Tickle of Tone or "Voice Placing" by Lamperti

From Vocal Wisdom:
Maxims of Giovanni Battista Lamperti:

Tickle of Tone

If the sensations (tickle) of the resonance against the mucuous membrane of nose, pharynx and mouth disappear, the mutual relation between voice and breath are broken.

These sensations must last from syllable to syllable, word to word and even phrase to phrase.

In fact, they seem to be ever present.

This is "voice placing."

If they predominate in the back part of the mouth and throat, hold the "cupped" hand over nose and mouth and feel the "tickle" on the palm of the hand as well as at bridge of nose, and in roof of mouth. This intensifies "singing in the mask."

The voice is an illusion of the two senses, touch and hearing.

Tickle of tonal vibrations and sensations of muscular energies unite only when emotion controls.

When these illusions and energies are continuous and intense, you are a great artist.

The ear is true only through team-word of thought and imagination.

Objective study is by thought through imagination to emotion.

Subjective control reverses this, when emotion arouses imagination which uses thought.

Until there is "consanguinity" in consonants, you cannot sing.

Until there is relationship between vowels, you cannot sing.

Until the mathematical accordance of two or more tones obtains, you are singing falsely.

Pure tone is a "magic carpet" that lifts us and carries us through the realm of sound.

The throat does not furnish the power of the voice, it only decides the pitch and quality of the tone.

The diaphragm does not furnish the energy to sing, it only controls the use of the same.

Throat and diaphragm are inseparable in their action, and silent or singing are always functioning - never relaxed, nor ever rigid.

Imagination cannot pilot a shaky, leaky, lop-sided voice.

The voice must "find itself" ere the subconscious powers take possession and guide.

Emotion without a floating tone, wrecks the voice.

Only a full rigged voice can exist on the sea of sound.

Giovanni Battista Lamperti was an Italian singing teacher and son of the singing teacher Francesco Lamperti. Free scores by Giovanni Battista Lamperti can be found in the International Music Score Library Project or you can purchase them online here.