If the student could give up her work on my advice, she had better give it up without it. One does not study for a goal. The goal is a mere accident.

In the piano, one has the instrument complete before he begins; but in the case of the voice, the instrument has to be developed by study.

Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works.

A student will send me an urgent appeal to hear her, saying she is poor and wants my advice as to whether it is worth while to continue her studies. I invariably refuse such requests.

Vocal study before age 20 is likely to be injurious, though some survive it in the hands of very careful and understanding teachers.

We are rich in the quantity of songs rather than in the quality. The singer has to go through hundreds of compositions before he finds one that really says something.

The sincerity of the art worker must permeate the song as naturally as the green leaves break through the dead branches in springtime.