Guide to Greek Diction for Singers

Abstract

Originally centered on the transcription of 27 Greek art songs into the International Phonetic Alphabet, this project has evolved greatly around the proper formation of the Greek Diction Guide for Singers. It has been a very ambitious project that will hopefully keep expanding beyond the realms of the Presidential Scholars program. In its current form it contains an introduction to the Greek language and the explanation of IPA symbols used in it. In addition, the lyrics of 32 Greek songs are transcribed into IPA, and a word-for-word and poetic translation in English is provided. In its future form this Guide will also contain an index to Greek art song and opera repertoire. In order to test the method, a couple of students volunteered to learn Greek Diction and sing a song in Greek. My hope is that in the very near future I will be able to publish this project and help in the promotion of Greek composers outside of Greece.