Jon Johanning <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Simon Corley wrote:
>
>>And how often I'd like to have the subtitles when a French opera is sung in
>>French, just because many singers - most of them, French speaking - are
>>completely unintelligible!
>
>This is interesting to hear, since we English-speaking opera listeners
>frequently have the experience of not understanding English as sung by
>so many opera singers, also.  Yet, curiously enough, I rarely have that
>problem with German operas.  That is, even though it is not my native
>language, I find that it is usually sung clearly enough, whether by
>German-speaking or non-German-speaking singers, that I can at least tell
>what words are being sung.  Is it the case that English and French are more
>difficult to sing understandably?

Oh, this is a difficult question.  Some people here would say that French
in itself could be sung understandably, and the main reason why it is not
would be a tradition set by opera and melody teachers earlier in this
century.  For instance, it became compulsory to roll "r" letters, something
the average French speaker finds difficult to do, even to imitate Italian
or Spanish accents!

Well, Simon would tell more about this, I suppose.  However, French only
begins to be sung in opera houses and recordings in a way somewhat closer
to "real" spoken French.

Some other languages are more difficult to transform, probably.  Finnish
is an instance of a language much used in modern operas (Finland probably
is the most operatic country in the world, isn't it?) and from what I know
of basic Finnish phonetics and what I heard in various operas by Sallinen
or Rautavaara, it probably remains quite clear and distinct for native
speakers.  Another instance is Czech: I don't know if they were right to
do this, but many Czech critics have always blamed Elisabeth Soderstrom's
performances in Janacek because of her Swedish accent.  Janacek's vocal
line is modelled on the Czech language, a method Suchon seems to have used
for Slovakian in "Krutnava" and other works.

What do multilingual opera specialists think of this?

>P.S.  A very happy New Year, filled with the most glorious music listening
>and making, to all!

Happy New Year from a brand newcomer!

Thanh-Tam Le