🎼 Day 4 of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Bel Canto Reimagined

A five-day series at the Royal Academy of Music with James Platt and Michael Pugh

Suitable for all singers, teachers and teachers who sing.

For Marchesi and Lamperti, consonants were the “ornaments of the vowels.” They give clarity, but style demands that they never disturb line. This day explores the expressive role of diction: crisp Italian declamation, flowing French legato, weighty German consonants, and the challenges of English lyric setting. We will examine how composers inscribe speech-rhythm into their scores, and how singers can respond with articulation that illuminates rather than interrupts.

• Practical focus: consonant lightness, overlay drills, multilingual diction practice.
• Interpretive focus: aligning articulation with rhythmic values, dynamics, and textual affect in the score.