A Handbook of Diction for Singers: Italian, German, French Book

A Handbook of Diction for Singers is a textbook for the proper pronunciation and idiomate use in singing of the three foreign languages that every English-speaking singer must deal with: Italian, German, and French. The purpose of the book is to combine traditional approaches found in other diction texts with important material not readily available elsewhere. The international phonetic alphabet is the primary tool used to convey the sounds of each language, which are presented logically and sequentially, along with other relevant information, such as diacritical marks, syllabificaiton, word stress, and what to look for in dictionaries. Particular attention is paid to characteristics of vowel length for each language. The book presents additional detailed information and discussion of aspects of the languages as they relate to singing. For Italian, there is an extensive discussion of the execution of phrasal diphtohongs not found in other texts, as well as a detailed appendix presenting patterns of open and closed e and o. For German, the question of when to use glottal attacks in singing is thoroughly discussed, as is the execution of phrasal consonant clusters. The French chapter gives many examples of musical settings of mute e (schwa) and of glides; liasion is concisely but thoroughly presented. A Handbook of Diction for Singers is appropriate for beginning levels if used selectively, but is thoroughness makes it valuable for more advanced levels.Read More