Vocalist.org archive


From:  "Valerio Vanni" <valevanni@m...>
Date:  Mon Apr 10, 2000  4:02 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] speaking of Italian diction


On Sun, 9 Apr 2000 22:07:04 Isabelle Bracamonte wrote:
>"The pronunciation of unstressed e and o is not
>indicated in the dictionaries. It is assumed that
>unstressed e and o are always closed in spoken
>Italian. The modern vocal usage, however, makes
>variation on this rule. [...] Like English, but
>unlike French and German, Italian has no 'official'
>stage diction. [...] Preceding the stress, unstressed
>o and e are closed.
>venire seguita delizia felice speranza
>domani sospira comprare volare
Ok. All these are closed
On the preceding ones I agree.

>Following the stress or final, unstressed e and o are
>open.
>venutE seguitE deliziE opEra angElO sE lE finchE vendE
>ladrO sospirO popOlO purO sanO comOdO
All these are close

>nO avrO sO
Only these are open (as farO' - andrO' - perciO' - perO' - cioE' - E')

Notice that these words are:
a)mono-syllabes (mono-syllabes are sometimes close, sometime open: se le lo nO
sO dO ....): there is no rule!
or
a)if they are multi-syllabes they are stressed on the end (in italian they are
sayd "tronche", in english perhaps "truncated"). Even there we have exceptions:
they are mostly open, but not always (see finche' - perche' ....)

Summarizing:

I think that: if the word is not truncated or mono-syllabe, the last word "E"
or "O" is close. If the word is mono-syllabe or truncated, we have not a rule
(as I stated on a) and b) points)

>From: Diction, by John Moriarty. Note that I have
>rendered open e "E" and open o "O."



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