Russian Lyric Diction This book uses the standard International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). ‘Therefore, a singer or @ coach familiar with the use of IPA in other languages will need to learn only a few symbols specific to the Russian phonetic system. It is presumed that a musician approaching the Russian repertoire is already familiar with other singing languages. In order to demonstrate certain similarities and differences between specific Russian sounds and their counterparts in other European languages, this guide makes frequent references to Italian, German, French, and English. The guide is divided into two sections Section I deals exclusively with the sounds of the Russian language. Its purpose is to teach a singer how to read the phonetic transcriptions that use standard IPA. However, ifa singer wishes to delve deeper into the structure of the Russian language, Section II explains how to read the Cyrillic Alphabet. I. The Sounds of Russian Vowel Sounds + [al-asin talian padre {51 — approximates its Italian counterpart as in acchi. In all native Russian words this vowel only occurs in a stressed position ful ~as in Italian ww [e] open e as in Italian Bella {e]—half-closed e as in Italian vero. In Russian, the difference between the open and closed form of e is practical rather than grammatical. The ¢ is naturally slightly more closed before {j), [i], or 8 sofi consonant (see page xvi) and more open in any other position. Since the meaning of the ‘word does not change if either the open or the closed form is used, the degree of openness of ¢ is ultimately determined by vocal comfort. (i) —as in Italian pizzaRussian Lyric Diction xiii [ila modified form of [il, a forward unrounded tongue vowel. The tip of the tongue is on or close to the bottom teeth. The front of the tongue is in the position of [i the back of the tongue is moved slightly forward. Though this vowel isa close relative of English [I] as in inn, its exact equivalent does not occur in any Westem European language. A similar vowel, however, is found in Turkish and Korean. In Russian this sound occurs only after a hard consonant (see page xiv), To form this vowel first intone (iJ; then modify it to an English (I} as in “king.” In order to ‘modify the vowel from [i] to [I] the back-central part of the tongue moves forward. If you move the back of the tongue a bit more forward the resulting vowel will be an [i]. Notice that [i] is not a diphthong. It is strictly a tongue vowel, and in its production the lips must remain unrounded {o] ~ @ neutral relaxed unrounded vowel. In Russian singing diction the use of the true schwa is usually avoided. There are several shadings of this sound in conversational Russian. However, ‘most vowels that are reduced to a schwa in speech must be sung as a slightly weakened [a]. In this edition the weakened a is indicated by a smaller symbol [a] versus [al Semivowel Sound [j] {jl yor or a j-gide as in English yes. In Russian the yor has a different degree of intensity depending. upon its postion within a word, Its fricative quality is strongest when intial or interjected between a consonant and a vowel. Its intensity is slighily weaker between two vowels. When the glide ends a syllable its duration is very short. In fact, in Russian phonetic theory the yor is described as a voiced fticative consonantxiv Russian Lyric Diction Consonant Sounds Classification of the Consonant Sounds! voiceless voiced See Affricative set |_| Sonants (voiced) ‘Consonant sounds are classified according to (1.) the place of the obstruction of the outgoing breath, (2.) the forming of the obstruction, and (3.) the work of the vocal cords. 1. Consonant sounds are classified according to the place of the obstruction of the outgoing breath as: © Bilabial {b p ml. In the production of these consonant sounds the obstruction is formed by pressing the upper and lower lips together. ‘© Labio-dental |v f]. In the pronunciation of these consonant sounds the air passes between the lower lip and the upper teeth. © Dental (dt z.sdz ts 1). In order to produce these consonant sounds, the tip of the tongue is pressed against, or brought close tothe teeth. ‘© Palato-dental [g § dg]. The tip and the front of the tongue is pressed af the lower teeth and the front ofthe hard palate respectively. or brought close to © Velar (back-patatal) (g k x J. The obstruction is formed between the back of the tongue and the soft palate "The material inthis section is not unique to Russian but rather relates to the general phonetic theory of consonants.Russian Lyric Diction xv 2. Consonant sounds are classified according to the forming of the obstruction as: * Plosive (bl {pl {dl [tl [g] IKI. ‘These consonants are formed by bringing the articulating, organs (the lips, the teeth, the tongue, and the palate) close together. When the obstruction is removed the air releases with a plosion. The plosives cannot be prolonged. Notice that unlike English or German, these sounds are nonaspirated in Russian. + Fricative (v1 {fl fs] (31 fllyl xl. In the pronunciation of these consonant sounds, the articulating organs come close together, leaving a narrow passage for the outgoing air. When air passes through the passage, it produces friction against the edges of the articulating organs. ‘The fricatives can be sustained. + Affricative (afficates) {¥] {ds} [ts] [dz]. These sounds are a combination of a plosive and a fricative. 3. Consonant sounds, which involve movement of the vocal cords, are called voiced, and those, w not, are called voiceless. According to this characteristic, al plosive, fricatve, and affricative soun be paired, All sonants [m] [n] {r] [LJ, however, are voiced and do not have voiceless equivalents ie ee in ee f Voiceless]| p dciia | s afi x [ts f Hard and Soft Consonants A characteristic quality of the Slavic languages is the presence of soft or palatalized consonants. Almost all Russian consonant sounds come in pairs, according to their softness or hardness. The only difference between a hard and a corresponding soft consonant is that the latter has a particular palatalized sound. tn pronunciation of the soft consonants, the center of the tongue is raised toward the front of the hard palate. The phonetic transcription of a soft consonant is indicated by a [,] below the letter. Hard | t fly] ™] 5] k] 8x Soft | yi tels falkT ss [h: ‘There are many words in Russian where the meaning depends entirely upon the hard or soft quality of the ‘consonant: Hard Soft yrox ['ugat] -comer yroms [‘ugal] — coal mar ('mat] — checkmate mars [mat] —mother nen ['tsep] — flail ems ['tsep] — chain ex [et] —he ate ems ['jel} — spruce treexvi Russian Lyric Diction Hard Consonant Sounds ‘The hard consonant sounds [b], [p], (a), {tl, (2), (s}, (v1, (4, (g], [k, fm), [nl, {ts}, [dz], and [f] are close to their lalian counterparts. Native English speakers need to bear in mind that, as in Italian, Russian plosive consonants are nonaspirated. © [f]-like English sit © [g]—similar to the sound of the letters in word pleasure. © [x]— similar to German ch as in Bach but slightly less harsh. ‘© [yl+ voiced form of [x] similar to g in Spanish diga. In standard Russian it occurs only as a result of consonant assimilation (see page xxv) as a voiced form of the letter x. In certain Russian dialects, however, this sound replaces the sound [g]. It can be used in this way in certain character roles, such as the defrocked monk, Varlaam, in Boris Godunov. ‘¢ [ts] —pronounced like a z in the German word zeit. There is no soft equivalent to this consonant. © [dz] ~as in Italian zefo. Occurs only as a result of consonant assimilation. [1] in speech it is usually flipped. It can be rolled in singing for added articulation. In Russian there is never a spelled double 7. Unlike Italian, however, even a single intervocalic r can be rolled for dramatic emphasis, ‘* [1] the tip of the tongue touches the tip of the upper teeth; the center of the tongue is slightly lowered. Among European languages the hard / is unique to Slavic dialects. American singers often wrongly imitate this sound by placing the tip of the tongue far back on the hard palate as in the word cold. In reality the tip of the tongue must be almost as far forward as in the production of the English h sound, as in the word that. ‘Try not to double or thicken the intervocalic or initial hard (1); it produces a dull, swallowed sound. This edition uses the phonetic symbol [t] to differentiate this sound from the Italian {1}, which in fact is closer to the Russian soft [}]. Palatalized or Soft Consonants The sole difference between [s], [2], [f, Iv], (pl, (bl, [ml, If], [g], and their soft counterparts is the position of the middle of the tongue. In the production of the hard forms of these consonants, the tip of the tongue is pressed against or brought close to the lower teeth, while the middle of the tongue lies flat in the position of the phonetic [a]. To produce their soft equivalents, the middle of the tongue rises toward the front of the hard palate in the position of the phonetic [i) To form a soft [2] first intone a phonetic [i], then say a [z] while keeping the tongue in the position of Li]. Try to blend [i] directly into [2]. Repeat that smoothly several times [igizizizizi]. When you feel that you have mastered the pronunciation of the soft [2] try to pronounce it followed by other vowel sounds {ze ga.z0 gul. Notice that the j-glide is, in a sense, blended into the consonant and not interjected between the consonant and a vowel