French Diction For Singers

This detailed handbook provides a thorough account of lyric pronunciation that is recommended in the operatic and concert repertoire. IPA phonetic notation and musical examples are featured prominently, and exceptions to French pronunciation rules are included. The book also contains a comprehensive pronunciation guide to French spelling, (including obscure spellings and borrowed foreign words), as well as a pronunciation dictionary with 7000+ proper nouns found in the repertoire and associated with French art and culture.

Sing French is an innovative approach to the study of French Diction for singers. Written by a professional singer and teacher, this book approaches the subject from the singer's standpoint, always taking into account the necessary singing space. The first two chapters explain fundamental facts such as accents, mute and aspirate h, syllabification, legato and patterns of accentuation and stress. Not only intended for the novice, these introductory chapters will also clarify some of the seeming mysteries about the French language to those who have studied it previously and could well be used as the essential basis for a diction course limited to less than a semester's time. Seven songs by Duparc, Fauré and Debussy are presented within the book with text analyses and vocal lines, complete with IPA transcriptions and literal translations. Full piano scores of these songs (each in two keys) comprise Appendix 4. On the three accompanying compact disks the French examples and vocal lines in the first three chapters are demonstrated along with songs in performance and the piano accompaniments in two keys [Publisher description].

Introduction. I. German Vowels. II. German Consonants. III. Alphabetical Review of German Phonetics. IV. French Consonants. V. French Vowels. VI. Alphabetical Review of French Phontics. Appendices. I. Reference list of common German prefixes and prepositions used as Prefixes. II. Sample transcriptions of German texts. III. Exercises in "adjacent" vowel sounds in French. IV. Sample transcriptions of French texts. Bibliography.

Now in its second edition, A Handbook of Diction for Singers is a complete guide to achieving professional levels of diction in Italian, German, and French, the three major languages of the classical vocal repertory. Written for English-speaking singers and offering thorough, consistent explanations, it is an ideal tool for students and an invaluable reference for voice teachers, vocal coaches, and conductors. The book combines traditional approaches proven successful in the teaching of diction with important new material not readily available elsewhere, presenting the sounds of each language in logical order, along with essential information on matters such as diacritical marks, syllabification, word stress, and effective use of the variety of foreign-language dictionaries. Presented in an attractively concise format, the book goes into greater detail than comparable texts, providing specific information to clarify concepts typically difficult for English-speaking singers. Particular emphasis is placed on the characteristics of vowel length, the sequencing of sounds between words, as well as the differences between spoken and sung sounds in all three languages. Featuring significantly expanded coverage of each of the three languages and illustrated with numerous examples, this second edition of A Handbook of Diction for Singers is an exceptional text for courses in diction and a valuable reference source for all vocalists.

A concise reference and text for undergraduate classes in diction

Diction in Context is a unique and highly practical textbook for singers learning to sing in English, Italian, German, and French. Each chapter is designed for use in diction courses in academic music and voice programs, helping students learn through pronunciation, articulation, enunciation, punctuation, and cultural context in each language. Students and teachers of singing will benefit from the text’s pertinent biographical, historical and literary sources along with diction rules and textual examples of English, Italian, German and French song. For each language, there is a section on sentence structure and syntax intended to assist readers with poetic analysis and word-by-word translations. Representative song texts are provided for the purpose of comparative listening and phonetic transcription. Comparative listening reveals subtle differences in expression and diction. In addition, the texts are presented in a workbook format, allowing space for IPA dictation practice. Diction in Context provides singers with the tools needed to delve deeply into the poetry and music they sing, to pronounce text accurately and to feel confident in expressing it. By combining English, Italian, German, and French into one easy-to-use textbook, students will benefit from a comparative perspective of singing in each language. Key Features: *Repertoire lists are provided for each language and are designed to be used for class presentations and assessments *Discussion questions to challenge reader comprehension of key concepts and songs *Word-by-word translations to accompany foreign language texts *An end-of-book glossary featuring definitions of terms in the text as well as terminology encountered in related literature *Three practical appendices, including: o Practice drills, quizzes, and assessment forms o A list of additional resources for diction learning o An Index of Works Cited featuring all poems and songs referenced in the book in one easily accessible list Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.