Course Description
Fundamentals for singing in French, including symbols and sounds of the International Phonetic Alphabet, rudimentary grammar, translations for musical terms, and words commonly found in song texts. Applied elements included.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be asked to demonstrate the ability to successfully sing and perform French songs and Opera arias in class. They will also be asked to do additional research using recommended French Lyric Diction resources, such as French Diction by Pierre Bernac and Singing in French by Thomas Grubb and to teach and explain the fundamentals of specific French singing traditions.
Athena Title
French Lyric Diction
Undergraduate Prerequisite
Permission of major
Graduate Prerequisite
Permission of major
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
MUSI 4462/6462
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The student will be able to: *use and apply IPA to reading, pronunciation, and transcription in French; *describe articulators and their use in accurate and stylistic lyric diction; *demonstrate accurate and stylistic pronunciation both within and outside of a song or aria; *define common musical terms and words found in song and aria text; *discuss physiological production of the proper vowel and consonant sounds.
Topical Outline
Topics will include: 1. Enunciation exercises; 2. Special features of French diction; 3. IPA transcriptions of songs and arias; 4. Drill sessions, both at the board and orally; 5. Preparation and performance of songs and/or arias in French; 6. Listening assignments with annotated discography.
Syllabus
Public CV