Amateur Singers.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 995, 27 March 1891, Page 5

Amateur Singers.

The following sensible remarks are made regarding amateur singers by Madame Nordica, in an article published in Woman : - ‘Amateurs should never at any time lose sight of the fact that it in quite possible to be a most pleasing, and even accomplished, singer without excelling in any difficult embellishments, and that such, unless faultlessly executed, are much better left alone. The following are good rules : First, keep tune ; second, keep time ; third, do not sing on the consonants, but keep tho vowels well open ; fourth, select songs that are not beyond your powers ; fifth, choose such as wilt please your audience ; grave _ and classical, or sparkling and bright; sixth, when requested to sing, do it at once, or not at all ; seventh, bo obliging when asked, but do not drug people with your vocalism. T like to see amateurs play their own accompaniments ; it makes them independent. Their hand knows what their voice is going to do. Being conscious of where they want to breathe, pause, sing softly, and so forth, their hands obey their will, and the ensemble is complete. Of course, this applies to intelligent players only. Such as are not had much better have somebody to play for them ; but unless the ‘ somebody ’ is one who is in the habit of doing it, and who knows and follows their style, the combination of talent will probably not be happy, for many excellent pianoforte players are excessively bad accompanists.’