To evaluate the convergences and divergences of articulatory settings and acoustic properties of sung and spoken Bulgarian, Russian, and North American English.

 

Deciphering Cyrillic script and Slavic phonemes are often barriers to accessibility of non-Western repertoire for classical singers. Of all Slavic languages, Bulgarian phonology has the least number of distinctive sounds. Despite this, Bulgarian, like other lesser-known Slavic languages (such as Ukrainian, Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and more) remain underrepresented, tending

to be overshadowed by more well-known Slavic languages and repertoires already steeped in the classical music canon. While these may be unfamiliar languages and underexplored repertoires in the North American voice training studio, they stand to be elevated.

 

A pilot study involving four native English-speaking graduate classical singers with prior experience interpreting International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) were divided into two equally weighted groups. Participants did not have prior experience with Russian or Bulgarian languages. Singers were provided annotated scores (IPA transcription, transliteration, and English translation) and professional example recordings of an excerpt from “Silent Night” in English, Russian, and Bulgarian languages.

 

The first participant group (G1) listened to the recordings and practiced the text once in both speaking and singing. Then, they recited and sang the excerpt in 1.) Bulgarian and 2.) Russian. The second participant group (G2) completed the protocol in the opposite order (Russian first, then Bulgarian).

 

Once completing the protocol, singers were asked to fill out a self-reported learning experience survey. A Russian and a Bulgarian lyric diction specialist rated each participant’s linguistic accuracy using a 1 (correct), 0 (incorrect) scale per phoneme.

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Preliminary statistical results indicate a strong correlation between the raters’ linguistic accuracy scores and singers’ self-reporting scores in both groups. LTAS and MRI analysis revealed more similarities in articulatory setting configuration between English and Bulgarian than English and Russian. All singers in both groups had a higher Bulgarian linguistic accuracy score than Russian. G1 singers scored a higher Russian linguistic accuracy and self-reporting score.

 

The results of the present pilot study suggest Bulgarian’s converging phonetic construction with English. Studying Bulgarian lyric diction first may serve as an effective pathway for singers in training who wish to approach other Slavic languages written in Cyrillic script. The Bulgarian lyric diction and repertoire warrant further investigation regarding its pedagogical benefits.

Take a watch/listen to some Bulgarian art songs that are very appropriate for singers in training!

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For more information on Slavic repertoire & lyric diction, contact me, or explore the first volume (more to come soon!) of the Bulgarian Art Song Anthology.