Note 5 — Chapter XIX · THE CULTURE OF THE SPEAKING VOICE AS THE NATURAL GROUND FOR THE CULTURE OF THE SINGING VOICE

The fact that “ease of pronunciation may account for the lack of dramatic grandeur and vigor in Italian” makes us think of Tommaso Salvini, the great Italian actor who played not only in Italian repertoire, but also Shakespeare in Italian, for English as well as American audiences. The effects of his artistic voice of which we still hear, were not lacking in dramatic grandeur and vigor, which, on the contrary, were very prominent, despite the fact that he possessed the easiest pronunciation.

The pianist, the dancer, the tennis player, or the acrobat, does not lack in grandeur or vigor because of his ease in performing; and the unfortunate horse who pulls a heavy truck along a road littered with stones is not very much pleased with his dramatic grandeur and vigor in accomplishing it. He is trying to go ahead until, obliged to give up for lack of strength, he stretches himself out on the ground. Ease, after all, is not such a deadly evil in the world as Mr. Kofler seems to think.