Crespin And Veronique Gens: Music Analysis

As one listens to Natalie Dessay, Regine Crespin, and Veronique Gens sing “Apres un reve” by Gabriel Faure, several differences in each singer’s diction are noticeable. For example, both Natalie Dessay and Regine Crespin use an uvular r in their singing as they do in spoken French. However, Veronique Gens uses a flipped r instead of the uvular r. In addition, Regine Crespin’s consonants are better articulated than Natalie Dessay’s or Regine Crespin’s consonants throughout the entire piece. In the word mirage found in line two of the text, Veronique Gens’s a is brighter than either of the other singers’ a. Regine Crespin and Veronique Gens both use a closed e at the beginning of the word elcaire found in line four, while Natalie Dessay