SECOND SERIES.

Exercises for Breathing with Interruption.

In the following exercises the duration of the respiration is to be increased, as indicated in the diagrams, with pauses.

THIRD SERIES.

Exercises for Breathing by Increasing the Length of each Successive Respiration, and by Alternating the Different Modes of Taking Breath.

Exercise VIII.

Perform Exercise VIII four times every day, six times in succession, but only after the requisite facility in the preceding exercises has been attained.

Exercise IX.

Perform Exercises VI and VII alternately with each of the three modes of respiration, abdominal, side and shoulderbreathing, in order to develop the lungs uniformly.

With careful exercise it will, after a short time, be apparent that the lungs are capable of inhaling a greater quantity of air than before, and that one is enabled to retain the breath with ease, which is of incalculable utility.

I have seen people who were unable to retain the inspired air even for a second; who had such short breath that they considered themselves invalids, although they were in perfect health; who did not even know what position the organs of the mouth assume when the breath is retained. By means of careful, persevering, and not too fatiguing exercise, under proper direction, their breath (as they have expressed it) became longer, that is, they were enabled, after going through these gymnastics with their respiratory organs, to take in a much greater quantity of air into the lungs than they could before, and naturally to emit so much more.

For those who are unable to retain their breath, the following directions will be of service:

In order to be able to retain the breath, we must close the glottis; under ordinary conditions — that is, when there is a natural cause- this takes place spontaneously, as, for example, in the application of abdominal pressure.* The action of abdominal pressure is induced by the need of protecting the abdominal organs in any unusual exertion of the body, as in bending, lifting, etc., and is brought about by closing the glottis after the lungs have been filled with air and exercising a downward pressure with the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. Merely thinking of abdominal pressure gives one the ability to close the glottis at pleasure.

Another means of arriving at the consciousness of the muscular movements required for the closing of the glottis is the following:

Exercise X.

CLOSING THE GLOTTIS AT WILL.

Pronounce the vowel A' with "direct attack" (as has been taught in the beginning of Part II, ten, fifteen times in succession), but in such a way as to keep the glottis closed before every A' for a few seconds before pronouncing the vowel. By this means we can obtain a full con

* The combined activity of the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm I call abdominal pressure.

sciousness of the muscles of the vocal cords, and acquire the ability to use them, that is, the power of closing the glottis at will.

The closing of the glottis does not suffice by itself, however, for the retention of the breath. One must also possess the ability to keep the ribs (raised outward by the external intercostals, and the contracted -drawn downward-diaphragm) fixed in their position; for, with the sinking of the ribs and the return movement of the diaphragm upward, the air is forcibly expelled from the lungs. In fact, it is necessary to be able, without the closing of the glottis, to retain the breath by merely keeping the ribs fixed in the position of inspiration and the diaphragm pressed downward.

More exercises than I have here given would be useless. They would lead the pupil into mechanical movements of the muscles, prevent all independence on his part, and finally make a mere machine of him. If the pupil has talent, then the exercises already given fully suffice for fundamental practice; if he has no aptitude, then a tenfold number would not avail him.

It may as well be remarked here, that certain gymnastics of the lungs, as well of the other organs, must be performed daily just so long as the artist desires to practice his art with success; for just as the dancer through long inactivity loses the elasticity of his limbs, so the singer or the speaker fares with his lungs.

SECTION 2.

BEGINNING OF SPEECH OR SONG.

The orator or singer must not begin a single sentence, not even the smallest, before having sufficiently filled his lungs. But it must not be understood that the lungs are to be so completely filled that not another atom of air could be contained in them, but only seven-eighths filled; for keeping the lungs completely filled increases the difficulty of holding the breath; and, therefore, also of singing and speaking.

SECTION 3.

STATE OF READINESS.

This condition, lungs sufficiently well filled, we call "the state of readiness."

The sensation of having the lungs filled must not be absent during singing or speaking, until a pause is reached.

SECTION 4.

CLOSURE OF THE GLOTTIS.

After an inspiration, the glottis should be closed for a moment, i. e., the breath held back before one commences to speak or sing. But if we begin at