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Posted By: Max Quordlepleen - 07/31/01 04:26 AM
Posted By: Jackie Re: Fush & chups, anyone? Mea Maxuma culpa! - 07/31/01 11:03 AM
Sweet Max, fret not, my friend, fret not. I doubt there is anyone who has perfect pronunciation. And who's to say what that is, anyway? Each country, even, has regional variations, let alone the differences between countries.
And not just vowels, either-rrrr, hee-yah? In Kentucky, you can hear something like this: Lemme borry yer pin to wraht with.

Singing pronunciation does or should differ, though, I think. Bob? AnnaS.? Faldage? Have other singers been taught this? As an example, in choir I sing ow-er, not are,
for the word our. 'Are' is very commonly heard here for
'our', and sounds even worse sung than it does spoken.

Posted By: Bean Re: Fush & chups, anyone? Mea Maxuma culpa! - 07/31/01 11:22 AM
Dear MaxQ,

Coming from a country where our neighbours to the South firmly believe we say "oot" and "aboot" instead of "out" and "about", I understand your pain! We don't really say those words that way, of course, and I think I've said this before, we just use a different dipthong (uh-oo) before an unvoiced consonant, whereas in the US they use the same dipthong (ah-oo) whether the consonant is voiced or unvoiced!

Anyway, I figure, as long as you pronounce things the way everyone around you did when you were learning to speak, then your accent must be "right" for where you live!

(Recently there was an international choral festival here. A choir from Australia was being interviewed on the radio, and commented on the "funny accents" here. After the segment, the announcer wondered aloud - just whose accent was funny!?)

I'll leave Faldage to comment on pure vowels for me. Whatever he says, I agree with a priori.

(and it's diphthong, not dipthong!!)

Posted By: Bean Re: Fush & chups, anyone? Mea Maxuma culpa! - 07/31/01 12:27 PM
(and it's diphthong, not dipthong!!

[sarcasm] Oh yeah, right, such a common combination of letters - phth - how could I get it wrong![/sarcasm]

Posted By: rodward Re: Fush & chups, anyone? Mea Maxuma culpa! - 07/31/01 12:56 PM
and it's diphthong, not dipthong!!

It's quite easy to remember Bean; a dipthong is a very thin bikini, a diphthong ties two dipherent vowel sounds together!
Rod



Posted By: Faldage Re: Fush & chups, anyone? Mea Maxuma culpa! - 07/31/01 12:58 PM
For what it's worth, Max, according to Vox Latina in classical Latin the sounds of an unaccented i and an unaccented u were practically indistinguishable.

But!

What Jackie says is right: "Singing pronunciation does or should differ. The vowels in Italianate Church Latin are pure Italian vowels ah, eh, ee, oh and oo none of which are diphthongs.

But, wait! That's not all!

There is also German Church Latin. Most of the noticeable differences in German Church Latin have to do with consonant pronunciation but the long e seems to be undergoing a Great Vowel Movement® similar to the Great Vowel Shift that English underwent in the 16th and 17th centuries and is pronounced rather more towards the sound of the long i.

Carmina Burana is however largely *not Church Latin (despite having been collected and even in some cases written by monks) and therefore not subject, strictly speaking, to the rules of Church Latin pronunciation. If you are singing in a group situation you will be subject to the dictates of the director. If you are singing by yourself, feel free to pronounce any way you want. I, for example, in the privacy of my own shower or automobile (or even when serenading my favorite phone callee) when I indulge in a stirring rendition of The Swan Song from Carmina Burana will, if doing my own setting, pronounce cygnus as tsinknoos.

Posted By: Bobyoungbalt Singing pronunciation - 07/31/01 03:43 PM
Jackie and Faldage are both correct about pronunciation in singing. And it isn't just a matter of how you pronounce Latin etc. Even when singing in English there are times when the normal spoken pronunciation of a vowel needs to be altered so that the mouth is better shaped to enunciate the musical tone. You will have noticed that singers generally have their mouths open and rounded, which is to produce a sonorous tone; but you can't pronounce the short flat vowel sounds with your mouth like that, so for euphony the vowel is made deeper or more round. On the other hand, especially in Latin but sometimes in other languages, a final 'e' sound has to be shortened to 'eh' for the sake of the musical tone. It is also necessary frequently to suppress the letter 's' so a choir doesn't sound like the reptile house at the zoo.

Posted By: musick Re: Singing pronunciation - 07/31/01 05:24 PM
Aside from the dipthong *issue (which I believe is a "subjective" one), the throat and facial muscle tensions needed to create certain vowel sounds is an important reason for vocalists to avoid their use, as these tensions will easily interfere with the resonance the voice is allowed when relaxed... not to mention (again) the enunciation and euphony.

BYB ...but there is *nothing like a choreographed group of reptiles.

Posted By: AnnaStrophic Contriving a pun - 07/31/01 05:35 PM
But, wait! That's not all!

Faldage, are you a BassMaster?®
not bad for someone who does The Swan Song in vowelly pure falsetto!



Posted By: Faldage Re: Dip Thongs - 07/31/01 06:07 PM
Aside from the dipthong *issue (which I believe is a "subjective" one)

I object!


Posted By: Max Quordlepleen - 07/31/01 07:33 PM
Posted By: of troy Re: Singing pronunciation - 07/31/01 07:56 PM
well-- i share, with several other on this board- an inability to carry a tune-- even if you pack it up in a bucket. but that didn't stop the nuns from trying to teach me to sing-- (all assured places in heaven for their efforts, no doubt)

we were taught --bel canto--? the idea of singing with our mouths shaped into a open mouth smile.. as this was supposed to bring forth the most pleasant sound.. and all of you music guys are right-- if you keep your mouth shaped as an open smile.. there are sounds you can't make..

i can, with effort, read music, but the thing i remember most clearly was the effort to learn to sing with a smile.

Posted By: musick Objection sustained - 07/31/01 09:06 PM
It's always about spelling, eh?

Of the "common" forms of long and short vowels, the more open version is chosen to represent a tone in what would be a subjective choice... not always the *best sounding... or even clear in meaning

beet (long)preferable to bit (short)
blah (longer) " " black (short)
bottom (short o) but (short u)

Max - I've never heard U (long) substituting for I (short), it is most often E (long) that does that job (eg. sounding as sung "sa-lu-tees")

Posted By: Max Quordlepleen - 07/31/01 10:18 PM

Posted By: maverick Re: Objection sustained - 08/01/01 10:59 AM
It's a weird thing, Max - every time I read your jocular heading to this thread, I am internally pronouncing it like the good Rev Ian Paisley from Northern Ireland

Is it some effect of Scottish impact that has created this tendency in both tongues?

I have finally started to learn Maaori
I had assumed that you already knew it.


Posted By: wwh Re: Dip Thongs - 08/01/01 12:57 PM
"Aside from the dipthong *issue (which I believe is a "subjective" one)"

Dear Faldage: What is the difference between a "dipthong" and a "G-string"?

Posted By: Faldage Re: Dip Thongs - 08/01/01 01:37 PM
What is the difference between a "dipthong" and a "G-string"?

A dip thong reveals more than it ought but a G-string has a certain air.

Posted By: wwh Re: Dip Thongs - 08/01/01 02:22 PM
And you can't make beautifull music by plucking a thong.

Posted By: Bobyoungbalt Re: Dip Thongs - 08/01/01 03:43 PM
Androcles made a friend by plucking a thorn [Þ]

Posted By: wow Re: With A Thong In My Heart - 08/01/01 08:45 PM
Where is the musical note emoticon when you really need it?

Of troy : For superb example of bel canto style, listen to Andre Boccelli's album "Romanza."
Yummy.

Posted By: Bobyoungbalt Bel Canto - 08/02/01 03:49 PM
Or for a supreme example of bel canto style, listen to any recording of Rosa Ponselle or Maria Callas.

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