jospeh and the amazing high "C"
jospeh and the amazing high "C"
Joined: 12/31/69
jospeh and the amazing high "C"#0
Posted: 12/19/04 at 11:23pmumm this a song on one of the forbidden broadway CD's..umm is there sumtin special about the high C that i am missing? Is it a note all musical theater men long for? Updated On: 12/19/04 at 11:23 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/28/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#1
Posted: 12/19/04 at 11:37pmI'm not sure about musical theater guys, but this is the money note for operatic tenors - Luciano Pavarotti was known as the King of the High C's.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/19/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#2
Posted: 12/19/04 at 11:38pm
Like High C, as in which High C. Like the one just two notes above the high note in One Song Glory?
Man I wish I was a tenor. Stupid baritone.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/28/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#3
Posted: 12/19/04 at 11:47pmRight, the C an octave above middle C, or as in the song "Pity the Child." But it can also refer to the C two octaves above, for sopranos.
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#4
Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:45amI'm a tenor 1, and I can hit a high C. I've been told jokingly by musical directors that I was freakish for being able to hit it. So, I don't know whether people long to be able to hit it, but it's definitely HIGH.
Stand-by Joined: 10/31/03
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#5
Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:56ama high c for a guy is a nice thing to have. For most musical theater it isn't really that necessary, since there are very few roles which contain one. Some roles, IE Freddy in Chess, actually go higher. The dflat( or is it natural) in 'pity the child' the original version. I used to think it was such an illusive note until i came to college and met people who hit them left and right.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#6
Posted: 12/20/04 at 11:04am
A high C is a nice thing to have in your bag of tricks. It's not something you'll be called upon to deploy often in musical theatre, but a solid high C is awfully impressive. I'm a high baritone and can hit a C after a good warm-up, but I can't say it's my best note. I usually top out at A, or a B on a good day.
Sigh...I wish I was a tenor!
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/29/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#7
Posted: 12/20/04 at 11:58amOkay, so "Pity the Child" is a song with a high C in it? When I listen to it, will I be able to recognize it and say, "Oh! THAT'S a high C!", or if not, can you tell me what line/lyric it happens?
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#8
Posted: 12/20/04 at 2:55pmThe only musical theatre shows you would ever need a high C in (for guys) Chess (Freddy), The Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff), and Tommy (Cousin Kevin, maybe Uncle Ernie). I love singing C's. It's really fun.
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#9
Posted: 12/20/04 at 2:56pmDoesn't Jesus Christ Superstar have High C's and above?
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#10
Posted: 12/20/04 at 2:59pmYou are correct sir! Totally forgot. The ensembles of RENT and Wicked also get pretty high up there.
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#11
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:07pmI had to sing High C's in callbacks for Miss Saigon (think about the very last line of This Is the Hour).
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#12
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:13pm
We're doing a devised production at the minute which has The Show Must Go On, by Queen, as the Act I Finale and bloody hell our male lead's fantastic! He's hitting high Ds easy as anything (not that that surprises me - first met him during rehearsals for JCS & when he sang that C in Gethsemane the entire room just went "wow") - honestly he has the sort of voice that gives you chills!
The high C in Pity The Child is one the word "Son" in "I was only her son" and "Who" - the last word of the song. In fact, my VS has the top note as an Eb in those ad libs with top Cs on "ons" (as in "weapons"), and "er" (in "mother").
I've only seen our company's production of CHESS with that bloke playing Anatoly - he has played Freddie 2 or 3 times before & unfortunately decided that this time he wanted a change of role. (He was superb - I say "unfortunately" because it means I have yet to hear him sing Pity The Child 
)
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#13
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:19pmi'm impressed by all those guys out there who can hit that high C! CONGRATS! that's awesome...it's hard for me to hit it sometimes...and i'm a girl...
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#14
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:20pmI can!!! Yay for high tenor voice. WOOT WOOT!!!
re: jospeh and the amazing high 'C'#15
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:31pm
I can! I can!
Like anyone cares. :)
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#16
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:35pm
Aw. I care, Mother's Younger Brother.
Cathy, do you mean in the tenor range or soprano range (which is 1 octave higher). In the soprano range, that C is about my limit (maybe a D, but I wouldn't want to inflict it on anyone), but I can sing the whole song in tenor.
Given the lack of female parts in The Scarlet Pimpernel & my boyish figure, I have actually told our MD that I am more than happy to put on a pair of tights and play a bounder! Lol.
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#17
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:42pmi mean that i can't usually belt a C in the tenor range, and it's sometimes a hard not to sing just because it's at my break. but i can definitely hit a High Soprano C
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#18
Posted: 12/20/04 at 3:46pm
To be more specific, If anyone has heard the 1996 London cast cd of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, that note that Steve (Jesus) hits on "Gethsemane" when he says "I'll DIIIIEEEEEE"....I can hit that not easily and hold it as long as he can. I make a lot of women jealous, let me tell ya! 
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#19
Posted: 12/20/04 at 4:54pmIts nice to have a high C....I dont tell people I have one, because I dont want to have to sing one 8 times a week on a chorus contract!
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#20
Posted: 12/20/04 at 4:52pmShhh don't tell anyone, but you don't REALLY have to sing it in the show. Just pretend you are- like they'll hear the difference. LOL j/k
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#21
Posted: 12/20/04 at 4:59pm
Thats what they do in Beauty and the Beast. hehe 
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/3/04
re: joseph and the amazing high 'C'#22
Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:18pmThere are TONS of shows that require higher than a tenor high C. Children of Eden has high Eb's for the tenors to sing in emsemble. Jesus Christ Superstar characters hit C's right and left. Che in Evita sings in that area of his voice for quite a bt of the show, too. I'd go so far as to say a high C in opera is rare for a tenor (there are only a few roles that require a good high C -- Rodolfo, the dude in Daughter of the Regiment, etc), but broadway tenors need to have a good high C -- and a good one eight shows a week.
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