Did You Miss the IFCM Online Café Beware of Vowels and Consonants!?

Sep 30 highlighted

Published: Sep 30,2025

Science and Practice of Choral Intelligibility

What makes choral music unique is that it’s rarely just sound - it’s generally language sung into life. Choirs don’t only create musical landscapes through the use of melody, rhythm, harmony, and form; they tell stories, share faith, and give voice to the deepest human experiences. As the saying, often attributed to St. Augustine, reminds us, “One who sings prays twice.” Word and song together magnify meaning, devotion, and beauty.

But here’s the catch: if no one understands the words, if the words aren’t clear, it’s like tuning into your favorite radio station through a storm of static—you catch the melody, but the message slips away. It’s like telling a joke but mumbling the punchline - you lose the spark that makes it land. Diction isn’t just a detail… Clear diction ensures that meaning is carried as powerfully as the music itself, allowing the listener to hear not just beautiful sound, but living words. It’s the bridge between sound and sense, between music and message.

In this Online Café, we’ll hear from someone who knows exactly how that bridge is built. Our guest is Anastasia Kananovich, originally from Russia and now residing in France, where she is a doctoral student at the University of Strasbourg. Anastasia is perfectly qualified to explain to us why we should "Beware of Vowels and Consonants"!

Watch it here (Access to IFCM Members only)