Singing for Health in Tudor England October 3, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Ancient, Modern , trackback
Sir Thomas Elyot (c. 1490-1546) was a Tudor polymath who wrote on politics, classical learning and Christian living: his day job, meanwhile, was as a diplomat to Henry VIII. In Elyot’s most interesting book (at least to the modern reader) The Castell of Helth the author sets out tips for good living and cures based on ancient Greek principles (Galen, humours etc). Beach ran across a particularly curious cure today. Elyot, on several occasions in the Castell, makes the case for singing for health. Elyot states, naturally, that ‘vociferation’ is a fine exercise for the lungs and ‘brest’, but his claims go beyond this. According to Elyot singing (and crying!) should be used by those who ‘desyre, to remayne longe in helth, is most diligently, & as I mought say, moste scrupulousely to be obserued’.
[singing] purgeth naturall heate, and maketh it also subtyll and stable, and maketh the membres of the body substancyall and stronge, resystynge diseases. This exercyse wold be vsed, of persones shorte wynded, and theym, whiche can not fetche theyr brethe, but holdyng their necke streight vpright. Also of them, whose fleshe is consumed, speciallye about the breaste and shoulders. also which haue had apostume broken in theyr breastes.
Singing for health helps with the stomach, too, apparently and ‘It is good also for grefes of the heed.’ Try belting out ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ with a headache…
As to the method
He that intendeth to attempt this exercise, after that he hath ben at the stoole, and softly rubbed the lower partes, and washed his handes. Lette hym speake with as base a voyce as he can, and walkynge, begynne tosynge lowder & lowder, but styll in a base voyce, and to take no hede of sweete tunes or armonye. For that nothynge dothe profyte vnto helthe of the body, but to inforce hym selfe to synge greatte, for therby moche ayre drawen in by fetchyng of breath, thrustyth forth the breast and stomacke, and openeth and inlargeth the poores. By hygh crienge and lowde readynge [reading aloud], are expellyd superfluouse humours.
Of course, this treatment is not suitable for everyone.
But notwithstandyng, this exercyse is not vsed alway, and of all persons. For they in whome is abundance of humours corrupted, or be moche diseased with crudite in the stomak and vaines, those doo I counsayle, to abstayne from the exercyse of the voyce, leste moche corrupteth iuyce or vapours, may therby be into all the body dystrybuted.
Much of the Castell is borrowed, as noted above, from classical medicine. Is there any kind of Greek precedent for singing for health? drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
Interestingly in his other writings Elyot was rather chary about singing. He felt that it was unsuitable for young nobles, at least as a serious occupation.
