Dr. Thomas King

LATIN & ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS

  English pure vowels (16)

LATIN & ENGLISH DICTION FOR SINGERS

MUS 4525/MUS 5525

one hour credit  Dr. T. King office M/MC 322  OFFICE 221-7648 – CELL 220-2853 <kingt@apsu.edu>  FaceBook = Thomas R. King <www.drthomasking.com>

Required Text: Diction for Singers – Joan Wall
Suggested Text: Latin dictionary, Singer’s Manual for English Diction – Madeleine Marshall
FYI: Latin Dictionary in the library ???PC 2640 in the reference section.

UNDERGRADUATE OBJECTIVES:
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PRONOUNCE THE LANGUAGE FOR SINGING CORRECTLY, WHILE SINGING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
EACH STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE A MASTERY OF THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET.
EACH STUDENT WILL BECOME FAMILIAR WITH BASIC VOCAL LITERATURE WHICH USES THE LANGUAGE(S).
EACH STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE SKILLS ACQUIRED IN THE LANGUAGE BY SINGING SEVERAL TIMES IN CLASS.

TOPICS:
IPA vowel chart, IPA consonant chart, differences between English vowels and Latin vowels, differences between sung English vowels and spoken English vowels, exposure to the standard Catholic music which uses Latin, GERMAN LATIN, what is it, when used?, explanation of regional accents which are modified when singing
CLASS WORK:
The class work in diction is to gain oral and aural skills. The student will first repeat vowel and consonant sounds and then repeat words and phrases in the language. Training the student in these skill will be a very important part of the course. Please attend every class. Turn in late assignment to my box. Do not wait until the next class.
THERE WILL BE QUIZZES THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER TO CHECK THE STUDENT’S KNOWLEDGE OF THE MATERIAL. QUIZZES WILL BE WRITTEN AND ORAL.

GRADUATE OBJECTIVES: (Plus the undergraduate above)
The student will begin to collect materials to teach diction courses for singers.
The student will begin to collect techniques for teaching pronunciation (in any language).
GRADES:
Grades will be based on attendance, willingness to work, class work, homework, and the accumulation of assignments turned in ON TIME. Anyone missing more than three [3] classes will receive a lower grade. Anyone missing more than six [6] classes should seriously consider dropping the course.
Suggested Bibliography for graduate students (and undergraduates)
Diction for Singers – Joan Wall, et.al pp. 1-6 (general), 7-34 (English), 93-123 (Latin)
offers a complete pronunciation of the Ordinary of the Mass pp. 118-123
Diction – John Moriarty, covers “ecclesiastical” Latin pp. 154-164 and has a pronunciation guide for the entire “Gloria” from the Ordinary of the Mass
A Survey of Choral Music – Homer Ulrich pp. 219-229, which includes the texts and Translations! for the Ordinary of the Mass, Requiem Mass, Te Deum, Stabat Mater and Magnificat.
Choral Conducting : Focus on Communication – Harold A. Decker & Colleen J. Kirk pp. 204-207, which includes the German-Austrian pronunciation of Latin, differing from the Roman usage.
Choral Concepts – Donald Neuen pp. English 129-135, Latin 135-139 who does not believe in using any pronunciation for Latin other than that of the Clergy of the Province of Rome, the Italianized Latin, and offers the Ordinary of the Mass.
Correct Pronunciation of Latin According to Roman Usage St. Gregory Guild, 1937 (!) – Rev. Michael de Angelis
The Basis for Bel Canto – Evelina Colorni, which boasts that having only 7 vowel sounds in Italian helps the student “turn a brilliant searchlight upon his vocal ability” and explains that “the sounds (vowels) themselves are so pure and smooth that they expose the deficiencies” (of the student) Latin has only 5 vowel sounds (Italian 7, German 14,. English 15, French 16) and also offers a “searchlight” to “expose deficiencies” in students.

several standard texts not in the Masses*
Ave Maria – Schubert, Bach-Gounod, Cherubini, Arcadelt, etc., Laudate Dominum-Mozart, Ave Verum – Mozart, Panis Angelicus – Franck, Dona Nobis Pacem – trad..
Quia Respexit (Magnificat)-Bach, Salve Regina (Stabat Mater)-Rossini,
*Pie Jesu – Fauré, Webber, Williamson (in the Requiem, but often sung outside that context) AND the Ordinary of the Catholic Mass, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei
It is assumed that everyone has some Latin and/or Diction experience.
MISSING CLASS WILL MEAN MISSING POINTS. ATTEND CLASS REGULARLY.
Explanation of suggested, required texts and details for the class
Discuss and write IPA symbols for Latin vowels, have your book with you
Record the Gloria of the Mass
Record the Kyrie and the Credo of the Mass
Write IPA Latin vowels and vowel combinations
Record (speaking) one of the suggested songs Ave Maria, Ave Verum, Panis Angelicus, Pie Jesu, or Dona Nobis Pacem (short!!)
Record (speaking) a second song
Watch the video of Magnificat – Bach and write your observations on pronunciation
Full Song Sheet #1 = Write the IPA for Sanctus and Benedictus of the Mass Record yourself speaking the text and then singing the text on a single tone (as in chant)
Full Song Sheet #2 = Write IPA, Record the Te Deum, speaking AND singing (as in chant)
PLEASE MEET WITH ME OUTSIDE OF CLASS IN SEPTEMBER for LATIN three times
IF YOU MISS THESE MEETINGS, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE POINTS!
Full Song Sheet #3  an assigned song text
Meet for ENGLISH, ONE time in OCTOBER.
English assignments = Writing English IPA symbols and chart, finding songs which demonstrate these symbols, presenting these songs in class (Full Song Sheet)
Present songs = Sing one of your songs, and analyze them and explain them to the class. Have a corrected copy of the Latin (or English) words, the IPA, and the translation. Give handouts (3 copies needed) of your song sheets OR display the song on the smart board.
Take Quizzes (three of them!!) You may take any quiz a second time.
Notice how difficult English can be!

“With each breath my yearning heart bears great fear.”
7 different pronunciation of the the vowel combination “ea”
English assignment: Design an IPA chart for English using at least 12 different vowel sounds.  Arrange them in a half circle in a logical manner, bright to dark, closed to open, etc.  Give an example rhyming word for each vowel.
Hint: For more variations of the famous a, e, i, o, and u, remember that the letter r after a vowel in English often “colors” the pronunciation of that vowel.
Here’s a start:  These three given vowels are the cornerstone for all IPA charts. The symbols are taken from Italian spellings.

( [i] always closed [ α  ] always open [u] always closed)
[i]………………………………………………………………………………… [u]

.

.

.

.

.

.
……………………………………………..[α ]

SCHEDULE  LATIN/ENGLISH DICTION FALL 2013   w/ POINTS

FRIDAY, Aug 23 12-1:30 p. m.     EXTRA= ten minute slots                    TOTAL

Aug 26  syllabus, book 5, expla, orga of semester, hand outs, LATIN                   5

Aug 28    pages in book 2, gen. IPA 5, spec. LATIN   2                                               14

EXTRA Aug 30 ten minute slots

Sep 4   each one present three lines of LATIN 3, IPA, pronun, written/spoken17

Sep 9   each one present  “the rest” of the piece 2                                                    19

Sep 11   QUIZ on IPA in general AND spec LATIN, written, spoken  5                   24

   EXTRA Sep 13  CATCH up, GET AHEAD, both???  SEPT MEET      5                     29

Sep 16    hand out ENGLISH songs, texts, IPA

Sep 18    explan. ENGLISH IPA symbols 5                                                                      34

Sep 23     QUIZ on LATIN IPA 5, reading text, group discussion                              39

Sep 25    Discuss ENGLISH among us, accents, regions, singing tone

EXTRA Sep 27  CATCH up, GET AHEAD, both???

Sep 30     explan. ENGLISH IPA symbols 3, var. R, TH’s, two schwa’s???              42

Oct 2       assign English songs, present three lines of ENGLISH 3, IPA, etc.         45

Oct 7      present three more lines of ENGLISH, etc. 3                                               48

Oct 9      each finish one song in ENGLISH 2                 OCT MEET 5                        55

Oct 21     QUIZ  ENGLISH IPA, spec. R’s, th’s, schwa’s, etc. 5                                     60

Oct 23     Pick and begin Song #2, Song #3, Song #4

Oct 28    single slots, CATCH up, GET AHEAD, both???

Oct 30    QUIZ on someone else’s song 6                                                                      66

Nov 4     present Song #2    5                                                                                            71

Nov 6     present Song #2, #3    5                                                                                     76

Nov 13    present Song #3, #4      5                                                                                  81

Nov 18    present Song #4

Nov 20    QUIZ on someone else’s song    6                                                                  87

Nov 25    GERMAN LATIN, is there such a thing??????

Dec 2      CATCH up

Dec 4     REVIEW     6          TOTAL 93                  FINAL 12                   GRAND TOTAL 105