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One of my voice students invited me to sing the National Anthem at a local retirement community. It got me to thinking about our National Anthem, and how DIFFICULT it is to sing for the typical non-singer.
When you create a tune that you want to sung easily by non-singers, you generally try to keep the vocal range within an octave (eight successive white keys on the piano). What does our National Anthem do? It's range is about an octave and a half, meaning whichever key you start in will either be uncomfortably high or low for most people. To add insult to injury, the B section of the song ("The rockets red glare...) sits in a very uncomfortable spot for most people - just high enough that if you do not have strong technique, you will find yourself struggling after a phrase or two. That being said, I love our National Anthem. It's catchy and quite fun and challenging to sing as a professional. Francis Scott Key, the composer of our National Anthem, wrote the song in 1814. But the song did not become an official anthem until 1931! There have been other competitors to be a National Anthem, with "America the Beautiful" and "My Country, Tis of Thee" as close runner-ups (it should be noted that these songs have much more accessible vocal ranges). So when should you learn the National Anthem as an aspiring singer? Well, the minute word gets out that you are a talented singer, you are going to sing the National Anthem! So the best way to approach the song is to think of it as a long-range project. After you make a few advancements in your technique, come back to the National Anthem and refine the song with your new technique. After some time, you will enjoy the vocal challenges of our National Anthem! DWS At the end of every school year, I hold a concert for my voice students so they can show off their singing abilities, as well as work on confronting stage fright. It's a great way to end the year and very rewarding for everyone involved.
Picking music for a concert is a balancing act; you want to make sure the songs vary in terms of subject matter, tempos, styles, vocal range etc....there are lots of factors that come into play, but the end result is the same. A concert with variety is FAR more entertaining than one with songs of all the same type. A music professor once put it to me this way; the emotionally wrenching, slow dramatic songs are only effective if they are bordered by happy, optimistic material. If everything you sing in a show is sad, those big dramatic moments lose their meaning. With that being said, sometimes fate makes your song choices far more relevant than you even meant. A month ago, one of my sopranos, Aaliyah, asked me to find a song that was inspirational. I chose "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which is from the musical Carousel. It's a famous song that has been used for funerals, church services, presidential inaugurations, you name it...because it is so simply and yet beautifully written. The concert with Aaliyah singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" was just four days after the school shooting in Santa Fe. When I picked the song, I told Aaliyah that she had a heavy weight put on her shoulders, as the song can have a dramatic effect on audiences when done well. In the song, a friend sings to the main female lead that even though her husband has died from a shooting, her community and friends will stand by her and her unborn daughter and make sure she gets through this difficult time. I had no idea the song would be so relevant. I can tell you there were a lot of quiet, thoughtful faces in the audience after her performance. It meant a lot to all who heard it, and I recommend you google the song. It's that beautiful. Even though I live thirty minutes from the tragedy, I have students who had friends who were shot or even killed in the school shooting. I actually taught at the high school a few years ago...and while I know those students have graduated, they may have younger siblings that were impacted. This last week of school has been really tough...I've never felt so upset and angry about a national event, other than perhaps September 11th when I was in high school. It's been wrenching and while I have my personal opinions on how we should go forward as a country to reduce gun violence, I know right now people just need to be comforted and know that they too will never walk alone. God Bless Santa Fe. DWS Every singer fits a box or character type better than other roles. Some 'types' are based on physical attributes, others on special skills like comedic timing or dramatic ability, and finally, some roles are based on vocal 'type'. Since this is a blog about singing, I'm going to focus on the singing 'types' and how you can let these categories guide your audition choices.
Before musicals, operas dominated music halls around the world. Because opera was so vocally demanding, voice teachers and opera impresarios came up with vocal categories for opera singers to guide their role and audition choices. These boxes were called "Fachs," which in German literally means 'compartment.' These "fachs" helped singers specialize in music that not only suited their vocal abilities but also increased their chances of having a longer, healthier career by singing roles they were best suited for. While vocal range is the primary driver in determining your Fach - soprano vs. mezzo-soprano (alto) etc... - subcategories within Fach are driven primarily by volume and vocal color. For example, two sopranos might have similar vocal ranges but very different vocal qualities, allowing those sopranos to tailor their audition choices to roles they were best suited for. These Fachs are less important for musicals, primarily because the vocal demands for most musicals are less strenuous than a typical opera. Musicals also give more weight in casting to physical appearances than operas. That being said, vocal type DOES matter for musicals as a role's personality may heavily influence which singer type is preferred. Here are some things to consider: 1) Am I the right age for this role? While makeup can do wonders, the reality is that casting directors only have so much imagination. If you are twenty years old, trying out for a 'grandma' role probably won't work out! 2) Where does the role sit vocally? The Italian word for this is 'tessitura,' and it simply means where a majority of the pitches are for a role. While well-trained singers can typically sing most roles in a musical, it is important to see where the pitches tend to lie. As an example, I am a baritone who can comfortably sing tenor roles in musicals. There is a big exception to that rule, however; while I may be able to sing most tenor roles, a few can stay on high notes for a sustained period of time that would make my life difficult! 3) What sort of vocal color do I have as a singer, and does it enhance or detract from a character's dramatic purpose? For instance, a bright and softer soprano will probably be better suited for romantic and comedic leads, whereas a more powerful and darker soprano will be better for dramatic or villain roles. 4) How much does a character sing? If the character sings a lot, guess what! you probably need to have a very well-trained voice with a range very close to the recommended type. On the other hand, if a role has less singing or requires a 'character' voice for singing, you can probably stretch the rules for that role and not worry so much about the vocal 'Fach." DWS |
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