Now, some journalists! _www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Vocal/Singers/Classical/Sopranos/Sutherland,_Joan/_ (http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Vocal/Singers/Classical/Sopranos/Sutherland,_Jo an/) - 10k - MONICA ATTARD: And what's your favourite language for opera? DAME JOAN SUTHERLAND: Well of course, Italian and French. Italian first and then French. German becomes too guttural; too many consonants as with English but the French and Italian flow so beautifully. ------- I was reading the bio of Bellini the other day (not the painter, but the composer of La Sonnambula -- I was surprised that the inspiration of this was a flop by one composer called Antonio Speranza (Verdi quotes him biblioteche2.comune.parma.it/dm/2044.htm ) called "Il Sonnambulo"). Bellini describes his days in London, and he had a bit of fun. He tells us how he found himself at Drury Lane where Jenny Lind was singing (in Italian) La Sonnambula, while the rest of the cast he couldn't understand one word of what they were singing. He makes a passing remark about the sounds of the English language, but I don't have the quotation to hand. Cheers, JL **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219957551x1201325337/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID %3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62) ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html