padmanabha
5th November 2006, 08:27 PM
[tscii:193827d0aa]Ventriloquism:
If we explore our myths, and legends, we will find that they are full of miracles-thieves were kept off the golden sands of river Pactolus in Lydia by stones that spoke. Saint Dhyaneswar made buffalo recite the Vedas.
WERE these real miracles or excellent ventriloquial performances?
VENTRILOQUISM is an ancient art. I t is referred to in a Chaldean book of Prophesies supposed to have been authored by King Solomon II.
“Ventriloquism is a vocal-visual illusion” says Prahlada Acharya a magician cum ventriloquist. Here the source of the voice is cleverly disguised. To the listener, it seems as if the voice is coming from else where, not from the real speaker” he says.
How is the sound produced then?
It is produced with the usual organs, though the method is different.
Does the ventriloquist speak while breathing in?
No we speak when we exhale. While speaking the inhalation time is reduced according to the length of the spoken sentence. For a ventriloquist breathing economy and control are very essential. After taking a deep breath, the ventriloquist keeps the diaphragm, depressed and lets the breath escape slowly while speaking. This makes the sound high pitched, forced and muffled. The tongue is drawn backward in a special way. THE UPPER PALATE IS RAISED TO THE MAXIMUM producing a falsetto.
All ventriloquists have partners. He looks at a point from where the voice is supposed to come from. This diverts the audience attention. He pretends that his partner has life.
We inject a lot of comedy. That helps to carry off the show with ease. To give the voice coming from the next room, the artist releases the stress on the consonants. To give an illusion of a great distance, he diffuses the sound” he informed. SOME ANIMALS HAVE THIS CAPACITY. Doves CAN DIFFUSED SOUND. We KNOW HOW DIFICULT TO LOCATE THE CHIRPING CICADA/CRICKET. EVEN THOUGH dogs have a keen sense of hearing they are mislead by rabbits. Rabbits makes is voice coming from else where.
According to Prahalada, ventriloquism and shadow play are allied arts. Ppeople cannot enjoy them for more than 30 minutes.
Teachers and advocates who talk for long can practice ventriloquism. It will be easy for them.
He has performed escape acts twice. Once he escaped from the Bellari jail in eight seconds. He has also performed under water escape act in jog falls.
(This write up of mine was published in the Hindu (the metro) in 2001 January.)
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If we explore our myths, and legends, we will find that they are full of miracles-thieves were kept off the golden sands of river Pactolus in Lydia by stones that spoke. Saint Dhyaneswar made buffalo recite the Vedas.
WERE these real miracles or excellent ventriloquial performances?
VENTRILOQUISM is an ancient art. I t is referred to in a Chaldean book of Prophesies supposed to have been authored by King Solomon II.
“Ventriloquism is a vocal-visual illusion” says Prahlada Acharya a magician cum ventriloquist. Here the source of the voice is cleverly disguised. To the listener, it seems as if the voice is coming from else where, not from the real speaker” he says.
How is the sound produced then?
It is produced with the usual organs, though the method is different.
Does the ventriloquist speak while breathing in?
No we speak when we exhale. While speaking the inhalation time is reduced according to the length of the spoken sentence. For a ventriloquist breathing economy and control are very essential. After taking a deep breath, the ventriloquist keeps the diaphragm, depressed and lets the breath escape slowly while speaking. This makes the sound high pitched, forced and muffled. The tongue is drawn backward in a special way. THE UPPER PALATE IS RAISED TO THE MAXIMUM producing a falsetto.
All ventriloquists have partners. He looks at a point from where the voice is supposed to come from. This diverts the audience attention. He pretends that his partner has life.
We inject a lot of comedy. That helps to carry off the show with ease. To give the voice coming from the next room, the artist releases the stress on the consonants. To give an illusion of a great distance, he diffuses the sound” he informed. SOME ANIMALS HAVE THIS CAPACITY. Doves CAN DIFFUSED SOUND. We KNOW HOW DIFICULT TO LOCATE THE CHIRPING CICADA/CRICKET. EVEN THOUGH dogs have a keen sense of hearing they are mislead by rabbits. Rabbits makes is voice coming from else where.
According to Prahalada, ventriloquism and shadow play are allied arts. Ppeople cannot enjoy them for more than 30 minutes.
Teachers and advocates who talk for long can practice ventriloquism. It will be easy for them.
He has performed escape acts twice. Once he escaped from the Bellari jail in eight seconds. He has also performed under water escape act in jog falls.
(This write up of mine was published in the Hindu (the metro) in 2001 January.)
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