Anonymous

“ Too much attention cannot be bestowed on the study of sound as it falls on the ear, and an endeavor to imitate it as it is heard—for the “secret” of the art is, that as perspective is to the eye so is ventriloquism to the ear. When we look at a painting of a landscape, some of the objects appear at a distance; but we know that it is only the skill of the artist which has made it appear as the eye has seen it in reality. In exactly the same manner a ventriloquist acts upon and deceives the ear, by producing sounds as they are heard from any known distances. ”

“ I would say that a moderate degree of assumption, a gay vivacity, ready to break out into a smile, a cheerful spirit, and a joyous voice, will go a great way to bespeak favor, which the performer can quickly repay by dashing off his tricks with enthusiasm. The language used by the conjurer should be studiously guarded. Let there be no vain-glorious assertions, no self-praise, but respectful deference to the judgment of the spectators; rather inclining to give them the credit of understanding more than they do, than twitting them with understanding less. ”

“ He must therefore, know how to disguise the true direction of his voice; because the artifice will give him an opportunity to substitute almost any echo he chooses in the place of it. But the superior part of the human body has been already proved to form an extensive seat of sound, from every point of which the pulses are repelled as if they diverge from a common centre. This is the reason why people, who speak in the usual way, cannot conceal the direction of their voices, which in reality fly off towards all points at the same instant. ”

“ In ordinary language, we speak of noise, of common sound, and of musical sound-terms employed by Dr. Thomas Young in illustrating the mechanical agencies of articulation:—“A quill striking against a piece of wood causes a noise, but striking successively against the teeth of a wheel, or of a comb, a continued sound, and, if the teeth of the wheel are at equal distances, and the velocity of the rotation is constant, a musical sound. The general terms—pitch, loudness, quality, and duration, embrace all the distinctions with which the musician has to deal, and which he uses in his art.” ”

“ The imagination of the spectators having been excited by the expectation of beholding a shower of money, the adept in sleight-of-hand, keeping one of the two coins in his right hand concealed, must advance the other coin to the end of his forefinger and thumb, while he pretends to pick a coin out of the candle, or of the rim of a hat, or from a lady’s fan or shoulder, or may pretend to clutch a coin floating in the air. ”

“ Thus, when the ventriloquist looks or listens in any direction, or even simply turns towards any point, as if he expected sound to come thence, the attention of an audience is by that means instantly directed also to the same place. Thus, before a sound is produced, the audience expect it to come in the suggested direction; and the ventriloquist has merely, by his adjustment of vocal loudness, to indicate the necessary distance, when a misjudgment of the audience will complete the illusion which he has begun. ”

“ But still it comes short of a lively entertainment. It is confessedly dull for an audience to come to pauses or gaps between isolated tricks. Their attention is unoccupied while the performer, having finished off one trick, is making mute preparations to introduce some other trick wholly unconnected with what has gone before. Such a method will not keep awake the lively interest that the skilful combination of the conjuror’s art will sustain. I maintain that varied by-play and supplementary sets-off will greatly heighten the interest of the performance. ”

“ We next proceed to treat of those illusions, where the voice so perfectly counterfeits the reality intended, that it appears not to issue from the mimic, but from an appropriate source, in whatever direction, and at whatever distance the source may be. We do not hear the distance which a sound has travelled from its source, but we judge the distance from our former experience, by comparing the loudness which we hear with the known distance and known loudness of similar sounds heard on former occasions. ”

“ So-and-So undertakes to present before you what, TO ALL APPEARANCE, is the conversion of black into white, or vice versa; and the audience are clearly aware that no more is assumed to be presented to them than a very striking illusion, undistinguishable from a reality; and how this is effected will be in many cases wholly untraceable, and therefore the trick is inimitable.
We may be permitted to feel some pleasure in the conviction that the exhibition of our art in its more striking exploits is really marvelous, and very attractive ”

“ Bare tricks brought forward as isolated experiments give time for the mind to take its estimate of their possibility; and, of course, in attempting to exhibit wonders, the improbability of them is apt to stare people strongly in the face. They are perfectly convinced that a dime cannot fly into an orange at the other end of the room, that ink cannot become water, nor a hat be safely used as a frying-pan ”

“ Near sounds are louder than distant ones. Now, by preserving the same pitch, quality, and duration, but with an accurately graduated reduction of loudness, a series forming a perspective of sounds may be created, which, falling in succession on the ear, will suggest to the mind a constantly increasing distance of the sound’s source. ”

“ To imitate the tormenting bee, the student must use considerable pressure on his chest, as if he was about to groan suddenly, but instead of which, the sound must be confined and prolonged in the throat; the greater the pressure, the higher will be the faint note produced, and which will perfectly resemble the buzzing of the bee or wasp. ”

“ As the amateur will aspire to come before his parlor audience some day or other, it may be some little service and help to him to give a few suggestions as to the best way of conducting such an exhibition, and to specify the kind of tricks to which he will do well to limit himself. It will be desirable to open with an off-hand expression of his wish to place before them a few amusing tricks to wile away an hour; and let him assume a lively air, for his own liveliness will sustain that of the spectators. ”

“ With the exhibition of an amateur, the performance of some lively airs upon the piano by any friend will form an agreeable accompaniment, especially if the spirited and humorous melodies are introduced, which the public taste recognizes as the tunes of the day. You will do well to have your table neatly and carefully arranged. Let it not lie too near to the spectators, nor within reach of too minute inspection. ”

“ Do so; show that you have nothing in your hands or sleeves; then wave your wand or your hand, and say, “Change, pass, die, into the lower hat.” Give it a little time. Then, compressing the outward cover gently, lift off also with it the painted die-cover, which it has inside it. Lift up the lower hat, and show the company the solid die lying in it. Show all that the upper hat has received no injury.
The illusion to the audience will be that the solid die has passed through the crown of the upper hat without at all injuring it. ”

“ Let my young friends, then, carefully practise over and over again the passes and the tricks which I have already explained to them. It is the only way to attain dexterity and confidence, without which they will never be able to make any creditable exhibition of the art of conjuring. After they have attained considerable skill and sleight-of-hand in displaying a few tricks, they will easily extend the range of their performances, and gradually rise to greater ability. ”

“ You commence the trick by placing yourselves, hand-in-hand, before the looking glass. If it is rather small, your heads will be the closer—in order to see the reflection of both at once. Then, with mouths as open as may be, try which of you can crush his or her share of sugar-candy with the teeth the quickest. In the glass will appear the reflection of sparks of electricity, as the experiment proceeds. If your companion is nervous, you can of course support her with one arm—ladies are sometimes susceptible, whether from animal magnetism or what not. ”

“ The audience was of course disappointed at such words so derogatory to the conjuror. This unpleasant feeling was deepened by the malicious meddling of another false confederate. Torrini had to present some cards to the King of Naples, who was honoring the assembly by witnessing the exhibition, and a card was selected by his Majesty. Instead, however, of being pleased with what he saw on the card, the king manifested intense disapprobation. The confederate had written on the card words of disrespect and insult, and Torrini had to retire amid the loud censures of the enraged spectators. ”

“ Secondly, we have ventriloquism proper, which consists in the imitation of such voices,, sounds, and noises, not as originating in him, but in some other appropriate source at a given or varying distance, in any or even in several directions, either singly or together—a process exciting both wonder and amusement, and which may be accomplished by thousands who have hitherto viewed the ventriloquist as invested with a power wholly denied by nature to themselves. ”

“ The progress of the student will, of course, be facilitated by an inherent propensity of mimicry, which often approaches some of the minor attainments of ventriloquism. In every company some person may be found who, without any professional instruction, can give admirable imitations, of the voice, gait, and peculiarities of a friend or acquaintance; thus proving that Nature, to some extent, supplies the basis upon which, if we may use the phrase,91 the complete superstructure of vocal illusion may be raised. ”

“ In all imitations of insect noises, the bee should be heard to hum gently at first, so as in a private party not likely to attract attention till the right pitch is obtained, and be it remembered that the sound, without being particularly loud, can be made to penetrate every corner of a large room. The illusion is greatly increased by pretending to catch the offending and intrusive insect. The humble bee, the wasp, and the bluebottle fly are best to imitate, and afford an agreeable relief to the other exercises of ventriloquial power. ”

“ Hence it follows that if a man, though in the same room with another, can by any peculiar modifications of the organs of speech, produce a sound which, in faintness, tone, body, and every other sensible quality, perfectly resembles a sound delivered from the roof of an opposite house, the ear will naturally, without examination, refer it to that situation and distance; the sound which he hears being only a sign, which from infancy he has become accustomed, by experience, to associate with the idea of a person speaking from a house-top. ”

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“ You must take care that your table be so placed that none of the spectators can see behind yourself or the table. You must provide yourself with some young pet of the juveniles, such as a puppy, a kitten, or any other small pet. The performer must either have some little bag hanging under his coat-tails, or some provision for concealing the little animal behind him, or in a drawer before him; so that there will be no chance of any of the audience seeing it before the proper time. He must have ready also a penny, or any coin.
To begin the exhibition of the trick. ”

“ When the student is acquainted with the voices before described, he may imitate many others by contraction and expansion of the glottis, and by modification of the cavity of the pharynx and mouth. The best way to practice is in a room by himself, to talk loud, and, while so doing, to make all sorts of contortions with the muscles of the mouth and jaws—first fixing the jaws in the manner already described, then drawing the lips inward, next putting them forward, at the same time putting the tongue in different shapes and positions in the mouth ”

“ In the 18th Trick, the glass of wine becoming solid might be used as a good finish to any trick where some friend has assisted in its exhibition.
You may often raise a good-humored laugh by appearing to swallow any object which you have used in a trick—as an orange, ball, egg, or dime—and afterwards bringing it out from your sleeve; or, by the use of Pass 1, to drive a coin up one sleeve, round the back of your neck, and down the other sleeve, into your right hand. ”

“ Observe, the eye of the performer must rest always on the hand or object at which he desires the spectators to look, and whatever he wishes them not to notice, he himself must refrain from looking at.
If it is not required that the very object that has been held up in these passes be seen again by the spectators, the performer must quietly pocket it, or drop it on a handkerchief on his table, or inside a hat, or otherwise get rid of it as soon as he conveniently can. ”