About Diction Desk

Diction Desk is a reference for opera singers, coaches and students who need the words right: how each language is sung, what each role demands, and what the libretto actually says.

What it covers

• Lyric diction: Italian, French, German, Latin, Spanish, Russian, English and Ladino, with IPA.
• Opera guides: synopsis, roles and voice types, arias with their first lines, and the diction traps of each score.
• Libretti: how to read them, where to find the texts, and how translations differ.
• Role preparation: learning a role, the Fach system, young artist programs and audition packages.

Who writes it

The pages are researched and written by the Diction Desk editors. Each one lists its sources, numbered, at the bottom, and shows the date it was last checked against them. Translations of libretto lines are our own.

How we work

A fact enters a page only when it can be traced to a source we have read in full: university diction courses, phonetics references, opera company materials, public-domain libretto editions and the press. Read the editorial policy.