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Abbreviated contents. Explanation of my method: holistic. Interlinear. Uses IPA. Proceeds from simple to complex

Pronunciation, stress pattern, how to get a good accent

Five characteristics of libretti: apocopation, obsolete language, unnatural syntax, concision, pleonasms and ellipses

Nouns. As mood-setters. Suffixes. How used as insults

Prepositions: non-combining and combining

Adjectives: their role, complexity, classic (Mozart) vs. romantic (Verdi)

Adverbs: formation and use of

Pronouns

Exclamations

Conjunctions

Verbs (present; future, past, imperatives, subjunctives)

Idioms

What is lost in translation? Surtitles

How to appreciate a liberetto (hidden depths, etc.)

Operatic aspects of Italian canzoni (Scarlatti, etc.)

Dante's immense influence on composers and liberettists

Keys, appendix, index, bibliography.

The method : Explanation of the method used in Operatic Italian ; Overview of the whole book (parts of speech with examples) ; Quiz one: identify parts of speech. Al Chiostro di San Giusto

Pronunciation : Overview of Italian pronunciation. The international phonetic alphabet ; How to acquire a good Italian accent on your own ; The sounds of operatic Italian: vowels, semivowels, consonants, double consonants, palatal consonants, how spelling is kept consistent, diphthongs ; Stress pattern of Italian: parole piane, sdrucciole, bisdrucciole and tronche ; The stress group ; Division into syllables ; Suggestions for further reading

Five characteristics : Five characteristics of operatic Italian : Final vowel is often dropped ; Language is literary, often obsolete and unusual ; Word order (syntax) is often unusual ; Concision ; Ellipses and pleonasms

Nouns : Nouns: overall importance. Nouns as mood-setters ; How nouns and their articles are formed ; How suffixes change a noun's meaning ; Nouns as insults ; Some typical operatic nouns ; Quiz two: nouns. Nessun Dorma! (from Turandot)

Prepositions : Prepositions explained (two main kinds) ; Non-combining prepositions ; Prepositions which combine with the definite article ; Quiz three: prepositions

Adjectives : Adjectives create atmosphere and develop theme ; How adjectives are formed ; Complexity of meaning of some typical operatic adjectives ; Superlatives ; Demonstratives ; Interrogatives ; Possessives ; Past participles ; Ablative absolutes ; Present participles ; Things which you can do with adjectives in Italian but not in English ; Classic versus Romantic adjectives. (a comparison of Mozart's Così fan Tutte and Verdi's Il Trovatore) ; Some typical operatic adjectives ; Quiz four: nouns and adjectives in the Brindisi from La Traviata

Adverbs : How adverbs are used (how? when? etc.) ; How adverbs are formed ; Adverbs of time, place, degree/manner ; "Pure", a versatile adverb ; Adverbs for comparisons ; Quiz five: nouns: prepositions, adjectives and adverbs

Pronouns : Pronouns: chameleon words ; Subject pronouns ; Direct object pronouns ; Indirect object pronouns ; Direct and indirect objects together ; Dative of interest or advantage ; Reflexive pronouns ; Possessives ; Interrogative ; Demonstrative ; Relative ; Adverbial ; Disjunctive ; Sampling of pronouns in context ; Quiz six: pronouns

Exclamations : Exclamations. (O ciel'! Io tremo ...) Exclamations are vital to opera ; Kinds of exclamations: anger, threats, warnings, etc.

Conjunctions : Conjuctions ; Co-ordinating conjunctions ; Subordinating conjunctions

Verb (overview and present tense) : Verb tenses convey character and develop plot ; Outline of all verbs: tenses and moods ; Table A (simplified verb table) ; How verbs are organized in this book ; Table B (detailed) ; Present tense, statement ('indicative') mood ; Formation of regular verbs in the present 'statement' ; Examples of irregular verbs ; Modal auxiliary verbs ; Present tense using 'stare', 'andare', etc. ; Reflexive verbs in the present tense ; Versatility of reflexive verbs ; Subject-object reversals ; How negatives are formed ; Quiz seven: verbs in the present tense

Future tense : Future tense: its importance in opera ; Formation of the future (regular verbs) ; Formation of future tense, irregular verbs ; Obsolete future forms ; How the future is used effectively in Una Voce Poco Fa ; Modal auxiliaries in the future and conditional ; The conditional tense ; Conditional forms in 'ia' ; Quiz eight: verbs in the future and conditional tense

Past tenses : Explanation of various past tenses (descriptive past, etc.) ; The simple past ("remoto"), regular verbs ; Simple past, irregular verbs ; Passive voice ; Simple past used in Vissi d'arte ; Compound past ("prossimo") in statement mood ; Irregular past participles ; Descriptive past ('imperfect') ; The descriptive past in operatic passages ; Archaic forms of the descriptive past ; Descriptive past in E Lucevan le stelle ; Descriptive past used as the simple past ; Pluperfect tense ; Preterite pluperfect ; Conditional past tense ; Future perfect tense ; A sublime passage from La Bohème ; Quiz nine: verbs, mostly in the past

Imperatives : Significance of imperatives ; Imperative of regular verbs ; Imperative of irregular verbs ; A peculiarity: the 2nd person singular, negative ; Quiz ten: imperatives. Coro di Schiavi Ebrei, Nabucco

Present subjunctive : Introduction to the subjunctive ; Forms of present subjunctive, regular verbs ; Present subjunctive, irregular verbs ; Classic pattern: subordinate clause in subjunctive ; The subjunctive used after expressions of emotion ; Subjunctive after commands, desires, etc. ; Subjunctive after expressions of necessity ; Subjunctive after superlatives ; Subjunctive after expressions of time ; Subjunctive with suppositions

Past subjunctive : The past subjunctive (overview) ; How the descriptive past ('imperfect') subjunctive is formed ; Descriptive past subjunctive, irregular verbs 4-8 ; Five main uses of the past descriptive subjunctive ; As a personal wish ; After verbs of emotion ; With expressions of time ; In hypothetical situations ; To convey the notion of 'even if' ; The subjunctive in other past tenses ; Quiz eleven: the subjunctive mood, present and past. Various excerpts ; List of typical operatic verbs

Idioms : Things which go beyond grammar ; Idioms ; Schematic summary of operatic Italian ; Introduction to chapters 18-22

What is lost in translation? : Typical problems encountered when translating operatic Italian. La donna è mobile ; La Calunnia è un venticello ; Surtitles

What to appreciate in libretti : Introduction ; Suggestiveness, richness of allusion (Le Nozze di Figaro) ; The power of emotional language (La Forza del Destino) ; Phrases which explore an obsession (Don Carlos) ; The power of one key word (Il Trovatore) ; Phrases with hidden depths (Cavalleria Rusticana) ; Phrases with autobiographical undertones ; Verdi's 'parola lirica', "the word which makes the situation clear". Ritorna Vincitor (Aida) ; Quiz twelve: Verdi's Copialettere (I) ; Psychological appropriateness and naturalness of language. Metastasio ; Quiz thirteen: Verdi's Copialettere (II) ; Phrases which encapsulate complex emotions (Madama Butterfly) ; The language of awareness (La Forza del Destino, La Bohème, Otello) ; Poetical effects: metaphors, impressionistic phrases, etc. ; Historical color and exoticism (Norma) ; Wit and humor (Rigoletto) ; The magic of words and music together

Operatic aspects of canzoni : Operatic features of Italian canzoni ; Sento nel cuore (A. Scarlatti) ; Ideale (Tosti) ; Non ti scordar di me! (Furnò)

Dante's influence : Orgins of Italian ; Dante's enormous influence ; Specific echoes of Dante in operas ; Dante's terse, dramatic language ; Adjectives in Dante's poetry and in libretti ; Dante's use of the simple past tense ; The subjunctive in Dante. Map of Dante's Inferno ; Quiz fourteen: mistranslations and convoluted verses. Ideas for further study

Keys to quizzes

Appendix : Excerpt from a holistic analysis of La Fanciulla del West by Mr. Albert Innaurato ; Extract from an Italian critic ; Neapolitan: its sounds and two famous songs: 'O Sole Mio and Turna a Surriento.

Italian language > Grammar.

Italian language > Pronunciation.

Opera > Terminology.

Singing > Diction.

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Italian language > Grammar.

Italian language > Pronunciation.