Singing in Mandarin - Chu, Katherine

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Résumé :
Part 1: The Fundamentals of Chinese Diction
Chapter 1: Consonants
Beginning with consonants and progressing from familiar to unfamiliar sounds, this chapter uses
comparative diction study to illustrate the differences and commonalities of Chinese diction to
other, more familiar dictions. Unless readers can already recognize and pronounce Chinese
characters, Pinyin will be a necessary step in transliterating, as currently it is the most common
method. Being that the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standard method of identifying
phonemes, the book employs IPA to explain the Pinyin. Even in this early stage of Mandarin
knowledge, by establishing the important connection between IPA and Pinyin, some students
may comfortably continue to use the IPA system, while others may eventually progress to using
only Pinyin as their form of transliteration. In addition to being able to hear all of the sounds
pronounced by native speakers on the CD, there will be diagrams of tongue position,
descriptions of how to physically create them, as well as exercises to help the readers acclimate
themselves to Chinese pronunciation.
Chapter 2: Vowels
Continuing the systematic approach from Chapter 1, this chapter thoroughly examines all the
categories including vowels, vowel clusters and vowel-consonant combination, many of which
are unique to the study of Chinese diction. It discusses the important subtleties which cannot be
compared to any other type of lyric diction. The very last section will address the effect that
certain groups of consonants and semi-vowels have on vowels and vowel clusters that follow
them.
Chapter 3: Chinese Semantics, Syntax and Stress
Once the Chinese diction system is presented and explained in the most scientific manner
possible, attention can be turned to important properties that characterize this language. Each
Chinese character is a monosyllable with a stand-alone meaning. Words in Chinese can be
made up of multiple syllables. Like in English, correct stress while singing in Mandarin is
essential for comprehension of the lyrics, not only because the tonal aspect of the language is
completely lost in music, but also because the musical stress begins to superimpose on the
phrasal stress. This chapter examines how proper stress and inflection restore the syntactic and
semantic features of the Chinese language.
Chapter 4: Stylistic Concerns
The final chapter of Part 1 will be an overview of stylistic issues unique to Chinese diction, such other lyric dictions such as the peculiar and regional property of the final R, and the 'rounding off
of a syllable' and its effect on legato. There will be also an examination of widely spoken
dialects such as Cantonese and Taiwanese, and regional accents. These are stylistic elements
that can transform mere diction into artistry, as they give nuance to interpretation.
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Part 2: Chinese Vocal Repertoire
Chapter 5: Overview of Modern Chinese Vocal Literature
With vocal traditions such as Peking and Kunqu Operas, Chinese vocal music spans centuries
in Chinese history. Despite this long and rich tradition, the body of work that is applicable to
classically-trained, lyric singers began emerging in the early 1900s. Modern Chinese vocal
music mirrors the course of contemporary Chinese history, reflecting political milieu, motivating
new genres, revolutionizing the language, and assimilating Western influences, which impacted
the stylistic development of vocal literature. The subsequent chapters are the examination of the
types of repertoire developed from the last century to...

Biographie:
Katherine Chu, Juliet Petrus...

Sommaire:

Katherine Chu has worked as a performer, coach, assistant conductor, educator, and music administrator at the world's top opera houses and institutions. She is on the collaborative piano faculty at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

Juliet Petrus is the leading Western interpreter of Chinese contemporary vocal music. She has had multi-city solo tours across China and soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Chicago Symphony Center, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Symphony, and on national Chinese television.