The following notes come from Diana Garibaldi:
A couple of quick notes on German pronunciation of this verse
- The “ch” in German is guttural but it’s not heavy. It’s more similar to the sound in Loch Ness (or williewaught in Auld Lang Syne) than a Hebrew or Russian ‘ch’ sound.
- In choral music, Germans do pronounce their ‘r’s as they speak it, i.e. in the back of the throat (actually, in a very similar placement as the ‘ch’ sound). Happy to try to coach anyone interested in attempting it. If you’re having troubles, a very mild flipped ‘r’ sound works (just don’t overemphasize it).
- The “g” in ‘Engel’ is not emphasized and is ellided to the next e. Think of the ‘g’ as part of an ‘ng’ cluster and roll into the e, and you’ll get it right. (I hope the recording will help clarify this).
- The Latin pronunciation is the German pronunciation of Latin (which is very similar to what folks will be used to but with … more German-y vowels). The difference is slight, though, so don’t worry too much about it.