13. How do you pronounce all those conductors', composers', and performers' names? (Classical music)
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This article is from the Classical music FAQ, by Gabe M. Wiener gabe@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
13. How do you pronounce all those conductors', composers', and performers' names? (Classical music)
We don't have schwas and umlauts in ASCII, so I'll do my best. A *k
indicates that the guttural k sound (as in chutzpah or Bach) should be
used. #k indicates a palatal "ch" sound as in "reich." *n is the
french "n" as in "bon." *r is the French r. "zh" as in "vision"
Note that I assume a generic American accent here. Some of these
pronunciations may not work with other accents.
Claudio Abbado ah-BAH-do
Ernest Ansermet ahn-sair-MAY
Arleen Auger Au-ZHAY
Daniel Barenboim BARE-'n-boim
Berlioz Bair-lee-OHZ
Leonard Bernstein BURN-stine
Bizet BI-zay
Pierre Boulez BU-lez
Dieterich Buxtehude DEE-te*ri#k BOOKS-te-HOO-de
Chailly CHI-yee
Chopin Sho-PA(*)N
Couperin COU-peh*r-a*n
Debussy De-bu-SEE
Antal Dorati AHN-tahl DOH-rah-tee
Charles Dutoit Du-TWAH
Dukas DU-kahss
Dvorak D'VOR-zhack
Faure FAU-*ray
Cesar Franck Say-ZAHR Frahnk
Wilhelm Furtwangler VIL-helm FOORT-veng-ler
Bernard Haitink BURN-ard HIGH-tink
Haydn HIDE-in
Herbert von Karajan HAIR-bairt Fawn KAHR-ay-ahn.
Kodaly KO-da-ee
Raymond Leppard LEP-pard
James Levine Luh-VINE
Liszt List
Charles Mackerras Muh-KAHR-ass
Neville Marriner NEH-vul MARR-in-er
Kurt Masur Mah-ZOOR
Zubin Mehta ZOO-bin MAY-tuh
Monteverdi Mon-te-VARE-dee (not Mon-te-VUR-dee)
Mozart MOH-tsart
Johann Pachelbel YO-hahn Pa-*KEL-bel
Poulenc POO-lenk (that's how he pronounced it)
Ravel Ruh-VEL
Reiner RHINE-er
Saint-Saens Sa*n-SOH*N
Schubert SHOO-bairt
Shostakovitch shash-teh-KOH-vich
Smetana SMET-nuh
Georg Solti jorj SHOL-tee
George Szell jorj sell
Tchaikovsky Chiy-KAHF-skee
Verdi VARE-dee (not VUR-dee)
Richard Wagner *RI#K-art VAHG-ner
Bruno Walter VAHL-ter
Webern VAY-bairn
Weelkes Weelks
Wilbye WILL-bee
(Please do not send mail "correcting" the French pronunciations. I
know there are many schools of thought on them. I finally settled it
for the FAQ by asking a native Frenchman. Unless you can offer a very
compelling argument the other way, it's staying. Sue me. Sorry, but
I'm sick to death of my mailbox flooding every month with thirty
opinions on how to pronounce Debussy. Thank you for your cooperation.)
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