Posted: 3/3/16 at 11:44pm
Hi!
I was wondering what the lowest female song/part is in MT?
I'm 23 and currently studying MT in NYC. I cone from an opera based training and am fairly "new" to MT. I'm a contralto and "fry" at B2. I've been singing Mezzo songs but I want something I can really sink my teeth into.
Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated!
Posted: 3/3/16 at 11:51pm
A lot of the "lower roles" aren't going to give you much to work with range wise. For instance: Ruth in Wonderful Town. Her songs are low, but were written for a non-singer with a tiny range.
Posted: 3/4/16 at 12:01am
If it doesn't have a wide range that's fine. I just feel like I haven't used my lower register since starting training in MT
Posted: 3/4/16 at 12:23am
This might be of some interest - Seth Rudetsky deconstructs Broadway Low Notes
Posted: 3/4/16 at 12:31am
Broadway has a current obsession with high belting, so I'm not really surprised. That isn't to say that they don't exist...well for men they are much more scarce. Most of Chita Rivera's songs are low
Here are a few:
Hart to Heart from 9 TO 5
A Boy Like That from WEST SIDE STORY
Ireland from LEGALLY BLONDE
I Know Where I've Been from HAIRSPRAY
Small World from GYPSY
The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from THE RINK (which was determined to have the lowest note sung by a woman on an earlier thread)
An English Teacher's Wife from BYE BYE BIRDIE
Ti Moune from ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
Posted: 3/4/16 at 2:24am
I'm no professional, but when I do sing I'm an alto, and I find much of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from Show Boat quite comfortably in range, esp. the first half of the song (Julie's part). Some lovely low notes in there for a female voice (as well as for a male one later in the song). Note: the version I have in mind is the 1993/1994 revival version--I can't speak for the key used by other versions of the musical.
Updated On: 3/4/16 at 02:24 AM
Posted: 3/4/16 at 3:27am
The lowest one I can think of is also a Chita Rivera song - the title song from "The Kiss of the Spiderwpman" (make sure you are getting Chita's version (original broadway cast) - the key was raised for Vanessa Williams down the line. A couple others off the top of my head are "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees and "There are Worse Things I Could Do" from Grease. Hope that helps!
Posted: 3/4/16 at 9:13am
Good to read you are in NYC and studying your art, the members have listed some great choices here for you.
I would suggest you sing any song in the repertoire and simply transpose it to a comfortable key. This is easily done on most sheet music websites. Musicnotes.com lets you change the key, view the first page and play an audio of the first page in your new key. It even will tell you what the range of the song is before purchase in the new key.
Enjoy yourself, sing everything out there. Put your own stamp on all of it. Being in the original key is only important when auditioning for an old show where the producers cannot afford to change the orchestrations. You are in NYC auditioning for composers who will change the keys of their material if they like what you are giving off at the audition or are captured by the beautiful color of your voice.
Updated On: 3/4/16 at 09:13 AM
Posted: 3/4/16 at 10:41am
All of Dolly's songs in the published score sit very low - really more of a male tenor tessitura.
Anything sung by Margo in Applause ("Welcome To The Theatre," "Hurry Back," "Something Greater," "But Alive"
- practically baritone stuff.
Ditto "The Man in the Moon is a Lady" from Mame.
"The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company (in the original published score, not the vile revised version currently licensed) only goes to a G.
Posted: 3/4/16 at 11:06am
Oh wow that's a good suggestion. Chita has some wonderful songs in The Rink. "We Can Make It" would pretty much be ideal for the OP.
Posted: 3/4/16 at 11:35am
My first thought was "The Man in the Moon" from MAME. Basically, anything sung by Bea Arthur.
Posted: 3/5/16 at 8:36am
Some of the ensemble stuff from "marie Christine" is VERY low. As a stand alone song, I'm not sure if you can use it, but the recording is worth a listen. or 20.
Posted: 3/5/16 at 8:44am
Surprised no one has mentioned "With Every Breath I Take" from City of Angels.
