Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

#1

Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 11:19am

Who are some musical theatre composers or lyricists who can also sing? (living or dead)

-Jason Robert Brown
-David Yazbek
-Cy Coleman
-Comden and Green
-Adam Guettel (stunning voice)

Who else? Or who is your favorite songwriter/singer in the musical theatre?

Updated On: 5/13/06 at 11:19 AM

#2

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 12:19pm

I think Tim Rice sang in the concept album of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

#3

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 12:21pm

Personally, I think Stephen Sondheim's Sondheim Sings CD is a treasure. He isn't beyond amazing, but he is certainly fun to listen to.

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"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck

#4

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 12:23pm

I agree. I love hearing Sondheim sing his own music. It is fascinating.

#5

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 12:50pm

Claude-Michel Schonberg

#6

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 2:05pm

Yes, Adam Guettel's concert at Town Hall (with guests) several years ago was stunning - as was his appearance at Alice Tully Hall shortly before in the original Great American Songbook series there singing his grandfather's material, plus his concert at Lincoln Center's Rose Penthouse - wow! ...on and on - well you get the idea.

His demos for "The Light in the Piazza" are simply brilliant and should be released commercially like the current series of Sondheim Sings Sondheim CDs (Sondheim doesn't sing nearly as well of course - but is fun).

Guettel could have a career as a legit singer if he wasn't such a successful composer.

Updated On: 5/13/06 at 02:05 PM

#7

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 2:07pm

Well, to state the obvious...Elton John.

#8

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 2:15pm

Michael Rupert and Jerry Colker
John Bucchino

#9

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 2:22pm

Andrew Lippa!

#10

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 4:39pm

Jeff Blumenkrantz

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"This ocean runs more dark and deep than you may think you know...I'll be the fear of the fire at sea." -Marie Christine

#11

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 5:58pm

Is it Menken that is singing at the end of the Little Shop revival CD? He has a pretty good voice.

Guttel has a beautiful voice. He sounds wonderful on Myths & Hymns.

#12

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 6:03pm

Adam Guettel and David Yazbek.... i liked Yazbek's Here I Am so much more than Sherie's...

#13

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 10:22pm

Fred Ebb was a wonderful performer. John Kander is fine too.

A little off topic but interestingly enough, two of the major giants of musical theatre- Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were not good singers at all.

#14

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 10:22pm

"Who are some musical theatre composers or lyricists who can also sing?"

Harold Arlen, the best of them all.

"Guettel could have a career as a legit singer if he wasn't such a successful composer."

Guettel should have a career as a legit singer instead of that of a composer.


Vivian Darkbloom
Ramsdale, New England

Updated On: 5/13/06 at 10:22 PM

#15

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 10:25pm

Well, he's a Tony winner and he's probably is making a good deal of money from Piazza, so he's not all that obscure. Is he as popular as his grandfather? No. But he isn't terribly obscure.

#16

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/13/06 at 11:00pm

why is there such a lack of women in the musical theatre songwriting category? there are a few female playwrights, and there are a bazillion female singer-songwriters in other musical genres....so why not musical theatre?

sorry this is only half on topic.

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--Like an odd exotic creature on display inside a zoo, hearing children asking questions makes me ask some questions too...--

#17

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 1:31am

How does one pitch a show's score if the composer can't sing? Even if that composer hired others to sing it, how does THAT person, in turn, transfer their notes? Just mere playing on a piano, and teaching that way? That's pretty difficult!

(I know Mel Brooks hummed into a voice recorder, but that's different. )

#18

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 2:27am

volleyballer I don't quite get the question. If the composer can't sing, then they hire someone to sing the song for them, and the person they hire reads the notes on the page and sings them. You know that people can read music. It's a magical little thing called sight singing. It's a pretty handy tool that you use when your a singer.

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http://theaterfag.blogspot.com/ Reviews and the like

#19

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 11:27am

Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan both have great singing voices. If you go to the music section of their website, you can hear Brian singing with Alex Gemignani on "Henry & Mudge"

http://www.kerrigan-lowdermilk.com

#20

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 2:21pm

When Stephen Schwartz came to visit my school he played AND sang The Wizard and I. I was so suprised because he had an amazing voice! He got a standing ovation and looks of awe, no of us knew he could sing like that! haha

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~H* "I slept through the nominations, as I always do. Anything I need to know, I'll find out when I get up at a reasonable hour!" -Michael Cerveris

Updated On: 5/14/06 at 02:21 PM

#21

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 2:27pm

Alan Menken is pretty nifty.

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Well, I'm glad he got away with it.

#22

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 2:43pm

I wouldn't worry about whatever money Guettel has made from Piazza. Whatever it is, it's not even cab fare compared to what he must have inherited from his grandfather's billion dollar estate. That's why he's always lived quite comfortably (to say the least) despite the fact that his composing career has been far from lucrative up till now.

As far as singing composers, don't forget Noel Coward who performed in many of the shows he wrote, as did George M. Cohan. Irving Berlin had a charming, but very tiny little voice. Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman are fun performers.

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"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

#23

re: Musical Theatre Songwriters with Legit Singing Voices

Posted: 5/14/06 at 4:47pm

I forgot about that Margo. I'm sure he'll make more when the unfortunate day of his mother's death comes. She must have most of the money that Rodger's left his wife, as well as her own bit from the will.