History has brought to us many legends about the speaking gods of the East, Hellas, Rome and India. Numerous episodes from the Old Testament show that God spoke to people more than once. Perhaps the secret of this mutual communication was the ability of some individuals … ventriloquism.
The fact that ventriloquism could serve as a tool for strengthening faith is hinted at in one story from the times of ancient Greece. A certain Eurykles learned that in Delphi, where the famous oracle was located, the high priest Megamon owns a statue of a goddess who speaks with a human voice.
Speak without using your mouth
Eurykles went to Delphi, where, in the presence of many spectators, the statue did indeed answer the questions of the clergyman. Eurykles stood very close to the "prophesying" goddess and made a conclusion for himself: it is not she who speaks, but the high priest himself. Eurikles noticed one detail in the behavior of Megamon: before the statue's "answer" to the interlocutor, he sighed deeply, taking as much air as possible into his lungs.
The curious Greek understood everything, for he himself possessed a rare and amazing ability to speak without the help of lips and mouth. By systematically training his vocal apparatus, he began to demonstrate his talent in public. Plato spoke about his popularity in Athens, giving the ability of Eurykles the name "engastrimentin", that is, "prophecy from the belly", or "ventriloquism" (later, in Latin, - ventrology). But Plato was wrong. In fact, a ventrologist does not work with the stomach, but with the vocal cords and facial muscles.
Ventriloquists speak without moving their lips and generally closing their mouths, and, moreover, as if the sound comes from somewhere from the side. People with this rare gift have appeared at all times. They say that when Thomas Edison first demonstrated his phonograph, a certain scholar, not believing in the possibility of a speech recording apparatus, attacked the inventor shouting: "We will not allow some ventriloquist to fool us!"
Of course, at the heart of any, even the most incredible art, there are quite natural laws. However, when you first hear the performance of ventrologists, it is easy to believe in their connection with otherworldly forces. This effect is well played in the film by Mark Zakharov "The Formula of Love", where the adventurer Count Cagliostro, with his ventriloquism, deprived sensitive ladies of their minds.
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Become an oracle
The encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron says about ventriloquism: “This is the name of the art of making sounds and pronouncing words in such a way that the listener imagines that they do not come from the person of the speaker, but from another, sometimes distant point. The art of ventriloquism has been known since ancient times."
It turns out that enough "exercise and skill" is enough, and you can become almost a Delphic oracle.
The performances of the Moscow artist Raisa Vinogradova, a former singer who unexpectedly discovered a new talent, were well known in the Soviet Union. She only smiled when her doll, sitting in her arms, turned her head and answered the audience's questions in a squeaky voice. And in the early 1930s, ventriloquist Grigory Donskoy, the uncle of the famous film director Mark Donskoy, was famous for his performances. What he showed on stage could not but arouse admiration. Appearing on the stage with 12 dolls, he conducted multi-voice and multidimensional conversations with them, and the dolls interrupted one another, and each spoke in her own voice. Diana, a big-eared dog, who was quietly sitting on a chair, also took part in the conversation.
After the departure of Grigory Donskoy, his daughter Maria and granddaughter Eugene continued his business. They were the first women in this genre. Maria Grigorievna said that out of three sisters, only she managed to master ventriloquism, although all the sisters were very fond of this and dreamed of becoming "ventrologic". According to her, a special structure of the vocal apparatus is needed, which is quite rare. In addition, it is also necessary to have correct breathing, as for professional singing, but even more so - skills that are developed gradually by regular long-term training.
Grigory Donskoy entered the stage at the age of 14 and for 65 years he comprehended art, the road to which he paved on his own. Maria and Evgenia Donskiy performed successfully not only in the USSR, but also abroad - in the USA, in the Paris Olympia Hall, in Eastern Europe. They often had conversations with their characters in three foreign languages (French, English, German).
Irina SREKALOVA