A Review of Ach ich fühl’s: German for Opera Singers in Three Acts

As an opera singer and a language enthusiast, I am constantly searching for great language resources. No skill is more powerful than understanding people and their words, and no resource is more valuable than that which can help you understand. Many language resources focus on general language learning or language use for travel. Few, however, focus on the specific needs and interests of certain demographics. Ach ich fühl’s: German for Opera Singers in Three Acts by Bernd Hendricks just happens to be one of those few.

This book, targeted towards singers and fans alike, divides language learning into three subsections, or “Acts”: Studying (issues in grammar mostly), Speaking, and Singing (or translation). Not only does each subsection thoroughly cover knowledge that every German student needs to know, it caters that knowledge perfectly to singers and opera enthusiasts. This specificity ranges from tidbits to how certain grammar points are used within operas, to cultural tidbits about singing opera in Germany, to profiles of famous opera singers written in German. In other words, opera singers will never be bored with this book. Furthermore, they won’t just learn German; they’ll learn about their craft too.

Accompanying this textbook is a workbook, which includes various exercises for the first two Acts. The exercises are provided in manageable amounts, and an answer key is provided at the back of the text. The workbook is also much shorter than the textbook itself, defining itself as a companion piece rather than a stand-alone workbook.

For a textbook with so many positive qualities that I could fawn over for days, the absence of an accompanying audio set is glaring. For a book whose target audience is singers, it seems odd that there are no audio pronunciation guides, opportunities to hear spoken conversations, or even just recordings of the arias translated in the third Act. These recordings would not need to be long, and could serve as an accompanying material just like the workbook. If audio tracks were included, this would easily be the ultimate German-learning guide for opera singers.

Still, all opera singers, students of opera, and opera aficionados should pick up this book right now. Even if you are not learning German at this exact moment, the vocabulary catered to singers in the second Act, and the translation tools in the third Act are invaluable.

Furthermore, German classes that teach voice majors specifically should use this text in their classrooms. The first Act provides all of the grammar knowledge one could learn in a standard beginning German class, and then some. Plus, a teacher’s guidance and the speaking opportunities in a classroom would compensate for the lack of an audio program. If all opera singers use this text to jumpstart their German studies, we will have many more singers with a strong foundational understanding of the German language.

Click here now to purchase your copy of Ach ich fühl’s: German for Opera Singers in Three Acts by Bernd Hendricks, and click here for the accompanying workbook.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through the link, Operaversity will receive a percentage of that sale. Materials for this post were provided electronically by the author. The views and opinions expressed here are completely my own.