<< you *have* to have an American Composer somewhere in there. What gets me
is that you have to have this even if your voice is geared more towards Bel
Canto or
the Baroque repertoire...>>
I realize that I am chiming in late here, but I'm surprised that I seem to be
the only one who questions what the problem is. I agree that English isn't
the easiest language to learn, speak or sing, but this sounds more like a bit
of a personal hangup than a real problem. No matter what kind of voice you
have, it's not THAT hard to sing in English! IMHO, if you obsess about it,
rather than take a problem-solving approach, you make it harder for yourself.
Also, isn't "bel canto" simply optimal vocal production that frees one to
sing expressively in any type of repertoire--or language for that matter?
It's a technique, not a type of voice.
<<I find that bit incredibly annoying. If I were meant to sing John Duke, I
would have been born with the voice, n'est pas? ...>>
I personally find this to be a counterproductive way of thinking. Can you
show me a John Duke song that makes any kind of outrageous vocal demands?
We're not talking about a big Verdi or Wagner aria here, or voice-shredding
verismo, or jagged, atonal music that is ungrateful to the voice.
Besides, if you want to be a professional singer, you will often be asked to
sing repertoire that you may not consider your "cup of tea." If you are going
to limit yourself only to repertoire that you feel is 100% suited to you, you
won't get much work.
Today's singers are expected to be quite versatile. They are expected to be
able to sing in at least several languages and to be knowledgeable about and
comfortable with a variety of styles, periods and composers.
<<Considering the Italian consonants are ideal for the best sound.>>
Am I wrong in expecting that English should be sung with Italianate
consonants--with the exception of the "T" which is more dentalized in
English, and the fact that only Italian requires stress on the double
consonants.
<<I don't know about you, but every time I have to sing in
english or German I have to roll my eyes. Strangely, German isn't
half as bad as english is... and it's not because I'm a latin speaker
and don't know the consonants, I have a Cambridge degree in english
and can pronounce it like a native (with a rather WEIRD english
accent, but..), but just because...well, the beauty of an open vowel
*sighs happily* give me italian any day, i'll gladly even take german
or french :P..>>
Maybe you are trying to hard to "speak" the English. Why not relax a little
bit and sing it with your Italianate diction while allowing the vowels to
modify a bit. Or try singing English with more of an English than American
accent. You may be surprised at the result.
You might also want to listen to (or watch, if a video is available) some
singers who are not native speakers, yet sing English very well. Gedda is an
excellent example.
I doubt that judges will be as "tough" on someone who is not a native speaker
of English--although I certainly could be wrong about that. But I do think
that your voice teacher is doing you a big favor. You pay a voice teacher to
not only build on your strengths but also to correct your weaknesses. English
diction is apparently one of yours. Work on it--you'll be a better artist for
it.
Singing in English can be tricky if you fall into "speechy" production.
Relax, trust your bel canto technique, use nice crisp consonants, allow the
vowels to modify a bit when they need to and you should be fine.
And by all means, enter that competition. Wouldn't it be great if you won?
Judy
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