rage. Impetuous courage. Alarm. What does Stress denote? When is stress called radical? When vanishing? When median ? When compound? When thorough? Intermittent, when the force of utterance is broken into parts, by a quiver or tremor of voice. Each of these forms has its peculiar significance. Some one of them enters as an element into the enunciation of almost every emphatic sound. RULES FOR STRESS. 1. Anger, fear, impetuous courage, and all sudden and startling emotions, also, to some extent, animated discussion, require the radical stress. 2. Obstinacy, fixed determination, sullenness, anxious alarm, peevishness, and impatience, usually take, as their most natural form of utterance, the vanishing stress. 3. Dignified and elevated sentiment, also, gentle emotions, demand median stress. 4. Compound stress belongs to the expression of surprise, and sometimes marks the utterance of raillery, earnest interrogation, and importunate entreaty. 5. Vehement address and highly impassioned feelings require thorough stress. 6. Such emotions as have an effect to enfeeble the voice demand the intermittent stress. ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Fear. Ha! dost thou not see it, by the moon's trembling light! 2. Impetuous Courage. To arms! to arms! to arms! they cry; Lead us to Philippi's lord; Let us conquer him, or die! 3. Obstinate Determination. I ne'er will ask ye quarter, And I ne'er will be your slave; 4. Impatience. Oh! he's as tedious As is a tired horse, or a railing wife. When is stress called intermittent? Give the rule for radical stress. For vanishing stress. For median stress. For compound stress. For vehement stress. For intermittent stress. Apply the rules to the illustrations. Define impetuous. Courage. Obstinate. Determination. Impatience. 5. Pathos and Solemnity. Slowly and sadly we laid him down, 6. Elevated Sentiment. We have a common stock both of happiness and of distinction, of which we are all entitled, as citizens of the country, to partake. We may all rejoice in the general prosperity, in the peace and security which we enjoy, and in the brilliant success which has thus far attended our republican institutions. I be nominated, 7. Surprise. I go to Congress! Who says it,-who believes it? It can't be so. 8. Earnest Interrogation. And, sir, has it come to this? Are we so humbled, so low, so despicable, that we dare not express our sympathy for suffering Greece - that we dare not express our horror, articulate our detestation of the most brutal and atrocious war that ever stained earth, or shocked high heaven? 10. Indignant Emotion. Tried and convicted traitor! who says this? 11. Voice enfeebled by Rapture. Define surprise. Interrogation. Vehement. Indignant. Rapture. 12. Voice enfeebled by Weariness and Hunger. Dear master, I can go no further! Oh, I die for food! Here lie I down and measure out my grave. Farewell, kind master! QUALITY. QUALITY signifies the kind of sound uttered. The kinds or qualities of voice most directly affecting vocal expresssion are THE PURE TONE, THE OROTUND, THE ASPIRATED AND THE GUTTURAL. The pure tone is distinguished by its freedom from all harsh and impure properties, being a clear, even and smooth flow of sound, accompanied, usually, with a pitch rather elevated, and softened or moderate force, and a clear, ringing resonance in the head. The orotund voice combines, with purity of sound, depth, weight, and roundness; and is so formed as to produce a clear resonance of the voice, not only in the head, but in the chest. The aspirated voice is exhibited whenever the utterance is attended with unvocalized sound. The guttural quality unites, with simple aspiration, an impure sound, produced by contraction of the upper part of the throat. The orotund requires expansion of the chest, depression of the larynx, full and unobstructed opening of the throat, with extension of the cavity of the mouth. The aspirated voice is generally the result of the organs of speech being too much under the influence of certain strong and forcible feelings to be able to convert all the breath thrown upon them into vocalized expression. The guttural is always accompanied with some other quality, and seldom applies to more than a few peculiarly expressive words or phrases in the same connection. Frequent practice of the pure tone and the orotund affords the best means of rendering utterance clear, full, strong, and melodious. Plaintiveness of Speech is the result of what is called a semitonic movement of the voice. Ordinarily the voice, in its ascent or descent, with regard to the musical scale, is through whole tones; but in the plaintive form, its What does quality signify? Which are the principal kinds? How is the pure tone distinguished? What is the orotund voice? The aspirated? The guttural? What does the orotund voice require? Of what is the aspirated voice the result? What is said of the guttural voice? Of the practice of the pure tone and the orotund? Of what is plaintiveness the result? range is limited either in upward or downward slide, or both, by half tone intervals. The plaintive is better suited than any other kind of voice to subdue and soften, and to enlist sympathy. Its peculiar touching and moving effects are very much augmented by combination with the monotone, or intermittent stress. Plaintiveness is usually exhibited with purity of tone, but may sometimes very properly be an accompaniment of the orotund or aspirated voice. RULES FOR QUALITY. 1. Cheerfulness, gayety, joy, pathos, love, sorrow, solemnity, and tranquillity, when not combined with other emotions, require the pure tone. 2. Pathos, solemnity, tranquillity, and joy, when combined with grandeur or sublimity, also energetic or vehement forms of address, for the most part, demand the orotund. 3. Wonder, amazement, terror, horror, excessive anger, revenge, despair and remorse, also most ardent and fervent forms of expression, usually require the aspirated quality. 4. Hatred, malignity, aversion, loathing, contempt, impatience, and the like feelings, require guttural quality. 5. Grief, sorrow, complaint, lamentation, penitence, commiseration, tenderness, supplication, and entreaty, usually demand an expression more or less of a plaintive nature. ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Cheerfulness and Gayety. When o'er the hills, like a gladsome bride, 2. Joy. Then is Orestes blest! My griefs are fled! Surprising happiness! unlooked for joy! Me let the tender office long engage, To rock the cradle of reposing age; What To what is plaintiveness suited? With what is it accompanied? is rule first? Rule second? Rule third? Rule fourth? Rule fifth? Apply the rules to the illustrations. Define cheerfulness. Gayety. Joy. * Plaintive. |