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TRILBY in REAL LIFE 'Jfesfcta
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Misi Marion Graham, the Real-Life "Trilby,” WTw, Under Hypnotic Sug
gestion, Sings Like Patti.
The Medical Report on the Real “Trilby”
By Dr. Frank E. Miller.
I NOW present to you Mr. Munter and
Miss Graham. Miss Graham has
never taken a lesson, but has attemieii
both concert and opera as an auditor.
Nothing is known of her range of voice,
she has absolutely no knowledge of music,
nor does she possess any musicianship.
1 will now’ take a disc from the phono
graph, which Mr. Munter knows very
well, but of which Miss Graham has no
knowledge. He will show you how eas
ily he can by his psychic method produce
a Melba, with due allowance for psychic
disassociation and limitation.
On March 3 I met Miss Graham at the
house of Mr. Munter'who hypnotized her by
direct methods, using eye mastery and oc
casional brow stroke, both sitting in up
right chairs for twenty minutes, until the
patient was in profound hypnotic sleep,
her head lying relaxed and back on the
chair. At this point he began suggesting
very quick and deep abdominal breathing
with lips closed and nose open, declaring
that breath was the power of song His
next step was to say:
"Arise! You always wished to be an
opera singer, now you are the greatest
singer in the. world.”
Tne music box, already adjusted at 715,
was started on Mme. Schuman Heink's
record of "The Rosary.” The subject
with eyes closed arose slowly, with the
help of Mr. Munter. In less than thirty
seconds she began to sing in a very irreg
ular way. then suddenly straightened up
and burst forth with excellent rhythm, into
as excellent an imitation of Madame
Heink as one could expect.
How “Trilby” San£ for Me.
By Ada Patterson.
THROUGH the courtesy of Mr.
Charles Munter I was Invited to a
special demonstration of his Sven
gali-like powers over the dormant voice
and singing talent of Miss Marion Graham,
the Twentieth Century *New York Trilby.
The demonstration occurred at the
prosaic hour of noon and amid the imagin
ation-dulling environment of a Thirty
fourth street business office. Incessant
Broadway traffic and shrill Sixth avenue
whistles provided distractions. There was
nothing, either in habit of thought or
any previous experience, to predispose
me toward belief that anything far from
the usual was about to happen.
Mr. Munter, a small man of decided
manner, presented his secretary, a tall,
wide shouldered, deep chested girl, with
strongly marked features, clear, healthily
pale skin, and a firm, wel cut mouth.
Rather more than ordinarily good looking,
there was nothing in her appearance strik
ingly exceptional save her eyes Large
and deep set, they were in color shading
from violet to gray as light fell at various
angles upon them. Their pupils, abnor-
Just How Musical Tones Are Developed by the Open Spaces Above the Vocal Chords
... Vertical Cross- fik',. ~~ ~1
: * ; Section of the -JF *. ” ’"""‘X. —“-s. —. ""'X,
« Diagram Showing X W .a / l\
Larynx. I—The / I Z f wl ' I
\ the Hollow Spa f / J ,- , fit'lll l „
A /■-. Glottis; 2—Vocal £f f*—~ ' I f S V f Til _
A \ /‘■ ik - ces Above the I V — 1 cmmurdc»
9P Chord.; 3-Fat S e Glottis That Are / Diagram Showing / The Mouth Open- X Th « °P e " M ting Space Con-
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On consultation with Mr. Munter it *»’
deemed best to bring her out of the
hypnotic state and try the subject's voice
with something that every one should be
familiar with. With several vigorous
shakes of her head and the statement
that her mother was waiting for her,
she opened her eyes slowly and began
to laugh heartily. Although every one
In the room complimented her, she de
nied that she had sung-—that she knew
anything of what she had done, and failed
to recognize the songs. After two min
utes of interrogation she was asked to
sing "Home Sweet Home.” Her rendition
was So devoid of all the artistic points
of the hypnotical reproduction of ‘The
Rosary," wanting in all the requirements
of even an ordinary girl's singing, the
voice so piping and constrained, that it
made all laugh
On March 7. a meeting was held with
Professor Hallock and Dr. Muckey, ot
Columbia College, in which she sang for
many hours under less favorable condi
tions at flrat. After an hour she came
under complete control and sang exjel
lently seven times.
March 24. she was hypnotized In seven
teen minutes and sang almost continu
ously before several physicians and other
folk from 8 p. m until I p. m.
It would seem from this singular and re
markable case that the hypnotic sug
gcsftve newer of the pedagogue mieht
given often enough to make her realize
by automatism just the necessary organs
in union between the psychology and
physiology of voice teaching.
mally large, made them look darker. The?
were eyes of far vision, the eyes of the
cireamer. They were of .hat changeful,
half liquid quality that betokens the ex
ceedingly sensitive nature.
Marion Graham told me her story
briefly, fcr it is a brief story She is a
farmer’s daughter. With her parents she
had lived on an upstate farm until six
years ago. When sixteen she came to New
York and entered Mr. Munter's employ.
She had been of delicate physique, but
gradually had grown stronger. Last Feb
ruary she had gone to Dr. Frank E. Miller,
the eminent throat specialist and surgeon,
physician to most of the grand opera stars
Elsewhere on this page Dr. Miller recounts
the history of her case from that time, as
he presented it at the convention of the
Medical and Laryngological Society last
month, when Miss Miller and Mr. Munter
gave their curious musical entertainment
to five hundred wondering physicians
To an audience of two, Mr. Munter and
myself, Miss Graham sang in the little
office a stanza of '‘Home. Sweet Home''
Her voice, sweet but small and wavering,
flatted badly, and she stood with arms
Normally as Tuneless as ~'
Du Mauriers Heroine, Miss -Wr
Graham Sings Like Patti
When a Scientific Svengali / IvwjKS j?‘'
Robs Her of Selp / IV\' ”>
Consciousness, Doubt, / I
and Fear / '
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rigid at her sides, her hand clinched, her
shoulders sunken—as hopeless a spectacle
for singing purposes as could be con
ceived.
"Don't be afraid of me." 1 suggested
"I'm afraid of everybody." she answered,
her pale cheeks flooded with sudden pink.
"1 have always been shy. When I get on
a street car and some one happens to look
at me I suffer.”
The lifeless effort at singing finished,
she took a seat at the end of the long, flat
topped desk. Mr. Munter sat in his ac
customed place at his des.K. A distance of
three feet separated them. Mr. Munter sat
in an easy, relaxed Way in his office chair.
Miss Graham, in the same manner, sitting
opposite ' im
"Tell them to be quiet outside.” said the
hypnotist to his office boy. "Cut off the
telephone connection. 1 want no inter
ruptions'
Three persons became still. The little of
fice was on the instant an oasis of silence
in an ocean of noise. Mr. Munter looked
into Miss Graham's eyes Miss Graham
looked back into bis The room became so
silent that I could hear the deep, regular
breathing of each. No one stirred. It was
as though each of the sitting figures had
fallen asleep, although their eyes were
open.
After eighteen minutes of what seemed
an interminable silence. Miss Graham's
long, black lashes rested quietly upon her
cheeks The purplish eyelids that had
seemed to steadily grow heavier were ai
last closed.
"Open the windows wide." Mr Munter
called to the office boy waiting outside,
and currents of air from three directions
swept around us
"Now breath deeply." he said tn the
sleeping girl With childlike readiness
she obeyed, packing her lungs with deep
draughts of the cool air.
A music box was brought in Patti’s
record of "Home, Sweet Home” was placed
in it.
"Stand and sing.” At the low spoken
command the girl with the fast-closed eyes
rose. To the accompaniment of the music
box she burst into song. In her moments
of slumber, her voice had developed grea"
volume. Her tones were as big as Patti'S
as rich, as musical, asj true, and more youth
ful. fresher The contrast between this
and her fprmer timid rendition was as a
violin solo by a master compared with the
tin pan drumming of a boy infesting a
kitchen.
She sang "The Rosary” with the same
accuracy and power. With dramatic sud i
denness she changed to the "I Love Love' /
solo from "Naughty Marietta." perfectly fol /i
lowing the lead of the music box. dancing H
with girlish abandon and in perfect rhythu ||
with the music She sang an aria from I
"Pagliacci" with the same perfect melody ||
in absolute accord with the inst> u uciil W
and with appropriate and unschooled ges' I
tures. Only once in an hour’s demons L-a ’
tion, did the strange power seem to desert
her. Mr. Munter’s attention was distracted
by a noise in the hall
“1 told you to guard us against inter
ruptions,” be called to the boy without.
His vexation seemed to be communicated
to his subject. She shrugged her shoulders,
turned angrily away, started iuward the
door. He followed and placed his fingers
on her arm
"It’s all right." he said. '"Come back and
sing."
She returned, and her -oice rang out as
splendidly fresh and true as before. Once
she gasped and her head fell backward
Mr. Munter supported her.
"Open the windows wider." he called to
the boy. "Breathe deep,’ he said to his sub
ject.
She could have sung for four hours One
was enough for conviction thafthis was a
marvellous Instance of the power of sug
i gestion 1 announced myself convinced
i "Wait,” said Mr. Munter. Let me show
> you the oneness of subject and operator
He struck his finger sharply against the
edge of the table and exclaimed in p.nn
t The girl sobbed piteously He smiled and
walked toward her.
1 "It's all right." he said. "Tuat was only
» fun." She laughed in immense relief
"Now," said he in a calm, everyday tone
. "wake up.”
s The lids quivered for an in«tant over the
■ jL. J J K
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This diagram Illustrates how psychology
explains the real Trilby. A—ls the centre
cf conscious thought. B —The motor centre J 1 ,
by which muscular movements are controlled f /
C—ls the centre of hearing. E. and D—The K X ~ /
nervous rontrcl of the threat and mouth mus- ■ y ’
ties. By means of hypnotic suggestion the B F\ 7
conscious centre Is "short circuited,” pre- /
venting it from disturbing by lack of confl /
dence and other “inhibitions" the perfect /
muscular action of the tone producing me- uK&vTWmQ f
chanism In head and throat. Wv / irkr'’’
ch ed eyes. They lifted. She looked, mto . - -***TTV f
the eves of the demonstrator and smiled as K t« ~L \
■ child smiles after a healthful sleep Aik’.* ' s
"I feel all right." said the awakened F. v\ ! W
Trilby, in her former conventional tone; ■> ti i-'
"jus-t as though I had been asleep. What JMF k.VLwMr jgL 'ft t
did J do”' '
1 told her. and she looked doubtingly at
me "If that is really true," she said. "I f s A
wish I could do it when J am awake." t a \ » . ■ r
"Dr Miller says it may be the bridge . y P \ • ■ ‘' 7
which you will cross into self-confidence.'’ kr .\'Pf ■ (I , —*( Aft
sa '» ''M y r ll t
She looked at me in an ur.comprehend- • Rjr B \
Ing way and smiled in the constrained > B
manner of the habitually -epresed nature. B jßar Sm
,’rilby had vanished. The shy. routine- *
dulled secretary had returned. B 'ft
... V
The Ex planation
By a Psychologist.
thought. Self-consciousness, rmharrssa
' went, fear, lack of confidence a h-mdretf
inhibiting thoughts dissipated the sastlf
’’ large,- [art of her mental energy, which
, '• necessarily limited tier vocal power.
J , Y : ''- v l’ nil,ic suggestion applied by Mr.
\ Munter div< rted all this waste energy in'o
" ,p desirerl i-hannei. enabling Mis.- t,ra
,ia<" t oncontrate ail ner pov.e -a on '
song, to realize per singing i'b-al It :i
(.-e.iecivalde tlia’ gradually, tn a subie t
ln ''' i?sl ,;, anam the < on'-cnl ration gamed
under hypnotic suggestion 'an b“ cart i 1
'/ ". over into the conscious stale, tne advan-
r la - p which is obvious.
Krom the purely physiological s'and-
HO -- \ point, four elements enter into voice pr>
Wy- y. v?>. "ii'Aity'f--- duction. They are impulse, nutrition, the
.. >7 vaso motor nerves, ami inhibition Tians-
F ' ’’-•i- < » lated into more popular terms, this means
*» -'-A ,llat f here must be the impulse—that is,
the desire to sing-r-a sufficiently nourished
nee sne gasped and her head fell back- specifically, the organs that produce sound
11MhhHKMP>£ a rds Mr Mnnfar u —the muscles which control the voice, all
.k • Mu, ?* er ‘upported her. Open fan like Veglnning wilh the fan-like upper
v ‘ >X ' ■* * ,C w,n^ OAS wider, he said. She could jjp anf | extending to the vocal cords
” ave sun S f° r four hours.” gathered together and tied fan like with a
string; and the restriotions placed upon
A Q v means of hypnotic suggestion, Mr. vorne by the lack of sufficient exnrm se of
Photo- Munter was able to short circuit | n interesting case of Miss Marlon
graph Miss Graham s mental apparatus. Graham, she had the impulse, a strong
Taken cutting out consciousness of everything desire for vocal expression, which she said
f° r else and enabling her to focus aii uer was the greatest desire of her life Nutri-
Qi' Thi» psychic, mental and vocal powers upon tier tion was sufficient, for she has a fairlr
W-W IMMWaBWEa, New»- ideal rendering of the song. That is my well nourished body with a sufficiently
gfW paper explanation of the phenomenon powerful chest. 'I he muscles, save for the
w'T'sl JS . T During Loving music and having clear and high diseased condition of the tonsils, which
wgK fb,, ideals about the voice and singing, the can be cured, were in good condition Sha
| Actual subject, In her normal state, could not suffered from inhibition The restrictions
■L-S Experi- execute on a level with her ideals because of her life and the limitations of her sur-
went. of her inability to concentrate her mind roundings forbade her to hope that she
upon them to the exclusion of every other might ever become a great singer.