PMU230: Topics in Vocal Performance
Language-Related Research
It is important to be able to understand the libretto of a foreign-language opera. There are many resources available in the library to help you translate libretti so that you can understand what the characters are saying, including connotations and double entendre.
The Nico Castel IPA translations are available on the reference shelves in the library. Example:
Gluck & Monteverdi Opera Libretti: International Phonetic Alphabet Transcriptions, Word for Word Translations, Notes on the French and Italian Transcriptions by Call Number: ML48.C37 2008ISBN: 9781878617767Castel, Nico. Gluck & Monteverdi Opera Libretti: International Phonetic Alphabet Transcriptions, Word for Word Translations, Notes on the French and Italian Transcriptions. Edited by Marcie Stapp. Geneseo, NY: Leyerle Publications, 2008.
Published librettos are available in the ML50s (on the main floor near the photocopy room), and often give detailed translations PLUS introductions written by scholars who provide historical context and other relevant background material. Example:
Don Giovanni by Call Number: ML50.M939 D52 1987The English National Opera Guides were originally conceived in partnership with the English National Opera and edited by Nicholas John, the ENO's dramaturg, who died tragically in an accident in the Alps. Most of the guides are devoted to a single opera, which is described in detail--with many articles that cover its history and information about the composer and his times. The complete libretto is included in both the original language and in a modern singing translation--except where the opera was written in English. Each has a thematic guide to the most important musical themes in musical notation and each guide is lavishly illustrated. They also contain a bibliography and a discography which is updated at each reprint. The ENO guides are widely regarded as the best series of their kind and excellent value.
Liner notes to sound recordings are available at the circulation desk, and often include extended essays providing historical context.
For translating and doing the IPA yourself, see the reference section for dictionaries in French, German, Italian, and many other foreign languages. Examples:
HarperCollins Robert French Dictionary by Call Number: PC2640.C69 2002Collins Robert French Dictionary. New York: Collins, 2002. PC2640 .C69 2002- International Phonetic Alphabet for Singers by Call Number: MT883.W34 1989Wall, Joan. International Phonetic Alphabet for Singers: A Manual for English and Foreign Language Diction. Dallas, TX: Pst, 1989.
