Abstract
THE writer of this book endeavours to show that the tones of the human voice are not produced by the vibrations of the vocal cords, but by means of movements or pressures of the air in the sinuses found in the frontal, supermaxillary, sphenoid and ethmoid bones, and which all communicate with the cavities of the nose; in short, his theory may be called sinus tone production. In our opinion the author has not succeeded in establishing his position. The facts of anatomy and physiology, and the data of experiment, are entirely against him. Nothing is more certain than that the vocal cords vibrate, and on the other hand, one cannot conceive how vocal tones could possibly be produced by the cavities we term sinuses. These, no doubt, have their effect in modifying the qualities of vocal tones by resonance, and the quality of a so-called head voice may be so explained. The merit of the little book is that it is written in an interesting, breezy style by one who is obsessed by an idea, and that it is illustrated by a number of beautiful diagrams, evidently from actual photographs, showing the anatomical position of the various sinuses. The various pictures are admirable.
Science and Singing.
A Consideration of the Capabilities of the Vocal Cords and their Work in the Art of Tone Production. By Ernest G. White. Pp. 72. (London: The Vincent Music Co., Ltd., n.d.; Boston, Mass.: Thomas J. Donlan, 1909.) Price 4s. 6d. net.
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M., J. Science and Singing . Nature 82, 126 (1909). https://doi.org/10.1038/082126b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/082126b0