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

partner 
description 
Underscore with 
dialogue 
mm. 66-82 A minor 
Descending bass line changes the 
harmonization of a phrase similar to 
mm. 33-38. Sustained half note 
intervals in the left hand of the piano 
in m. 71-79 slow the piece down in 
conjunction with change to and from 
To entrance 
To convince 
Recitative 
accompagnato 

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speech. 
mm. 83-86 A minor 
Use of major chords related by third 
offers a slight unexpected quality to 
underscore. 
To insist 
Underscore with 
dialogue 
mm. 87-
115 
A minor 
Assumes the speed of the verse, with 
quarter note staccato pulse in bass 
line, syncopation of the left hand 
doubled in the vocal melody line, and 
in the responding “spirit” chorus. Call 
and response feel of melody is 
replaced with quarter notes, then 
speech, before a final sung flourish 
moves into the instrumental outro.
To revel 
Call and 
response, moves 
to outro 
Sources: Data adapted from Randy Newman, “Friends on the Other Side,” in The Princess and the Frog 
(Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2009), 23-33. 
Vocal Considerations 
Musical Style. It is important with such an eclectic composition that the performer build 
flexibility in switching phonation practice on very short notice. This piece has similarities to “Be 
Prepared” or “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, featuring a quick-talking, scheming, and easily excitable Disney 
villain. This is a great place to practice using consonants to color vocal lines, or plosives for text clarity. 
Range. (F#
2
– G4) The piece lies in a low, bass-friendly range; most notes written above C
4
on 
the staff seem much more in-line with an animated speech-like approach in Keith David’s recording – 
thus the notated melody near the end which has a G
4
is actually spoken around an E
4
or F
4
, and one 
should not aim for a booming, resonant bass sound on notes above one’s second break in this genre to 
begin with. A large extent of the piece is sung below F
3
, in a range where all vowels gain an open timbre. 
Vocalism. As mentioned previously, this piece requires a lot of spoken, melodious text in 
addition to resonant and full singing in the A2-G4 range. Notated short phrases like those in mm. 48-54 
and mm. 71-79 were originally performed with a light, mixed voice quality by Keith David, and an effort 
can be made to have similar weight and timbre by the performer. Exercises in repeating melodic phrases 
while alternating between falsetto, speech-level approach, and legit singing can help build the singer’s 

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capabilities of isolated styles (and laryngeal function) at various dynamics. Many exercises designed for 
this endeavor were created by Mary Saunders Barton and can be found in the appendix of Cross-Training 
in the Voice Studio.  
Movie Songs in a Similar Style. “Live By The Hook” from Finding Neverland (2015), “Playing 
with the Big Boys Now” from The Prince of Egypt (1998), “Oogie Boogie’s Song” from The Nightmare 
Before Christmas (1993), “Toxic Love” from Fern Gully (1992).

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