Description
Book SynopsisDiction 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 practice drills, quizzes, and assessment forms, and An Index of Works Cited featuring all poems and songs referenced in the book in one easily accessible list • Access to a PluralPlus companion website with PowerPoint lecture slides, lesson plans, exercises, electronic versions of the appendices and supplementary resources
Table of ContentsIntroduction A Message to Students A Message to Teachers Acknowledgements Reviewers Chapter 1. Gathering the Tools Introduction Meaning Pronunciation Articulation Enunciation Punctuation Cultural Context The Anatomy of Diction The Mechanics of Diction Classification of Vowels Classification of Consonants Diction and Vocal Health The Rainbow Passage Interpretation: Where to Begin What Do Singers Sing About? Where Were Songs Sung and Why? Why Do We Sing as We Do? How is Love Expressed in English? What is the Italian View of Love? How do Germans Interpret the Concept of Love? Do the French Have Different Views of Love? Love and the Seasons Singer’s Diction: Poetry in Song Discussion Questions Orpheus and His Lyre Can Poetry Be Defined? What is Poetry? Who Writes Poetry, When, and Why? How Should Poetry Be Read? How Does a Singer Approach a Poem Set to Music? Why is Close Reading Important for Singing and Diction? Discussion Questions International Phonetic Alphabet: History and Use Rules of the Road Essential Vocabulary Additional Tools Terms from Greek Mythology and Roman Legend Literary Symbols Translations – Literal, “Singable,” and Poetic Rhythm Rhyme Symbols Expressivity of Vowels and Consonants Literal or “Word-by-Word” Translations Singable Translations Poetic Translations/Equivalent Conclusion References Chapter 2. English The Sounds of English Singing in English: Why is English Such a Challenge? Singing in English: How is Singing English different than Speaking English? The Sounds of English English Vowel Sounds: The Cornerstones of Singer’s Diction English Consonants Study Guide: English Consonant Sounds Practicing Vowel Sounds in English The Parts of Speech and Elements of Syntax in English Component Parts of English Sentences William Shakespeare: The Place to Start in English Early English Song Lute Songs and Their Lyrics Defined Discussion Questions Diction in Context: Comparative Listening Exercises English Ayres John Dowland (1563-1626) Philip Rosseter (1568-1623) Thomas Morley (1557-1602) Early Opera, Oratorio and Airs Henry Purcell (1659-1695) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Thomas Arne (1710-1778) George Munro (1685-1731) English Diction First Presentation Repertoire Suggestions Duet Settings Poetry and Song in 19th and 20th Century England William Blake (1757-1823) Poet, Painter and Printmaker The Brownings: Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning The Rossettis: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) Ivor Gurney (1890-1937): Poet and Composer A. E. Housman: Poet Whose Words Sparked British and American Song The 19th and 20th Century American Song The American Approach to Poetic Thought Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman James Joyce and James Stephens Discussion Questions English Diction Final Presentation Repertoire List Conclusion References Chapter 3. Italian The Sounds of Italian Italian Vowels Italian Consonants Diction in Context: Italian Vowels The Letters “e” and “o” Diction in Context: Consonants More About the Letters “c,” “g,” and “sc” Double Consonants and Consonant Clusters Single and Double Consonant Practice Parts of Speech and Elements of Grammar Elements of Sentences Discussion Questions Italian Language and Thought Dante and Petrarch Petrarch and Laura Early Italian Song Giulio Caccini (1546-1618) Marco Antonio (Pietro) Cesti (1620-1669) Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) Alessandro Parisotti (1853-1913) Stefano Donaudy (1879-1925) Discussion Questions Italian Diction First Presentation Repertoire List Italian Vocal Music in the Nineteenth Century Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Italian Diction Final Presentation Repertoire List Conclusion References Chapter 4. German The Sounds of German Single Vowels or Monophthongs Diphthongs Glide Fricative Consonants Affricative Consonants Lateral Consonant Unvoiced Stop Plosive Consonants Onset of Open Vowels Parts of Speech and Elements of Grammar Elements of Sentences Goethe and Romanticism Discussion Questions The Poets Heinrich Heine (1797-1856): Lyric Poet Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866) Joseph von Eichendorff (1788-1857) Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) The Composers Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1846) and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896) Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) German Diction First Presentation Repertoire List Later 19th Century German Lied Hugo Wolf and Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) Hugo Wolf and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) Hugo Wolf and Joseph von Eichendorff (1788-1857) Hugo Wolf and Italienisches Liederbuch Hugo Wolf and Spanisches Liederbuch Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Richard Strauss (1864-1949) German Diction Final Presentation Repertoire List Conclusion References Chapter 5. French The Sounds of French Mute “e”: [ə] or [÷] Glides “Mixed” Vowels Nasal Vowels Diacritical Marks French Consonants Parts of Speech and Elements of Grammar Elements of Sentences The Early French Art Song Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Cesar Franck (1822-1890) Charles Gounod (1818-1893) Composers of the French Mélodie Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Who Wrote the Poems that Inspired French Mélodie? Paul Verlaine (1844-1916) Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Charles Baudelaire (1811-1867) Theophile Gautier (1811-1872) Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) Henri Duparc (1848-1933) Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947) Discussion Questions The French mélodies of Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, and Erik Satie Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Erik Satie (1866-1925) French Diction Final Presentation Repertoire List Conclusion References Concluding Thoughts Glossary Appendix A. Practice Drills, Quizzes, Assessment Forms Appendix B. Index of Works Cited Appendix C. Resources for Diction Learning Index
