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

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LOW MALE VOICE REPERTOIRE IN CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL THEATRE: 
A STUDIO AND PERFORMANCE GUIDE OF SELECTED SONGS 1996-2020 
by 
Jeremy C. Gussin 
Submitted to the faculty of the 
Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment 
of the requirements for the degree, 
Doctor of Music 
Indiana University 
December 2020 

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Accepted by the faculty of the 
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, 
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree 
Doctor of Music 
Doctoral Committee
__________________________________________ 
Ray Fellman, Research Director 
__________________________________________ 
Brian Gill, Chair 
__________________________________________ 
Jane Dutton 
__________________________________________ 
Peter Volpe 
December 10, 2020 

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Copyright © 2020 
Jeremy Gussin

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Preface 
This project is intended to be a resource document for bass voices and teachers of low male 
voices at all levels. For the purposes of this document, I will make use of the established term low male 
voice (LMV) while acknowledging that there is a push for the removal of gender from voice classification 
in the industry out of respect for our trans, non-binary and gender fluid populations. In addition to 
analysis and summation of musical concepts and content found within each selection, each repertoire 
selection will include discussions of style, vocal technique, vocalism, and character in an effort to 
establish routes towards authenticity in the field of musical theatre over the last twenty five years. The 
explosion of online streaming and online sheet music resources over the last decade enable analysis 
involving original cast recordings, specific noteworthy performances, and discussions on transposition as 
it relates to the honoring of character and capability of an individual singer. 
My experiences with challenges as a young low voice (waiting for upper notes to develop, 
struggling with resonance strategies above a D
♭
4
) with significant musicianship prowess left me searching 
for a musically challenging outlet outside of the Bel Canto aesthetic. I found that the contemporary 
commercial styles of vocal jazz, pop, and musical theatre filled that void and explored these genres 
outside of my degree requirements. The vocal flexibility I attained by attuning myself to a variety of 
styles, paired with my growth in the classical voice studio has led to success in a varied assortment of 
professional opportunities. 
As a vocal ensemble arranger, I relish being able to adjust keys (a tradition in the American 
Songbook and cabaret settings) to benefit the range and colors with which I felt most comfortable using 
as a soloist or as part of a group. It was when I began programming individual musical theatre selections 
for audition, performance or my teaching studio that I found myself low on resources for my own voice 
type. Pieces from the musical theatre canon written in appropriate ranges for beginning bass voice were 
most often from the Golden Age era of musicals, and casting practices would be looking for tenets of 

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secure classically infused vocalism combined with an age and ethnic-appropriate look; a challenge that 
this Latino man felt little desire to partake in. When surveying the contemporary musical era (1968 and 
onward) I found that very few guides or research existed to help me find low male voice material.
Musicals, now an amplified theatrical creation, began to reflect the popular music of each decade. When 
I did find guides and anthologies that featured bass-oriented selections, much of the material suggested 
was still written with qualities of the previous era and did not reflect my interest in contemporary 
commercial music styles. 
This leads to my specific quest; to find music composed specifically for bass or bass-baritone 
voice in the modern musical theatre era from 1996 (Rent opening on Broadway) through the 2020 
COVID-19 shut-down. This is an attempt to provide appropriate repertoire suggestions for the 
developing bass voice, or an alternative technical and artistic challenge outside of arias or art-songs for 
the more-seasoned artist. The selected repertoire represents a variety of styles and given circumstances in 
an effort to find multiple points of interest for student and educator alike. Songs presented have not been 
found in previous anthologies or song companion resources (though may be published through their 
respective shows vocal selections books), and while they are primarily from show’s that opened on 
Broadway or in the Lincoln Center season (as well as able to be Tony-nominated), animated musicals also 
make appearances. Because there is a wide range of styles being discussed, the accompaniments of each 
piece also have a wide degree of difficulty – I have worked hard to be able to both play these 
accompaniments (which will be reflected in my recital) and provide insight if contacted on score 
reduction and collaborative strategies. 

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