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

Musical Content 
This piece moves from a quasi-recit introductory verse into a modified AA’BA’’ form. The
lyrics move from an explanation from Mr. Hawkins as to how Dee Dee’s work moves him into an 
informed and uplifting message of encouragement towards her continuing in the performing arts. Each 
verse contains sustained, lyrical lines over slow moving harmonic rhythm of the accompaniment. The 
compositional make up and melodic structure, paired with the orchestration on the studio recording serve 
as an homage to golden age standards for their strength, passion, and vocalism choices. This style of 
composition and melody seem intrinsically linked to Mr. Hawkin’s backstory; even the low range of the 
piece is something more frequently seen in earlier eras of Broadway history. As the piece picks up pace 
and emotion in the bridge, the lack of harmonic stability allows for quicker phrases as Mr. Hawkins’ 
character comes bursting through with a variety of important, but underdeveloped thoughts. The tessitura 
at the beginning of the bridge is actually lower than any verse, and then moves upwards towards a low-
male voice’s first register break. Additional analysis, and character subtext can be found in Table 4.7. 
Table 4.7. Compositional Sections of “We Look to You” 
Measures Tonal 
Center 
Compositional Notes 
Lyric 
Subtext 
Form 
mm. 1-4 
C major 
Offbeat right-hand pulse doubles as tonic 
pedal tone. 
Opening 
Vamp 
mm. 4-12 
C major 
Quicker scalar melodic movement over 
slow harmonic rhythm imitates spoken 
word over a musical interlude. Slows 
down nearing the shift into cut time. 
To explain 
Introductory 
verse 
mm.13-16 
C major 
Moves into cut time as we approach the 
beginning of the more sustained verse 
melody 
Interlude 
17
Ibid.

---

32 
mm. 17-32 C major 
Moves toward a tonal center of G major, 
setting up ii-V movement in the new key 
in m.30-31 
inform Verse 
1 
mm. 33-34 Towards C 
major 
Changes arrival to G major as a pedal 
point instead, with VI/V and V chords of 
C setting up shift back to C major 
. 
Interlude 
mm. 35-56 C major to 
G major 
Second verse elongates the false cadence 
moving to G, adding two sustained notes 
in melody and four measures each of 4-3 
resolved dominant chords (D7, then G7) 
strengthen Verse 
2 
mm. 57-64 Eb major 
Another delayed arrival uses C as a 
melodic common tone for a direct 
modulation to Eb major. Common tone 
of G then aids moving into G major in 
m. 65 
inspire Bridge 
mm. 65-72 G major 
Elongated use of a V7sus chord over 
four measures 
inspire Bridge 
continued 
mm. 73-76 G - C 
Shifting tonal center to set up last verse 
Interlude 
mm. 77-98 C major 
Modified form of verse allows for slow 
harmonic rhythm and emotive lyrical 
arrival on “you can look…to me” in m. 
93-98. 
clarify Verse 
3 
mm. 99-
102 
C major 
Plagal cadence 
Outro 
Source: Data adapted from Matthew Sklar, “We Look to You,” in The Prom: Vocal Selections from Broadway’s 
New Musical Comedy (Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2019): 46-51.