Diction - Tudor Choral Music
  • Azul
    Posts: 1
    Please, help with the pronunciation in Tudor anthems, canticles (Tallis)

    generations (tee/ons, or see/ons)

    imagination (tee/on, or see/on}

    salvation (tee/on, or see/on)
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Azul,

    I'll defer to the experts hereabouts, but Tallis wouldn't use either the Spanish (salvacion) or the tee-ons. I think it would be "sal-va-tsi-ohn"
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    I would lean to 'genera - szee - own', etc.
    Of course, there are many instances where 'genera - shun' is necessary because of the syllabifica - szee - own' won't work - probably in most instances.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    It's always "see on" in my experiences with various Anglican choirs.
    Thanked by 2Liam CHGiffen
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,944
    I've not been with Anglican choirs, but what I hear and what I've been directed in the past is " 'see on".
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    For current use though one could go by King's College:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ejmLREGDWo&t=24s
    sal-vay-see-on.
    This, from the Old World St David's, is rather confusing!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmrjqwcsYYU&t=25
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,944
    Part of this is also the inheritance from Middle English (taking my Chaucer from the wonderful Vernon Kolve) and then the evolution of orthography:

    https://www.etymonline.com/word/Salvation
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,046
    Good question!
    in McGee's _Singing Early Music_, David Klausner gives "habitacioun" as [habItaSI*U:n] (sorry for no small caps in my IPA) but says elsewhere (not in this specific context) that "t stays t".

    I've generally heard "si-on", and that works well enough when you need it in 2 syllables. It's worship, not musicology. I mean, you aren't going to use Tudor English for the rest of it, are you?
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