Modern Bass Roles

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Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/16/13 at 5:40pm

Can you think of any roles in any show that was written post-2000 that would be categorized as a bass? It seems to me that the low male voice, which I always thought sounded nicest, is going out of style.

Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/16/13 at 5:47pm

I think it's hard to think of roles that are genuine bass roles prior to 1970--if not earlier. As a bass myself, I always found it frustrating (especially as I come from a dance background, and there are even fewer dance heavy roles that are bass.)

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/16/13 at 5:48pm

It's a real problem for us. Pop music has greatly influenced musical theatre, and pop is generally of a high tessa tura with a dependence on money notes in the A and B range. Forget good bass roles - there is a shortage of good BARITONE roles.

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/16/13 at 5:53pm

Nick Massi in Jersey Boys.

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/16/13 at 6:36pm

They're few and far between. It's too bad too, as I also find it the most pleasant voice type.

I honestly cannot think of any at the moment.

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 9:13am

Funny thing about Nick Massi in Jersey Boys is that although he's the bass of The Four Seasons, their music is very high and I think it's more of a high baritone role.

Javert is very much a baritone role, although the tessa tura is a little high, and many tenors have played the part.

Leon Czolgosz in Assassins...oh wait, that's from the nineties...and Javert is from the eighties...well there's Newt Lee in Parade, I guess, who has like one half a song.

Updated On: 12/17/13 at 09:13 AM

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 10:24am

Shoot, at the places where you can find new material from young composers, like Repertwa.com and NewMusicalTheatre.com, there's not even "Bass" categories. The lowest voice type at those sites is "Baritone."

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 10:42am

...and even "baritone" roles are more tenor than bari. Modern musical theatre requires men to look like Abercrombie models and whine like Justin Bieber. Very sad really.

Updated On: 12/17/13 at 10:42 AM

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 4:23pm

I think the issue is also a reflection of what modern audiences expect a "romantic leading man" to be. It used to be, say, Billy Bigelow, a very "manly" guy played by "manly" actors like John Raitt. But now women don't want men with masculine low notes, they want boys with girly high notes. I mean, I love tenors, but not every male song needs to be for high voices.

Updated On: 12/17/13 at 04:23 PM

#10

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 7:40pm

I feel that the 80's were a pretty good time for baritones, but the bass has been out of style for 50+ years. Really the only true bass role I can think of is Johnny Cash in Million Dollar Quartet, but he isn't even singing original music, and he also has to go pretty high.

Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.

#11

Modern Bass Roles

Posted: 12/17/13 at 8:30pm

I fell like Ivan from Women on the Verge is a Bass voice type. But that's just my opinion. I am also a baritone so I really hope this won't become the norm for mor than about 10 years.

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