The Role of Pippin: Tenor or Baritone?

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 8:59pm

MTIshows.com says Baritone, but stageagent.com says Tenor. I am a tenor and I have an audition for Pippin on Tuesday. I can sing "Corner of the Sky" with ease...but I'm not too familiar with the rest of the music. What is Pippin's vocal range like?

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:00pm

Well, I'm a tenor w/ baritone range and I've played Pippin twice. I would say it's more of tenor role.

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:13pm

I'm auditioning for Pippin at the begining of August. It's like a baritone/tenor range I think, because I'm a baritone and I can hit the higher notes. His songs are good. They're all slow love songs except Extraordinary. I think Pippin needs to be a really good actor though, over singing, and from what I've heard and sing, it's ok for his voice to strain sometimes.

And it sounds like the Leading Player has a higher range than Pippin.

What would be a good audition song for the part of Pippin?

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:14pm

I think "Purpose" from Avenue Q is very "Pippin-esque"!

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:16pm

I think I'm singing "Lost in the Wilderness" from Children of Eden, which I, personally, think is the perfect song. It is a tenor song, and is of the Stephen Schwartz style, since it's written by him() and the character is similar to Pippin---he's looking for something bigger and better in the world.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:19pm

Maybe something else Schwartz....like "All for the Best" from Godspell? The first part before it becomes a duet....

"When you feel sad, or under a curse
Your life is bad, your prospects are worse
Your wife is crying, sighing...
And your olive tree is dying,
Temples are graying, and teeth are decaying
And creditors weighing your purse...
Your mood and your robe
Are both a deep blue
You'd bet that Job
Had nothin' on you...
Don't forget that when you go to
Heaven you'll be blessed..
Yes, it's all for the best..."

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:30pm

I was thinking God Save the People from Godspell. Cain is alot like Pippin, but there are no songs that fast, or rockish. There all at a moderate tempo at the fastest. Other than Simple Joys.

[iruvyou]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 9:53pm

Pippin is deffinatly a tenor part

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 10:39pm

Pippin needs to hit a G# in "With You"

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 6/23/04 at 11:23pm

correct me if im wrong, but there are optional notes in the pippin score that really add some zest if you can hit them, in "with you" there is definitly a B flat, i think it can be done mix/falsetto though
i think its the "and oh my dearest love, if you will take my love, then all my dreams are truly begun"
oh and pippin is a tenor, i've sang songs from that show all being songs done by pippin and im a tenor

[mistacajun]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 12:04am

Never felt the need to chime in till now....

This is a very common discussion among young performers....

#1 "I'm auditioning for this show, but I don't know much of the music/(or worse yet) anything about it!"

#2 "I want this role, but I don't know if it's in my range."

#3 "What would be a good audition song for this show?"

The answers to these questions cannot come from anyone but YOU as a performer, however there are some general guidelines to answering these questions that anyone else who has managed to make their way professionally for any amount of time will agree with, I'm sure.

#1 "I'm auditioning for this show, but I don't know much of the music/(or worse yet) anything about it!" Learn your show. Let's face it, most of our auditions are for shows that have been performed/revived/recorded etc. Unless it's a brand spanking new world premiere, you'll be able to learn SOMETHING about it. Buy the CD, buy sheet music. Check out the lows/highs of the score (which you'll likely be asked to sing through at auds/callbacks anyway). Sing through it to find out if you have the vocal stamina for it. Personally, if I'm auditioning for a show that I'm not very familiar with, I'll just go buy whatever recording I can get my hands on and listen to that (and only that) until the audition rolls around. By then I've absorbed it so much they can throw whatever they want towards me at callbacks. And trust me, that's a good feeling.

#2 "I want this role, but I don't know if it's in my range." Again, only you can answer this question. Musical theatre is not like opera. Roles are not necessarily assigned into certain vocal "fachs". Just because one publication might classify a role as a baritone (or a tenor) doesn't mean that only a baritone (or tenor) can/should sing that role. "Crossover" voices are very common. Again, listen to recordings, study sheet music, sing through it. Find if YOU'RE comfortable with it. Remember, you can't ever second guess a casting director. They may be looking for a baritone with a rangy top, or a tenor who can get down into the basement (I've seen both types of singers perform Pippin very well). You just don't know, so why worry about it?

#3 "What would be a good audition song for this show?" Again, it comes back to knowing your show before you audition for it. Know the syle of the music. You should be familiar enough with the overall literature to be able to say "This kind of sounds like '(Show X)'" Once you take that step, the next is to commit yourself to learning at least one song from 'Show X' that you are capable of performing fully. Singing from the show you're auditioning for is a BIG no-no (unless you're specifically asked to do it). Given the fact that you already picked a song from a similar character, in your vocal range, by the same composer, from a different show, I would say you have a decent grasp on this concept. Just be prepared for the occasional curveball, such as, "I've already heard 'Lost in the Wilderness' 15 times today.... Do you have anything else!?!?" Remember, the most obvious audition choices will also be the most common, and the key to auditioning is to bring something unique (in a good way!).

Sorry to ring in with such a lengthy diatribe! I see discussions like this all the time among the more junior performers I work with, so I do my best to pass on the knowledge and keep them from learning these lessons the hard way, like I did!


Updated On: 6/24/04 at 12:04 AM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 12:07am

mistacajun.......Extremely well stated!!!

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 10:14am

Thank you for all of your advice, but it's hard to do all you suggested. Us younger performers really don't have the money to go out and buy the CD or sheet music. I just rented the Pippin DVD offline, though, and have listened to all of the clips of the music I can off of the internet. I've already learned the first two verses and the chorus of "Corner of the Sky" to familarize myself with it, in case I need to sing it at a callback.

I will try to go in with more than one song. Than you for all of your advice.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 11:10am

Good point Billy but on the other hand look at who you have here. Every person on this site (generally) is a wealth of theatrical information. If you need resources there are plenty right here. People would no doubt be willing to copy the OBC for you and ship it out. Theatre is a community and we help each other, even our younger members.









****DISCLAIMER****

The above statement excludes all those wishing to sing the song "Popular" or "For Good" from Wicked. No help will be given to them.

-The SumOfAllThings Actors Equity

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 11:16am

This pretty much goes for professional auditions, not school or community theatre, but I figure we might as well cover it.

It's true that you're better off not singing from the show. However, if it's a popular show (like PIPPIN), you need to know it backwards and forwards. A friend was called in for a tour of Evita a couple of years ago. She walked in, sang a song and they said, 'Hmmm...mind if we have you sing a song or two from the score?' The proceeded to sing through half the score with her (which she knew VERY well) and she got the job.

Knowledge will only help you get the job.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 11:25am

VERY VERY true.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 6:38pm

Thanks...I'm trying to prepare. I actually went to the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts this afternoon and photocopied "Lost in the Wilderness". I couldn't fine the Pippin libretto, and the damn CD was out somehow; I was planning on sitting and listening to the score. I do know one of Pippin's songs...if anything I'll learn the song at the audition. I've done that before. It's not an incredibly professional production, so I think I'll be fine.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 7:03pm

Great initiative with Lincoln Center!

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 8:30pm

Well the G# in Without You isn't full voice, not much of Without You is. Alot of Pippin's notes can be falsetto and you will get away with it. But I'm a batitone who longs to be Pippin, so I justify it for myself.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 6/24/04 at 11:17pm

agreed broadwaybound
i used my mix alot singing pippin stuff, and im a tenor. belt is only need in a few spots. if you get the part, i suggest using mix if you dont want to falsetto alot of it, belting just doesn't fit right. all IMO, its upto your interpretation.

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 6/25/04 at 10:30am

Belting works for songs like Corner of the Sky and Extraordinary, but mixed voice is probebly better for With You.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/25/04 at 11:21am

Do men belt?

I've never understood that classification for men's voices.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/25/04 at 12:26pm

I went to an audition and the casting director classified me as a belter. LOL. I can "croon" as well, but he said I was a 'belter" that day.