Singing in Czech: A Guide to Czech Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire (review)

Singing in Czech: A Guide to Czech Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire. By Timothy Cheek. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001. [xviii, 367 p. & 1 CD. ISBN 0-8108-4003-0. $55.]

Timothy Cheek's intention in this volume is to provide singers, and those who train them, a manual for learning and practicing lyric diction in the Czech language. The scope of the first half of the book is intended to be a comprehensive treatment of all diction issues in Czech, including production of vowels, consonants, and related issues such as assimilation and stress/ length. A modified version of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) identifies each sound. Cheek works methodically through each category, with detailed discussion of the articulation required to produce the correct sound. The book is sold with a companion compact disc recording of two Czech opera singers speaking and intoning words that contain examples of each sound. The second half of the book gives an overview of vocal literature in Czech. Then the author takes a few representative songs and arias by leading Czech composers of the last two centuries and supplies background information, text in the original Czech, English translation, and a modified IPA guide to pronunciation.

Additional resource information is provided in four appendices, which list publishers of Czech vocal music, organizations related to Czech music with their contact information, short biographies of important Czech poets used by composers, and a checklist of typical pitfalls for English speakers as they learn to sing in Czech. Opening sections of the book include a guide to the recorded examples on the compact disc, listing the page(s) of the related discussion in the text, data about the recording itself, and biographies of the two singers featured on the recording. A foreword by Sir Charles Mackerras and a preface by the author define the boundaries of the project. Finally, part one begins with an introduction to the history of the development, political suppression, and re-emergence of the Czech language. The supportive documentation in the book, organization of material, and clarity of focus for the intended audience greatly strengthen the claim of Sir Charles Mackerras in the foreword, "This volume deals exhaustively with every nuance of pronunciation, and the singer who really masters everything which Timothy Cheek has to say will come very near to singing the great Czech operas, oratorios, and songs with the flare and sense of style of the native singers" (p. xiv).

Cheek very correctly justifies his project by the sharply increased interest in Czech operas worldwide. While some of these operas have been performed for decades, only recently has the trend been to favor presentation in the original Czech, rather than versions translated into German, English, or other languages. This has created a need for professional resources whereby singers can be trained to sing in Czech to the same standard of excellence which is expected in Italian, French, German, or English. Cheek is writing for the advanced voice student, for professional voice teachers, and for professional singers likely to be contracted to sing in Czech. He tailors his study for readers whose native tongue is English, and who have a working knowledge of IPA. While Czech vowels tend to be italianate, the consonants are more varied than in Italian or even German. Diction in Czech is further complicated by issues of length and accentuation. By discussing each of these questions in isolation, then building his discussion to include more complex examples, Cheek leads the reader into the language, not just its component parts.

There are a multitude of flaws common to many manuals on lyric diction. If the writer is not deeply immersed in the language, the result can be superficial. If the writer is not familiar with differing traditions of speaking and singing in a particular language, then published information can be incorrect and therefore not useful for the earnest voice student. Cheek's project obviously intends to avoid...