Spelling and Pronunciation Guide
From Young Composers
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This article is a work in progress and may have some incomplete or missing content. |
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.
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/ | |
- Schubert- Shoe-bert
- Liszt- List
- Rimsky-Korsakoff - Rim-ski -- Core-sa-coff
- Paganini-pag-a-knee-knee
- Vivaldi- Vi-vall-dee
- Sibelius-Sih-bayl-yus
- 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] |
