The Singer's Guide to German Diction

"The Singer's Guide to German Diction" is the essential foundation for a complete course in German diction for singers, vocal coaches, choral conductors, and anyone wishing to learn to learn the proper pronunciation of High German. Written by Valentin Lanzrein and Richard Cross, who each have years of experience on stage, in the voice studio, and in the diction classroom, it provides an all-encompassing and versatile reference for the rules of German diction and their exceptions.

Featuring an easily navigable format that uses tables and charts to support a visual understanding of the text, this guide allows the reader to find information on diction rules and quick help with the formation of each sound. It also places an emphasis on exceptions to the rules, which are crucial in learning the proper pronunciation of any language. Exceptions are not only provided with the diction rules, but are also gathered in a specific section for ease of reference. A glossary of difficult words, names, and exceptions is provided in the appendix, along with a section on Latin pronounced in the German manner.

Extensive pronunciation exercises, as well as IPA transcription worksheets and short examples from the vocal literature, are used for practical application of the diction rules, and feature musical exercises drawn from art song, opera, and oratorio. The book's companion website supplements these musical exercises with high-quality audio clips recorded by leading professional singers, providing an invaluable resource for independent study. A comprehensive companion for teachers, students, and singers alike, The Singer's Guide to German Diction brings German diction to life through its well-structured system of practice and reference materials.

CONTENIDO:

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Companion Website

I. FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Word Structure
Word Stem
Prefixes
Suffixes
Grammatical Endings
Compound Words
Word Stress

II. VOWELS

Chapter 3: Introduction to Vowels

Chapter 4: Monophthongs I: Tongue Vowels
Long and Closed [i?], Non-Syllabic [i?], Short and Open [?]
Exercises for [i?], [i], [i?], and [?]
Long and Closed [e?], Long and Open [??], Short and Open [?], Schwa [?]
Exercises for [e?], [e], [??], [?], and [?]
Long and Open [??], Short and Closed [a]
Exercises for [??] and [a]

Chapter 5: Monophthongs II: Lip Vowels
Long and Closed [o?], Short and Open [?]
Exercises for [o?], [o] and [?]
Long and Closed [u?], Short and Open [?]
Exercises for [u?], [u?] and [?]

Chapter 6: Monophthongs III: Mixed Vowels
Long and Closed [ø?], Short and Open [?]
Exercises for [ø?] and [?]
Long and Closed [y?], Short and Open [?]
Exercises for [y?],[y?] and [?]

Chapter 7: Diphthongs
Diphthongs [a?e], [??o] and [??ø]
Exercises for [a?e], [??o], and [??ø]

III. CONSONANTS

Chapter 8: Introduction to Consonants

Chapter 9: Fricatives
Labiodental Fricative [f] and [v]
Exercises for [f] and [v]
Alveolar Fricative [s] and [z]
Exercises for [s] and [z]
Pre-Palatal Fricative [?] and [?]
Exercises for [?] and [?]
Pre-Palatal Fricative [?], [ç] and Velar Fricative [x]
Exercises for [?], [ç] and [x]
Glottal Fricative [h]
Glottal Separation [?]
Exercises for [h] and [?]

Chapter 10: Plosives
Bilabial Plosives [p] and [b]
Exercises for [p] and [b]
Alveolar Plosives [t] and [d]
Exercises for [t] and [d]
Velar Plosives [k] and [?]
Exercises for [k] and [?]

Chapter 11: Nasals
Bilabial Nasal [m]
Alveolar Nasal [n]
Velar Nasal [?]
Exercises for [m], [n] and [?]

Chapter 12: Laterals and Trills
Alveolar Lateral [l]
Exercises for [m], [n] and [?]
Alveolar Trills [r] and [?], Vocalic-R [?] and Uvular Trill [?]
Exercises for [r], [?], [?] and [?]

Chapter 13: Affricates
Affricates [p?s], [p?f], [t?s], [t??], [k?s], and [k?v]
Exercises for [p?s], [p?f], [t?s], [t??], [k?s], and [k?v]

IV. ADVANCED DICTION PROBLEMS

Chapter 14: Exceptions, Vagaries and Problem Words
Vowel Length Exceptions
Final -ie in Words of Non-Germanic Origin
Eszett, ß and Vowel Length
Vowel Length Preceeding x
Prefixes dar-, her-, hin-, vor-
Consonant plus l, n, or r
Ending -ig
Consonant Combination ch
Diminutive Ending -chen
Foreign origin words
No Rhyme or Reason

Chapter 15: Sounds from Foreign Loanwords
French Nasalized Vowels [??], [??], [o?], [??]
French Semi Vowel Glides [w], [?]
Chapter 16: German Latin

APPENDIX
Alphabetical Index of German Spellings
Index of Difficult Words, Names and Exceptions
Glossary
Bibliography
General Index