tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76282832291842801202024-03-05T12:25:22.234-08:00The Diction PolicePractical Diction for Classical SingersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-48788698734027234862018-09-26T10:34:00.001-07:002018-09-26T10:41:26.734-07:00Language Learning Tips!<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(76, 76, 76); color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica; font-size: 12.288000106811523px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
As the school year starts, most people are facing the prospect of a new year of language study--and contrary to popular opinion, just playing Duolingo or Rosetta Stone may not be enough to really learn a language fluently for everyone :-) Over the years I've seen many different ways of studying languages--one woman in my Modern Greek class had an email penpal that she wrote to all the time, but she refused to try to speak it until she could write perfectly; some friends have learned languages just by going to the country without any previous knowledge and learned there; I've even met a few people who took German in school and were fairly fluent simply from their college (or even high school) classes!<br />
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Of course, nothing compares to going to a foreign country and being immersed in it (like the time I got lost in the mountains outside of Korinthos, Greece, and had to find my way back into the city by asking people who only spoke Greek...), but it helps if you have a basis to get started. Everyone learns differently, some of us are tactile (need to write it down), some people need to hear it, some need to see things written down--it's important to figure out what combinations of studying work best for you. Here are some tips that we've put together over the years that might be useful!</div>
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--For beginners, try to find a balance of reading it on the page, hearing people pronouncing it, speaking it yourself, being able to spell in the foreign language and understanding the grammar of your own native language.</div>
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--Learn the <strong>orthography</strong> at the beginning. Understanding how a language is spelled will save a lot of time later in understanding how to pronounce it. The [ʧ] sound in Ciao in Italian is spelled differently than Tschüss in German or Chihuahua in Spanish, and it's important to figure those differences out early, so that when you learn new vocabulary you can make your best guess at pronouncing it. Especially in our jobs, which require using a vocabulary that can be archaic, this can be very important. By the way, when it comes to foreign language spelling, English is the absolute worst--yes, worse than French!--so you've already conquered the hardest part.</div>
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--<strong>Flashcards</strong>--I always recommend making your own, although there are pre-fabricated flashcards available, as well as flashcard apps like Duolingo. If you make your own you get the benefits of:</div>
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<li>writing it down (for those of us tactile learners!)</li>
<li>being able to format them any way you want (I always leave room for the plural form of the word, any irregular verb forms or stems and phrases that the word is often used it)</li>
<li>being able to write in your own phonetics, including stressed syllables, open and closed vowels, voiced consonants or any exceptional pronunciation</li>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "arial" , "verdana" , "helvetica";"><span style="caret-color: rgb(76, 76, 76); font-size: 12.288000106811523px;">When I first moved to Germany, I actually created flashcards on a Powerpoint presentation, and would watch it while I walked on the treadmill in the afternoons! Small flashcards can be handy to have along when you're standing in line at a checkout counter or in a rehearsal where you are waiting for your entrance, but it's also nice to be moving around, so find ways to incorporate them that work for you.</span></span></div>
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--<strong>Flashcards II</strong>--When studying flashcards, try not to just attach the foreign word with its equivalent in your native language. Instead, try to associate it with an image or idea. For example, if you have "das Fenster" in German, say the word a few times and look at your window. Create sentences for idea words so that you're always using the words to form phrases, this will create more connections in the foreign language.<br />
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--The best <strong>verb drills</strong> ever--in French III, every time we encountered a new verb, the teacher made us go through the entire conjugation in every possible form:</div>
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<li>Statement--Je suis, tu es, il est, etc</li>
<li>Question (in 2 forms!)-Suis-je? Est-ce que je suis? etc</li>
<li>Negative Statement-Je ne suis pas, etc</li>
<li>Negative Question-Ne suis-je pas, Est-ce que je ne suis pas? etc</li>
<li>then include every different tense of the verb that you've learned so far! Don't forget to study the imperative forms and that some tenses will need "que" in front of them (and then you can add in "I hope that" forms to make this even more complicated!).</li>
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It gets very complicated very quickly with all the auxiliary verbs in some verb tenses and once you hit reflexive verbs even more so! But it creates neural pathways so that your brain will start to come up with these configurations automatically and it will start to sound right to you.<br />
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<strong>Listening exercises</strong>--the most important thing is to always listen ACTIVELY. Having it on in the background doesn't really help study, much as we all wish we could learn by osmosis! Try transcribing what you hear when you are doing listening exercises, it will help distinguish words and solidify the spelling rules, which in turn helps diction. Some free ways to get in some foreign language listening:</div>
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<li><strong>Switch the language on your favorite DVDs</strong>. Most DVDs come with several language tracks on them, try switching the language and see how much you understand. The also often have subtitles, which you can follow along (although they don't necessarily match the exact words of the dubbed speech, so don't get frustrated!). If your favorite DVD has subtitles but not a language track for the language you're studying, try turning off the sound and following the subtitles, to see how much you can understand.</li>
<li><strong>Podcasts</strong>. I'm addicted to podcasts. I have podcasts on my iPhone in everything from <a href="https://www.notesinspanish.com/" target="_blank">Notes in Spanish</a> to Learning <a href="http://www.hau.gr/?i=learning.en.podcasts-in-greek" target="_blank">Greek</a> to <a href="https://www.radiofrance.fr/" target="_blank">Radio France</a> (I'm addicted to <a href="https://www.francebleu.fr/emissions/se-dit-tout-sur-france-bleu" target="_blank">On se dit tout sur France Bleu</a>) to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/binge-mode-harry-potter/id1243247464?mt=2" target="_blank">Binge Mode Harry Potter</a> to <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this" target="_blank">How I Built This</a>... and you don't need an iPhone or tablet. iTunes is a free download, and you can listen right on your computer. Most language podcasts include a website where you can download the transcriptions of the episodes or the answer keys to their exercises.</li>
<li><b>Pop music.</b> I like to say that I turned off the radio in 1985, because I'm playing the piano so much that I don't listen to music outside of work. But I LOVE to listen to pop music in other languages! Generally the text repeats make it easier to understand, and they tend to use simple vocabulary that can be very useful. I've found playlists that other users have created already on Spotify of French, Italian, and Greek pop music that I listen to on my way to work sometimes, or you can set it to play specific genres in the Radio section. Pop songs also often use modern colloquial language that might not make it into a book, and we learn more quickly when something is set to music, so with very little time invested, you can get a big return!</li>
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<strong style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 12.288000106811523px;">Children's books</strong><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "arial" , "verdana" , "helvetica"; font-size: 12.288000106811523px;"> are a great way to read in a foreign language, because they are generally closer to our level! I usually start with the 6-8-year-old age range and move up through the teens from there. Look up the words you don't know and try reading the book aloud every night before you go to sleep. If you have kids, make it a game you play with them--I used to read fairy tales in French to a friend's kids at bedtime, and after every sentence I would translate it into English for them. The next day, if they remembered any of the words in French, they got the first cookie out of the oven!</span></div>
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<strong>Get a library card!</strong> I'm always surprised that more people don't take advantage of the free resources available to us all--the city library is always the first place I go when I move somewhere new. I take out CDs and scores, as well as children's books in foreign languages, DVDs, language learning books, audiobooks in several languages, plus, of course, American/British crime fiction.<br />
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Once you're feeling comfortable enough, there are lots of different types of meet-up groups, language forums, tandem language partners--getting over the initial embarrassment of speaking a foreign language is critical, and finding someone who's in the same boat as you in your language can be really helpful in those initial steps. The shift from being able to read, to being able to understand, to being able to communicate yourself is a process. Make sure to enjoy the journey!<br />
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Do you have any tips that weren't mentioned here?<br />
--Ellen</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-81523255460702483592018-08-28T23:52:00.000-07:002018-08-28T23:52:12.038-07:00Doing the homeworkA few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted this on her Facebook wall:<br />
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There have been studies proving that trying to learn text and music at the same time is NOT the most efficient method to learn a new song/role. One of these very important parts of the whole (either text, rhythm, or pitches) will be short-changed, because our focus will be on whichever one is more difficult at the moment.<br />
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Have you ever been in a coaching or lesson where you were asked to recite the text as a monologue? Was it difficult? Did you need to think of the music to remember where you were in the text? And when you did recite it, did you suddenly realise what the song was about? Has your coach ever reminded you of an accent marking and suggested you use the text to create that?<br />
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This is what I call "doing the homework"! Breaking things apart, pulling out each ingredient and piecing them back together, rather than just trying to do everything at once. Take one component at a time, say your text as a monologue, look at the rhythm and any markings that go along with it, sing the melody on neutral syllables, and make sure that at each stage of this, you are really seeing what the composer actually wrote. It's too easy to miss something when you're busy trying to see everything all at once.<br />
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Let's face it--about 80% of a coach's time is spent telling singers exactly what's on the page already! Do what you can to avoid wasting your own time and money, by needing a coach to correct things you could have already seen, and use your time effectively.</div>
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--Ellen</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-75411723318932629542018-05-31T05:16:00.001-07:002018-05-31T05:16:45.122-07:00How Benjamin Franklin helped me learn Russian DictionI never really learned how to study when I was in high school. I was one of those students who could listen in class, take notes there and then retain it long enough for the test, so I never really put in the time required to learn something in a way that would really stick with me. I was also <i>really</i> lazy about it, and would never double check my work, until my 10th grade Geometry teacher told me that from then on I would either get 100% or 0% on every test, as encouragement to double check my work...<br />
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This all held true until sometime after finishing my undergrad, when I read a biography of Benjamin Franklin and how he basically taught himself everything he learned. The method that he used to learn rhetoric I found intriguing:<br />
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<li>Franklin would read through a speech once</li>
<li>He wrote the speech out as best he could from memory</li>
<li>He then compared what he wrote to the original, paying special attention to the differences, noticing style, usage of language, etc.</li>
<li>Then he wrote it out again from memory, trying to remember the style of the original</li>
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He repeated these steps until he could perfectly imitate the style of the speech and the exact language of the speech. And then he moved on to the next one until he'd mastered that. In the end, he could read a speech once and repeat it verbatim, just by understanding the style of the author.<br />
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How many times have teachers told us how to learn effectively? How many of us have heard "work in small portions", "break things down", "practice slowly and precisely", "study in small increments several times a day"? I'd been hearing that for years (in fact, I was saying it to singers I coached!), but until hearing how Ben Franklin taught himself, I didn't really use it in my own practice.<br />
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My first semester of graduate school at CCM, I was in Kenneth Griffiths' Russian Diction class--and I decided to use a modified version of Ben Franklin's method of studying, to see whether it worked for me. Our first assignment was to learn to write the Cyrillic alphabet. Immediately after class, I went to lunch at McD's and sat over my cheeseburger doing my homework, copying the alphabet once. Over supper, I did the same homework, copying the alphabet once again. Before bed, I copied out the alphabet one more time. Before breakfast, I copied out the alphabet again... We only had classes on Tuesdays and Thursday, so by the time the next class rolled around, I had copied out the alphabet a minimum of 8 times. It only took about 5 minutes each time, and by the 5th time I tried to do it from memory.<br />
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I repeated this process with every homework assignment. As the semester went on, sometimes it was full text transcripts, and those I would break down into smaller chunks, working on a line at a time and repeating the diction rules aloud every time they came up.<br />
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After a few weeks, it was obvious that this really worked! So I applied it to my music history class--by creating a time line made up of post-it notes, that I could put the post-its in position or move them around as needed. This is also when I started created flashcards for language study, so that whenever I had a few minutes, I could pull out a handful of flashcards and study a little vocabulary, no matter where I was. I still have a drawer full of flash cards in different languages (each in its own color, of course 😂).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuCVDZQ6kjT90lK4Kpf4L4fzu_1d_mjzf-g3Rwg5Q3bhTKB-RvpSGd_zj_uoImwL3Skl3ozwL6u2YLPtkwfIhGOXlsAINvMv2ozxstzMxb87QZDyKhhD_GH8hSYiEZUXF_NYpWfUMLL7U/s1600/Ben+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuCVDZQ6kjT90lK4Kpf4L4fzu_1d_mjzf-g3Rwg5Q3bhTKB-RvpSGd_zj_uoImwL3Skl3ozwL6u2YLPtkwfIhGOXlsAINvMv2ozxstzMxb87QZDyKhhD_GH8hSYiEZUXF_NYpWfUMLL7U/s1600/Ben+2.jpg" /></a>Everything that I learned in this manner I still remember today. Everything. That class was in 1994. Learning like this really sticks with you, if you can find the tricks that help you--some people are tactile like I am (I need to write things down), so writing it out several times a day works well; some people are aural, so maybe they need to listen to the class several times and then try to repeat what they heard; some people are visual, so they need to look at their notes and then try to visualise them without looking at the page. Everyone has some method (or combination of them) that works best for them, and any of these methods can be applied to the steps that Ben laid out for us.<br />
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In this day and age, where we all have iPads, laptops, smart phones, and have so much information at our fingertips all the time, it can be really difficult to force ourselves to really slow down and DO THE HOMEWORK. But the wiring of the human brain hasn't really changed much over the millennia; we still learn best if we break things down into smaller pieces, learn those pieces efficiently and well, and then move on. This summer, I challenge you to try some version of this method on a regular basis; whether it's breaking a text apart and doing small portions for 15 minutes several times a day, or breaking your practice time down to work on very specific gestures or phrases rather than a whole piece at once, any time spent trying this will have been well worth it!<br />
<br />
--EllenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-49145830068146826722018-04-30T08:26:00.000-07:002018-04-30T08:26:02.295-07:00Getting the most out of your vocal coaching, a short guide for the young singer (Part 2/2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the second part of our discussion about how to prepare for a
vocal coaching (if you missed Part 1, you can find by clicking <a href="https://dictionpolice.blogspot.com/2018/03/getting-most-out-of-your-vocal-coaching.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYYc0ej9ZpGBHIUCxfkdfvT6E7ratEP7rVx4MLK0Lr9-ztZifLRvctzbMoj1auO0BCAGRsPH84rhqlJoK-_OkyIO5OWNu9_hjGvsZN8V_XP0nDktb0OOPS7_sDnIEVP7YYbHw4mXGsw/s1600/classicoperacartoon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYYc0ej9ZpGBHIUCxfkdfvT6E7ratEP7rVx4MLK0Lr9-ztZifLRvctzbMoj1auO0BCAGRsPH84rhqlJoK-_OkyIO5OWNu9_hjGvsZN8V_XP0nDktb0OOPS7_sDnIEVP7YYbHw4mXGsw/s400/classicoperacartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In
this installment, I wanted to expand a little on some ideas to consider
regarding character development. While it might seem like this would be
something to worry about more with a director, and more with operatic
repertoire, in reality, I spend a lot of time talking about this in
vocal coachings, and not only when it comes to opera arias. Clear ideas
about character will lead to very stimulating discussions with your
coach, and have a direct impact on how you interpret a certain piece, how you approach text, phrasing, diction, etc. Too often, singers come into a coaching and only try to prove that they are singing the right words and notes, rather than showing us the finished product--all of the character and text choices you make will also affect the music as well as vocal production.<br />
<br />
In
the previous blog post, I talked about "doing your research", and
suggested asking the following questions about your character:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>When/where does the aria/song happens in the opera, or the song cycle</li>
<li>What is the character doing/thinking during the musical prelude and postlude</li>
<li>Who is the character, and who are they talking to</li>
</ul>
To go further, a great tool to consider is a character
worksheet. Here is the one I have been using (borrowed from stage
director Carleen Graham). Please note that this can be used just as well
for a lied or artsong as for an aria, or even an entire role.<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;">CHARACTER ANALYSIS WORKSHEET</span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvppqL-KpqVI-fJuQdVljDD49Vu4VoOrR7_d97ObtkU8939cdUChN7lF4pliGvuWnr3hZQD_f1Z0Yxm-mgZZ_u6ItDKYrDaJyYow9OuQoq-HtU-fCo_HPJWAC7tv8zaE5Wp1z_6euUQ/s1600/cartoon4805.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvppqL-KpqVI-fJuQdVljDD49Vu4VoOrR7_d97ObtkU8939cdUChN7lF4pliGvuWnr3hZQD_f1Z0Yxm-mgZZ_u6ItDKYrDaJyYow9OuQoq-HtU-fCo_HPJWAC7tv8zaE5Wp1z_6euUQ/s320/cartoon4805.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Prior to completing this worksheet, please make sure you have done the following:</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">- Read and listen to the entire work following along with the score.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">- Do a word-for-word translation of your text if it is in a foreign
language.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">- Based on your translation, create your own version of the text that is
meaningful to you.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">- Once the text is in English, write it out and be able to recite it
dramatically.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Answer the following as specifically as you can</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can always change your mind later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Character’s Full Name & Age</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Ethnic Background & Family Relationships</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Socio-Economic Level & Health</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Education Achieved & Travel Experience</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Religious/Spiritual Beliefs</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What Are Your Most Significant Relationships, And
Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Fondest Memory & Most Tragic Event In Your Life</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Favorite Pastime</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What Year Is It?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What Other Major World Events Are Taking Place And How Do They Impact
You? </span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What Does Your Character Really Want?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">How Can Your Character Attain This Goal?</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What Obstacles Keep Your Character From Attaining
Desired Goal?</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What State Of Mind (Mood) Are You In At The Start Of
The Scene?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Does Your Mood Change During The Scene?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How?</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Does Your Relationship To Others Change During The
Scene?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">How?</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Where Does The Scene Take Place?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Is Going On Around You?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What Do You Look Like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any Distinguishing Features?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Are You Wearing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Do You Smell Like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How Is Your Hair Styled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">What & When Was Your Last Meal?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;">Additional Thoughts Or Important Things To Remember</span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 322.2pt;" valign="top" width="430"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: #0400;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;">A FEW MORE IDEAS</span></span></span></b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>What triggers you to sing that aria/song? In other words, what was said just before, and by whom, or how does the piano introduction move you to express the first words of your text? Is the piano representing a specific sound, like a bird's song or the rustling of a brook? It can be very useful to create a little inner monologue to play in your mind during musical introductions, so as to not just "stand there" and wait.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTtDLq476tAYaScI54BetBBnkwyhUPvhQCMMC9A3Jd3OUtNh5lgl0WGGKHvWvmey8W29xbwXqWQkqiA-IfqwcEfQUA7cwgkPaWINPjAQ_ZXQO8Whn47DxDJcKWLYWYMI1tXtdwofTyw/s1600/final-thoughts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTtDLq476tAYaScI54BetBBnkwyhUPvhQCMMC9A3Jd3OUtNh5lgl0WGGKHvWvmey8W29xbwXqWQkqiA-IfqwcEfQUA7cwgkPaWINPjAQ_ZXQO8Whn47DxDJcKWLYWYMI1tXtdwofTyw/s320/final-thoughts.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>What is your character trying to achieve by the end of the aria/song? How does she go about it?</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you are singing an aria from an anthology, be aware of the interjections that other characters might be uttering and that have been removed in the aria format. A famous example of this comes in Puccini's "Quando me'n vo'", Musetta's aria from La Bohème when Marcello and Alcindoro exchange the following aside: "Legatemi alla seggiola! / Quella gente che dirà" ("Tie me down to this chair / What will people think?), and then later, the whole last part of the aria is extensively underscored by Alcindoro and Mimì. Knowing this, and what the other characters are saying will certainly have an impact on how you deliver Musetta's lines, even as a stand alone aria.</li>
</ul>
If you have any strategies that you like using for your character work, please share them in the comments, we would love to hear from you!<br />
<br />
-- François </div>
</div>
Francois Germainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03291648426769834356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-74085797410735969452018-03-31T15:59:00.000-07:002018-06-15T04:12:41.496-07:00Getting the most out of your vocal coaching: a short guide for the young singer (Part 1 of 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The relationship between a singer and their coach(es) is
important, and one that will last throughout your career. It is therefore crucial to learn early on how to make the most of these sessions, and establish
the best possible working relationship. Young singers don’t always know the
difference between a voice lesson and a coaching, so here are some ideas to
consider before you walk into your next coaching:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>COME EQUIPPED</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Bring two copies of
your score:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBmIUfkiCwFiGPG7v3hACXlScQcDzcZTT80fnZDTzJgrS1Cc5HHUz0zb_lbelhB55vsZARPmmyVg0w6ROk5f_Alo1iDyoWFcoTE2w8aOEICGSFMtjDvfHADzsedgsrW9csIFlbDG6fA/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBmIUfkiCwFiGPG7v3hACXlScQcDzcZTT80fnZDTzJgrS1Cc5HHUz0zb_lbelhB55vsZARPmmyVg0w6ROk5f_Alo1iDyoWFcoTE2w8aOEICGSFMtjDvfHADzsedgsrW9csIFlbDG6fA/s320/bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your own working copy, and one for the coach. Don’t assume
that you will simply look over your coach’s shoulder; your coach’s copy should
be “user friendly”: no lose sheets, clean, with nothing cut off (I’ve become
really good at improvising bass lines that have been cut off the bottom of the
page, but still), double sided, and preferably in a binder; you have to be able
to take notes and mark your own working copy easily, the same one that you take
to your voice lessons. Over time, these scores become real treasure troves of
information, and you will enjoy going back to them years later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Bring pencils:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqnD33JUbwh1atAE6rbIUk3gBR84KXltw59HBl7BWG3pocNNk73RF_5xxTdXvh45Gzmn3HFZ7lmNotXhyphenhypheneIvYf1WBaOv-b8GICA0fhEtPopC5K0SzRasPQFmSxgYCZcinsJmZFT1a9A/s1600/cat-header-colored-pencils_1920x716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqnD33JUbwh1atAE6rbIUk3gBR84KXltw59HBl7BWG3pocNNk73RF_5xxTdXvh45Gzmn3HFZ7lmNotXhyphenhypheneIvYf1WBaOv-b8GICA0fhEtPopC5K0SzRasPQFmSxgYCZcinsJmZFT1a9A/s320/cat-header-colored-pencils_1920x716.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems obvious, but you wouldn’t believe the amount of
coachings I’ve had where the singer didn’t bring a pencil. I even recommend having a few different colors, in case a particular point needs to be emphasized,
or highlighted in order to better grab your attention.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Bring a recording
device:</b> It is so easy nowadays to record a coaching on a phone or a digital
recorder, yet a lot of singers don’t do it systematically, probably assuming
that they will remember things. That simply won’t be the case, and it is always
useful to hear yourself back, in order to reinforce the points that you worked
on in a given session.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">COME PREPARED</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Please warm up:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywY5dUtiM9vuPFGj8Kaxior8vYtBQyrmlCcLlmTGKa8mh9ktgPHqI21axjOzeRMqCYE3xkUUxKxIm9k4MxijBs6ze-ufowWAzwQMzP_MB70IbFlerCreEvvgaqbTua3iyh0DpVsJGmw/s1600/Warm-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywY5dUtiM9vuPFGj8Kaxior8vYtBQyrmlCcLlmTGKa8mh9ktgPHqI21axjOzeRMqCYE3xkUUxKxIm9k4MxijBs6ze-ufowWAzwQMzP_MB70IbFlerCreEvvgaqbTua3iyh0DpVsJGmw/s200/Warm-up.jpg" width="200" /></a>You should be warmed up for a coaching, the same way you
would be a for a voice lesson. The reason is simple: you want to be able to
sing well, and not spend time solving vocal difficulties that are really only
the result of not being warmed up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Work on your text
ahead of time: </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Translate every word of the text; Depending on your level of
proficiency with a language, this should be done directly on the copy of the
music you are using. Memorizing the translation is crucial to a good performance:
how is an audience to believe you, if you don’t understand what you are singing
AT ALL TIMES? Additionally, a coaching will be more efficient, and interesting
if you can discuss meaning with your coach, without having to constantly refer to
a written translation. This takes a lot of time, and practice, but the more you
sing in a given language, the easier this will come. Think about how it feels
to sing in your own language: each sound you make, each syllable you sing
carries meaning, and is part of a broader dramatic purpose. It should be the
same in a foreign language that you don’t speak.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Work on diction
ahead of time:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B0ZGy7psuvFkKhoMl8aTqNb9WxS4hxbjVt_W5fjsYx4gDrRT7LldSFSN5PBwQlv28h0QSv1b5ETqfzxCTcZSxCioqnske6tmdzIZOeOsXEwTDwdmoLnVWIvgd4I0KMDFzWDJ77o0rQ/s1600/beste-uebersetzungs-app-t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B0ZGy7psuvFkKhoMl8aTqNb9WxS4hxbjVt_W5fjsYx4gDrRT7LldSFSN5PBwQlv28h0QSv1b5ETqfzxCTcZSxCioqnske6tmdzIZOeOsXEwTDwdmoLnVWIvgd4I0KMDFzWDJ77o0rQ/s320/beste-uebersetzungs-app-t.jpg" width="320" /></a>A major focus of any coaching is the acquisition and
delivery of proper diction. Most coaches are trained in lyric diction, and can help the singers to navigate through the sounds, the inflections and the flavor of a
foreign language. That is not to say that you should rely solely on your coach
for this work, and you can take a number of proactive steps to ensure that the
coaching is dedicated to fine-tuning and refining: </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Make an IPA transcription</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If you are not familiar enough with the language,
get a transcription online (<a href="http://www.dictionpolice.com/">www.dictionpolice.com</a>)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Listen to native speakers speak your text, and
listen to singers in their native language</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
(<a href="http://www.dictionpolice.com/">www.dictionpolice.com</a>) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Be prepared
musically:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coaches are happy to “be your ears”, but we shouldn’t also
be your brain. Learn rhythms and pitches accurately. We don't mind "plunking out" pitches occasionally, but really, all the preparation work you can do on your own should be done before the coaching.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- Do your research:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is very important for a coaching, and a prerequisite to
any discussion of interpretation and character. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If you are working on an art song: research both
composer and poet; know where the song fits in the cycle, if it is part of a
cycle (Schumann’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Im wunderschönen Monat
Mai</i> takes on a different meaning, when you know what happens in the rest of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dichterliebe</i>). Establish a character:
who is singing? to whom? what “happens” during the piano prelude and postlude?
etc...</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If you are working on aria: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
It’s a great excuse to watch the
whole opera. (Most common repertoire is available online, either on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">Youtube</a>, or
through services like the <a href="http://www.metopera.org/Season/On-Demand/" target="_blank">Metplayer</a>. Your school library might even have a
subscription).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
If you are working from an
anthology, go get the entire opera score, so that you can see what happens
right before your aria, and what prompts your character to sing is, and what
happens after, so you can know what your character achieved in that moment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">COACHING ETIQUETTE</b></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b>
</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>- The coach/voice teacher relationship: </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-KmIZGHKJlpZ2mQMa17bZJ1gPZvbAu55ireTzjp9Xj_wcRJXN-hIFduovkNedEZdfHOZdHtlpCPsFBSnIdJblxQn8s5f1-o3RmRPff2k8vFJv_IsU-tBhzAmIOOkRgjOWxa5TAD9iA/s1600/proper-etiquette-300x286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-KmIZGHKJlpZ2mQMa17bZJ1gPZvbAu55ireTzjp9Xj_wcRJXN-hIFduovkNedEZdfHOZdHtlpCPsFBSnIdJblxQn8s5f1-o3RmRPff2k8vFJv_IsU-tBhzAmIOOkRgjOWxa5TAD9iA/s200/proper-etiquette-300x286.jpg" width="200" /></a>We are your team, and we work toward the same goal: making
you the greatest singer you can be. Sometimes, it might feel like you are getting
conflicting information from us. Most of the time, we are expressing a similar
idea in different ways, and it is your job to figure out how to reconcile both.
But sometimes, we have different ideas about a particular point, and that is
not the end of the world. Rather, try to understand what approach works for
you, and build your own informed opinion on the matter. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>- Repertoire:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coaches know a lot of repertoire, but if you are planning
on working on something unusual, please let us know, and maybe give us the
music ahead of time. We will still be able to work with you on something we don’t
know, but the more we know the piece, the best we can help you achieve your
vision.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Part 2 of this post is also available <a href="https://dictionpolice.blogspot.com/2018/04/">here</a>!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have any other tricks, strategies, ideas on how to
make your coaching as efficient as possible, please share them in the
comments... In the meantime, happy coachings!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--François</div>
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Francois Germainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03291648426769834356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-39911150324472082872018-02-28T07:07:00.001-08:002018-02-28T07:07:29.789-08:00Fake it til you make it<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You know the phrase “Fake it til you make it”?
There may be a whole lot more to that than we think. I found a <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-you-can-become-more-p/" target="_blank">Scientific American </a>article about
a Harvard Social Psychology study regarding posture—and they found that actual
physical posture is linked to the endocrine system. Oddly enough, the study
showed that rather than hormone levels changing and then a confident posture
came as a result, if the person was placed in a physically powerful posture, in
a ridiculously short amount of time, their hormone levels would change to
correspond to it. To me that means that if we act like we’re secure, we’ll
actually feel more secure. In addition to that, people respond to each other
based on these non-verbal physical cues. So if we see someone who acts like
they know what they’re doing, we relax and assume that they do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWTA_CzR89QOY2uhzUu0AFWQPn-xT1KjFffMIDxXTfNws_jwJImbUBQd5d-_xSqG05PWkNOKvXLy7IK1P-t1wXBOu7hGHLhfhtptb76lj1yT7XZWUZmhilnB6qLFQ5LCpZMYsPzFI2dZZ/s1600/Fake+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="500" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWTA_CzR89QOY2uhzUu0AFWQPn-xT1KjFffMIDxXTfNws_jwJImbUBQd5d-_xSqG05PWkNOKvXLy7IK1P-t1wXBOu7hGHLhfhtptb76lj1yT7XZWUZmhilnB6qLFQ5LCpZMYsPzFI2dZZ/s320/Fake+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In undergrad, I studied Alexander Technique,
which, if you haven’t heard of it, is basically a body learning technique. The basic principle is about is how the head sits on top of
the spine, the neck's relationship to the spine. It also talks a lot about the Fight-or-Flight response and how we
get stuck in that—that just means, whenever we get nervous, our necks shorten
so that our bodies are prepared to either fight something or run away from it.
It’s a natural reaction that every animal has—just watch Miss Kitty Fantastico
when she’s about to make a high jump, and you see her entire spine shorten like
a spring so that it can lengthen into the jump. We all have the same process
built into us, but because we get nervous and then stay there (like in an
audition), we don’t lengthen out of that spring, and our bodies aren’t always
functioning as efficiently as they can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQnQGW3We9h19wtUPDM1evTPWfp2rn0_guOou_jUqxf9I42rE2jQgM5U1_kKsDxEh0zydlgW4fmTYiV5xDK_UV-Y4F6iMJzLfTyWwW5CJdEzprFsygXtFGnnNUfngsqnhRDrPRN5NoSVj/s1600/2013-04-18+17.23.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQnQGW3We9h19wtUPDM1evTPWfp2rn0_guOou_jUqxf9I42rE2jQgM5U1_kKsDxEh0zydlgW4fmTYiV5xDK_UV-Y4F6iMJzLfTyWwW5CJdEzprFsygXtFGnnNUfngsqnhRDrPRN5NoSVj/s320/2013-04-18+17.23.30.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="goog_1632035202"></span><span id="goog_1632035203"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Especially in an audition situation, this
reflex is something to work out. We’re all insecure. As I like to say, anyone
who tells you they aren’t insecure is lying about it because they are insecure
about it. So fake it—not with overconfidence, but with pure physiology. In your
practice, find techniques that get you to stand up straight, without tension,
that give you a feeling of openness, strength and relaxation at the same time.
Tie it into the breath, so that before you walk into the audition, you can take
a good breath and get your body into line. Pretend that you are comfortable so
that the auditioners are relaxed and ready to listen, rather than feeling for your nerves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The best example I have personally happened
when I was first on staff at Carnegie Mellon University. My best friend and
roommate at the time was still a voice student there, and she auditioned for
the Concerto Competition with a song cycle she and I had also performed on her
junior recital. They heard one piece and then asked for the slowest movement in the
cycle—and somewhere on the second page of that, she lost her place completely. My page
turner looked at me in horror, cause whatever we were playing had nothing to do
with what was on the page—and I mean that very seriously. We made up 2 entire
pages of music together, it must have lasted almost a solid minute. The judges even had
a copy of the score to follow along. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjprQU2b1EurfD-Paa5B6KZt_K8AofCf_24USljeeeiMQ7-btZOwQJdeQmelCOpzeeT22God7vDqVWslzrEW3Inpa7luKSPgAzTdBEeFUa17AARndlRA5np7kE_lLMhbbf5QnNQrdorV0Z/s1600/Cat-lion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjprQU2b1EurfD-Paa5B6KZt_K8AofCf_24USljeeeiMQ7-btZOwQJdeQmelCOpzeeT22God7vDqVWslzrEW3Inpa7luKSPgAzTdBEeFUa17AARndlRA5np7kE_lLMhbbf5QnNQrdorV0Z/s1600/Cat-lion.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And you know what? She won the
competition! She and I never panicked, she never looked as though she was lost,
she just kept singing convincingly, I just kept playing convincingly, and even
though it had nothing to do with the actual piece, the judges never even
noticed that, they never even looked down at the music. They only noticed how beautifully she sang.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now I'm NOT saying that you shouldn't do your homework--in fact, just the opposite. One of the surest ways to feel confident is to do all your homework and be very solid in your preparation. Then add in this idea of a power-posture, of</span><span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;"> faking it til you make it. When you’re
nervous, pretend that you aren’t, and as all the hormones kick in and the people listening relax with you, you’ll find that you forgot to be nervous anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;">--Ellen</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-51079154796548260682018-01-30T06:25:00.000-08:002018-01-30T06:25:27.358-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7bnZy43s-gwMMftONlOom5A-bE2tutqe8CoImXwEC_3Bu2mAUP-VYfGMLTbIWwpUEQySh3arwP3v59bWfHqEbuClMXexqwGk1q4-g29LTDSfp6sIE4IcLsL9EVNVqnxUcZtUdNSAOQ/s320/Pellicciotti+Logo+White.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
<br />
<b>The Birth of an Opera, Part 2: The Music Workshop</b><br />
<br />
Almost a year ago, you may remember, I wrote a blog post dedicated to the libretto workshop for Tom Cipullo's new opera <i>Mayo. (</i>If you would like to refresh your memory, you can <a href="https://dictionpolice.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-birth-of-opera-libretto-workshop.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to read it). <br />
One year later, I am just back from a week-long music workshop at Opera America in New York City, that culminated in a public performance of the first two acts of this amazing new work.<br />
<br />
<br />
Music workshops have become an essential tool in the development and production of new works for the operatic stage. With so much at stake and considering the cost of mounting a new opera, producing entities, composers and librettists want to ensure that they have the best work possible on their hands, and part of that is generating a positive response from the audience. The benefits of a workshop in that regard are two-fold:<br />
- Through the rehearsal process, we get to discover how the piece comes together, what the challenges of a production might be, what works and what doesn't work (vocally, musically, dramatically...), and the creative team then has a chance for changes and revisions before delivering a final product.<br />
- The culminating public performance gives everyone one involved a real first look at the work, with a little distance, and also allows to gauge what the response from an audience will be.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbNQOLEvU7DT_bt8yWvyz4vXy1KmBGBlhuihnFv0If9UX5HJwdBVGYyyCBVB2Ipn8e8c6zgu6aPbta-WhiLRR_xp9sApF3ah0lZNLeqMUauca-T4U3LQ4iDA7KDe9Lzo9KYx01HxWzA/s1600/IMG_0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbNQOLEvU7DT_bt8yWvyz4vXy1KmBGBlhuihnFv0If9UX5HJwdBVGYyyCBVB2Ipn8e8c6zgu6aPbta-WhiLRR_xp9sApF3ah0lZNLeqMUauca-T4U3LQ4iDA7KDe9Lzo9KYx01HxWzA/s320/IMG_0595.JPG" width="320" /></a>For this particular workshop, we had four days of rehearsals (two three-hour sessions each day) to put together two acts out of what will ultimately be a three-act opera. The first priority was, of course, to get things together musically (under the direction of Kirk Severtson, and yours truly at the piano), but as the week progressed more and more of the focus went into making things work dramatically and scenically, in order to tell this poignant story. Our group of terrific singers (some Crane students, and some young professionals hired for the occasion) worked under the watchful eye of Dean Anthony, stage director, Cori Ellison, Dramaturg, and of course Tom Cipullo himself. Having the composer present this whole time was invaluable, and helped the performers to develop a better understanding of his musical style, and of the characters they were portraying.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVthFslSihXzht4BGTIGwNcSq8PeHhyphenhyphen-KJRLoOBRJg0kr9q2V89GaoOJ1RsgpKfdKUtxWeSJh90Gy14XYS6cGobWe5Ag12lw2wzXRMv1u5QuwVp3w9SDvZortlYNiwYP7pS5NQzFBzw/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVthFslSihXzht4BGTIGwNcSq8PeHhyphenhyphen-KJRLoOBRJg0kr9q2V89GaoOJ1RsgpKfdKUtxWeSJh90Gy14XYS6cGobWe5Ag12lw2wzXRMv1u5QuwVp3w9SDvZortlYNiwYP7pS5NQzFBzw/s320/IMG_0596.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
As a good example of the purpose of the process from the composer's standpoint, it is worth noting that Tom added some new music during the workshop, when he realized that two particular pivotal scenes needed to be fleshed out and clarified a bit more. Written one night, delivered the next morning, it doesn't get more "fresh off the press" than this.<br />
<br />
The performance itself is a slightly peculiar thing: without the benefit of a fully staged production, with set, costumes, lighting, or an orchestra, most of the story telling relies on the singers and whatever interaction they can have with each other within the constraints of the format. An added difficulty lies in the fact that each singer portrays several characters throughout the piece. Projected slides above, as well as information in the program was designed to help the audience follow the story, mostly by indicating where the action is taking place, and what characters are in the scene.<br />
<br />
After the performance, just like after the libretto workshop, Cori Ellison led the audience thought a moderated feedback session: she
used <a href="http://www.lizlerman.com/crpLL.html" target="_blank">Liz Lerman's critical response process</a> for this, which is comprised of four parts:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Statement of meaning: audience members express what was meaningful
to them, what "got" to them in the piece. These should be specific, and
positive comments, such as "I loved it when...", or "I was moved by...".
</li>
<li>Questions from the librettist to the audience: the writer asks, the
audience responds, and a dialogue ensues. For instance: "Was it clear to
you that...?", "what did you think of...?".</li>
<li> Questions from the group to the librettist: sometimes what is clear
to the librettist is not clear for the audience, and some points of the
plot might need clarification. This is helpful for the
composer/librettist in order to gain a different perspective than his
own on the work.</li>
<li>Opinions: audience members can express opinions about any aspect of
the work BUT, they have to ask the writer whether he/she would like to
hear them. Sometimes, hearing an opinion might influence the piece too
much, or inadvertently push it in a direction that wasn't the writer's
initial intent. The audience member would ask: "I have an opinion about
such and such, would you like to hear it?". </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrnOqjp9VQSjjI_14lPx6ilGF0ib0Zi0JnFn7xsz8TFC3dZDmhsgSVwhXitRswD4ICIZGgxLE9nnt-rcBgoHG6FhxpI0n39Aw_7rknHBEunvJuZ46hC-gIkFIpeymEj1E5Y-OoJCbw/s1600/26904155_10155160294846892_3540560831869579527_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrnOqjp9VQSjjI_14lPx6ilGF0ib0Zi0JnFn7xsz8TFC3dZDmhsgSVwhXitRswD4ICIZGgxLE9nnt-rcBgoHG6FhxpI0n39Aw_7rknHBEunvJuZ46hC-gIkFIpeymEj1E5Y-OoJCbw/s320/26904155_10155160294846892_3540560831869579527_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
The response was overwhelmingly positive, and much was said about how clear and gripping the storytelling was; surely a great testament to Tom's incredible skill, dramatic instinct, and beautifully evocative music.<br />
<br />
You can watch the whole reading as well as the feedback session by clicking on the link below. I am also copying the program description in order to make it easier to follow who is who and where each scene takes place.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJ9Vr3BL88" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJ9Vr3BL88</a><br />
<br />
If you would like to know how what happens in Act 3 and how
the story ends, come to the premiere in November at The Crane School of
Music, SUNY Potsdam, in Potsdam, NY. You can visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PellicciottiPrize/">Pellicciotti Facebook page</a>, to stay up to date on the project.<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Musical Reading of the First Two Acts of</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Mayo
</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Winner of the
2018 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize</span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Composer and Librettist – Tom Cipullo</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conductor – Kirk Severtson </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pianist and Coach – François Germain</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Director – Dean Anthony</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dramaturg – Cori Ellison</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Featuring</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mayo
Buckner: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ben Edquist</b></span></span><span class="eop"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Valeria,
Soprano roles:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Emily Misch</b></span></span><span class="eop"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mrs. Buckner, Carolyn, Mezzo
roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rebecca Ringle</b></span></span><span class="eop"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Kamarei</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Leader of the Eugenicists, Beckmann (an orderly), Tenor roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jason
Weisinger</b></span></span><span class="eop"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Superintendent, Baritone
roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steven Eddy</b></span></span><span class="eop"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ms.
Goodrich, Chorus: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Samantha Martin</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jo,
Mezzo: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gianna Grigalonis</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wimpy,
Tenor roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tristan Lesso</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jimmy,
Tenor roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kirk McAuliffe</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Timmy,
Baritone roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wesly Clerge</b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: -9.0pt; tab-stops: right 297.0pt left 301.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eugenicist,
Baritone roles: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Henry Horstmann</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">Act I – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Autumn</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preamble: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On a train, 1906.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prologue:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A public street in middle America, ca. 1906. A group of
eugenicists are recruiting marchers and passing out signs for a rally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scene
1:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Superintendent’s Office,
the Iowa Home for Feeble-Minded Children, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Mrs. Buckner, Ms.
Goodrich, Superintendent. 1906</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scene
2:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A Boys’ Dormitory at the Iowa
Home, 1927.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A group of boys, Mayo,
Beckmann, Ms. Goodrich</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">Act II – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Valeria</i></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scene
1:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the garden of the Iowa
Home, Autumn 1927.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Jo, Valeria, Carolyn,
Beckmann, Mrs. Goodrich</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scene
2:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the Chapel at the Iowa
Home, later that week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Valeria, Mayo, Ms.
Goodrich<b><span style="background: white; color: black;"></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scene
3:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I<span style="background: white; color: black;">n the Superintendent’s office, l</span>ater that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ms.
Goodrich, Superintendent, Beckmann, Mayo</span></div>
<br />
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Francois Germainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03291648426769834356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-51456424755925935922017-11-27T04:07:00.000-08:002017-11-27T04:31:04.386-08:00Britten, Physics and PhonicsWhile I was at the International Congress of Voice Teachers this past summer, I happened upon a seminar given by an old friend of mine, Dr. Kevin Hanrahan, who is Associate Professor of Voice at the Glenn Korff School of Music of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Matthew Clegg, a DMA voice student at the same university. The seminar was entitled <i>Benjamin Britten: A Study in Vocal Acoustics</i>, and focused on Britten's <i>Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings</i>, and <i>A Charm of Lullabies</i> for mezzo-soprano, looking into how the composer set the text, to see if the singer simply sang exactly as the text (specifically the vowels) as composed whether it would match the dynamics and expression that Britten intended. It was so fascinating that I asked him to share some of their findings with us!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: When you set up this experiment, what were you trying to
prove/discover? </b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: After working with Kenneth Bozeman at a Nebraska
NATS workshop where he discussed what he calls, "Practical Vocal
Acoustics", I had the idea that perhaps Britten was using some of the
principles that Bozeman was discussing in the workshop and in his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.kenbozeman.com/practical-vocal-acoustics.php" target="_blank">Practical Vocal Acoustics</a></i>. So,
what we were looking to discover was whether or not Britten set the text in
such a way as to exploit “passive vowel modification” strategies resulting in a
timbre that would coincided with the dynamic making, thus making the music
vocally and expressively easier for the singer. Passive vowel
modification differs from Active Vowel modification in that passive vowel
modification results from a change of pitch resulting in a harmonic/formant
interaction without a change of vowel shape, where active vowel modification is
when there is a change in vowel shape so as to create a harmonic/formant
interaction regardless of pitch. The main difference is that the singer
has to "actively" change or modify their vowel as opposed to
"passively" letting the vowel modify as a result of the pitch. In the
end it is a matter of whether you move the pitch (passive vowel modification)
or move the formant (active vowel modification).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHks9kMslFp0gYhyWJdzqHuUdMulKwPj3JQTKFuvTAgIXki5xzhR8WHaE4LN5qt7MUBuOLdLSR9Aa8QAbSM_ZCW4xezlrilV54UIkcXgkX9y8g1Y9qjK8g6SI96H9OoAvf-uC2JVgZjZ6J/s1600/Serenade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="517" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHks9kMslFp0gYhyWJdzqHuUdMulKwPj3JQTKFuvTAgIXki5xzhR8WHaE4LN5qt7MUBuOLdLSR9Aa8QAbSM_ZCW4xezlrilV54UIkcXgkX9y8g1Y9qjK8g6SI96H9OoAvf-uC2JVgZjZ6J/s320/Serenade.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: What made you choose Benjamin Britten as the example?</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Both Matthew and I are tenors, and we both have a fondness for
Britten and his music. One of the reasons we love Britten so much is that
we find it to be so easy to sing from a vocal standpoint, and so easy to sing
expressively. Knowing that he was very particular about how he composed his
vocal works, and that he composed them with specific individuals in mind, we
thought he was a natural choice to explore the relationship between the timbres
resulting from passive vowel modification and dynamics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: How can we use physics to prove this?</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Physics doesn’t necessarily “prove” anything, but
it does help us explain what we observe.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What we now know is that for "covering" to occur the second harmonic
(H2 or 2F0) has to rise above the first vowel formant (F1) or F1 has to be
lowered below H2 usually by lengthening the vocal tract which can occur from
depressing the larynx, puckering the lips, changing a vowel shape, etc.
This passing of the H2 through F1 is what Bozeman calls "Closed"
Timbre. So, using [a], which has a F1 at approximately G5 (middle C is C4), as
an example, if one were to sing a tenor "high A" or A4 on an [a]
vowel one would only need to maintain the [a] vowel shape to achieve "cover",
the crossing of H2 (A5) above F1 (G5). If one wanted to actively modify
by puckering slightly, this would then shift F1 to a lower pitch, perhaps (E5
or F5) and increase the "Closed" or "Covered" quality of the
sound. If F1 is continually lowered to where it is just above or in tune with
H1, the fundamental, then a new quality takes over, what Bozeman calls
“Whoop”.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Whoop” is a very fluty, light
quality that is often associated with soft dynamics or falsetto sounds.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">In contrast to “Whoop” is a quality Bozeman
calls “Yell” which occurs when F1 is tuned to H2, and as its name suggests is
associated with aggressive and loud dynamics.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The last timbre that Bozeman labels is “Open” which also has an
association with loud dynamics, and occurs when F1 is above H2.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Now these qualities can be associated with
different laryngeal modes, for example, Mode 1 is associate with “Open”,
“Close”, and “Yell” timbres, where Mode 2 is associate with “Whoop”.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Looking at the research of Fabiani and
Friberg, their study looked at the influence of pitch, loudness, and timbre on
instrument dynamics.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">They report that
dynamics can even be recognized if the loudness (not intensity) is the same,
therefore loudness can only partially explain dynamic recognition. They argue
that timbre is that missing factor. So, if you put these pieces together then,
you have timbres that coincide with dynamics via established vocal registers or
modes.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Using the F1/H2 interaction, you
can then predict what the likely resulting timbre or vocal register/mode is
based on the vowel and pitch, and therefore, the likely resulting dynamic.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If the predicted dynamic matches the dynamic
indicated by Britten, then the expressiveness of the singing would be more
naturally and easily accomplished.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Furthermore,
if the timbre, dynamic, and pitch corresponded with the most conducive vocal
register or mode, it would also be vocally easier to sing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7lzzoazy4Pidze3V_024Dhb3fpDQ98eLFT-oRUT-vz3k_ZoQy6Q2zmqN1t7_E9-37eCWJuVFxHJzXkQDuac7TXGLkvR45XHQR-DWbToC1OmWQROGw6e-84HX_PFteowHTQ5pundioXpl/s1600/Britten+Pears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7lzzoazy4Pidze3V_024Dhb3fpDQ98eLFT-oRUT-vz3k_ZoQy6Q2zmqN1t7_E9-37eCWJuVFxHJzXkQDuac7TXGLkvR45XHQR-DWbToC1OmWQROGw6e-84HX_PFteowHTQ5pundioXpl/s320/Britten+Pears.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: How did you set the parameters? </b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: For the timbre prediction we used Kenneth
Bozeman’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.kenbozeman.com/practical-vocal-acoustics.php" target="_blank">Practical Vocal Acoustics</a></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To determine the vowels for the text we used
an online IPA generator set to American English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did this because Received British English
tended to favor more mixed vowels and not the purer, if you can call American
vowels pure, American vowels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example, the word “blow” in American English is [blo</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ʊ</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">] but in British English is [bl</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">əʊ</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">]. We confirmed this by listening to British
tenors who were well-known for their interpretation of Britten’s music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the transcription software didn’t produce
a transcription, we looked up the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following standard classical diction rules,
i.e. Madeleine Marshall’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Singer’s Manual
of English Diction</i>, vowel and “r” combinations were all muted, i.e. changed
to [</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ə</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">]. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the formant pitches we adapted Scott
McCoy’s suggested pitches in conjunction with Lindsey’s combination of Well’s
and Jones’ vowel chart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To determine
when one timbre was truly different from another, we looked at research about
pitch perception and harmonics. We determined that a plus or minus of a major 2<sup>nd</sup>
was sufficient to properly identify a timbre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, if F1 was C5, then if H2 was between Bb4 and D5, we would
conclude that H2 was tuned to F1 resulting in “Yell” timbre. Finally, we
associated the timbres with dynamics using established descriptors for the
vocal registers, and dynamics shaping was approximated by increasing or
decreasing the dynamic level one level, i.e. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mp</i>, every two
beats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The predicted dynamic shaping was
compared to a recording of a well-known tenor and mirrored the tenor’s dynamic
shaping quite well.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: How can you tell whether the vowels and the pitches are a
good match?</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: We assigned various dynamics to the timbres, so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pp-p</i> was “Whoop”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mp-f</i> was “Closed”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">f-ff</i>
was “Open” and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">f-fff</i> was “Yell”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then if the predicted timbre matched the
marked dynamic, it was a good match.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example, if the dynamic was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">forte</i>,
then “Closed”, “Open” or “Yell” were considered to be a good match. Then, if
the timbre was used in what would be considered an appropriate pitch range, so
for a tenor one would expect “Closed” around G4 or higher, that further
strengthened the match. We also looked at groups of dynamics/timbres, meaning
how often was “Whoop” used correctly with soft dynamics or incorrectly with
loud dynamics. What we are doing now is looking a little more carefully at when
there wasn’t a good match or when the dynamic isn’t used correctly with the
timbre to see if there is a reason why Britten may have chosen to mismatch the
timbre and dynamic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the moment it
looks like this mismatch is occurring to aid projection.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: What was the upshot of the experiment?</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A: What we found was that overall, the predicted timbre matched
Britten’s dynamic only 25% of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were occasions, however, when the predicted timbre matched the
dynamic as much as 50%, but it depended on the individual song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, we found that Britten often
assigned the “correct” vocal register or mode for the dynamic when in the upper
portion of the voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also looked at
occasions when F2 happened to correspond to H3 or H4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The supplemental amplification of F2 is a
common technique for tenors, and has the effect of aiding diction clarity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found the F2 supplemental tuning was
occurring over 37% of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
also frequently being used in the upper portion of the voice and when the
dynamic was soft in conjunction with louder timbres which we interpret as being
Britten’s attempt to aid the singer in projection at soft dynamic levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we noticed that when the predicted
timbre and dynamic did not match, the timbre shifts mirrored the dynamic
shifts, i.e. a shift from “Closed” to “Open” would correspond to a dynamic
change of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mp</i>, etc., as if Britten were cueing the singer as to how a line
should be shaped.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Q: How is this useful for singers? Should it change their
approach to the text/performance?</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A: The big take away for singers here
is that with Britten, if you just sing the pitch and the vowel he asks, you
will likely sing the dynamic or dynamic shaping he wants. In other words, Britten has programmed by his
choice of pitch and vowel, how to sing his music. We think this type of analysis would be
beneficial to singers, at least on a macro level. Both of us teach singing, and we frequently
see singers making their lives more difficult by imposing an interpretation on
a piece. If they would just take a
moment and consider what might happen if they just sing what is on the page,
they may find that they don’t need to work as hard to provide a musically
pleasing product. Of course, this is not
always true, but it would seem logical, at the very least, to begin from that
point of view. We think this type of
analysis also has a tremendous impact on the practice of transposing art songs,
particularly. It has become very popular for women to sing song repertoire that
was originally composed for men and vice versa. If you have a composer, like
Britten, who was very specific about what colors or timbres they wanted from
the singer and was also adept at building that into their composition,
transposing them or simply singing them up or down an octave would destroy the
composer’s artistic concept, not to mention making it very difficult vocally to
sing the music. For example, in
Britten’s “Nocturne” from <i>Serenade</i>,
he has very carefully chosen his pitch/vowel/dynamic combinations, a 50% match
and 64% match above C4. To have that piece
sung by soprano an octave higher would completely destroy those combinations
resulting in either the soprano not accomplishing what Britten has asked for or
accomplishing it with great difficulty and vocal manipulation. It is really
wise to do that? With some composers, who are less intentional and adept, this may not be an issue, but it is important
to consider. So, we would say that this
analysis definitely is useful in aiding interpretation, and vital when
considering singing repertoire in transposition.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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**********</div>
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In case we needed another reminder that singing the text and the proper vowels is important, here we have it! </div>
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--Ellen</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-46139588461996831842017-10-31T07:36:00.000-07:002017-10-31T07:39:58.147-07:00Making a choice<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I still remember
the specific moment that I truly decided to make music. Don’t get me wrong, I was
pretty much always going to become a musician, that was never really in doubt.
My mom was a pianist and music teacher, I’ve been playing piano since I was able to sit upright (see me and my brother below :-) ) and singing even longer than that—but somehow never made the real conscious decision to make music
until I was 19. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7EwDgcnDb_viPu0DSpOPZUK9cUiD5L7hlmm8EXZa8_Gf9sJ3eaG5QYZPfXBNR3MBy1KcnnYfQ3FEf9eTLF907BaFBh1Z6YYzxX5VBU-28-_vxt8PPtZio54E68ubDkv8XYO3Nri12Jki/s1600/EllenMike+piano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7EwDgcnDb_viPu0DSpOPZUK9cUiD5L7hlmm8EXZa8_Gf9sJ3eaG5QYZPfXBNR3MBy1KcnnYfQ3FEf9eTLF907BaFBh1Z6YYzxX5VBU-28-_vxt8PPtZio54E68ubDkv8XYO3Nri12Jki/s320/EllenMike+piano.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was in piano class; I was a sophomore in college and my fellow classmates were both grad
students. Maumack had already played, and Helen was up, playing Chopin’s
G-minor Ballade. Just as she hit the coda, something inside me changed—it felt like my heart opened, tears filled my eyes, and my soul was touched in a way that I’d felt before but never so clearly, and I
thought, “I <i>need</i> to do <i>that</i>”. So when it was my turn, I’m sure they were waiting
for me to play my Beethoven 32 Variations basically technically well, but I
made a different choice. I chose to make music, rather than to play every note
correctly. </span><span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;">It was a huge moment, and I honestly will never forget the looks of
respect, encouragement, and hope that I saw on my fellow students and my teacher
Ralph</span><span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;">Zitterbart’s faces.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdjRYTtCw3QAG9CdUcHrwJJssSa6SkWQ4pXWgwky_UyDM5PN4T3Qzn4ZQKYpcCND1OcNPAA1BA8tF1rAUCdfdDQNtp0yvzwV1GpWef13p03UbHDlhody_O8sFp8ny9SnFf-Rs1E5YfFWt/s1600/Plato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdjRYTtCw3QAG9CdUcHrwJJssSa6SkWQ4pXWgwky_UyDM5PN4T3Qzn4ZQKYpcCND1OcNPAA1BA8tF1rAUCdfdDQNtp0yvzwV1GpWef13p03UbHDlhody_O8sFp8ny9SnFf-Rs1E5YfFWt/s1600/Plato.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The funny thing is, I crashed and burned during that performance! About 2 pages from the end, I
lost my place and couldn’t get back to it, and I ended up stopping. But they
were all so excited and thrilled at the way I had just played that I could see
they knew how far I had come in those 15 minutes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The moral of the story for
me is—it’s not about getting to the end. It’s about the journey. Take people
with you on that journey and it doesn’t matter what you do or where you end up, just that you
shared it with them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt;">From that moment
on, my choice has always been to make music—working on technique became the means to that
end, rather than an end in itself. The hardest thing about that choice was that suddenly everything became more
important, and for a very long time I was more nervous than I’d ever been! It’s
one thing to play all the notes right—it’s a whole new ballgame when you
pour your heart and soul into something and people criticize it. I’ve had
singers come in to coachings sometimes where they just sort of sing through the
song, assuming that I’ll correct pitches and diction and style, and technically, yes, that’s my job.
But the pitches and diction and style are all informed and enhanced by the music
you’re trying to make, by the story you're trying to tell, so by committing to that music in every coaching, in
every lesson, everything else will improve. Just as we say singers should mark with
their voice, not their body, singers should mark with their voice, <i>not</i> their intentions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz8BXb9Fd7krdVFgZ8Ob9eHvVQGnGzkXzaJnAjHtnRQzjJ0abQbLXIo7ljmybbJyIdg2qest4AYZPYF1H8PmXVvWqmNvhud9upBc8jn5pshvYOkBFUY2yJ9fboasiGUJ13IMloZfWBSXz/s1600/Journey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz8BXb9Fd7krdVFgZ8Ob9eHvVQGnGzkXzaJnAjHtnRQzjJ0abQbLXIo7ljmybbJyIdg2qest4AYZPYF1H8PmXVvWqmNvhud9upBc8jn5pshvYOkBFUY2yJ9fboasiGUJ13IMloZfWBSXz/s1600/Journey.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 267.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this age of
younger, faster, louder, auto-tune, and CDs with single notes corrected or
improved, as musicians it’s important to get back to the basics. Make music.
Share it with people. That’s why people still come to see live
performances—they want to be transported with you. So if you haven’t already
done so, commit to making music, rather than to singing or playing the piano.
In the end, it will pay off a million-fold.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "century"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">--Ellen</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-70002908462380656162017-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:002017-10-01T22:01:16.374-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Opera Rehearsal Do's and Don'ts (from the perspective of the music staff)</b><br />
<br />
An opera rehearsal, particularly a staging rehearsal, can be a very complex, time-crunched process, with many moving parts and many people involved. Here are are some tips on what to do and what not to do during a rehearsal, based on our observations in student productions as well as in professional situations….<br />
<br />
<b>Do....</b><br />
<br />
<b>... arrive a little bit before your call time:</b><br />
If you are called at 10:00 AM, you should be ready to start rehearsing at 10:00 AM, not 10:05. Time is very precious in rehearsal, and directors, conductors, coaches, simply can't wait around for everyone to take three minutes here and there. That means that you should arrive a little early in order to prepare yourself for the rehearsal (i.e. put on your rehearsal skirts, shoes, get your score and pencil ready, etc.)<br />
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<b>... greet your colleagues when you arrive:</b><br />
A friendly greeting goes a long way to set a rehearsal on the right track. Introduce yourself to people who may not know you (e.g. "Hello, I am so-and-so, and I sing Fourth-Tree-From-The-Left in the piece"). Make sure to include the music staff, we like to feel included :)<br />
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<b>... know your music inside-out:</b><br />
Singing with your score during a staging rehearsal is unprofessional, and should never happen. Wait for breaks to mark your score with staging details. You should be ready to start at any point in your music without difficulty, which means that you should know the score very well.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Don't....</b><br />
<br />
<b>... stand between the pianist and the conductor:</b><br />
This is mostly important in early staging rehearsals, when the show is not yet on stage, especially when a lot of people are involved (during a larger chorus rehearsal for instance). If the pianist can't see the conductor well, the whole process will come to a disastrous halt. Don't make the music staff be traffic cops. We get grumpy when that happens!<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b>... conduct:</b><br />
Only the conductor should be conducting. You might be waiting on the side of the stage for extended periods of time, and it might be tempting to "air conduct" as you are watching your colleagues rehearse. This can be a major distraction, especially if you are within the pianist's sight line, or even the singers', and lead to a lot of confusion. Conductors tend to not take kindly to this.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>... sing someone else's lines:</b><br />
They are not your lines. You have your own :) Also avoid humming/singing when you are not on stage.<br />
<br />
<b>... chat:</b><br />
The only people who should be talking are the director (or their assistants) and the conductor. If everyone starts whispering on stage about post-rehearsal drinks, or weekend plans, the whole process becomes very chaotic. It is very common for a director/conductor to yell "quiet on stage!" (or "Ruhe auf der Bühne" in German), but really it's better when they don't have to do that!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>... put things on the piano:</b><br />
Especially liquids. The piano is not a table, nor a coat rack. We get pretty territorial, so watch out!<br />
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<br />
These are some of our observations; do you have rehearsal tips (or pet peeves?) Share them in the comments!<br />
<br /></div>
Francois Germainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03291648426769834356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-1919751906188478192017-08-29T01:09:00.001-07:002017-08-29T01:09:21.794-07:00Audition Stories and Taking Control<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since audition season will get started soon, I wanted to write a little
about auditions and share something odd that happened to me a few years ago
while playing auditions. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the very real issues with auditions is that we feel out of control. We can’t control the piano, the space we’re singing in, the
weather that day, or even what songs the judges will choose. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When it comes to
auditions, therefore, it can be very important to figure out what we </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">can</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> control—our clothes (are my shoes too high/too low/comfortable/pinching my
feet?), our music (are the pages in the right order—and yes, you should always
double check, I may not have time to—are they legible/are there any notes cut off from them?), our
timing (arrive early enough to be calm and relaxed, but not so early that you
freak yourself out by listening to other people sing or talk).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So here's my crazy story: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">First, I should say that that day was
full of singers who broke all the rules of audition etiquette. I had one singer
who brought in music where someone had <i>crossed out</i> every note of the piano part with an X. Literally. Every single note. There was another who
wanted to sing the Queen of the Night, but was missing the last page of "Der
Hölle Rache", so I had to download it onto my iPad (which I dislike intensely). Then there were two other singers there who left the prep
area and wandered around the opera house rather than going over the tempi with me, even though
they were there in plenty of time to do so and companies in Germany allow
time for it. By the time they came back, it was time to head downstairs, and they tried to whisper tempi to me in the stairwell, which never works very well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But the capper on the day was this: The auditions were being
held in a large rehearsal room, and the piano was about 50 feet from the
adjudicators. The singer came in and took the usual position in the hook of the
piano, but with every line he sang, he took a step forward—until by the end of
the aria he was only about 5 feet from the judges, and about 40 feet away from
me... with his back to me, of course! The judges then asked him to move back to
the piano, and I whispered to him that when he moves that far away I can’t hear
him—but sure enough, during his second aria, he did the same thing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This situation made it almost impossible for me to do a good
job playing for him, and it made the people listening very uncomfortable to
have someone singing directly in their faces. As you prepare for audition
season, I would recommend adding into your checklist the awareness of your surroundings in the
audition room: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Are you too close to the people listening?<br />
Are you able to stay in contact with the pianist?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Are you moving around too much or too little?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Obviously the last question can be a matter of
taste, but in general, less is more, and if some extreme movement causes you to lose
contact with the pianist, it can have devastating results. These are all things
that we can control with a little mental preparation.</span><!--EndFragment-->
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">--Ellen</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-47146554878530007842017-07-31T22:50:00.000-07:002017-07-31T22:50:28.595-07:00What Failure Teaches Us<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few weeks ago at one of the summer programs I work with, I got to talking about failure with the students. I get the sense that young performers think that those of us who've "made it" have always been perfect and never messed anything up at all, which couldn't be further from the truth! We’ve all had
those moments when we do something wrong and it really brings out that insecure little voice inside our heads that says “Maybe you really AREN’T good enough,
maybe you should just give it up.” Or the worry that the one person who's hearing you now holds the deciding vote as to whether or not you'll have a career.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Failure is a part of learning</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">—and</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> how you react to failure is much more important than failing in the first place. It's difficult to succeed without having first understood failure. And if you have an "epic fail", then that's the chance to also succeed epically!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6vAU6meJO9g2u-wFk25PhLtAOxMpLra9Hxdh_w3EU4Qqw-9edqVvdFarFTGmiv1GpFrZIfQPT79M5cB7orLjNjfcNoDxnX5C1R3NY-4ee-lePeL6J2Cqst-VmazKCPaoQJZc2UrtBydh/s1600/Edison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="355" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6vAU6meJO9g2u-wFk25PhLtAOxMpLra9Hxdh_w3EU4Qqw-9edqVvdFarFTGmiv1GpFrZIfQPT79M5cB7orLjNjfcNoDxnX5C1R3NY-4ee-lePeL6J2Cqst-VmazKCPaoQJZc2UrtBydh/s320/Edison.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That moment came
for me when I was about 30—I had an audition for a pretty important opera house
in the States, a fairly informal audition, just me and the head coach. And I’m
here to tell you, he ripped me to shreds. Seriously, <i>shreds</i>. He hated the way I played La Bohème, he
kept asking me specifics about Italian and German diction rules—I
was pretty lazy about learning those rules in college, so I was going off of my
ears rather than rules, and he called me out on it for about an hour. I walked
out of there completely demoralised and humiliated, convinced that I was the worst vocal coach in America and that there was no hope for me to ever work in the opera world. I can honestly say, that one hour of my life shook my
confidence for years. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2ze2JFnZZ_OQ9mthsSAkIiz6kgvu4p22iwhvR56gyKphMQpMVvjSWzq6xkIboYND0WWOFHZttJBeU-nNTiGFzb2znnPD1K8Rs2Q1Lf06u22VEqTSIDkj_-q0lks2UdMt132TkG5ev5gI/s1600/Jordan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2ze2JFnZZ_OQ9mthsSAkIiz6kgvu4p22iwhvR56gyKphMQpMVvjSWzq6xkIboYND0WWOFHZttJBeU-nNTiGFzb2znnPD1K8Rs2Q1Lf06u22VEqTSIDkj_-q0lks2UdMt132TkG5ev5gI/s1600/Jordan.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But that night (after a good cry) I started translating the libretto for the next opera I was scheduled to play, and kept doing that for every opera I worked on. I cracked open my diction notes from grad school and pored over the diction books I could find. I made my Italian cheat
sheets of open and closed words that crop up on a regular basis. I made it my business
to be absolutely secure with the diction as well as the music, to know what the rules are and when breaking them is allowable. And eventually,
I moved over to Europe and was able to listen to native speakers and how they sound,
and applied what I was hearing to the rules I had studied. In the end, diction has become the
one thing that really sets me apart from other coaches. And then I started a
podcast, which forces me to continue to learn the rules, and hopefully makes it
fun for other people to do their homework! Now people send me lyric diction books to edit and review, and I am fortunate enough to constantly learn more about lyric diction through these opportunities.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could have let that little voice in my head beat
me—the insecurity, the voice that told me that I would never be good enough, the one that said that if <i>that</i> head coach hated me,
then it was hopeless and I should just give it all up. But instead, I let that
little voice remind me that while I may never be perfect, I can certainly
always work to be better. So instead of being scared of failure, use it as your
marker! Embrace it and learn from it. Let it be
the thing that drives you to always study and practice and work hard and continue to learn, rather
than something that paralyses you and keeps you from trying in the first place. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And if you need more encouragement along these lines, check out the NPR podcast "<a href="http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this" target="_blank">How I Built This</a>". You can hear how many of the most successful business people in the US got their start and built something incredible</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and how most of them failed several times before starting the business they are known for today!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">--Ellen</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-53091652714122443572017-06-19T10:37:00.000-07:002017-06-19T10:37:54.969-07:00Practical Tips for the Young Musician Traveler to Germany and Austria<style>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Practical Tips for the Young Musician Traveler to Germany and Austria</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5itnqK_wu9PW2Mj4GiaHAaLdSsd7v_FseHnm8rU81rCx0XtGUM4aEpxwoFDQS-HWJSTw4LOKzevFtR6MMimYMfo6a5CHmnK3CdXw1mcBtncOXq92cYe28DaBfSU319Ic_HeovZ9OWnwp/s1600/Summer-Study-Abroad-Germany-Programs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5itnqK_wu9PW2Mj4GiaHAaLdSsd7v_FseHnm8rU81rCx0XtGUM4aEpxwoFDQS-HWJSTw4LOKzevFtR6MMimYMfo6a5CHmnK3CdXw1mcBtncOXq92cYe28DaBfSU319Ic_HeovZ9OWnwp/s320/Summer-Study-Abroad-Germany-Programs.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whether it’s your first time, or your tenth time, a European
summer program or festival is one of the most enriching, enlightening, and
sometimes even life-changing adventures that you will embark on as a young
musician in training. Here is a list, non-exhaustive of course, of some things
that nobody really tells you about before you leave that you wish you had
known! Since I have mostly been travelling to German speaking countries lately,
this is where we will focus our attention.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>1- Packing</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Less is more! Over the years, I’ve learned to pack
everything I need for up to 8 weeks in one suitcase and one carry on. You will
have access to laundry facilities, and every toiletry item is available for
purchase, so you don’t have to bring tons of everything with you.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you will be going to concerts, remember that audiences
tend to dress up more. But remember that just like everything else, concert
venues are usually not well air-conditioned, if at all, and it can get really
hot in the summer. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rest of your attire should be summer clothing, some kind
of a rain coat (and umbrella), good walking shoes.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnQ8Qw94-eflxr7nAKChmwSX3dHiMxE11FMCVKVgcQ5niEP1qf859labv8HdtKt6gVXL1-H2soIn7IbnLKuJ80dQRivAMnckg-c4Rvj2WGVmasrTdqlRevKMEKDlTn69BDRwZJMGD3C5f/s1600/traveling-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="500" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnQ8Qw94-eflxr7nAKChmwSX3dHiMxE11FMCVKVgcQ5niEP1qf859labv8HdtKt6gVXL1-H2soIn7IbnLKuJ80dQRivAMnckg-c4Rvj2WGVmasrTdqlRevKMEKDlTn69BDRwZJMGD3C5f/s320/traveling-light.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>2- Jet-lag/traveling</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Traveling
east is difficult for your biological clock. The 6 to 9 hour time difference is
difficult to take in that direction (easier on the way back home). Here are my
personal tips:</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - Do
everything you can to sleep on the plane over. I always do better if I manage
to get at least 3 hours of sleep on the flight. So maybe don’t watch 3 movies
in a row, no matter how excited you are by the little screen in the seat in
front of you...</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - You will
arrive in Europe the next morning, which means that you have a whole day ahead
of you, sometimes with more travelling. Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE A NAP. Try
and stay awake until at least 8 or 9 pm. I find that doing something outside is
very helpful--walking through the city, for instance. One time, I went to the
Hamburg zoo, even though I never go to the zoo, but it kept me distracted from
my own fatigue. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - Get on
your new eating schedule right away. You will be hungry at odd times, but
establishing your new eating routine right away is important.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>3- Money</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It helps to have some Euros with you
when you arrive, but there are ATMs everywhere, and you’ll get a better
exchange rate by taking cash from them (double check fees that your bank may
charge for conversion, they differ from bank to bank). In large cities, pretty
much every merchant will take the major credit cards, but in smaller places
they will look at you askance if you try to pay for your Kaffee und Kuchen
(coffee and cake) with your credit card. Better to have cash to cover smaller
charges like these—also because some credit cards also charge conversion fees!
The Euro makes it super easy to travel from one country to the others on your
days off, too...</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD5U3rVn94VFN_5ph3LMJAhDU4Qo3OtcLPTgzgy8R3tT1xVcAIFiDUw1z1XLiUpuZE4WvnjYk0X0bglEaiC-wbWZVWNjJmTWJurrvF0qa282VboqHCwnkphDVK-WYOX64YkhKid0kJfc0/s1600/2C26252900000578-3664410-image-a-26_1467279474684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="634" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD5U3rVn94VFN_5ph3LMJAhDU4Qo3OtcLPTgzgy8R3tT1xVcAIFiDUw1z1XLiUpuZE4WvnjYk0X0bglEaiC-wbWZVWNjJmTWJurrvF0qa282VboqHCwnkphDVK-WYOX64YkhKid0kJfc0/s320/2C26252900000578-3664410-image-a-26_1467279474684.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>4- Electricity</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t forget your adapter plugs!!! (Guilty of that on this
trip!) Both the plug and the type of current are different.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Voltage in Europe is 230V, but all your electronic devices
will be fine. You might want to check for other small appliances you want to bring
(hair dryer, electric razor etc.). It should say somewhere on them whether they
work for 120-230, or only 120. As a general rule,
anything that heats up (like a curling iron) should NOT be connected to a
converter. Better to buy one in country.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB8Twln2n08cIUfc1xv7gPNT59mzuM_11lxeC_eW89EzER1VdnG3e6AGpxAnWlGDibydDru46s6Z_XTs0yQUxAXFZ_l9VpGUoB34pz7Td4GQAe_eRxYlqPTGtEVVcK3rtF0A2StGXaXgc/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="1556" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB8Twln2n08cIUfc1xv7gPNT59mzuM_11lxeC_eW89EzER1VdnG3e6AGpxAnWlGDibydDru46s6Z_XTs0yQUxAXFZ_l9VpGUoB34pz7Td4GQAe_eRxYlqPTGtEVVcK3rtF0A2StGXaXgc/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="318" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>5- Shopping (Food or
otherwise): A few things to keep in mind</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - Schedule:
Almost everything closes early on Saturday, and will be closed on Sunday and holidays.
If you forgot to go food shopping, you will have a hard time finding anything
open. One exception: bigger train stations tend to have a little food market
that is open when everything else is closed. (Gas stations also often have a
little food section that has saved my life many times)</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - You will
find great food in the supermarket, at reasonable prices. I always find that
food shopping is cheaper, and that the quality of the products is better (thank
you, EU regulations). SO the supermarket is a great option. But don’t forget
about the open-air markets where the local farmers, butchers, bakers etc.
assemble several times a week to sell their freshest items. It’s a lot of fun,
and a great way to experience life as a local (and try your hand at some
German).</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - At the
checkout line: </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>bring your own re-usable bags (you can buy them
there for cheap, but there won’t be plastic bags available).</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>cashiers don’t like it when you hand them a 100
Euro bill for a 5.62 purchase. Very often, they will ask you if you have the
.62 cents in change (you will find that you’ll be walking around with A LOT of
coins in your pocket). </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>cashiers don’t bag your items for you, you have
to do it yourself.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>the biggest source of food shopping stress:
BAGGING your items. If you hold up the line even a little bit, you will most
definitely feel the disapproving glare of everyone behind you. The best
technique I’ve observed (and now use all the time): put everything back in your
cart/basket as the cashier scans your items, and move away to the designated
bagging area beyond the register, where you can take as much time as you want!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - One last
thing: pharmacies are for drugs and medicine. The other items we are used to
find in a pharmacy won’t be there (shampoo, soap, etc). Rather, you will go to
a “Drogerie”, such as <a href="https://www.dm.de/" target="_blank">DM</a> or <a href="https://www.rossmann.de/einkaufsportal/" target="_blank">Rossmann</a>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>6- Eating out</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A great way
to discover new foods. Touristy places will have menus in English, but part of
the fun is trying to learn the name of food items in a new language. If you
don’t know, take a chance! Here are a few things to know about restaurant
etiquette:</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - In casual
establishments, you usually don’t have to wait to be seated. Just pick a table
and sit down, especially in outdoor spaces.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - You can
always spot the Americans and Canadians in a restaurant: we tend to be the loud
ones! </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - Waiters
won’t rush you, or expect you to order more if you want to stay longer. You can
literally spend all afternoon and only order one coffee. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - This
non-intrusive waiting style can sometimes make it tricky to get the bill. They
won’t bring it automatically, so you’ll have to ask for it (“die Rechnung,
bitte” or “ich möchte gern zahlen, bitte”). And it seems to be an unwritten law
of the universe that your waiter/waitress will be nowhere to be found when you
want to pay and leave, especially when you are in a rush...so be patient and
plan ahead! :)</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - Tips:
service is included, so a tip is just that, a tip. On a check up to 50 Euros, I
will leave somewhere between 1 and 4 Euros.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuFRHrBT8UjzMMvHYB9QU2XRRdyZdWQE6NsBUsDWfBmF9iOtuae_mqEnmY14bmmT2naR3wIITaM3zaTt9iQ7-T8BjHTDaQBn8nKbLEh1_a4liC_fFAFa7sdSESGigaf9u8YSbnfHayvsU/s1600/1200px-Wiener-Schnitzel02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1200" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuFRHrBT8UjzMMvHYB9QU2XRRdyZdWQE6NsBUsDWfBmF9iOtuae_mqEnmY14bmmT2naR3wIITaM3zaTt9iQ7-T8BjHTDaQBn8nKbLEh1_a4liC_fFAFa7sdSESGigaf9u8YSbnfHayvsU/s320/1200px-Wiener-Schnitzel02.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>7- Alcohol</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The drinking age in Germany and Austria is 16 for beer and
wine and 18 for spirits (I guess they think that one can’t really get drunk on
beer...). So basically, undergrad students will be able to drink legally. This
may seem hugely liberating and very exciting, and while partying is certainly
part of a summer trip abroad, also remember what you came for. You don’t want
to ruin your musical and learning experience because you have a hangover every
other day!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This being said, you will have the opportunity to try a
great variety of beers, often brewed locally, and served in large quantities (order: “ein großes Bier, bitte”), or small
quantities (“ein kleines Bier, bitte”) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5-aifbdmBSqdEjKwkEFNV5MVDmlwAbAWDralD1cIgiyohV4DGVVt8ou9icn_MMDR3IwNJL5grXHR8E2vpylM9r2SbVcV9E3J5VvFtqsVcOd825MU62GzeCJw9IkPJ9vBuapt6wYMGAJn/s1600/050-2008+Pictures+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5-aifbdmBSqdEjKwkEFNV5MVDmlwAbAWDralD1cIgiyohV4DGVVt8ou9icn_MMDR3IwNJL5grXHR8E2vpylM9r2SbVcV9E3J5VvFtqsVcOd825MU62GzeCJw9IkPJ9vBuapt6wYMGAJn/s320/050-2008+Pictures+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>8- Air
conditioning/fans</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
One thing
that is always a shock for most North American visitors is the very limited use
of air-conditioning in Germany and Austria. Private residences practically
never have it, and it is also rare in most public places. In the US, we are
used to feeling chilly indoors, but that won’t be the case in Europe, where you
will be hot everywhere, and pretty much guaranteed to feel uncomfortable, and
always a little bit sweaty. Public transportation is also often not air-conditioned,
so on a hot day, be prepared for a moving-sauna experience! (Add to this the
fact that most people don’t like to have moving air on them, so you won’t
encounter many fans, and bus windows will often remain shut, even on a 100-degree
day). </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>9- Getting around</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Be prepared
to walk a lot. And to climb stairs. Many older buildings don’t have elevators,
but some newer ones don’t either. Bring good walking shoes!</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Public transit is generally very
well laid out and user friendly, so don’t be shy about taking the
bus/tram/trolley... In most cities, the transit authority will have a website
and an app where you can get instructions on how to get from point A to point B.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>10-
Excursions/Traveling in Europe </b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> You will
have some down time, and wherever you are in Europe, it is fairly easy and
inexpensive to travel to other places (usually by train), whether for a day
excursion, or an overnight stay. German and Austrian trains are convenient,
frequent, safe and comfortable. There are often discounted prices for small
groups, or according to your age. Make sure to inquire about these... Here are
the websites for the <a href="https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml" target="_blank">Deutsche Bahn (DB)</a> and the <a href="http://www.oebb.at/en/" target="_blank">Österreichische BundesBahn(ÖBB)</a>:</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
******</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hope these little tips will help make your transition smoother! And when in doubt, the local people will be more than happy to help and answer questions. Most will also make every effort to speak English if your German is not up to snuff yet. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gute Reise! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--François</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-9071720702449463792017-04-30T00:47:00.000-07:002017-04-30T00:47:10.539-07:00Book Review: "Scandinavian Song: A Guide to Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish Repertoire and Diction"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540#" target="_blank"><img alt=" Scandinavian Song" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WIlFHx_nXw0jL3-3cSmSWR_orrzmzL5joNup0pmPrY_MR8OT4w3SulzlwyR7_ncRCdQxM7qbmB1GoBSx6A-LUNysIBzq7rkTfqwBfjRUcIO2sVxXw-QzIs2AMC8bcamQ9qvzrnGkbfi-/s320/IMG_3356.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A few years ago on <a href="http://www.dictionpolice.com/Podcasts/" target="_blank">The Diction Police podcast</a>, we published episodes on Swedish and Norwegian Lyric Diction--I was eager to delve into them, because at the time there were very few resources available for singers in these languages. After the Swedish podcasts aired, Anna Hersey sent me an excellent article that she had written for the NATS Journal of Singing entitled "An Introduction to Swedish Diction", which was the basis for her doctoral dissertation. The moment she announced that she would be writing a diction book on all three of the Scandinavian languages, I waited not-so-patiently for the release date!<br />
<br />
Now <a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540#" target="_blank">Scandinavian Song</a> is out, and I've had the opportunity to work my way through it for the past few months with great pleasure. If you look closely at the above picture, you can see all the yellow post-its along the side--these mark all the information I want to be able to refer to at a glance! As you can see, there are a lot of them, because there is an incredible amount of information in this book.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQieeun6KiXEYPKdtmPaKFEV571CnDuuBHKFdBv79eTyrRFhUp_r1VOrpbqryz2d4mKTRnMk6xuuqkikMWaWLJLIgtZjHTAFeiztwMCrbnZw9-e_Yus80fxPn6SfbNuboLMRLv_eAToyM/s320/IMG_3367.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The book is divided into three parts, which are all in turn divided into three sections (one for each language):<br />
<br />
Part 1 covers the rules of lyric diction in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, with in-depth explanations of the vowels and consonants, how they are formed, and the standard performance practice of native-speaking performers, as well as the basic grammar necessary for understanding the rules. While on paper these languages appear to be exactly the same (to a foreign eye), there are major differences in the pronunciation of them, and each of these details is clearly defined and explained.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmTOBFuv0euuHh3-JN8NAikOpRTuMLKbkM98zCNFlpOnUeG1cB_nMRnhuF3bCIN1LyTNl-zlBYtvp8rf-ZtUoU0dBoRftQs4S9l6GyxaevRHfQbU-iPIOrgMbvv3sw8mMzWO_PNTgyQol/s320/IMG_3347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What I appreciate most about Part 1 is that Dr. Hersey discusses the new phonetic symbols that we need (like [ɶ] and [ʉ]) both with the regular linguistic definition and with a more colloquial, less formal explanation, which makes it accessible for all levels of diction study. She also gives step-by-step instructions on how to get started as a sort of checklist for those of us with little experience in the language, and in each language she recommends the best dictionaries and other resources to acquire as a reference to aid in further study.<br />
<br />
Part 2 is a chronological list of composers for the repertoire of each language, along with stylistic and interpretive information for each song that is mentioned. The detail in this section is staggering--she discusses the setting and text in a way that reminds me of Pierre Bernac's <i>Interpretation of French Song</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S-5qZIoqKh3wfTgfG_dpQg4eAl-rPNZtjqvBA4ASCoucaTEmE4G9Xnnaiek005wtd2EEpN6LMu57K6o4EB0d-izDR_0DsnLCqY7oSymm3w-sykmVxiBZ8ZsZT5-BoLIZfn3ZZrYR-n3w/s320/IMG_3368.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Part 3 has over 200 pages of phonetic transcriptions and poetic translations of songs, with background information on the poets. This book is worth having just for this portion! But I wouldn't recommend starting from this section--working through the first two parts of the book will lend a much better understanding of how to use the transcriptions effectively.<br />
<br />
I've been working my way through Part 3 armed with YouTube--I find one or two clips of each song and listen while following along carefully. These are composers that I've seldom heard before, and it's been a wonderful way to get introduced to new repertoire, as well as the linguistic differences and musical languages of each country.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
One of the greatest joys of lyric diction right now is that there is a great deal of research coming out on many languages besides the big three (Italian, German, and French). It's an exciting time, because we no longer have to sing the same repertoire in every recital, and Anna Hersey's book just opened up three new languages for us to program into performances! <a href="http://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810884540#" target="_blank">Scandinavian Song</a> is a must-have in any reference library.<br />
<br />
--Ellen<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-24577968412344181402017-03-29T07:18:00.000-07:002017-04-02T05:24:45.655-07:00The birth of an opera: the libretto workshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
As a vocal coach at the <a href="http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane">Crane School of Music</a>, I've been fortunate to be involved in the <a href="http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/events/pellicciotti">Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize</a>, which fosters the development and creation of new American opera. Every four years, the prize allows us to commission and produce a new operatic work for our main stage, giving students and faculty the opportunity to participate in every step of the creative process. New American works have been flourishing lately, usually under the patronage of major regional and national professional companies, and it is somewhat unusual for a music school to be able to contribute to the repertoire in such a significant way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7bnZy43s-gwMMftONlOom5A-bE2tutqe8CoImXwEC_3Bu2mAUP-VYfGMLTbIWwpUEQySh3arwP3v59bWfHqEbuClMXexqwGk1q4-g29LTDSfp6sIE4IcLsL9EVNVqnxUcZtUdNSAOQ/s320/Pellicciotti+Logo+White.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<br />
In this post, I thought I'd write about a step in the process with which I was unfamiliar, but that I found to be absolutely fascinating: the libretto workshop and reading.<br />
<br />
The winner of the second edition of the Pellicciotti Prize is the amazing <a href="https://tomcipullo.net/">Tom Cipullo</a>, with his opera <i>Mayo</i>. Cipullo also wrote the libretto for the new work, which tells of America’s tragic infatuation with eugenics (according to Wikipedia "a practice that aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population") in the early 20<sup>th</sup>
century. Based on a true story, the opera follows the life of Mayo
Buckner, who was committed to the Iowa Home for Feeble-Minded Children
at the age of eight, and forged a life of quiet dignity and meaning
while living there for the next 60 years.<br />
<br />
In February, as part of the development of the work, we organized a libretto workshop: two days of table readings with a group of actors, culminating in a public performance of the libretto (no music, just straight theater) and a moderated audience feedback session at Opera America in New York City. Dramaturg <a href="http://coriellison.com/">Cori Ellison</a> and director <a href="https://www.directorbeth.com/">Beth Greenberg</a> were leading the rehearsals along with Tom Cipullo. Music Director Kirk Severtson and I were also present during the whole process.<br />
The workshop was structured as follows:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Two 3-hour rehearsals (table reading)</li>
<li>A public performance of the libretto</li>
<li>A moderated feedback session</li>
</ul>
It was absolutely fascinating to witness this text come to life! Unusually, Tom Cipullo is both the librettist and composer for the piece. This solves some of the problems that teams of librettists and composers might typically encounter (for instance, this way "everybody" is automatically on the same page), but it also presents some challenges, since the creator is not afforded the kind of back-and-forth discussion that can be very beneficial and fruitful.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArOq4yqp3hAFfSJhfWuXZc5MKCk_0FWYgp2eBMTcZRLMVj8FmnmI6FzQdYQ2rAAUcVKvQYCUAJgjbyx5KQNy8DjkVtWqLJWW945ms5acSAclvK4p2xZoCahYPKZG8ytMCabTSPvu-hw/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArOq4yqp3hAFfSJhfWuXZc5MKCk_0FWYgp2eBMTcZRLMVj8FmnmI6FzQdYQ2rAAUcVKvQYCUAJgjbyx5KQNy8DjkVtWqLJWW945ms5acSAclvK4p2xZoCahYPKZG8ytMCabTSPvu-hw/s320/IMG_0044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table reading</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxezDFJgnuogmzDBDz_B4JOsDS9R5aFGzfz5kZ2BtYiG5IK4SnRAPvLaw7assx0lyyokZo9eTy-azaVMiiUAg-6XtQFYEgGibylbyzUA4EZ2k1q-20bvOeVx1p4RMsZ5xbPwjx707NA/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxezDFJgnuogmzDBDz_B4JOsDS9R5aFGzfz5kZ2BtYiG5IK4SnRAPvLaw7assx0lyyokZo9eTy-azaVMiiUAg-6XtQFYEgGibylbyzUA4EZ2k1q-20bvOeVx1p4RMsZ5xbPwjx707NA/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table reading </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The actors were all theater actors, not singers, and not particularly involved in the operatic world. This yielded some very interesting remarks, and discoveries (I should also point that each actor played multiple parts, and that one actor was always assigned to read all the stage directions).</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li> One topic that kept coming back was the difficulty of reading the "arias": as opera practitioners, we take arias for granted, but as a piece of theater, they are somewhat incongruous, since they tend to halt the natural flow of the plot, a fact that becomes particularly evident when the libretto is simply read. They also often contain quite a bit of text repetition. The solution offered by the director and dramaturg, was to treat them as pieces of poetry, or even Shakespearean monologues (although those don't usually repeat text all that much).</li>
<li>At one point, a question was raised about the motivations of one of the characters. Tom's answer was that he would like to leave it somewhat ambiguous, to which the actor responded: "I don't know how to act "ambiguous", so I need to know where she is coming from. Otherwise, it won't read at all". This was quite interesting: Tom's intention was to leave this undecided for the audience, but that didn't mean that it could be left undecided for the actor herself.</li>
<li>Another aspect discussed was how the plot transitioned from scene to scene and from one act to the next. The story covers about 50 years, and given this span, it is important that the events depicted related to each other in a coherent way, without creating false causal links. Something that might be clear in the librettist's mind, might not come across as clearly to the audience.</li>
<li>The power of music: on more than one occasion, the fact the music "will flesh this out" was brought up. While the libretto is a functional piece of theater of its own, it also will nourish the music for the piece, and in turn, flourish with it.</li>
</ul>
The performance itself took place at Opera America, in Scorca Hall, in
front of an invited audience of about 40. The actors were sitting next
to each other on stage in front of music stands, and would rise up when
their character was in the scene.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zb5PDUYHGbvKJ3v3IjqwvWiyV66whklSwIo9__PssuMtDVGAs7gPWrcxR715h9om3V_MFYMM1dZEU1f17dePCrYou64jZGk9NIdxopGwvyQmv_naeJdFD8Sj_RnotrsnLaghcUB4A/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zb5PDUYHGbvKJ3v3IjqwvWiyV66whklSwIo9__PssuMtDVGAs7gPWrcxR715h9om3V_MFYMM1dZEU1f17dePCrYou64jZGk9NIdxopGwvyQmv_naeJdFD8Sj_RnotrsnLaghcUB4A/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audience in Scorca Hall, Opera America</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB2EppT4SiWUw-tgzfdtcdlD5DBE-UdcVm3eLP9iNevf9ZvTt81iU743rF55Dm-1zQJBKEA-Ggi3yWI6rzIVlFgnzwwymlWQBpJORk129SS_fIjVe1U2pCyrUa4InVUwrzQoNleI8ZA/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB2EppT4SiWUw-tgzfdtcdlD5DBE-UdcVm3eLP9iNevf9ZvTt81iU743rF55Dm-1zQJBKEA-Ggi3yWI6rzIVlFgnzwwymlWQBpJORk129SS_fIjVe1U2pCyrUa4InVUwrzQoNleI8ZA/s320/IMG_0035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performance in Scorca Hall, Opera America</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was in awe of the actors, who, in a very short time, were able to deliver such nuanced renditions of their characters, and to also incorporate comments from Cori, Beth and Tom. They had no prior knowledge of the story, the plot, or the background, and yet the performance was absolutely convincing and touching. To be able to do this with 6 hours of rehearsal over a day and a half was very impressive. I mentioned this to one of them after the performance, and she simply answered: "We do these kinds of readings all the time, sometimes with no rehearsal at all. We're used to it". I wonder if this is the equivalent of sight-reading for us musicians...<br />
<br />
After the performance, Cori Ellison led the audience through a moderated feedback session. Cori, Beth Greenberg and Tom Cipullo were on stage to receive the audience's comments and answer questions. Cori used <a href="http://www.lizlerman.com/crpLL.html" target="_blank">Liz Lerman's critical response process</a> for this, which is comprised of four parts:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Statement of meaning: audience members express what was meaningful to them, what "got" to them in the piece. These should be specific, and positive comments, such as "I loved it when...", or "I was moved by...". </li>
<li>Questions from the librettist to the audience: the writer asks, the audience responds, and a dialogue ensues. For instance: "Was it clear to you that...?", "what did you think of...?".</li>
<li> Questions from the group to the librettist: sometimes what is clear to the librettist is not clear for the audience, and some points of the plot might need clarification. This is helpful for the composer/librettist in order to gain a different perspective than his own on the work.</li>
<li>Opinions: audience members can express opinions about any aspect of the work BUT, they have to ask the writer whether he/she would like to hear them. Sometimes, hearing an opinion might influence the piece too much, or inadvertently push it in a direction that wasn't the writer's initial intent. The audience member would ask: "I have an opinion about such and such, would you like to hear it?". In our case, Tom was very willing to hear these. </li>
</ol>
The session proved to be very lively and engaging. Almost everyone in attendance contributed to a very meaningful and interesting discussion about all aspects of what they heard: from the importance of telling this particular story, the clarity of the plot, and definition of characters, to the placement of the intermission, and the overall dramatic effect of the work.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5_1DLLPQ58ydPPZ_zFcWM98W8rkFpK81e4CMMnjVPcxfN6sZM5hThD9ie-Rn0psWEW3ZLR9eLLgcEHWGGdiURdf1ndQxtHBnLzalQ6HFOhdAKl4UvMMVkoIVrKQhj-VpMCiPqWImEw/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5_1DLLPQ58ydPPZ_zFcWM98W8rkFpK81e4CMMnjVPcxfN6sZM5hThD9ie-Rn0psWEW3ZLR9eLLgcEHWGGdiURdf1ndQxtHBnLzalQ6HFOhdAKl4UvMMVkoIVrKQhj-VpMCiPqWImEw/s320/IMG_0046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moderated feedback session</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I realize I haven't said much about the actual story: I simply don't want to give anything away about Tom Cipullo's telling of it. However you can read about Mayo Buckner <a href="https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels2/pdf/50s/57-Mayo-Buckner.pdf">here</a>.<br />
<br />
The next step in the process will be a music workshop of the whole piece, sometime in January 2018. Stay tuned for a blog post about that! The premiere of <i>Mayo </i>will take place in November 2018, at the Crane School of Music, in Potsdam, NY. You can visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PellicciottiPrize/">Pellicciotti Facebook page</a>, to follow along with the project.<br />
<br />
--François<br />
<br />
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<ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Francois Germainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03291648426769834356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628283229184280120.post-75019487794077577132017-02-20T00:17:00.001-08:002018-06-15T04:09:01.172-07:00Making the case for Lyric Diction<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORdn6OFlDTtaoJ4R3J4jCQ0u8wDyVNXzinrtNiSMeAxjC5tOnIAOGHRFE75CGvs4b8JmYDu-t4Z1U1ykdyNojmwOJnZtParFH_2AIPGnaRQtOJynAXan3nX3ajqznlpKb0FX7vV-xqKvO/s1600/Singing_Diction_2500x2500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORdn6OFlDTtaoJ4R3J4jCQ0u8wDyVNXzinrtNiSMeAxjC5tOnIAOGHRFE75CGvs4b8JmYDu-t4Z1U1ykdyNojmwOJnZtParFH_2AIPGnaRQtOJynAXan3nX3ajqznlpKb0FX7vV-xqKvO/s320/Singing_Diction_2500x2500.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></b></span>
</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Making
the case for Lyric Diction/IPA</span></u></b></span></span></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello
and welcome to The Diction Police’s new blog! François and I will each be
posting once a month on any topic that strikes our fancy—this won’t be diction
lessons, but rather personal and professional anecdotes, observations, and
musings. For our first posting, I thought it would be best to talk a little
about why we find lyric diction so important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over
the decades as someone who specializes in the study of lyric diction, one of
the attitudes that I’ve run across from time to time is that studying diction
is pointless, a waste of time, charlatanism to take money from students—all
anyone really needs to do is to learn to speak the language, and that will be
enough to make their pronunciation in singing clear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s
take a closer look at some of the arguments I’ve heard over the years:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking the language
is enough</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If
this were true, then every native speaker of a language would be completely
comprehensible when they sing. You’ve never heard an American singing “O Holy
Night” and thought, “Wow, I have no idea what they are saying”? <span style="color: #16191f;">Being fluent in a language does not mean that you make no
diction mistakes or that people will understand you when singing. There are
many people living in Germany for over 20 years who sound more American than I
when speaking the language. Being a native speaker is also no help, because
oftentimes in both English and German we will swallow consonants that on an
opera stage need to be spit loudly in order to be intelligible, and we don’t
notice it because we aren’t aware of the problem—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i> understand what we are singing. There are rules for lyric
diction in French that supersede colloquial pronunciation, but not all French
coaches and singers know them unless they have actually studied diction. I’ve
fought (and won) fights with French speakers over forbidden liaisons. One of my
friends (not American) was a French minor in college and speaks quite well, but
she still didn’t know that the second syllable of “solennel” is not a schwa and
I had to correct her and the people she was coaching. Speaking the language is
a great start, but it isn’t the end of the journey and it can’t teach us
everything about pronunciation.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLRPcOUjdTuwCRz-vz37FpvNd4S1AbmB6YxhKxTd3v0mZMgPAj0ywjgZVcrGBQTgr6ZHuoOnnRnDY2CLNSOUGofzsrbCUhgriA6G7kK8NTCP2UJn3tJHW7-7ZI2d8o4kZSHn0RSBL_S0R/s1600/Master+class+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLRPcOUjdTuwCRz-vz37FpvNd4S1AbmB6YxhKxTd3v0mZMgPAj0ywjgZVcrGBQTgr6ZHuoOnnRnDY2CLNSOUGofzsrbCUhgriA6G7kK8NTCP2UJn3tJHW7-7ZI2d8o4kZSHn0RSBL_S0R/s1600/Master+class+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
rules of diction were made up by vocal coaches<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;">RAI (the Italian television) has a website dedicated to
<a href="http://www.dizionario.rai.it/" target="_blank">pronunciation for television and radio</a> that also applies to Italian lyric
diction, and everyone knows of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lo-Zingarelli-Minore-Vocabolario-Paperback/dp/8808123022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487350014&sr=8-1&keywords=zingarelli+vocabolario+della+lingua+italiana" target="_blank">Zingarelli dictionary</a>, because it contains
the Italian standard of pronunciation. Fouché’s <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Traite-Prononciation-Francaise-Pierre-Fouche/dp/0828874751/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487349922&sr=8-2&keywords=fouche+traite" target="_blank">Traité de prononciation française</a></i> harkens back to the 1950s, and the Sieb’s <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deutsche-B%C3%BChnenaussprache-Dritte-Auflage-German/dp/B01MFH1XGP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487349913&sr=8-1&keywords=sieb+B%C3%BChnenaussprache" target="_blank">Bühnenaussprache</a></i> (stage diction) came
out in 1898. The German German diction book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/kleine-Hey-Kunst-Sprechens-DVD-ROM/dp/3795707021/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487349977&sr=8-3&keywords=der+kleine+hey" target="_blank">Der kleine Hey</a></i>, is excerpted from
a much longer book written by a voice teacher at the turn of the last century,
too. These are not random rules that Nico Castel recently made up to create a
new field of study for singers to waste their time and money with—if it were,
all of these resources would only have been made for Americans, because we are
the only ones who have diction classes. These are worldwide industry standards
for anyone using their voice to make their living in these languages, be
they opera singers, actors, commentators, or newspeople. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #16191f;">Any
native-speaker can tell you whether or not they understand you</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While
that may be technically true, not every native-speaker knows whether you are
pronouncing the words correctly. In fact, native-speakers tend to have a much
lower standard when it comes to foreigners singing in their language, because
they automatically allow for a few mistakes as long as the general gist is
there. On the other side of that coin, not everyone can truly understand
language when it’s sung—my brother speaks fluent English, but he would have a
difficult time understanding the best rendition of “Must the winter come so soon”
because he’s not used to listening to words stretched out so long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaRwg6Wbp7MFaNKu788jQ4kcsegDim9yHq0XbNNS0G0TeoAO1ECd2JsPN49jYwXHwrJF8PJawRYf4WCKPOMGIg4TjY62fFgcMzrp6iM5ABBhAYLneCx_BbOJsRfPARV_aqRc7DrmEgeie/s1600/IPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaRwg6Wbp7MFaNKu788jQ4kcsegDim9yHq0XbNNS0G0TeoAO1ECd2JsPN49jYwXHwrJF8PJawRYf4WCKPOMGIg4TjY62fFgcMzrp6iM5ABBhAYLneCx_BbOJsRfPARV_aqRc7DrmEgeie/s320/IPA.jpg" width="318" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f; font-family: inherit;">Coaches listen only for syllables and not expression of
the language<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m
in the middle of <i>Carmen</i> rehearsals right now, and in the 2<sup>nd</sup> act
finale, the smugglers try to convince Don José to come with them, and one
phrase is “tu t’y feras quand tu verras la-bas”. As a coach, this is a phrase
to keep an ear out for—the tendency is to open “feras” because singers want it
to rhyme with “verras”. Some of the best singers in the world can get this
flipped around because it goes by quickly, and some coaches wouldn’t even hear
it happening. So yes, sometimes we listen for syllables—because we have to,
because sometimes they are standard mistakes that are made often. But we are also
always listening for line and expression and music. Don’t confuse the fact that
we are correcting a syllable here and there for the fact that we aren’t
listening for anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diction coaches aren’t
qualified to tell someone how to sing something because they don’t have any
vocal pedagogy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All
of the diction coaches I know have been singers, voice teachers, actors, or
vocal coaches. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, depending
on their training, whether they accompanied voice lessons during their studies,
or with whom they studied. Each of them has something to offer, and it’s up to
the singer to apply what works and what doesn’t according to their own
technique. This gets easier as a singer gets older and more established with
their own technique. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diction/IPA is a
crutch so that you don’t have to learn the language<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Absolutely
not!! Learning your languages is an essential part of becoming an opera singer,
and diction does not replace the study of language. What it does is give us a
common ground to work from in a coaching. If you are accidentally singing
“füllen” with [y], then you are actually singing “fühlen”. If you know the
difference between [y] and [ʏ], you can simply write in the appropriate vowel.
Both of these are common words in German, which means that neither will sound
incorrect to our foreign ears, so having a shorthand to notate this is crucial.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My
first production in Germany was <i>Dialogues des Carmélites</i> in French. With all
German singers. None of whom could speak French, none of whom knew IPA and at
the time I could barely muddle my way through German. It led to hours upon
hours of trying to find a way to explain the sounds, and them trying to find a
way to notate their music that would help them practice when I wasn’t there and
it was frustrating for everyone. Over the years, I’ve seen people develop their
own shorthand, which is totally fine—you don’t HAVE to use the IPA symbol, as
long as you have a symbol that makes sense to you without question later, but
we do need a jumping-off point to get started. IPA makes it easier to connect
initially.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pronouncing everything
ruins the legato<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good
diction helps place the voice properly. If the vowels are not in the sweet spot,
comprehension is greatly reduced. If an American sings the ‘l’ back in the
throat, it can cause tension—if they follow diction rules and sing an
Italianate ‘l’, it will help alleviate some of that tension and keep the voice
forward. Sometimes people try to over-pronounce, and that is just as difficult
to understand. There is a balance between doing enough to make yourself
comprehensible, and trying so hard to clearly articulate every syllable that
the legato line is disturbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All
of this being said—</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">diction is not a
suicide pact</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">! According to the laws of physics (Carnegie Mellon actually
had a class on Physics of Sound, it was fascinating), certain vowels resonate
better at certain frequencies, so vowel modification is actually a thing and
can be a great tool—if you know what vowel to modify to. When it comes to
consonants, it you are on a note above the staff and singing an ‘m’ will cause
your jaw to lock and the voice to squeak, don’t sing the ‘m’! But there are
ways to trick the audience into thinking they’ve heard an ‘m’ in that
situation, too, and a good coach can offer suggestions and options to make that
shift.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">*****</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #16191f;">In closing, the important thing to remember is that diction is a
tool. Diction is NOT the end result. Simply marking in open and closed vowels
is not the study of diction and when you've done that it doesn't mean you're
“done”. Diction gives you the means by which you can make yourself
understandable and by which a coach can help you to improve. </span>Gone are the days when
singers can specialize their entire lives in a certain language or repertoire.
Today’s young singers must be well-versed in enough languages and styles to
make themselves marketable in order to get to the next level, where they can
then be a little more specific. <span style="color: #16191f;">Adding this tool
into your language/practice arsenal can help make everything else run more
smoothly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Ellen </span><span style="color: #16191f; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06020254497576202470noreply@blogger.com0