Customer Reviews

A Handbook of Diction for Singers: Italian, German, French

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Professor David Adams skillfully offers keen insight into the basics of Italian, German, and French diction. In addition to covering the most general rules, he goes on to explain common exceptions and more elusive nuances of each language within the context of a singer's perspective. Some familiarity with the International Phonetic Alphabet is helpful but not necessary.

This book will prove a tremendous asset for any singer whose goal is more than simply singing correct notes. It will assist in adding that element of expression only possible with the clarity of the text as it was intended by the composer.

This is an excellent resource that I've used many times in my song study. I recently purchased the updated 2008 edition also by Adams, and it contains much of the same great material. I'd recommend either edition, but the latter does have more current research that makes it a bit more desirable.

Prof. Adams was my previous voice teacher at College-Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati. Now I study voice at University of Illinois. We used his book for Diction class. Every terminology and explanation is very clear. It is best reference book for singers.

Love the book. It's exactly what I needed for class. Excellent book for anyone wanting to learn diction for Italian, German, or French.

I have long used the appreciated David Adams' textbook A HANDBOOK OF DICTION FOR SINGERS. Having seen the 2nd edition that a colleague owned, I decided to purchase it. It is even better than the original. The thing I like about this book is that it is concise, direct, practical, easy to read and comprehend, and is not bogged down in too much academic rhetoric as some other diction texts I have studied. I highly recommend it for singers and teachers.

Willie Anthony Waters