Voice -- Comfort and quality vs Demand

[WalveMalve]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 11:41pm

So every year at Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts you have to re-audition for the choir for a multi-grammy award winner and most esteemed professor in the school of music, Dr Robert Page. When he asked me what I did this summer, I responded that I was hired to do a production of the Mikado ....etc..... and when I was in the ensemble I sang Tenor II. So he has me sing scales and points out for the second year in a row that I'm a bass I. And I agree, I'm what is now classified as the baritenor. Just a little expository information for those who don't know: a baritenor is a voice part colloquiallism that was created by the musical theatre industry due to the fact that many male lead roles require a massive range (it's roughly defined as a low A to a high G). My range is from a low G to a high B-flat, which means I can pretty much sing bass I up to most tenor I parts. So through high school I sang Tenor I and Tenor II not because that's the best area of my voice, but merely because I was capable of hitting thie high notes. But I could've made more beautiful music by working the better parts of my range. And, yes, I can beautify all the parts of my range, but NO ONE is capable of creating equally beautiful music across their entire range.

But this really isn't about me. The point I'm trying to get at is this: there's a difference between what singers are capable of and what they SHOULD be singing. Yes, I can sing up to a high B-flat but I get my best quality between a low A and a high F-sharp. Likewise, when people post to this board looking for audition songs they post their exact range, meaning if a tenor or soprano can belt up to the high C, they say "I sing up to a high C." However, this isn't what people should be posting, because though you want to show vocal range, you also want to show range of quality. Thus, if you CAN sing from a low A to a high G but sound best between a low C and a high E, don't sing some rediculously high number just because you can.

So many parts out there require these rediculous ranges, so guys go into audition singing Bring Him Home (Les Miz) while girls break out Shy (Once Upon a Mattress) songs that they are certainly (well usually) capable of singing, but they're just showing off range. Not quality.

So when Dr. Page put me in the bass I section, I didn't get upset thinking that "I should sing tenor! I'm good at tenor!" rather I accepted that my bass range sounds better. Yes, as I train, my voice improves at all points in my range, and my range expands. Yet, my best quality will always be the middle voice. And I will sing bass in the choir and baritenor in musical theatre because that's what's in demand.

So, I guess I'll conclude with this: don't necessarily think that you have to go into an audition able to sing rediculous high notes, go in there and show your best quality. Range doesn't necessarily mean capable range, it means range of quality. A director doesn't want someone in a tenor or soprano role if they're struggling for the high notes unless they have no option. If you get called back for those big range roles, then go in there and show off the rest of your range.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 11:44pm

I agree.

But when everyone else is singing the big range songs, it sounds like you aren't as good, don't take the risk, etc.

[Blair]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 12:10am

I agree totally. I couldn't really tell you a lot about my own voice because I'm not from the listening standpoint, but one of my friends has a range up to the D above top C, maybe higher, but she sings alto 2 in choir because that's where her best vocal quality lies.

[BroadwayBettini2]

Posted: 9/14/05 at 7:41pm

If I ever say my range I usually say I can sing comfortably low A below G below Middle C to A above High C. I never say I sing C above high C even if I can hit it, it takes work to make it sound clear, so I never us it in my range. I'm not going to try to impress people on these boards, who cares what they think anyways, it's more about giving the information to get the answers I need.