In Episode 106, Simone di Felice and I work through "Come raggio di sol" by Antonio Caldara, paying special attention to phrasal diphthongs (that is, when vowels come together between words), the pronunciation of the spelling GI, and some words with intervocalic Ss that are technically considered unvoiced but become voiced in Italian lyric diction. This is the audio version of the full video tutorial. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com !...
Feb 10, 2018•20 min•Ep. 82
In Episode 106, Simone di Felice and I work through "Come raggio di sol" by Antonio Caldara, paying special attention to phrasal diphthongs (that is, when vowels come together between words), the pronunciation of the spelling GI, and some words with intervocalic Ss that are technically considered unvoiced but become voiced in Italian lyric diction. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com !
Feb 10, 2018•20 min•Ep. 81
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In this Diction Tip, vocal coach Matteo Pais talks about how to pronounce those three letter words like "mio", "dio", "tuo" and "sua" in Italian! For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Feb 03, 2018•4 min•Ep. 80
In this episode, Dr. François Germain and I discuss the text to Paul Verlaine's "Clair de lune", which has been set by many composers, focusing on mixed vowels, the phonetic [k] sound, and some of the digraphs that make up French spelling. This is the audio version of the video tutorial. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com !
Jan 27, 2018•25 min•Ep. 79
In this episode, Dr. François Germain and I discuss the text to Paul Verlaine's "Clair de lune", which has been set by many composers, focusing on mixed vowels, the phonetic [k] sound, and some of the digraphs that make up French spelling. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com !
Jan 27, 2018•25 min•Ep. 78
In this episode, diction coach Elizabeth Brodovitch introduces us to the Auvergnat language, through the text to "Baïlero", one of the Chants d'Auvergne by Canteloube. This is the audio version--the full video tutorial is available at dictionpolice.com !
Dec 02, 2017•30 min•Ep. 77
In this episode, diction coach Elizabeth Brodovitch introduces us to the Auvergnat language, through the text to "Baïlero", one of the Chants d'Auvergne by Canteloube. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com !
Dec 02, 2017•30 min•Ep. 76
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In this Diction Tip on Phrasal Doubling in Italian Lyric Diction, Matteo Pais explains how to handle it when several vowels come together on one pitch. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Nov 25, 2017•3 min•Ep. 74
Matteo Pais talks through the text to "Quando me'n vo'", Musetta's aria from La Bohème with us, talking about double and single consonants, some standard closed [e] endings, and pitching voiced consonants and glides. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Nov 18, 2017•18 min•Ep. 73
Matteo Pais talks through the text to "Quando me'n vo'", Musetta's aria from La Bohème with us, talking about double and single consonants, some standard closed [e] endings, and pitching voiced consonants and glides. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Nov 18, 2017•19 min•Ep. 72
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #23, Dr. François Germain talks about the difference between "elision" and "liaison" in French Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Nov 11, 2017•4 min•Ep. 58
Since it's Messiah season, we wanted to post another aria for the basses! Jason Nedecky works through the text to "The people that walked in darkness" and it's preceding recitative, with an emphasis on handling 'r', the [æ] vowel, and aspirate 't'. This is the audio version of the video tutorial. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Nov 04, 2017•26 min•Ep. 71
Since it's Messiah season, we wanted to post another aria for the basses! Jason Nedecky works through the text to "The people that walked in darkness" and it's preceding recitative, with an emphasis on handling 'r', the [æ] vowel, and aspirate 't'. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Nov 04, 2017•27 min•Ep. 70
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #22, Bernhard Hansky discusses the concept of Auslautverhärtung (hardening of the final consonant) in German Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Oct 28, 2017•3 min•Ep. 57
In Episode 101, Dr. François Germain and I talk about the text to "En fermant les yeux", the tenor aria from Massenet's Manon , focusing on nasal vowels and some normal spellings that may look complicated. This is the audio version of the podcast. For all of The Diction Police's resources, come to dictionpolice.com !
Oct 24, 2017•27 min•Ep. 69
In Episode 101, Dr. François Germain and I talk about the text to "En fermant les yeux", the tenor aria from Massenet's Manon , focusing on nasal vowels and some normal spellings that may look complicated. For all of The Diction Police's resources, come to dictionpolice.com !
Oct 21, 2017•27 min•Ep. 68
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #21, vocal coach Matteo Pais talks about final vowels in Italian Lyric Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Oct 14, 2017•2 min•Ep. 67
For our 100th episode we wanted to do something really special, and here it is! In "IPA Revealed: an audio-guide" we work our way through the phonetic alphabet, with examples of native speakers in each of the four main languages that we sing in, English, Italian, German, and French. Both Ellen and François host the episode, with guests Christoph Pohl, Daniela Pellegrino, and Grace Durham. There is no audio version of the podcast this week. To see our complete catalog of text readings by native s...
Oct 07, 2017•19 min•Ep. 66
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #20, Ellen Rissinger talks about shadow vowels in English Lyric Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Sep 30, 2017•4 min•Ep. 65
This week, Mirko Roschkowski is with us to discuss the first song in Die schöne Müllerin , "Das Wandern". We talk about how to handle strophic texts, as well as long and short vowels and the different possible pronunciations of R. This week’s Diction Lesson on the Facebook page also covered the topic of R, so please check that out, too! For more information, go to dictionpolice.com...
Sep 23, 2017•23 min•Ep. 64
This week, Mirko Roschkowski is with us to discuss the first song in Die schöne Müllerin , "Das Wandern". We talk about how to handle strophic texts, as well as long and short vowels and the different possible pronunciations of R. This week’s Diction Lesson on the Facebook page also covered the topic of R, so please check that out, too! For more information, go to dictionpolice.com...
Sep 23, 2017•23 min•Ep. 63
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #19, Dr. François Germain discusses the pronunciation of double consonants in French Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Sep 16, 2017•3 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, Jason Nedecky and I work our way through the text to Handel’s "The Trumpet Shall Sound" from Messiah , talking about the letter 'L', a little bit about glottals, and when to knowingly break the rules of lyric diction! The NY Times article that I mentioned, entitled "In Handel's 'Messiah', the trumpet as divine agent" is available here . For more information, go to dictionpolice.com...
Sep 09, 2017•22 min•Ep. 55
In this episode, Jason Nedecky and I work our way through the text to Handel’s "The Trumpet Shall Sound" from Messiah , talking about the letter 'L', a little bit about glottals, and when to knowingly break the rules of lyric diction! The NY Times article that I mentioned, entitled "In Handel's 'Messiah', the trumpet as divine agent" is available here . For more information, go to dictionpolice.com...
Sep 09, 2017•22 min•Ep. 54
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #18, Bernhard Hansky talks about the possible pronunciations of the combination 'ng' in German Diction. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice.com !...
Sep 02, 2017•3 min•Ep. 53
Happy Spielzeit! With the new school year/opera season upon us, it's time for some new episodes! This is the audio version of this episode--a full video tutorial is also available. In Episode 97, Dr. François Germain leads us through the text to "Va, laisse couler mes larmes" from Werther, focusing on bright A, a little bit about nasal vowels, and a lot of subtext on this aria. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Aug 27, 2017•20 min•Ep. 52
Happy Spielzeit! With the new school year/opera season upon us, it's time for some new episodes! In Episode 97, Dr. François Germain leads us through the text to "Va, laisse couler mes larmes" from Werther, focusing on bright A, a little bit about nasal vowels, and a lot of subtext on this aria. For more information, go to dictionpolice.com
Aug 27, 2017•20 min•Ep. 51
In Episode 96, Dr. François Germain works through the text to Debussy’s "Nuit d’étoiles" with us, talking about the French schwa and when it’s not pronounced, the various combinations of 'ie', and a little on liaisons and elision. There are two versions of this episode—the full video tutorial or the audio version for people prefer to listen to podcasts while they’re out and about. This is the last episode before summer break--we'll be back with all new episodes on Aug 26, 2017! In the meantime, ...
May 20, 2017•20 min
In Episode 96, Dr. François Germain works through the text to Debussy’s "Nuit d’étoiles" with us, talking about the French schwa and when it’s not pronounced, the various combinations of 'ie', and a little on liaisons and elision. This is the last episode before summer break--we'll be back with all new episodes on Aug 26, 2017! In the meantime, for all of The Diction Police podcasts, Text Readings, and PDFs with phonetic transcriptions as well as translations into several languages, please visit...
May 20, 2017•20 min
Since the podcast comes out every two weeks, on the off-weeks we post Diction Tips--very short tutorials focusing on a specific topic in Lyric Diction. In Diction Tip #17, Bernhard Hansky discusses the pronunciation of the "er-" prefix (which also includes "ver-", "zer-"), and how to handle the letter 'r' in this prefix. For more Diction Tips visit the videos section of our Facebook page or you can find all of our Diction Lessons, Diction Tips and Tongue Twisters for Singers at www.dictionpolice...
May 15, 2017•4 min
