Singing in English in the 21St Century: a Study Comparing
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SINGING IN ENGLISH IN THE 21ST CENTURY: A STUDY COMPARING AND APPLYING THE TENETS OF MADELEINE MARSHALL AND KATHRYN LABOUFF Helen Dewey Reikofski Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2015 APPROVED:….……………….. Jeffrey Snider, Major Professor Stephen Dubberly, Committee Member Benjamin Brand, Committee Member Stephen Austin, Committee Member and Chair of the Department of Vocal Studies … James C. Scott, Dean of the College of Music Costas Tsatsoulis, Interim Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Reikofski, Helen Dewey. Singing in English in the 21st Century: A Study Comparing and Applying the Tenets of Madeleine Marshall and Kathryn LaBouff. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August 2015, 171 pp., 6 tables, 21 figures, bibliography, 141 titles. The English diction texts by Madeleine Marshall and Kathryn LaBouff are two of the most acclaimed manuals on singing in this language. Differences in style between the two have separated proponents to be primarily devoted to one or the other. An in- depth study, comparing the precepts of both authors, and applying their principles, has resulted in an understanding of their common ground, as well as the need for the more comprehensive information, included by LaBouff, on singing in the dialect of American Standard, and changes in current Received Pronunciation, for British works, and Mid- Atlantic dialect, for English language works not specifically North American or British. Chapter 1 introduces Marshall and The Singer’s Manual of English Diction, and LaBouff and Singing and Communicating in English. An overview of selected works from Opera America’s resources exemplifies the need for three dialects in standardized English training. Chapter 2 reviews notational and diction resources, and use of the International Phonetic Association’s alphabet (IPA). Chapter 3 directly compares Marshall and LaBouff’s views of the importance of the unstressed syllable, often schwa [ə] or open I [ɪ], as vital to allowing the audience to understand the flow of the sung text, and contrasts their differences regarding < r >. Chapter 4 discusses observations in applying the tenets with singers, focusing on three arias coached for this dissertation. Chapter 5 states conclusions and opportunities for further research. Figures include materials from The Juilliard School Archives. Appendices include interviews. Copyright 2015 by Helen Dewey Reikofski ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep appreciation to Kathryn LaBouff, and to Madeleine Marshall- through her former student Kent Tritle. The exacting standards of Marshall and LaBouff spring forth from the pages of their works and are matched by the generosity of spirit and sense of humor also evidenced in their writing and in the stories shared. Kathryn and Kent graciously gave of their time in interviews and welcomed me to their rehearsals, classes, and coachings in New York City. These two faculty members at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music are clearly as committed to sharing the gifts they have been given, and to encouraging others, as they are to the highest levels of communication through music. I am also indebted to The Juilliard School Lila Acheson Wallace Library, Jeni Dahmus, archivist, for assistance in the research, as well as the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library and the University of North Texas Music Library. The application of the principles learned from pioneers Marshall and LaBouff could not have been explored without the participant singers and collaborating pianists, and my students. To these individuals I am very grateful. Advisors Jeffrey Snider, Stephen Austin, and Stephen Dubberly, and diction and coaching mentors Stephen Morscheck and Elvia Puccinelli have patiently and significantly guided my studies. Most of all, of course, I need to thank Roger Reikofski for his lifelong friendship and support through every adventure: academic, artistic, personal, and professional. Some spouses are said to have earned a PhT, and I can affirm, this is the case here. Roger Reikofski, Prayed Helen Through. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………..……………………….vi LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………….vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY OF TERMS………………….………..….ix Chapters 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Madeleine Marshall Simon ............................................................................... 5 Marshall’s Book: The Singer’s Manual of English Diction ............................... 15 Kathryn LaBouff .............................................................................................. 17 LaBouff’s SACIE: A Singer’s Guide to English Diction ................................... 23 Overview: Sample of English Language Works 1935-2015 ........................... 27 2. RELATED LITERATURE .................................................................................. 30 International Phonetic Alphabet and Foundational Sources ........................... 30 Leslie De’Ath and the Journal of Singing ........................................................ 32 Joan Wall and Associates, and Monographs .................................................. 48 3. MARSHALL/LABOUFF COMPARISON OF SCHWA AND < r > ...................... 58 < R > Considerations ...................................................................................... 61 Schwa Treatments .......................................................................................... 62 4. APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES ..................................................................... 72 “I Want Magic” from Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire ............................... 73 “The Silver Aria” from Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe ................................. 79 iv "O Rest in the Lord” from Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah ................................ 83 5. CONCLUSION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ........... 90 Appendices A. IPA CHART WITH NAMES AND SAMPLE WORDS ....................................... 98 B. ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORKS FOR THE STAGE, 1935-2015, SELECTED .......................................................................................................................... ..105 C. MORGAN SMITH INTERVIEW APRIL 6, 2014 ............................................. 115 D. KATHRYN LABOUFF INTERVIEW JANUARY 11, 2014 .............................. 122 E. KATHRYN LABOUFF INTERVIEW JANUARY 13, 2015 ............................... 126 F. KENT TRITLE INTERVIEW FEBRUARY 4, 2015 .......................................... 134 G. EMAIL FROM UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BENTLEY LIBRARY ............... 153 H. IRB APPROVAL AND CONSENT FORM ...................................................... 155 I. RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION: FIRST 11 RULES, COMPILED .................... 159 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 161 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Overview chart comparing Manual and Guide .......................................... 59 Table 2. Two of the most important similarities ....................................................... 60 Table 3. The crucial difference regarding rhoticity .................................................. 60 Table 4. Comparison of views on schwa ................................................................ 66 Table 5. Neutral syllables that are not schwa ......................................................... 67 Table 6. IPA chart with names and sample words .................................................. 98 Table 7. English Language Works 1935-2015, selected……………...……………102 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Phonetic Symbols, Marshall’s Lessons in English Diction, 1947 ................ 9 Figure 2. Marshall’s specialized phonetic transcription of “The Man I Love” for Lily Pons .......................................................................................................... 10 Figure 3. Parallel view of English lyrics and Marshall’s French diacritics and phonetic symbols for Lily Pons coaching on “The Man I Love” ................. 11 Figure 4. Transcription of “torn,” for American English ............................................ 39 Figure 5. Nico Castel transcription, schwa as [œ] except “épouvante” .................... 44 Figure 6. Mary Dibbern transcription, schwa as [ə] .......................................... 44 Figure 7. Montgomery transcription from Journal using Marshall’s method ............. 45 Figure 8. Reikofski transcription, parallel to the excerpt of Coleridge’s poem ......... 45 Figure 9. Vowels from Handbook of the International Phonetic Association ............ 53 Figure 10. Vowel chart based on oral cavity shaped by spoken French vowels, as imaged by x-ray traced onto opaque glass by Pierre Delattre (Coffin p. 274) ........................................................................................................... 54 Figure 11. Wall’s chart with quadrilateral’s diagonal base, revealing relationship of [ a ] and [ ɑ ], but missing the Allophone I [ ɨ ] and Turned A, [ ɒ ] .......... 55 Figure 12. Vowel charts, HIPA 2005, above, and Reikofski 2015, below .................. 56 Figure 13. Rosa Ponselle’s enunciation of the opening four lines of “A Perfect Day” by Carrie Jacobs-Bond ............................................................................. 61 Figure