Remark 5.—­To improve the voice in these respects, practice is necessary.  Commence, for example, with the lowest pitch the voice can comfortably sound, and repeat whole paragraphs and pages upon that key with gentle force.  Then repeat the paragraph with increased force, taking care not to raise the pitch.  Then rise one note higher, and practice on that, then another, and so on, until the highest pitch of the voice is reached.  Reverse the process, and repeat as before until the lowest pitch is obtained.

Note.—­In these and all similar exercises, be very careful not to confound pitch and force.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY.

The tones of the voice should vary also in quantity, or time required to utter a sound or a syllable, and in quality, or expression, according to the nature of the subject.

Remark.—­We notice a difference between the soft, insinuating tones of persuasion; the full, strong voice of command and decision; the harsh, irregular, and sometimes grating explosion of the sounds of passion; the plaintive notes of sorrow and pity; and the equable and unimpassioned flow of words in argumentative style.

The following direction, therefore, is worthy of attention: 

The tones of the voice should always correspond both in quantity and quality with the nature of the subject.

Examples.

Passion and Grief

   “Come back! come back!” he cried, in grief. 
   “Across this stormy water,
   And I’ll forgive your Highland chief,
      My daughter!  O, my daughter!”

Plaintive
  I have lived long enough:  my way of life
  Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf: 
  And that which should accompany old age,
  As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends,
  I must not look to have.

Calm
   A very great portion of this globe is covered with water, which is
   called sea, and is very distinct from rivers and lakes.

Fierce Anger

  Burned Marmion’s swarthy cheek like fire,
  And shook his very frame for ire,
        And—­“This to me?” he said;
     “And ’t were not for thy hoary beard,
  Such hand as Marmion’s had not spared
     To cleave the Douglas’ head!

Loud and Explosive

     “Even in thy pitch of pride,
  Here, in thy hold, thy vassals near,
      I tell thee thou ’rt defied! 
  And if thou said’st I am not peer
  To any lord in Scotland here,
  Lowland or Highland, far or near,
  Lord Angus, thou hast lied ’”

Remark 1.—­In our attempt to imitate nature it is important to avoid affectation, for to this fault even perfect monotony is preferable.