Page Title
DictionHelper.com™
your online source of foreign-language diction downloads
your online source of foreign-language diction downloads
FAQ
Find a Song Now!
 | Why aren't there more arias on DictionHelper.com™? For now, we've | |
| chosen to begin our catalog with art songs and arias that are commonly studied and sung by young and beginning singers. The heavier, more advanced repertoire will be available as we receive requests to provide it. | ||
| Do you plan to have songs and arias in Russian, Czech, | |
| Portuguese, Swedish, etc? It's possible, and even probable, that our catalog will grow to include some songs in these languages. For now, we've chosen to be in service to young and beginning singers, whose foreign-language repertoire will likely be concentrated in Italian, French, German, and Spanish. | ||
| Did you consult native speakers in making these audios? YES. | |
| However, lyric diction (pronunciation for singing) in every language has some differences and rules that are not observed in the conversational practice of the language. Additionally, we consult other performers, widely-recognized diction texts, and our own taste and experience in developing these audios. | ||
| Who are the people making the recordings? Our voices are professional | |
| singers and voice teachers with years of language and diction study, and practical performance experience. | ||
| I notice that in Italian, the difference between the open e and | |
| closed e is not always clear. Why is that? Our own experience in singing these songs has crept into the recordings. We have instinctively modified some vowels for easier singing in the range in which they appear in the song. Again, we are in service to the young and beginning singer, and their teachers. Increasingly detailed refinements of the diction are always possible. DictionHelper.com™ provides correct pronunciation at the "entry level" of lyric diction. | ||
| Why isn't there more advanced repertoire available on this site? | |
| Our mission and vision is to serve beginning singers of all ages. We provide a solid "first exposure" to foreign-language diction for high school singers, lower-level undergraduate voice students who have not had any formal diction courses yet, and adult beginners who are not in school. As a student gains more experience and knowledge in lyric diction, he/she may "outgrow" our site. That's fine! Equally, singers with more expertise in lyric diction can still use the DictionHelper.com™ audios as a practice tool and aid in memorization. | ||
| Will DictionHelper.com™ have audios for choral pieces? We are | |
| researching the feasibility of that type of product. On occasion, we will provide audios for choral pieces on a "special contract" basis. Stay tuned as DictionHelper.com™ grows! | ||
| Will DictionHelper.com™ have songs in English for non-english | |
| speaking singers? At this time, we have no plans to include songs in English. However, we are researching the feasibility of offering requested songs to our non- native-English-speaking clients on a case-by-case basis. We'll let you know how this idea develops. |
Find a Song Now!
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Send mail to feedback@dictionhelper.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 DictionHelper.com and MaryBeth D. Smith
Copyright © 2009 DictionHelper.com and MaryBeth D. Smith
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