Farrell Fan Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Many moons ago, I saw a ballet called "Serenade" for the first time. It was the most beautifully mysterious thing I'd ever seen, and turned me into a balletomane overnight. Soon after, I began talking to more experienced balletgoers and noticed they referred to this ballet as "SerenODD," which struck me as odd indeed, particularly since I'd learned by then that this was the first ballet Balanchine had choreographed for American dancers. Nevertheless, not wishing to be thought a Philistine, I adopted the European pronunciation myself. Not only adopted it, I confess that over the years, I've felt pity for the uninitiated who call the ballet "Serenade," just like the title of the music. (I've never yet heard anyone refer to Tschaikovsky's "SerenODD for Strings.") A few years ago, I even qualified for membership in the "Serenade Society." Pronounced in the normal American way, this sound like an organization promoting euthanasia. In fact it is composed of people who have made bequests to NYCB in their wills. And I have it on official NYCB authority that it is pronounced "SerenODD Society." Does anyone know why we say SerenODD? Is it because Mr. B said it that way, or is there another reason? Do younger balletgoers still observe this odd custom? Do they care? Link to comment
cargill Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Joan Acocella once wrote an article on how to pronounce it, and the jist of it was that logically is should be sereNADE, as in the English word, and that sereNOD was affected and pseudo-French. I have always said NADE after I read the article (I don't remember where it was, or if I still have it--I will check), but however you pronounce it, it is a beautiful ballet. I was just rereading Danilova's autobiography (which isn't indexed, boo hiss) and she has a paragraph on what she thinks Serenade is about, which was really lovely. Link to comment
Calliope Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 the dancers pronounce is 'sere NOD' Link to comment
Juliet Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 It may be affected and pseudo-French, but it is much more euphonious as a ballet title. I am sticking to my soft "a" without a care in the world for those who may think I am silly...... Link to comment
Ann Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 I am so glad this knotty problem is out in the open at last, to be discused without shame or embarrassment. For years I have been innocently pronouncing 'Serenade' in the correct way, i.e., exactly as it is spelt, as if 'serenade' rhymed with 'lemonade' (and after all, nobody would dream of saying 'lemonODD'). Then I saw a video of a Balanchine programme where Peter Martins uttered the dread 'SerenODD', and since then I have been in an agony of indecision as to how to pronounce the name of this most exquisite of Balanchine works. Now I know, thanks to Balletalerters, that I was right all along. SerenADE it is from now on. What a blessed relief! Link to comment
dirac Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Hmmm. Shouldn't the company's own usage be the determining factor, pretentious or not? Link to comment
Manhattnik Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 We're Americans, it's an American ballet, it's SerenADE. End of story. Link to comment
Victoria Leigh Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Not end of story, Manhattnik I'm with Juliet on this one!!! Link to comment
Alexandra Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Me too. And for the best of reasons I always heard it pronounced "Serenade" -- who got that pronunciation from the dancers. So SerenADE sounds weird to me. Joan Acocella's article was in Dance Ink, now defunct. Link to comment
Calliope Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Seeing as Mr. B. had to change his name so that we Americans could pronounce it, perhaps it's appropriate that we Yanks, pronounce his first American ballet, the way he wanted! Link to comment
Manhattnik Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Actually, Mr. B didn't change his name, Diaghilev did it for him, so the French could pronounce it. Link to comment
Roma Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Well, the Russian word for "Serenade" is "Serenada" (first "a" sounds exactly like the last: -ah), so "SerenODD" is probably an americanization of how Mr.B used to pronounce it. May be . [ January 14, 2002: Message edited by: Roma ] Link to comment
Estelle Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 I pronounce it "Sérénade", but I'm biased. Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Doesn't Balanchine himself pronounce it both ways in the 2-part television programme about him? I've always seen that as licence to use either. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Back when I was studying "Music Repertoire and Literature" and we had to kick the mammoths out of the classrooms before we could begin class, I studied with a professor who had studied at Juilliard, and said it "say-ray-NOD" - not that I was particularly paying much attention at that point, being a sort of xenophobe brass player, and string works were only good to play poker during. Link to comment
glebb Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Maybe Balanchine said it both ways, but in BALANCHINE PART 1 AND 2, I recall the interview with him saying SerenADE. Link to comment
cargill Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 I found the Dance Ink articke, from Vol 2, no. 1, April 1991, in case anyone wants to check. Its called You Say "Potahto", and is fun to read. She does argue for SereNADE, on the basis that it is an American ballet, and the music is not SereNOD for Strings. So do we want to talk about pronouncing Agon? Mary Link to comment
Alexandra Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 I like Roma's answer. A man has a right to name his own ballet. How 'bout, "It's SerenODD and the music is Tchaikovsky's SerenADE for Strings?" I think he thought it was AH-gon, but so many of us like to think it's Ah-GONE. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 right you are! though i thought it was a(short as in ask)-gon.... Link to comment
Manhattnik Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 I always say "AY-gon." I know, I'm a philistine. Link to comment
K2356 Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Maybe we should get back to the beginning, does anyone know how Tchaikovsky pronounced his Serenade for Strings? Link to comment
Farrell Fan Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 The one person who would have known how Tchaikovsky pronounced it is Balanchine. In "Balanchine's Tchaikovsky," by Solomon Volkov, Mr. B says, "When I was doing Serenade, Tchaikovsky encouraged me. Almost the whole Serenade is done with his help." But he fails to state how Tchaikovsky felt about Balanchine's switching the order of the third and fourth movements. Link to comment
Roma Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Kevin, this is what I was saying. Tchaikovsky would have said SerenAHDA , not SerenODD, certainly not SerenADE. Does it really matter though? I can't for the life of me pronounce Davidsbundlertanze correctly without having a shot of vodka first (see "dead composer" thread) but I love the ballet Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 all right, so i went to someone who worked for him and asked those two questions. she says balanchine pronounced it "Ser-e-nahd-"with a little hint of an a-type sound at the end. and she says that Agon came out like a(short a but muted)-gohn (like a French type of pronunciation and with the accent on the second syllable). Link to comment
K2356 Posted February 16, 2002 Share Posted February 16, 2002 I beginning to think that the root of the problem is not how Serenade is pronounced but how it is spelled when translated from the Russian cyrillic letters to the english alphabet. Many Russian proper names are sometimes spelled differently like the chorographer Fedor Lopukhov is Lopoukhov or Lopokhov and his sister Lydia spelled her last name Lopokova,of course the "a" on the end of the name indicates feminine gender as with most Russian last names. Its us English-Americans,to be political correct, who slept thru spelling class as children and now we can't spell worth a HOOT !!!! KEVIN Link to comment
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