atory Style, should be frequently practised for the purpose of training the voice to that gradual and successive increase of force, which belongs to all eloquent and impressive utterance in which the principle of climax prevails. The volume of voice, in such practice, should be moderate, at first, but swell out, by successive stages, till it becomes ample and powerfully impressive to the ear.

The daily repetition of a few lines of each class of examples, will, in a few weeks, secure a clear, firm, round, and full tone, and will impart a healthy force to the vocal organs.*

"STRESS."

"Radical Stress."

THE word "stress," as a term in elocution, is used to denote the location of force of voice, in single and successive sounds. It regards force as perceptibly more intense at the beginning, middle, or end of a vocal sound, or at more than one of these points.

Some emotions, fear, anger, and courage, for example, cause the voice to strike the ear with great force, at the first or initial part of a characteristic or emphatic sound. The mode of utterance, in these cases, is explosive in its character, and instantaneous in its effect,the very opposite to the gradual swell of musical expression. The maximum of the force being on the first part of the sound, has induced Dr. Rush, the great authority in elocution, to denominate this mode of utterance "radical stress."

Repeat, for illustration, the examples given under the head of "explosive orotund."

"Radical stress" is reduced to the slightest and most delicate shade, when it is not used for impassioned effect, but merely for distinct and vivid articulation, as in the utterance of the ordinary language of narrative, descriptive, or didactic style, when no effect of impressive emotion is intended, but only a clear, exact communication of thought to the understanding. This mode of stress may be appropriately denominated the "unimpassioned radical." For examples and practice, refer to all the exercises given under the Moderate Force of "Pure Tone." These should be repeated till the voice has acquired a perfect command of the clear, exact utterance which arises from the vivid effect of the appropriate "radical stress.”

* A more extensive course of organic training, will be found by referring to the Manual on Orthophony.

"Median Stress."

When the main force of the voice, comes on with a gradual increase, reaching its height at the middle of an accented sound, it exemplifies what is termed "median stress." This mode of utterance belongs to the slow "movement” and prolonged tones of tranquillity, pathos, solemnity, and grandeur, or to the swelling force of bold and impassioned language, in the style of triumph, exultation, and admiration. In the expression of the former class of emotions, it is deliberately expanded and amplified: in that of the latter it is compressed and compacted.

Repeat, for illustrations of the expanded “stress” exemplified in the first-mentioned emotions, the exercises under "Pure Tone," on Tenderness, Grief, and Sorrow, with those on Tranquillity, and those on Solemnity, — the exercises, also, on " Effusive Orotund." Repeat, as illustrations of the compressed "median stress," the examples of "Expulsive Orotund."

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Impatient feeling and strong determination, are expressed by a "stress" which lies upon the "vanish" or last part of a sound, and is accordingly denominated “vanishing stress." It comes on the ear with a peculiar jerking effect, contrasting with the steady, unimpassioned tenor of the voice, as the action of tugging does with that of pulling.

EXAMPLES OF "VANISHING STRESS."

Strong Determination.

[Battle Song of the Greeks.] Campbell.

"Earth may hide, waves ingulf, fire consume us,
But they shall not to slavery doom us!"

Impatience.

[Hotspur's Impatience at the Fop.] Shakspeare.

"For he made me mad

To see him shine so brisk, and smell so sweet,

And talk so like a waiting gentlewoman

Of drums, and guns, and wounds - Heaven save the maik

And telling me, the sovereign'st thing on earth

Was parmaceti, for an inward bruise."

"Compound Stress."

Surprise and contempt are expressed by what is termed "compound stress," a mode of voice in which the force strikes both upon the first and last part of a sound. It is, in fact, “radical” and “vanishing stress" applied to the same syllable.

EXAMPLES OF "COMPOUND STRESS."
Surprise and Astonishment.

[Lord Chatham's Indignation at the Proposal of Lord Suffolk.] "What! to attribute the sacred sanctions of God and nature to the massacres of the Indian scalping-knife!"

Contempt.

[Queen Constance to the Archduke of Austria.] Shakspeare.

"Thou slave! thou wretch! thou coward!

Thou Fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by

Extremes of violent emotion are expressed by a force which is powerfully impressed on all the parts of a sound which can receive effect to the ear, the beginning, the middle, and the end. This form of utterance is, in coincidence with its effect, termed “thorough stress.”

EXAMPLE OF "THOROUGH STRESS."

[From Macbeth's Adjuration.] Shakspeare.
"Though the treasure
Of Nature's germins tumble all together,
Even till Destruction sicken; answer me
To what I ask you!"

"Tremor."

When the "stress " peculiar to any emotion, is interrupted by a tremulous action of the organs, it is termed, in elocution, the "tremor." This mode of utterance belongs to fear, grief, joy, and other emotions, in their excess.

EXAMPLE OF "TREMOR."

Grief.

[From Lines on the Death of a Child.] Anon.
"Pale mourned the lily where the rose had died;
And timid, trembling, came he to my side."

Repeat, also, the closing lines of the examples of Grief and Sorrow, under the head of "Pure Tone," "Subdued Force."

THE word "melody" applies, in elocution, as in music, to all those modifications of voice which are founded, not on force or "movement," -not on "soft" or "loud," "fast" or "slow," but on the relations which sounds bear to each other, as high or low on the musical scale.

"Melody" necessarily implies, in the first place, an initial or commencing note, high or low, to which the successive sounds of a strain may be referred, as the first of a series, or sequence, taking their departure from it. This initial sound is termed the pitch of the voice. Hence we say that a strain expressive of awe or solemnity, has a low pitch, or that the voice, in giving it utterance, strikes a low

note.

pitch.

We say, also, that the sounds expressive of joy have a high

The word "pitch," as used in elocution, is applied, likewise, to the prevailing high or low sounds which pervade an expressive strain of utterance. Thus, when we say that awe has a low pitch, we mean not only that the voice, in giving it utterance, strikes a low note, at the commencement of the strain, but that it continues comparatively low on the scale, during the whole passage which contains that emotion.

The terms "high" and "low" are liable to a misapplication, in negligent popular usage, which makes them synonymous with "loud" and "soft." But in elocution, as in music, these words should be restricted to the sense of shrill or grave, as in speaking of the difference between the voices of women and of men.

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High," "low," and "middle" pitch, with the addition of the extremes of "highest," or "very high," and "lowest," or "very low," are the distinctions in current use in elocution.

The deepest emotions of the soul, as despair, horror, and awe, and others of similar character, are distinguished in utterance by a "very low" pitch. Reverence and solemnity, in their usual effect, are ex

pressed by "low" notes of voice. All moderate emotions incline to "middle" pitch; and joyous feeling, is, according to its degree, "high" or "very high." Anger, when it is sharp and keen, is highpitched; when grave and stern, it is low.

To observe the varying shades of voice, caused by the changes of emotion, and consequent change of "pitch," is indispensable to true expression in reading. Without these variations, the style of utterance becomes flat and dead, from its monotony; and the composition to which this lifeless reading is applied, loses its true character and effect.

The examples and exercises which have been used as illustrations in preceding pages, should be carefully repeated for the distinctions of "pitch," classified as follows: "Lowest," or "very low," the 2d example of Solemnity, under "Pure Tone," "Subdued" Force; "Low," the 3d, 1st, and 4th, of the same, the 3d of Tranquillity, and the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th of Pathos, and the 1st, 3d, and 4th of Solemnity; "Middle," the 1st of Pathos, the 1st, 2d, 4th, and 5th of Tranquillity, 1st, 2d, and 3d examples of "Pure Tone," "Moderate" Force, and the example of " Declamatory" Style, under "Expulsive Orotund ; - High, the 2d example of Pathos

under "Pure Tone," "Subdued " Force, the 4th and 5th of "Pure Tone," "Moderate" Force, the examples of "Expulsive Orotund," "Impassioned Expression," and Shouting; - Very high, the example of "Pure Tone," "Sustained " Force, in Calling.*

"MOVEMENT."

THE term "movement" applies, in elocution, as in music, to the rate of utterance, as fast, slow, or moderate. The gradations of "movement," in elocution, are the following: "Slowest," or "Very Slow," including Awe and deep Solemnity; —“Slow,” Reverence, Solemnity, Pathos ; · ;—“Moderate,” Tranquillity, Seriousness, Gravity ; — "Lively," Animation, Cheerfulness; -"Brisk," or "Quick," Gayety, Humour; ;—“ Rapid,” or “Very Quick,” Haste, Hurry. Repeat, for practice, the examples already given of the above emotions.

*The other constituents of "melody," beside "pitch," -as the intervals traversed by the voice in skips, "slides" and "waves," together with the effects of " diatonic" and "chromatic melody," -may be found exemplified in the volume on Orthophony. Teachers and students who wish for a more extensive course of study, in this and other departments of elocution, as presented by Dr. Rush, are referred to the "Philosophy of the Voice," for full statements of theory, and to the "Orthophony," and the "American Elocutionist," for practical applications.