A Handbook of Diction for Singers is a textbook for the properpronunciation and idiomatic use in singing of the three foreign languages thatevery English-speaking singer must deal with: Italian, German, and French. Thepurpose of the book is to combine traditional approaches found in other dictiontexts with important material not readily available elsewhere. The internationalphonetic alphabet is the primary tool used to convey the sounds of eachlanguage, which are presented logically and sequentially, along with otherrelevant information, such as diacritical marks, syllabificaiton, word stress,and what to look for in dictionaries. Particular attention is paid tocharacteristics of vowel length for each language. The book presents additionaldetailed information and discussion of aspects of the languages as they relateto singing. For Italian, there is an extensive discussion of the execution ofphrasal diphtohongs not found in other texts, as well as a detailed appendixpresenting patterns of open and closed e and o. For German, the question of whento use glottal attacks in singing is thoroughly discussed, as is the executionof phrasal consonant clusters. The French chapter gives many examples of musicalsettings of mute e (schwa) and of glides; liasion is concisely but thoroughlypresented. A Handbook of Diction for Singers is appropriate for beginning levelsif used selectively, but is thoroughness makes it valuable for more advancedlevels.