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Im always embarrassing myself in front of my teacher, when I try to pronounce musical names or terms, so I thought it would make a good thread to sort out all the pronunciations of various musical terms and names that you are curious about.

To start off here are some I dont know:

Scherzo (is it Skertso or sherzo)
Richter (same sort of thing, is it Rishter, or Rickter)
Cziffra (ziffra?)
Appassionata (Appassion-yata?? sort of spanish-like?)


I remember a couple years ago when I first started to play Chopin and I pronounced it exactly how it is spelt (Chop - in) and I didn't understand why my teacher was laughing at me, and now I realize that I wouldve reacted the same way.

As always, I could be wrong. But here's how I pronounce these:


Scherzo: "Skertso"

Sviatoslav Richter: "Shvee-ah-toe-slauv Rickter"

Gyorgy Cziffra: "Your-gay Chiffruh"

Appassionata: either "Uh-pashin-ahtuh" or "A-pashee-own-ah-tuh"

Scherzo = Sker - tzo
Richter = Rick - ter, but with a soft ck, as in the German pronoun "Ich"
Cziffra = Tchee - fra (or Tchi - fra : i as in "if")
Appassionata - Ap - pas - sion - a - ta, no Spanish 'nya' sound

I thought scherzo was "sherzo"?
Chopin is "shopang" right?
And I have this weird thing with saying "beat"hoven even though i know that not right :p

How about Dvorak??

Dvorak -- devorzhack

a couple more - at least how i learned them from my teacher

Gilels - Gillez
Czerny - Churney
Horowitz - Horovitz
Rzewski - Zevski

Show-Pan.

Dvorjsh-ahk

LOL....childish I know.

Gilels - Gillez
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Do you mean Gillelz?

Or is the last 'l' silent?

And his first name: "Eh-mill" or "Eh-meel"?

Yeah, you have to put the accent on the right syllable.

"YOUR-gay CHIFF-ruh", not "you're-GAY, Cziffra".

I mispronounced Liszt at first, I would say "Least" instead of "List".

Yeah that was another one I was wondering about. So it is "List" then. I usually say "least" too...

It's "List".

"Horovitz" is one pronounciation. In English, however, it is pronounced "Horwitz". I'm not sure which he preferred, anyone know?

Saint-Saens is one I had trouble with at first. I read it and though it was "Saint-Say-ens"... Now I know better.

how about Bach? i heard many pronounce it as "Bark".

Victor Borge, in saying the name "Bach" always coughs at the end.

Pronouncing Saint-Saëns reminds me of the beginning of "Carnival of the Animals" by Ogden Nash:

Camille Saint-Saens
was racked with pains
When people addressed him
as "Saint Sanes."
He held the human race to blame
Because it could not pronounce his name.
So he turned with metronome and fife
To glorify other forms of life.
Be quiet please -- for here begins
His salute to feathers, fur, and fins.


pd

I have been in America for almost 30 years, and I STILL haven't heard Bach pronounced correctly. It's prounounced like Nacht, Wacht, (without the "T" of course). Seems to be a very difficult sound to make for americans. Did you also know that the "v" in Beethoven is pronounced "f"?

what's exact "cht" pronounced?

i actually can say Bach correctly, and i say it like "Bar-h(er)" without saying "er" much and "h" is on heavier side. i once asked a friend about it and he knew a little German.

Cht as in Nacht and Wacht sounds kind of like Nahrt and Wahrt with a VERY guttural R. Not the soft English R.
ACHTUNG!!!

Bach would be pronounced as in BACHtung :p

Yes. Now let me hear you say it!