CHAPTER V.

THE TONES OF THE EMOTIONS.

IFFERENT emotions and passions are expressed

by different intonations of voice. I will not enlarge here upon the lamentable prevalence of false intonations, but we may say that if persons really desirous of cultivating the art of elocution, would but notice the people around them when under the influence of different passions, they would very soon become familiar with the vocal expression natural to the various emotions; they would soon discover that in nature we never describe the tender, the affectionate, the beautiful, in semitones; nor deliver sublime passages with abrupt force (which is natural to "rage" and kindred passions). These errors are specified because of their being most common among false intonations. The observant student will find that force, abruptness, time, and pitch are employed in various degrees in giving expression to every emotion that has possession of the mind; he will also perceive that there are some occasions on which soft and tender intonations would be utterly ridiculous; and others again on which force would cause the sentiment to appear disgusting bombast. That state of mind which indicates mere "thought," narratives or descriptions,

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which represent things as they are in themselves, without reference to our relationship to them, require an intonation which is unemotional; that which we call the didactic, or simply intellectual. Force of voice is employed in the expression of rage, wrath, danger, horror; and force combined with the aspirate gives us astonishment, exultation, or surprise-according to the degrees of aspiration and force used. Abrupt force gives us a greater degree of rage, wrath, anger, or impatience; then with less force, much less, and equal abruptness, we have mirth and raillery. All sentiments that embrace the idea of deliberation we give in lengthened intonations, as sorrow, grief, respect, veneration, dignity, apathy, contrition. speak of this here, as these passions in their expression are opposed to those more violent emotions, which will not bear repression, but take instant relief in "abrupt force." The quality of voice in anger and in imperative authority is "loud "; in grief, modesty, commiseration, "soft"; secresy is "whispered"; hate is "aspirated." We hear the "head voice" in the whine of peevishness; in the querulous, in the high tremulous pitch of mirth, in the piercing scream of terror; we hear the head voice in all of these, but they are distinguished from each other by the different degrees of force, of time, and of emphasis or stress, that are also employed in conjunction with it.

A softened modulation of voice is required by humility, modesty, shame, doubt, irresolution, apathy, fatigue, caution, tranquillity--these on whole tones generally, and with different degrees of time and

stress; the same degree of gravity in combination with the semitone gives us sorrow, pity, grief.

Take, for example, a few lines that are capable of being given with different meanings, according to the intonation employed. These spoken by Constance in King John will serve the purpose:

Const. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace! False blood to false blood join'd! gone to be friends! Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those provinces ? It is not so.

Deliver this passage on varied semitones, with the vowels all pronounced in slow time, and you have "sorrow." The relative acuteness or gravity of the semitones used on this passage is indicated by the following arrangement:

6 and Blanch those provinces!

5 Shall Lewis have Blanch?

4 gone to be friends!

2 gone to swear a peace!

1 Gone to be married!

3 False blood to false blood join'd! 7 It is not so!

Now pronounce the lines on whole tones but with the voice skipping about up and down the scale ad libitum, but not with regularity, neither reaching a very high nor a very low key; literally tripping about among the notes within a reasonable compass, like this for instance:

The vowel sounds are all pronounced in quick time; they are not dwelt upon as in sorrow, but are sounded, and instantly the voice skips to another word-now we have the intonation of joy.

To render the passage with "anger" "abrupt force" is used, the vowel sounds are "exploded" rather than spoken, the chest voice is to be employed here, and with great force; the voice does not rise to so high a key as in joy, nor fall to so low a key as in sorrow; yet avoid the "monotone," which is the symbol of a very different passion.

Now give the lines with surprise; in portraying this emotion the voice will travel through several whole tones on almost every word; the time is slow in unmixed surprise, but the leading feature of surprise is the "partial aspirate"; the words being partly spoken, partly breathed forth.

This little example may be given with sarcasm,