A Handbook of Diction for Singers: Italian, German, French
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...
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A Handbook of Diction for Singers is a complete guide to achieving professional levels of diction in Italian, German, and French, the major languages of the classical vocal repertory. Written for English-speaking singers, it is an ideal textbook for students of diction and is also invaluable for voice teachers, vocal coaches, and conductors. This unique book combines traditional approaches proven successful in the teaching of diction with important new material not readily available elsewhere. Employing the universally accepted International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), it presents the sounds of each language in logical order, along with essential information on matters such as diacritical marks, syllabification, word stress, and what to look for in dictionaries. A Handbook of Diction for Singers offers thorough and consistent explanations of Italian, German, and French pronunciation issues that typically create the most difficulty for English-speaking singers. It goes into greater detail than comparable texts, providing specific information and discussion of concepts especially important to singers. For Italian, it presents extensive coverage of the execution of phrasal diphthongs, as well as a detailed guide to the occurrences 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 the correct approaches to mute e (schwa) and glides, and also concisely but thoroughly presents liaison. Particular emphasis is placed on the characteristics of vowel length in all three languages. Illustrated with numerous examples and exercises, A Handbook of Diction for Singers is an exceptional text for courses in diction and a valuable reference source.
Preface
\ From the Publisher"Wow! No need to bother with other reference works for these three languages---it's all here and then some! I'm so impressed with Mr. Adams' thoroughness, clarity, and his ability to keep what could be a dry subject interesting, entertaining and stimulating. Any singer, voice teacher or collaborative pianist needs this on a very handy shelf." --Martin Katz, Pianist, Coach, and Conductor\ "A Handbook of Diction for Singers will make an invaluable addition to any singer's library. The clarity and simplicity of Mr. Adams' approach to lyric diction is wonderful to read, and his years of teaching and the depth of his understanding only underscore his clear and clean explanation of the many aspects of this discipline. Bravo, David!" --Warren Jones, Pianist\ "David Adams' contribution to the singer's bookshelf is invaluable. He not only provides a clear, pragmatic guide to diction for singers and pianists but approaches the topic with a fine ear for music and a deep understanding of the challenges singers face in uniting music and text." --Brian Zeger, collaborative pianist and Director of Vocal Arts, Juilliard School\ \ \
