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

Vocal Considerations 
Having significant experience as a performer and music director of this show, this author would 
strongly encourage anyone using this material to utilize the standard (lower) score in individual 
performance or study – while the higher score grants low baritones (particularly with sound amplification) 
a rich, villainous ballad (far different from the leading protagonist pieces associated for their type in both 
contemporary and golden age musicals), the piece functions best in relation to the show setting; for bass 
or bass-baritone. The substantial amount of dense closed harmonic voicings and octave doubling in both 
instrumental and choral writing suggest that a sizeable and/or classically trained low voice would be best 
suited to perform this piece as a solo, being able to utilize rich colors and size in an individual or 
ensemble performance scenario. 
Musical Style. The composition of this piece both in melody and dramatic content call for both 
speech-like delivery and powerful legato lines, with lyrical and musical elements of romanticism 
heightening the environment tied to the high church and the day of wrath. 
Range. (F
2
– D
4
) The range of this piece and the composer’s use of terraced phrases/motives has 
a similarity to pieces such as Schubert’s “An Die Musik” or “Das Thal” by Richard Strauss. While tenets 
of the bel canto tradition such as consistency of timbre or legato singing are not paramount throughout 
“Hellfire”, the repetitive structures could easily allow for work on those areas within the learning process.
Below is an exercise which pairs the primary rhythmic motive of the piece with open and closed vowels, 
seeking to build consistency in navigating the tiered ranges and registration shifts as the exercise 
modulates through the middle-voice. The eighth note breath on the last subdivision of the measure also 
imitates numerous short pauses found within “Hellfire”. 

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