Customer Reviews

Word-By-Word Translations of Songs and Arias, Part I

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Word-By-Word Translations of Songs and Arias: Part I German and French by Coffin is an excellent resource for literal translations of both German and French Songs and Arias. In many cases the exact translation is awkward due to its syntax. In these cases, Coffin also offers a translation in English format. This book is an excellent resource for both teacher and student.

I bought this, and its companion volume, after twisting the arm of my voice teacher -- who was not wildly thrilled at the price. An hour after my return home from delivering them, he called me and told me they were so good he'd reimburse me double the purchase price!

The word-for-word technique was highly valuable, and we appreciated the added fillip of the re-prasing of certain passages where a literal translation was a bit difficult to understand.

This translation source is one of the best. The word-by-word format is so helpful to singers--so much more accurate than the usual English "translations" found under the foreign text. Knowing exactly what each word means allows for so much more expression than just having an overall idea that the song is "all about love" or "it's a song about rejection", etc.

This book is a must have for any serious singer or any voice teacher. Literal translations are a necessity for those in the vocal field.

As a teacher of voice for over 35 years, having resources like this one I find indispensable. While the book is not exhaustive, that is, it does not carry ALL of Schubert's lieder, or ALL of Schumann's lieder, or ALL of Fauré's songs, etc ... in the classical literature, still there are a great many songs and their translations ... of the literature most often chosen by voice teachers for young singers to learn. The book is useful in that it not only gives a word-for-word translation, but also, where needed, the best "sense" of the poetry in English as well. If you sing classical song literature in Italian, German and French, then this book and its companion, (Part 2) are essential resources to have. I'd also go so far as to say that every English-speaking classical singer should own these.

PS. Teacher, don't loan them to your students ... you'll never get them back!

This book arrived on time and was in excellent condition. I am very pleased with my purchase and would purchase again from this seller.