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

Musical 
Music Lyrics 
Range 
Tessitura 
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 
(2014) 
Alan Menken 
Stephen 
Schwartz 
Frollo 
G#
2
– A
3 
Low
Musical Theatre Style 
Song Type/Feel 
Tempo 
Contemporary Legit 
Duet/Plot transition 
56bpm, Rubato 
Vocalism 
Breathy 
Speech-like 
Character 
Belt 
Legit 
Operatic 
Sources: Data adapted from Patrick Page and Michael Arden, “Out There,” track 3 on The Hunchback of Notre 
Dame (Studio Cast Recording), Disney, 2016, Amazon Music streaming audio, 
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B074MQ5NN2?trackAsin=B074MQ3V3D&ref=dm_sh_2321-ab0c-dmcp-3add-
3a794&musicTerritory=US&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER. 
Character 
This is a duet that prominently features a stern and steadfast Frollo and a submissive Quasimodo.
Frollo serves as a twisted father figure, gaslighting Quasimodo as he warns and denigrates his charge in 
an effort to keep Quasimodo from questioning his place, one of solitude in the bell tower. As this is the 
very beginning of the story, the townspeople serve as Quasimodo’s point of interest, rather than 
Esmeralda, and Frollo has only exhibited hints at becoming a major antagonist to Quasimodo.
5
Context 
This piece functions as a transition from a book scene into Quasimodo’s “Out There” solo. Frollo 
meets Quasimodo in the bell tower to give his charge communion and tell a bible story. As Quasimodo’s 
thoughts drift to the feast of fools, Frollo expresses his hopes to stop the annual feast and lock up or drive 
the gypsies from his city. This spoken text transitions into a melody over a cut-time underscore before a 
transition to C# minor signifies the start of another lesson on the world’s cruelty.
6
5
Music Theatre International, “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” 
6
Patrick Page and Michael Arden, “Out There,” track 3 on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Studio Cast 
Recording), Disney, 2016, Amazon Music streaming audio, 
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B074MQ5NN2?trackAsin=B074MQ3V3D&ref=dm_sh_2321-ab0c-dmcp-3add-
3a794&musicTerritory=US&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER. 

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