ments are performed. It is here that the delicacy of his voice and the polish of his art demonstrate themselves irresistibly. No one who has not heard Velluti in the chamber can justly say he has heard the superlative of polished execution.

As an actor, Signor Velluti is scarcely less to be admired than as a singer. His entrata in Il Crociato is magnificent. His movements are as measured as those of our best English actors— as those of John Kemble for instance, or of Young. He has the expressive turn of the hand and elevation of arm which are peculiar to the Opera stage, and the carriage of his head is extremely dignified. It is only when muscular force is required that his physical powers do not second his conceptions. Here his action is often too graceful to consist with vigour; but all he does is stamped with the impress of mind.

From our description it will be gathered that our opinion of Signor Velluti does not fall at all short of that estimation with which he has been received abroad. It certainly does not; for whether we judge him by the received canons of art, or by the impression he makes upon our affections, he is alike consummate. We say with perfect truth, no singer ever satisfied our judgment so completely no singer ever moved our feelings so so deeply. We are however equally satisfied that the command he enjoys is derived from intellectual not from organic distinction; for did he sing with a fine tenor voice, cæteris paribus, we feel convinced that the effects would have been still more powerful, though perhaps not so exquisite. The nature of the voice renders his chambersinging finer and more satisfactory than his dramatic-of course we put his acting out of the question. It is there only that its delicacy can be accurately understood-there it is that the polished articulation of every sound can be carried to that extreme nicety to which he has brought its supremest polish. In conclusion we are inclined to believe that his excellence is attributable to individual qualifications, by which we mean that they are the result of natural intellectual superiority. The importance of the distinction will we trust be understood.

ENGLISH AND ITALIAN TONE.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR.

I AM considerably perplexed to determine with absolute certainty

concerning the properties of tone, as formed by the Italian and English methods. The Italians, although they contend that they produce the best and most perfect tone of the human voice, unquestionably compass their end by means completely artificial. The English, you will probably say, do no more than imitate the Italian method, and where they differ they fail. For a moment I shall suspend the admission or the contradiction of this universal belief, and merely remark that the English manner is more natural than the Italian.

It has been laid down that pure tone is "that which neither partakes too strongly of the lips, the mouth, the throat, or the head, but which comes freely from the chest, and is delivered justly (without undergoing any perceptible alteration) from that particular place in its passage which we learn by sympathy, and which we perceive to be exactly the same in well-taught singers, instructed according to the Italian method. A tone so generated and so emitted is the pure natural voice."* I do not dissent from this definition, but the difficulty seems to me to lie in ascertaining the claims of the throat and the head. Any pollution by the lips or mouth is instantly to be detected, and always to be abhorred. But it is not quite so easy to distinguish the limits where the dominions of the throat and the head are to be divided, marked, and assigned. It appears to me that science and nature are at variance upon this point. The throat confers fullness, richness, body-the head, clearness and brilliancy. I would however be considered to speak with due reservation. A voice decidedly throaty or thick, and one decidedly thin and heady, are equally removed

* Bacon's Elements of Vocal Science, page 142.

VOL. VII. NO. XXVII.—SEPT. 1825.

N n

from that tinge of either on which I am treating. A singer "with a whole cathedral in his throat," or "with a conventicle in his nose," as the common expression goes, is not the object of my speculation. I allude to such persons as have just predominance enough of the head or throat to enable judges to dispute about the propriety of such a formation of tone.

Let us proceed to examples; and as the tone of female voices is generally the most easily analysed, I shall draw my first instances from the ladies of the profession.

The fullest, richest, and sweetest voice I know, is that of Miss Love-but it is as certainly polluted by the throat and the mouth. No Italian would allow this tone to approach even to purity-yet it is very pleasing, not to say more pleasing than that of any other contralto singer.

The tone of Madame Ronzi de Begnis is as clearly too much from the head. This formation it is which gives that "infantine quality" which has been the subject of remark in her memoir,* and which, though she has gotten rid of a great part of this fault of late, is still to be felt as a drawback upon her performance.

The voice of Miss Wilkinson, the young lady who has appeared this season at the Ancient Concert, is rich, from the fact that it is in a degree throaty—so much so indeed, that Ì question whether, if this fault were corrected, its quality would remain. Her's is perhaps a case more completely in point than that of Miss Love. The moment Miss Wilkinson breathes a note, a practised ear revolts-an Italian would clap his hand upon his throat, and exclaim "gola!" It is nevertheless extremely doubtful whether this doth not confer the chief excellence of her tone. Yet it impedes her facility and lessens the brilliancy. It seems that the Italians have adopted a novel manner of forming the low notes of a contralto-at least I do not recollect to have heard such as are produced by Mad. Pasta before. It is this peculiar formation that gives the three registers-namely, breast voice, to E or F at the bottom of the treble staff-mixt voice to C or D-and falsette, often all above. To unite these well is an immense difficulty,

* Musical Review, vol. 4, page 314.

+ Madame Pasta's lower notes were what the French critics call sons voilées, that is they were not clear, but come forth husky. This is the consequence of the application of too much force, and is overcome by industrious practice. Mad. Pasta's low tones were this season much less husky than before.

and it is scarcely a less to use the low notes with effect, except in songs of deep and intense passion.*

The tone of Mrs. Salmon's voice is formed high, but is beyond question exceedingly pure and beautiful. Miss Stephens's is more rich and full, (I have heard it called by a very fine professional singer "a lovely voice") yet perhaps equally pure. Now I conceive the difference between these the best and purest of all our English singers to lie merely in the fact, that Miss Stepheus makes greater use of her throat than Mrs. Salmon-the consequence is, Mrs. Salmon can execute with more volubility and freedom than Miss Stephens-Miss Stephens can give greater expression in declamation than Mrs. Salmon.

The question that puzzles me is as follows.-There are many voices which, by a very slight additional employment of the powers of the throat, would gain sweetness and richness-but the instant one hears the least tinge of this guttural tone, science whispers us, it is against the rule, although we can but own the tone to he, so far as pleasing the ear alone is concerned, more agreeable. It seems to me, that a consciousness of the danger which attends this innovation-the certain knowledge of its fatal final effects, which those who have been in the habit of training or attending to the training of the voice apprehend-this consciousness I say instantly abates the pleasure the mere improvement of the tone bestows, and forbids as it were our gratification from an indulgence that we know is not legitimate.

Of all the voices I have ever heard, that of Madame Catalani I think must be admitted to be the most magnificent both as to tone and volume. It is superior in what the Italians called metallo di voce. Is this metallo the consequence of the manner of its formation? I have lately heard a voice quite as powerful, but wanting in a degree the round, full, sonorous quality. The effects I have remarked make me very curious to ascertain whether this quality be from the formation or from the mellowing of time? If memory does not deceive me, Catalani's tone twenty years ago was not so full as it now is, but was more rich, more golden, if I may use such a similitude, which I do in reference to the term "metallo." At present there appears more volume, but it has lost some of its origi

* Velluti appears to use his low voice with even more ease than the high.

nal lustre. It is like a copper-gilt vessel, from which some of the gilding is worn off—or rather like a piano forte, the hammers of which are grown hard by use.* Still however the main question remains to be solved. Is the metallo-the quality-in any considerable degree the effect of art, or is it the mere property of nature? That nature has given to Madame Catalani larger and more powerful organs than to others is beyond doubt, but still there may be, and there is I am persuaded, much that is important in the manner of employing these organs, and I potently believe there has been a great addition both of quality and volume from time and use. If we extend our enquiry to the phænomena among male voices, we shall find similar cases. The same rule appears to hold throughout all classes. Mr. Braham has an organ in point of strength and quality, like that of Catalani, though nothing is more difficult than to apprehend distinctly the real properties of his true tone-so much does he vary from the standard in execution. It is sometimes even a little throaty, often extremely heady and nasal; yet I will venture to affirm, that the true quality was and is superior in respect of volume, power, richness, and brilliancy to any tenor I ever heard. Time has had its effect on his voice: it has gained somewhat in volume, but has lost in brilliancy—it has gained strength and lost flexibility. With an organ naturally less powerful Mr. Sapio has obtained fine quality (when he does not overstrain his voice), by a high Italian formation. The moment he forces it his intonation fails. This is not his defect alone-it is common to all voices-but the reason I mention it here is, because I think that voices formed high are liable to fail with less strain upon them than those which come more from the throat-for the same reason, that thin voices go out of tune sooner than thick, as is commonly observed. Mr. Vaughan's voice is of English formation. It is certainly less artificial, and was quite as pure as any Italian voice I ever heard. It was brought out

* That the Italian formation has a tendency to increase the nasality as the singer grows old, I have constantly observed-the English formation tends to augment the throaty quality. Of this the most pregnant instance was to be found in Madame Camporese-to whose style and principles of singing few will object. Just before her retirement her tone was grown exceedingly nasal, so much so, that in singing duets with her in private, I have been perfectly astonished at her formation. I have also observed it in the orchestra. I could quote other instances, but one such is sufficient.