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

Vocal Considerations 
Musical Style. This piece showcases Sting’s prowess as a songwriter of many genres; a poignant 
jazz inspired solo ballad from his album or a character-driven duet cut from The Last Ship production.
Piano driven and with excellent textures such as brushes on a drum kit coming from the live combo, this 
piece was programmed on the Branford Marsalis Quartet album Upward Spiral featuring vocalist Kurt 
Elling, with minimal re-arrangement for a jazz album release
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. Elements of a rubato jazz ballad align in 
the live duet performance benefiting The Public Theatre; generous back phrasing, an emphasis on text 
almost as spoken dialogue, and a minimal orchestration which gives deference to a soloist leading any 
ensemble shifts in texture, dynamic, or time. 
Range. (F#
2
– E
♭
4
) The primary range of this piece lies in the middle-low register for men, 
making this piece accessible to a low baritone or lower male voice. The phrases are short meaning that 
there is rarely sustained singing above a C#
4
, besides the last phrase of each B section (mm. 18-19, mm. 
41-43). The final phrase of each verse descends into the LMV range with a 5-1 melodic jump from F#
2
-
10
Sting, “Practical Arrangement,” (EMI Music Publishing, 2013): 1-6. 
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Kurt Elling and Branford Marsalis, “Practical Arrangement,”, track 4 on Upward Spiral, Marsalis Music, 
2016, Amazon Music streaming audio, 
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B01E9DSGZ4?trackAsin=B01E9DSMIU&ref=dm_sh_48bc-345d-dmcp-e7c4-
a23bf&musicTerritory=US&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER.

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B
2
and G
2
-C
3
. This piece could be recommended to a bass-baritone or bass who has or is working towards 
technical facility at their second register break, or a baritone who enjoys using their low range 
sporadically. 
Vocalism. The two recorded performances of this piece heavily lean upon a speech-like approach 
to singing, with the possibility of exploring the belt voice and divergent resonator shape for the highest 
phrases. The nature of the text however may lead an actor to use a lighter timbre, or even falsetto for the 
same high arching phrase (end of the B section) as if to fade away on the word “forever” as a choice that 
falls in line with the poetic and solitary portions of this piece. It is important to note that if the piece were 
presented in duet form, there may be a challenge in a low male voice attempting to balance dynamics and 
timbres with a woman singing in a range (A
♭
4
-D
♭
4
in her verses’ B section)
where closed vowels can 
naturally find resonance boosts due to a first-formant/first harmonic coupling. 
Songs in a Similar Style. “Fear No More” from The Frogs, “Pierre and Andrey” from Natasha, 
Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

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