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

 
Vocal Considerations  
Musical Style. Singing this in a jazz rubato style would encourage the use of back-phrasing, 
speech-like singing paired with vernacular textual emphasis, and the shortening of sustained notes from 
the written melody. The compositional traits of this jazz ballad include a melody whose emotive arc is 
enhanced by using frequent non-chord or extended chord tones. This creates a different experience and 
potential pitfalls than in a piece whose melody and style include less complex triadic and diatonic based 
harmonies.
It would be recommended to pair the learning of this piece with warm-ups which feature 
navigating extended chord tones and wide-leaps – this will help build the connection between vocal 
facility and aural/harmonic skills. Beginning on a closed vowel should aid the leap through the first 
and/or second break as the exercise moves into higher keys. In the lower keys this vowel will guard 
against glottal attack, pressing, or over-singing in the middle voice. The harmonic structure in the piano 
features the repeated use of ii-V-I sequences, a common occurrence in the jazz idiom; closed voicings add 
a density of texture which the singer may first struggle with staying in tune. 
Example 6.1. Vocalise with leaps and extended harmonies for “Out of the Sun”. 

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Range. (F
2 
– F
4
) This piece utilizes an extended range with comic but affecting text to serve as an 
homage to the torch songs of the American Songbook; facility in declamation at the extremes of a two-
octave range is a rare requirement for the low male voice, particularly without an accompanying 
expectation of vast dynamic and color shifts (as may be found in opera or late romantic lied). 
Vocalism. “Out of the Sun” opens with a speech-like delivery, moving towards more lyrical lines 
and a belted bridge and climax. The modification of each return to the verse structure allows for subtle 
and direct modifications of the melodic line to coincide with new thoughts and dramatic impulses.
Thankfully the lowest pick-up notes occur within earlier phrases that require clarity of diction but not a 
large dynamic or vocal weight, while the highest and longest notes occur in the bridge and final verse - 
places where emotive and louder pitched pleas make sense within the structure of the ballad. For a young 
low voice, the changing dramatic intent may be the keys to finding relaxation on the low end and the 
correct amount of breath energy for the higher passages. However, one should be observant in the 
teaching studio to determine if a singer equates a greater dynamic with using an overabundance of breath, 
or carrying the chest register beyond the range of sustainability. An exploration of resonance strategies 
within a TA-dominant register, should help guide the clarity of vowel as an LMV approaches and/or 
passes the second vocal break. 
Additional Songs from the Show. “Come to An Agreement” 
Suggested Similar Songs.  “What Kind of Fool Am I” as performed by Sammy Davis Jr., from 
Stop the World I Want to Get Off (1966), “Love Sneaks In” from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2006).

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