Singing in Czech

Rating:
Summary: Czech with Cheek
Review: "I recommend Timothy Cheek's book 'Singing in Czech' to anyone interested in singing the works of Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek, and a host of other Czech composers in the original language. After very thorough descriptions of every sound found in the Czech language, Mr. Cheek analyses and gives phonetic representations of the correct sounds in Czech of many famous works, including 'Rusalka,' 'The Bartered Bride,' 'The Diary of One Who Vanished,' and many others. I hope the book will be sutdied by every singer and repetiteur who cares about language and who regards Czech, with its rich musical repertoire, as important as Italian, German, French, or Russian." Sir Charles Mackerras, renowned conductor and writer of the foreword

Rating:
Summary: Czech with Cheek
Review: Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, writer of the foreword: "I recommend Timothy Cheek's book "Singing in Czech" to anyone interested in singing the works of Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek and a host of other Czech composers in the original language. After very thorough descriptions of every sound found in the Czech language, Mr. Cheek analyses and gives phonetic representations of the correct sounds in Czech of many famous works, including "Rusalka," "The Bartered Bride," "The Diary of One Who Vanished" and many others. I hope the book will be studied by every singer and repetiteur who cares about language and who regards Czech, with its rich musical repertoire, as important as Italian, German, French, or Russian."

Martin Katz, international collaborative pianist: "Dr. Cheek has had years of experience teaching diction, and he has mastered the art of finding accessible, meaningful, articulate and often entertaining ways to assist students produce correct sounds. Not content to stop with simply competent pronunciation, he always travels further, giving diction the purpose it was intended to have: communication and expression. As I read these pages, I find what I expected to be daunting emerges much simpler and more invitingly than I expected. I am thus encouraged to continue, to practice, and eventually to apply to a piece of music all that I have learned from this book. I can think of no other repertoire that is so consistently neglected and yet so important as that in the Czech language. I look forward to assigning things never attempted before."

Dr. John Tyrrell, Editor of "The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians;" author of "Czech Opera:" "I cannot imagine the subject being better treated. It's not often that one gets such a balance of practical common sense and theoretical underpinning. What I particularly liked was the wonderful blend of knowledge, experience, precision and enthusiasm. I was fascinated by the discussion of the various pronunciation possibilities and the occasions when one might be more appropriate than another. What will be particularly useful to experienced singers will be the constant comparisions with other languages, and the many practical suggestions for ways of overcoming problems particular to Czech. This is clearly the work of a born teacher with considerable experience in coaching singers new to the Czech language. It is very clearly expressed and so well organized that someone seeking guidance on a particular point will be able to find it without difficulty. The supplementary sections of the book are equally well judged and will be invaluable in providing good basic information about Czech song literature (what there is and how to track it down). Altogether this is an outstanding achievement."

Rating:
Summary: A Godsend
Review: From Catherine Malfitano, soprano; international interpreter of Janacek roles: "At a time when the great Czech masterpieces are moving more and more into mianstream life, along comes an invaluable guide to singing authentically and expressively in this unfamiliar language. Timothy Cheek seems to have tapped into the singer's deepest needs and fears when first faced with these daunting sounds. He demystifies the difficulties and clearly shows the way to linking what we already know, from other more familiar languages, to what we can hope to achieve by assimilating the unique colors of this highly expressive language. I am grateful for his usage of the International Phonetic Alphabet to demonstrate many of these sounds. The recorded examples by the two Czech singers are also very welcome. This book will make the learning of sung Czech much more accessible and enjoyable to all singers."