A transformative approach to sung Italian

We work with and support singers of all levels, whether you’re a professional, student or amateur singer.

If you're new to the Melofonetica Method, you may like to join one of our short courses in the UK or online for an introduction to our approach. Observer places are also available on most of our courses if you’d like to come along to learn more without singing.

Our book The Melofonetica Method: A complete guide to clear and expressive Italian diction for singers will also give you an overview of all the key principles of the method. The accompanying recordings are free to access and will help to give you a complete understanding of each topic. 

If you’d like to work on a one-to-one basis, we provide private online coaching with Matteo Dalle Fratte and our faculty of coaches.

For more intensive study of the method and its application in performance, our Veneto Opera Summer School programmes in Italy offer a full immersion and include performances for Italian audiences. Our Aria and Song Week is open to all levels while our Staged Scenes Programme is aimed at advanced and professional singers. 

If you’re unsure about where to start, contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss your skills and experience and how we can support you.

Yes – if you are a professional or student pianist looking to build your skills in accompanying and/or coaching singers in Italian repertoire, the Melofonetica Method will give you a better understanding of the relationship between Italian text and music, how language informs phrasing and articulation and how to accompany and coach singers more effectively in Italian.

If you're new to the Melofonetica Method, our book The Melofonetica Method: A complete guide to clear and expressive Italian diction for singers will give you a full overview of all the key principles of the method. The accompanying recordings are free to access and will help to give you a complete understanding of each topic.

We also welcome pianists and music coaches on all of our courses.

The Melofonetica Method helps conductors and instrumentalists to better prepare Italian repertoire and provides a greater understanding of how clear and correct diction enhances the dialogue between stage and orchestra.

Matteo Dalle Fratte, Melofonetica Founder, frequently works on a one-to-one basis with conductors during their preparation for productions of Italian opera (see their views here).

If you’re a conductor and you'd like to ensure you have a full understanding of your libretto text, from the idiomatic sounds and rhythm of the language, to the meaning and metrics of the lines, contact us and we'll be pleased to help.

You'll also find our our book useful: The Melofonetica Method: A complete guide to clear and expressive Italian diction for singers by Matteo Dalle Fratte, with a foreword by Sir Mark Elder. This will give you a full overview of all the key principles of the method and the free accompanying recordings will help to give you a complete understanding of each topic.

If you're a vocal or language coach looking to deepen your understanding of Italian lyric diction and improve your skills in coaching singers in Italian repertoire, we recommend our new Teaching Sung Italian programme. This is a flexible online course designed to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to teach Italian vocal music effectively.

If you're new to the Melofonetica Method, you may also like to attend any of our other courses as a participant or observer for an introduction to our approach. You'll also find our book useful: The Melofonetica Method: A complete guide to clear and expressive Italian diction for singers. This will give you a full overview of all the key principles of the method. The accompanying recordings are free to access and will help to give you a complete understanding of each topic.

No – having some awareness of the Italian language of course helps, but the Melofonetica Method guides singers of all levels and language backgrounds to achieve correct Italian diction in the sung language, without needing a prior knowledge of the language.

If you have previously studied phonetics, in Italian or any other language, this will of course be helpful, but it is by no means expected before you work with us. The method introduces some key phonetic concepts at relevant stages, in a way that is easy to follow, and is designed to be accessible for those who have no prior knowledge of phonetics.

Not necessarily. It helps to know as much of your piece as possible on the one hand, but on the other hand it’s also useful to work on getting correct diction in place and into your muscle memory early in the learning process.

If you prefer to focus purely on the text, you can chant the words on one note instead of singing the melody.

Ultimately, our coaching sessions are always working sessions that are tailored to your level, so you’ll benefit whatever stage you’re at.

There’s no particular type of repertoire that’s most suitable as the method applies to all Italian repertoire, including recitatives, arias, songs and ensembles, from Monteverdi through to Puccini.