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The Russian Word in Song: Cultural and Linguistic Issues of Classical Singing in the Russian Language

Manukyan, Kathleen L.

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures.

This is an interdisciplinary dissertation that addresses an array of questions relating to Russian opera and, in particular, the Russian language as it is sung in “classical” or, to use the Russian term, “academic” music (art song and opera). The first half of the dissertation examines several matters of cultural and literary interest, including: the first major programming of Russian operatic music in the West during Sergei Diaghilev’s Saisons Russes; the adaptation of Russian literature to opera; the notion of a Russian “national” vocal timbre; and the current culture of vocal training, professional opera singing, and opera production in Russia.

Having examined some historical, textual, and cultural contexts surrounding the art of singing as practiced in Russia, the second half of the dissertation studies Russian lyric diction – that is, how the language is pronounced for communication and expression during performance of the vocal repertoire. After establishing and contextualizing the precise definition of “lyric diction,” the dissertation investigates ways that the pronunciation of Russian changes from its speech norms in the lyric diction. The centerpiece of the study is an analysis of the vowel reduction patterns of sung Russian. The final portion of the dissertation discusses consonants in the lyric diction, suggesting strategies to assist the Anglophone vocalist in singing intelligibly and expressively in Russian.

In keeping with its interdisciplinary nature, the research for this dissertation encompasses a variety of methods, including literary analysis, in-country ethnographic field research, acoustical analysis by computer, and – perhaps most fruitfully – much listening and observing of recordings of Russian opera and song performance in consultation with native speaker informants.

The results of this research should be of interest to scholars of Russian culture and music and to vocalists, vocal coaches, and voice teachers who are involved or wish to be involved in the performance and presentation of Russian vocal literature. The discoveries about Russian diction help to correct frequent misunderstandings and demystify the subject. They should prove useful for the future development of much needed manuals or other instructional materials on Russian lyric diction. The results may also be of interest to linguistic studies on topics in phonetics, inasmuch as classical singing can be considered a form of maximally emphatic, formal, or stylized speech. Finally, the sections on cultural and literary aspects of Russian opera contribute a new point of view to the omnipresent discussion of Russian musical self-identity versus Western perceptions of Russian music.

Irene Delic (Advisor)
Helena Goscilo (Committee Member)
Andrea Sims (Committee Member)
226 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Manukyan, K. L. (2011). The Russian Word in Song: Cultural and Linguistic Issues of Classical Singing in the Russian Language [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308311801

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Manukyan, Kathleen. The Russian Word in Song: Cultural and Linguistic Issues of Classical Singing in the Russian Language. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308311801.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Manukyan, Kathleen. "The Russian Word in Song: Cultural and Linguistic Issues of Classical Singing in the Russian Language." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308311801

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)