Low male voice repertoire in contemporary musical theatre: a studio and performance guide of selected songs 1996-2020 by

Chapter 10:
 
CABARET
 
SONGS 
Cabaret is a style of singing in which the singer tells a personal story – modifications may be 
made to previously existing music such as arrangement, style, tempo or key in order to create a 
standalone song which shows off and draws influence from a performer’s “unique personal history and 
performance style.”
1
Keys are often lowered in range to “further the reach of the song’s lyrics” through 
utilizing the speech-level register
2
. Songs can come from a variety of different musical sources such as 
musical theatre, standards, contemporary pop, folk songs, etc. The cabaret setting can offer a great 
amount of flexibility in programming for the LMV, as the use of musical theatre in cabaret leaves behind 
each piece’s original requirements and market expectations at the door. This includes singing songs 
originally written for other genders and sexes, or modifying text to reflect one’s personal experiences with 
relationships. Song types frequently found in cabarets can be classified through purpose rather than 
intended style, such as story song, torch songs and comedy songs. 
1
American Traditions Competition, 2020 American Traditions Vocal Competition Application (2020), 
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59221fc3b8a79b59dfbf1a09/t/5d03c7f773f6f10001a27e2f/1560528888212/20
20+AMERICAN+TRADITIONS+VOCAL+COMPETITION+APPLICATION+INSTRUCTIONS+AND+RULES.
pdf. 
2
Neal Richardson, Excavating the Song: A Practical Guide for the Singing Actor (2009), 
http://excavatingthesong.org/home/Audio_Files_files/Excavating%20the%20Song%202013.pdf.

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94 
Table 10.1. “Hope” 
Album 
Music Lyrics 
Range 
Tessitura 
How We React and How We 
Recover (2018) 
 
Jason Robert 
Brown 
Jason Robert 
Brown 
F
2
– E
♭
4
Verse - ML 
Bridge - MH 
Final Verse - ML