Biography of Professor Eugene Feuchtinger
The man who found the key to perfect voice
training
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Professor Eugene Feuchtinger |
Today Professor Eugene Feuchtinger is still regarded as one of the greatest voice teachers of the twentieth century. In fact, he is still regarded by many as having been the best ever. Since 1916 over 70 000 students received tutorship under three generations of Feuchtingers.
The process of working out silent vocal exercises was originally started by Feuchtinger’s grandfather, Casper Feuchtinger, who was the court musician to the Duke of Waldeck. Casper first realized that there were certain basic principles that underlay voice building, which didn’t have anything to do with much of the hocus pocus that was being taught. He realized that if these principles could be understood and applied, the voices of ordinary people could be built in a manner which had never been possible before.
This knowledge was passed on to Casper’s son, who inherited musical talent which amounted to such genius that he was awarded the Order of Arts and Sciences by the King of Württemberg. He continued building on his father’s work in trying to understand the most basic functioning of the human voice, and learning how to apply it. He taught in Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg, before coming to America in 1916 to establish the Institute of Voice Training and Building.
Having made an exhausting study of the human voice organ, Feuchtinger’s efforts led him to study all the various muscles and bones that were connected to the production of voice. His final breakthrough came when at last, he found that the greatest key to the perfection of the human voice could be found in one single muscle—the hyo-glossus muscle, at the base of the tongue.
Eugene Feuchtinger regarded this discovery as his “gift to the world” from three generations of Feuchtingers. He made it his life’s mission to teach his discoveries to the ears and minds of every man or woman on earth who desired to have a fulfilling life by possessing a beautiful voice. In doing all these things, Feuchtinger emerged as a pioneer in the science of voice improvement.
During his time, Professor Feuchtinger had students from all over the world and from all walks of life. Feuchtinger was convinced that when the vocal organ was healthy, properly-developed and under perfect control, this would automatically result in the kind of professional voice and singing ability which so many students sought in vain through traditional voice training course. Not only did this approach prove to be far easier than traditional training in “singing,” but it was also vastly more affordable to his students.
With his unique approach, Professor Feuchtinger helped singers to comfortably reach higher notes. Some students who previously struggled to sustain a high C, often found themselves able to comfortable sustain a high D. Voices that had been ruined, became useable again, and overall, singers just found that they could sing in a more relaxed, more effortless manner, and that their voices retained their youthful strength and charm.Click here for some of the professional singers who trained with Professor Feuchtinger
After his initial ground breaking discovery regarding the role of the hyo-glossus muscle, the Professor laboriously developed what would become known as the world-famous “Feuchtinger technique.” He then spent the rest of his life sharing this precious knowledge with his students.
By a unique system of long-distance learning, Feuchtinger trained most of his students using audio tape technology. In this manner he was able to reach students from virtually every corner of the world, yet still maintain that personal connection. While many of Feuchtinger’s students went on to share some of what they had learnt with other students over the years, the only place where Professor Feuchtinger’s methods are still being taught today in complete, professional form, is at Perfect Voice.