Acting in Plays, Singing/solo

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Expert: - 10/13/2005


Question
Thank you for your answer. Are the CD copies of the solos from those musicals: Jesus Superstar, Jeckyl and Hyde, and REnt available in CD stores? Cuz I really want to sing a solo yet don't know any solos from here. Maybe I could know it if I got recordings of those.
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Followup To
Question -
Hey Sean! Wow. you truly sound a real master at this matter. I am a chorus student in high school. I am a tenor, sings alternative rock songs that is why I'm not familiar with songs that we sing in chorus. I want to perform a solo in our upcoming fall concert, but do not know what song to sing. What is your advice, Sean?
Answer -
Hi, Jake –

Thank you for the question.  Thank you for the compliment.

Ah, the "Annual Concert" – where, on occasion, the gloves have to come off.  Welcome to my world.

Don't assume, because you are attracted to alternative rock, you are the only one unfamiliar with choral-type repertoire.  No one is until presented with the material.  I have belonged to many choruses of many varieties.  Outside of a few Holiday songs or "pop" songs from whatever era, the vast majority of those coming into a choral situation are unfamiliar with the material (yet to be chosen by the conductor).  In other words, the choir at the Third Baptist Church doesn't perform the same repertoire as the Bach Choral Society and none of them are doing double-duty in the ensemble of "Oklahoma" who, likewise, isn't humming behind "Madame Butterfly" at the San Francisco Opera.  On the other hand, a few from each group might wind up in a civic chorale of some persuasion and perform material from all of those vistas.  Inevitably, someone has to take on the responsibility of the occasional solo passage or – as I often experienced – the "Solo Guest Appearance", with or without the other members behind me doing the equivalent of back-up.

Though the audience and critics may love you, some of your fellow-members would sooner see you fail.  Count on it.

Your job, as a candidate for a solo spot, is to do what YOU do best and to demonstrate your skill in your vocal category, i.e., as a tenor.  Your job, looking to the possibility of a professional career as a singer, is to learn to read music so that you can pick up any piece of sheet music and sing it.

Maybe it's time for this particular Chorus to show the versatility of its membership by showcasing one of its tenors in an "alternative rock" solo.  Why not?
Would the Chorus be better served if that same (or other) tenor were to do a solo by Handel or Schubert or Gershwin?  No, because it doesn't identify itself with any particular composer or era or genre of music.

The only problem is – Alternative Rock, by virtue of the environment in which one usually experiences it, is at its best when amplified and accompanied by the usual variety of electronic instruments.  Not what we want to watch with a potted palm on either end of the stage and with an accompanist in a tuxedo at a grand piano.

So!  You've got a challenge on your hands.
Put yourself back in the era before Dave Matthews Band ever hit the scene.  What would you have been singing then?  Same guy, same drives, same image, same needs.  It's the "style of music" that doesn't exist.  What was "he" singing then?
Rock?
What kind?
Obviously, every few years there is some new derivation on what THAT is.  After all, it's more than a half-century old by now!  What would you have sung at the Annual Chorus Concert back in '85 or '75 or '65?

The first consideration is: your voice.
The second is: your competition – from ALL the other sections.
Just how strong is your High A anyway?  Can it stand up against the early recordings of Dave Matthews?  What about your High B-flat?  Many of my high-baritones can hit a solid High A, which means they can really belt a High G in performance.  What if they were competing against you for this solo appearance?  Certainly neither one of you gets to sing "like that" in a choral situation.  Just how much of your "self", that is, your musical preferences and (perhaps) your ambitions to be a Lead Alternative Rock Singer have been squelched since signing up for this class?

See?
The problems that come with wanting the spotlight in a group situation.

Hint:
Look at the tenor solos in the Broadway (rock-type) musicals JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, JEKYLL & HYDE, and RENT.
These pieces can adapt extremely well for any "alternative rock" singer.  And, because any qualified tenor – during the auditions for an actual production of these shows would NEVER be miked or accompanied by electronic instruments – they can be very effective with just piano accompaniment.  Provided, of course, the player is as hot as you are.

Most sincerely,
Seán Martinfield
http://www.geocities.com/broadwaybelters

Answer
Hi Jake –

Thank you for your response.

Go to these URLs (for Tower Records) to check out the samples for:
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2331425
RENT: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1105805
JEKYLL & HYDE: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1188888

The sheet music in the original keys for these songs from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR are in the Vocal Selections anthology at this URL:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&item=133638

Heaven On Their Minds (D Minor) (JUDAS)
I Only Want To Say (Gethsemane) (Bb Minor) (JESUS)
Herod's Song (HEROD)

The sheet music for "This Is The Moment" (JEKYLL & HYDE) can be found in the Vocal Selections and as a single title at this URL:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_fastresults.html?cart=91201406412

Notice that in the Selections the song is published in E-flat and as a single title it is in E Major.  The song modulates up ½-step on the repeat.  Personally, I would start it in D and then modulate to E-flat.  But, your voice may be higher than mine.  I would suggest E-flat rather than E Major.  It's high enough!

From RENT:
One Song Glory (G Major
Your Eyes (C Major)

The sheet music in the original key for these two songs from RENT can be found in "Jonathan Larson: RENT" (it is the Vocal Selections anthology) at this URL:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&item=291193

All of these songs are very effective and showy.
You might even want to consider "Close Every Door" from JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

Sheet Music URL: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=10140218624&item=291098

Soundtracks URL: http://www.towerrecords.com/Music/Default.aspx?free_text=&artist_free=&guest_fre

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
http://www.geocities.com/broadwaybelters

Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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