Spelling and Pronunciation Guide

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This guide serves to aide the common music lover in pronouncing and spelling composer names, composition titles, or other musical words they may run across. This article does not intend to be exhaustive, but to list only those names, titles, and words that are most commonly mispronounced or misspelled.


Contents: Composers | Titles of Compositions | Musical Words

Composers

A vast number of classical composers have terribly mispronounced names. While it may be best to hear them pronounced correctly, this textual list may help. Most of these names are normally pronounced from the standpoint of the composers' native languages. Try to keep this in mind when attempting pronunciation.


Composer English Pronunciation Native Pronunciation (Phonemic IPA)
Phonetic English Phonetic IPA
Bach, Johann Sebastian bawk /bɑk/ German: [joˈhan] or [ˈjoːhan zeˈbastjan ˈbax]
Bartók, Béla BAR-tawk /ˈbaɹtɔk/ Hungarian: [ˈbeːlɒ ˈbɒrtoːk]
Beethoven, Ludwig van LUD-vihg vahn BAY-toe-vin /ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən/ German: [ˈluːtvɪç fan ˈbeːtʰoːfən]
Bizet, Georges bee-ZAY /biˈze/ French: [ʒoʀʒ bizɛ]
Chopin, Frédéric SHOW-pan /ˈʃoʊpæn/ French: [fʀedeʀik ʃɔpã]
Copland, Aaron COPE-lind /ˈkoʊp.lɪnd/ n/a
Czerny, Carl CHAIR-nee /ˈtʃɛrni/ Hungarian: [ˈtsɛrni][citation needed]
Debussy, Achille-Claude uh-SHEEL klohd DEBB-you-see /əˈʃil kloʊd ˈdɛbjusi/ French: [aʃil klod dəbysi]
Dvořák, Antonín AHN-tuh-gneen DVOR-zhahk /ˈdvɔrʒɑːk/ or /ˈdvɔrʒæk/ Czech: [ˈantɔɲiːn ˈlɛɔpɔld ˈdvɔr̝aːk]
Händel, George Frideric HEN-dull /ˈhɛn.dəl/ German: [ˈhɛn.dəl]
Joio, Norman Dello (or Gioio) JOY-yoh /'dʒɔjo/ Italian: ['dʒojo]
Kodály, Zol⋅tán koh-DAHY Hungarian: [ˈzɔltɑn koʊˈdaɪ]
Ligeti, György Sándor JAWR-jee SHAHN-dawr LIG-i-tee /ˈdʒɔrdʒi ˈʃɑndɔr ˈlɪgɪti/ Hungarian:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Volf-gahng ah-mah-DAY-us MOAT-sart /ˈvoʊlfgɛːŋ ˌæməˈde.əs ˈmoʊt.sæɹt/ German: [ˈvɔlfgaŋ amaˈdeus ˈmoːtsart]
Rachmaninoff, Sergei Vasilievich syir-GYEY vuh-SYEE-lyi-vyich rahkh-MAH-nuh-nawf Russian: [sɜrˈgeɪ vəˈsilyəvɪtʃ rɑxˈmɑnəˌnɔf]
Saint-Saëns, Charles Camille sharl ka-MEE-y(uh) san-SAHN French: [ʃarl kaˈmij(ə) sɛ̃ˈsɑ̃s] or [sɛ̃ˈsɑ̃̃]
Shostakovich, Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shaws-tuh-KOH-vitch Russian:
Strauss, Richard RIHK-kard SHTROWSS /ˈɹɪ.ka˞d ʃtɹaʊs/ German: [ˈʁi.kaʁt ʃtʁaʊs]
Stravinsky, Igor Strah-VIN-ski /stɹəˈvɪn.ski/ Russian:
Tchaikovsky chai-KOFF-ski /tʃaɪˈkɔf.ski/ Russian:
Wagner, Richard RIC-kard VAWG-ner or FOG-ner /ˈɹɪ.ka˞d ˈvɑg.nɚ/ or /fɑg.nɚ/ German: [ˈʁi.kaʁt ˈvag.nə]
Xenakis, Iannist ksay-NAH-kiss /kse'nakis/
  1. Schubert- Shoe-bert
  2. Liszt- List
  3. Rimsky-Korsakoff - Rim-ski -- Core-sa-coff
  4. Paganini-pag-a-knee-knee
  5. Vivaldi- Vi-vall-dee
  6. Sibelius-Sih-bayl-yus
  7. Gould- goo-ld

Titles of Compositions

Work English Pronunciation Native Pronunciation (Phonemic IPA)
Phonetic English Phonetic IPA
4'33" "Four minutes and thirty-three seconds."
Peer Gynt pehr gynt (gy almost as gü) /per 'gynt/ Norwegian: [per gʏnt]
Prélude, Prelude PRAY-lood, PREL-yood /ˈpreɪ.lud/ French: [prelyd]


Musical Words

Listed here are words that may be found as indications in music relating to style, tempo, or any other intention.

Word English Pronunciation Native Pronunciation (Phonemic IPA)
Phonetic English Phonetic IPA
Accelerando, Accel. uh-chell-uh-RAHN-do /əˌtʃɛl.əˈɹandoʊ/ Italian: [atˌtʃelɛˈrando]
Forte FOR-tay /ˈfoɹte/ Italian: [fˈɔrte]
Grave Graw-vay /ˈgɹæveɪ/ Italian: [ˈgrave]


Useful links

http://www.pronunciationguide.info/