The Use of Classic Musical Theatre Repertoire for Training Bel Canto Techniques

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THE USE OF CLASSIC MUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIRE FOR TRAINING BEL CANTO TECHNIQUES

IN THE UNDERGRADUATE BARITONE VOICE

Brock Johnson, B.M., M.M.

Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

May 2017

APPROVED:

Stephen Morscheck, Major Professor Jeffrey Snider, Committee Member Molly Fillmore, Committee Member Stephen Austin, Chair of the Division of Vocal Studies Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Vice Provost of the Toulouse Graduate School

Johnson, Brock. The Use of Classic Musical Theatre Repertoire for Training Bel Canto

Techniques in the Undergraduate Baritone Voice. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May

2017, 42 pp., 12 musical examples, bibliography, 38 titles.

For applied teachers of the bel canto method of singing, classical musical theatre

repertoire provides an abundant resource of material for teaching the undergraduate baritone

voice. Select classic musical theatre repertoire, fitting within the parameters of suitable range,

tessitura, duration, and thematic material for an undergraduate baritone, are used to demonstrate the application of bel canto techniques such as: glottal onsets, the connection between the speaking voice and singing voice, suitable vowels in building the upper range, and teaching sostenuto and legato. This dissertation serves as a guide for teaching sound vocalism through classic musical theatre repertoire.

Brock Johnson

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ...... v

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Literature ...... 2 Educational Institutions ...... 4 Classical Singers Crossing Over ...... 5

CHAPTER 2. PARAMETERS OF THE REPERTOIRE ...... 7 Date of Composition ...... 7 Range ...... 7 Tessitura ...... 7 Duration ...... 8 Thematic Material ...... 8

CHAPTER 3. PEDAGOGICAL PRODUCTION OF SOUND ...... 10 Stroke of the Glottis ...... 11 The Speaking Voice in Singing ...... 12 Helpful Vowels for Promoting Good Laryngeal Posture ...... 13 Sostenuto and Legato ...... 13

CHAPTER 4. SELECT REPERTOIRE ...... 15 Selections for Training the Glottal Onset ...... 15 “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” from Oklahoma! ...... 15 “Lonely Room” from Oklahoma! ...... 17 “Ten Minutes Ago” from Cinderella ...... 19 Selections for Integrating the Foundation of the Speaking Voice into Singing ...... 20 “The Sadder But Wiser Girl” from The Music Man ...... 20 “Camelot” from Camelot ...... 22 “How to Handle a Woman” from Camelot ...... 25 Selections with Helpful Vowels for Building Good Laryngeal Posture ...... 27 “If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot ...... 27

iii “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks ...... 29 “Man of La Mancha” from Man of La Mancha ...... 31 Selections for Building Sostenuto and Legato ...... 33 “This Nearly Was Mine” from South Pacific ...... 33 “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha ...... 35 “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific ...... 37

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION ...... 39

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 40

iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

Page Musical Example 1, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," from Oklahoma!, mm. 21-24...... 17

Musical Example 2, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Lonely Room," from Oklahoma!, mm. 50-53...... 19

Musical Example 3, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Ten Minutes Ago," from Cinderella, mm. 72-79...... 20

Musical Example 4, Willson, "The Sadder But Wiser Girl," from The Muisc Man, mm.15-18. .... 22

Musical Example 5, Lerner and Loewe, “Camelot,” from Camelot, mm.1-7...... 24

Musical Example 6, Lerner and Loewe, "How to Handle a Woman" from Camelot, mm. 1-7. .... 27

Musical Example 7, Lerner and Loewe, "If Ever I Would Leave You," from Camelot, mm. 69-76...... 29

Musical Example 8, Jones and Schmidt, "Try To Remember," from The Fantasticks, mm.9-16...... 31

Musical Example 9, Darion and Leigh, "Man of La Mancha," from Man of La Mancha, mm. 43- 46...... 33

Musical Example 10, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "This Nearly Was Mine," from South Pacific, mm.86-91...... 35

Musical Example 11, Darion and Leigh, "The Impossible Dream," from Man of La Mancha, mm. 26-28...... 37

Musical Example 12, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Some Enchanted Evening," from South Pacific, mm. 65-69...... 38

v CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Vocal performers of musical theatre and classical music have traditionally maintained a

respectful distance from each other’s repertoire. There are examples of music theater stars successfully entering the operatic arena, such as Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone in the 2007 recording of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. There are many examples of classically trained singers performing and/or recording music theater repertoire. Ezio Pinza and Lawrence

Tibbet were successful on both the operatic and music theater stage. Classical singers such as

George London, Cesare Siepi, and Eileen Farrell, recorded “cross over” albums. Televised

Metropolitan Opera Gala events in the later part of the 20th century would routinely include a performance of a classic musical theatre piece such as Samuel Ramey singing Impossible Dream.

Recently, opera companies such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago have been including classic musical theatre in their regular repertoire. For example, they began their American Musical

Theatre Initiative in 2011, opening with Showboat, and have included a classic musical theatre work in their season every year since. The Dallas Opera programmed Showboat in their 2016 season. In 2017, Indiana University will include Music Man for their season, and the

Glimmerglass Young Artist Program will present Oklahoma! In the academic field of vocal study, the distinction between the two genres is clearer. The National Association of Teachers of

Singing began incorporating musical theatre repertoire into their national competition beginning in 2011. For many years, famed pedagogue and voice teacher Scott McCoy, when asked about musical theatre and belting, would respond with, “I don’t know! You’ll have to

1 speak with the experts and do further research on your own.”1 On the other hand, voice teacher Neil Semer writes, “musical theatre is great training for those singers still putting their technique together. You can get stage experience without buffeting against the vocal demands

of opera you might not be ready for yet.”2

While the belting technique associated with the musical theatre style may have

traditionally carried a negative connotation among voice teachers of bel canto repertoire, when

taught properly, it can be beneficial to vocal development, particularly to young baritone

voices. Belting is not chest voice alone. The tone must have a balance of thyroarytenoid and

cricothyroid activity.3 Current vocology research proves that a higher closed quotient of the

vocal folds produces more acoustical energy, more commonly understood as a full, ringing

sound. A high closed quotient is the result of increased vocal fold mass through the process of

vocal fold adduction. Vocal fold mass is increased through the exercising of the thyroarytenoid

muscle. This increased muscle activity builds the size of the vocal folds which, in turn, builds the

size of the instrument. Producing clear, full tones is important for the young singer to develop

early in their training.

Literature

Currently, literature that guides teachers to effectively teach and appropriately assign

musical theatre repertoire to young baritones is limited. The first dissertation on teaching

1 Scott McCoy, “A Classic Pedagogue Explores Belting,” Journal of Singing 63, no. 5 (May/June 2007): 545. 2 Neil Semer,“Musical Theatre Singing for the Classical Singer,” Classical Singer (January 2004): 15. 3 Robert Edwin, “The Bach to Rock Connection: Belting 101,” Journal of Singing 55, no. 1 (September/October 1998): 54.

2 musical theatre was published in 1987 by Susan D. Boardman entitled, “Voice Training for the

Musical Theater Singer.” Boardman compiles information regarding historical vocal pedagogy and training methods of musical theatre at the time, but she does not include application of historical vocal pedagogy technique to specific musical theatre repertoire. Karen Sue Hall’s dissertation from 2006, “Music Theater Vocal Pedagogy and Styles: An Introductory Teaching

Guide for Experienced Classical Singing Teachers,” gives a thorough account of the basic concepts of musical theatre specifically with belting, but it does not give voice building techniques through the application of specific repertoire for the young baritone voice.

The Hal Leonard Corporation began publishing Musical Theatre for Classical Singers anthologies for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter, Tenor, and Baritone/Bass in 2010. This collection of songs is comprised of pre-1970 American Musical Theatre repertoire. The forward

of Musical Theatre for Classical Singers states that this repertoire is suitable for classical

singers.4 Hal Leonard also publishes anthologies specific to young male singers, The Teens

Musical Theatre Collection: Young Men’s Edition containing a wide assortment of repertoire.

However, these anthologies do not provide recommendations for which level of singer these songs would be appropriate.

David Alt and Novie Greene have compiled and organized lists of musical theatre repertoire published in the Journal of Singing classifying the repertoire in parameters such as rhythm, phrase length, range, and acting demand.5 These lists serve as a resource to inform

4 Richard Walters, Foreword to Musical Theatre for Classical Singers, by Richard Walters (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2010), i. 5 David Alt and Novie Greene, “Teaching Musical Theatre Songs: A Graded Repertoire List,” Journal of Singing 52, no. 3 (January/February 1996): 25-32.

3 teachers and students of the difficulty of the select repertoire, but there is no discussion of

applying bel canto techniques.

Robert Edwin’s column in The NATS Journal, “The Bach to Rock Connection,” began the conversation of incorporating bel canto vocal exercises in the contemporary commercial singer.

His column entry, “A Pedagogical Perspective” explained the fundamental importance of

“increasing strength, flexibility and coordination of the singing system (actuator-vibrator-

resonator) allowing any vocalist a broader freedom of expression, greater endurance, and the potential for longevity.”6 Edwin does not recommend specific musical theatre repertoire.

Educational Institutions

As has already been shown, many young artist programs, universities, colleges, and opera companies are producing musicals as part of their regular season. The Manhattan School of Music premiered its musical theatre program in the Fall of 2016. The University of North

Texas Opera Theatre produced Sweeney Todd in 2014, and will mount Stephen Sondheim’s A

Little Night Music as part of their 2016-2017 season. However, the University of North Texas

(UNT) College of Music Vocal Division does not require their voice majors to learn musical theatre repertoire.7 Similarly, The School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of

Michigan does not require students pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance

to learn musical theatre repertoire.8 However, the school does offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts

6 Edwin, Robert, “The Bach to Rock Connection: A Pedagogical Perspective,” The NATS Journal 42, no. 1 (September/October 1985): 54. 7 “Vocal Studies: College of Music,” Undergraduate Degree Repertoire Requirements, last modified March 17, 2017, accessed March 28, 2017, http://voice.music.unt.edu/handbook/general/undergrad. 8 “Bachelor of Music in Performance: Voice (Curriculum A),” School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, accessed March 28, 2017, https://www.music.umich.edu/departments/voice/bm_curr_a.htm.

4 degree in Musical Theatre, and the Department of Musical Theatre produces three musicals

annually, while the University Opera Theatre produces two fully staged opera productions.

Although the two departments share the same stage, they do not share the same voice faculty, curriculum, or students.

Classical Singers Crossing Over

Musical theatre singers are not the only performers of classic musical theatre repertoire. This genre continues to be recorded by many current classically trained singers including baritones Bryn Terfel, Nathan Gunn, and Thomas Hampson. Bryn Terfel has recorded albums including: Something Wonderful: Bryn Terfel Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein; If Ever I

Would Leave You: Songs from My Fair Lady, On A Clear Day, Camelot, The Little Prince, and

Brigadoon; and Some Enchanted Evening with songs from Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and

Allegro. Harlequin Management lists Fiddler on the Roof and Sweeney Todd as part of Terfel’s current repertoire on his resume.

Nathan Gunn recently crossed over from standard operatic repertoire to semi-staged productions of Camelot and Carousel with the New York Philharmonic, and Showboat at

Carnegie Hall, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. His discography includes Rodgers and

Hammerstein’s Allegro as well as concert work with Kelli O’Hara and Mandy Patinkin.

Thomas Hampson includes Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate on his list of current repertoire, and has recorded albums such as Leading Man: Best of Broadway that are included in his discography.

5 Current trends in professional opera companies, performers of renown, young artist

programs, and universities challenge the assumption that the teaching of bel canto techniques and the assigning of classic musical theater repertoire must remain separate. This study will

examine the efficacy of using classic musical theatre repertoire as an effective training tool for

traditional bel canto vocalism in developing a strong vocal technique and artistry in

undergraduate lower-voiced male students.

6 CHAPTER 2

PARAMETERS OF THE REPERTOIRE

The selected repertoire for this study lies within the confines of the five criteria: date of

composition, range, tessitura, duration, and thematic material, all of which are deemed suitable

for training a young male student.

Date of Composition

In Richard Walters’ forward to the Musical Theatre for Classical Singers anthology, he quotes the Journal of Singing saying, “At last we have four good volumes of real singing songs from mostly pre-1970 music theater productions suitable for classically trained singers.” The songs chosen for this project were composed between 1943 and 1965 within the Golden Era of

Broadway.

Range

Renowned vocal pedagogue, Dr. Richard Miller writes, “Untrained singers have few problems in singing the pitches that lie within the speaking range.”9 Therefore, the range for selections chosen lies between A2 to E4, which is a comfortable, speaking range for the lower- voiced, young student.

Tessitura

The tessitura is determined by the range that is most used in the vocal line of a given

9 Richard Miller, The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique (New York: Schirmer Books, 1986), 116.

7 piece.10 To provide the singer with a comfortable range of pitches, G3 to Bb3 will be selected as

the tessitura. This range lies within the center of the natural speaking voice. James C. McKinney

writes, “Vocal longevity bears a direct relationship to vocal comfort.”11

Duration

The duration of each piece is an important consideration. Garcia II writes, “In the first

days, the students should not devote themselves to practicing more than five consecutive

minutes at a time; however, the short periods can be repeated four or five times each day,

separated by long intervals.”12 All selections are approximately four minutes in length in order

to not tax the stamina of the young singer.

Thematic Material

The thematic material of the selected pieces is simple and to which a young person can

relate. The challenging task of developing vocal technique should not be distracted by adding complex characterizations to the process. The majority of young singers have not dealt with extreme hardships, love or life-altering situations as represented in many opera plots. Musical theatre generally contains light-hearted subjects and storylines more appropriate for the young singers. Garcia II writes, “The musical performance, reduced to a simple mechanism, might it be accompanied by the most perfect correctness, if one could suppose it independent of

10 James C. McKinney, The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults, (Long Grove, Il: Waveland Press Inc., 2005), 111. 11 McKinney, The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults, 112. 12 Manuel Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One (New York: Da Capo Press, 1841), 9.

8 expression, would leave the song cold and lifeless; but, it must be said, that correctness itself is only possible to the extent that it is sustained by a certain degree of warmth and energy.”13

Music is nothing without expression from the performer. If the performer is unable to relate to the text, the performance will not serve the music. “The age, customs, organization and outward circumstances, etc., of each person modify the same sentiment, and require that he aptly vary the color of it.”14

13 Manuel Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part Two (New York: Da Capo Press, 1841), 138. 14 Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part Two, 139.

9 CHAPTER 3

PEDAGOGICAL PRODUCTION OF SOUND

The writings of Manuel Garcia II, arguably the leading pedagogue of the bel canto

technique, have become the basis for much of classical vocal pedagogy. His invention of the

laryngoscope dramatically assisted his understanding of the functionality of the voice, and his

background in the Italian School of Singing combined with his knowledge of voice science

contributed to his mastery of the singing voice.

Some of the exercises and concepts found in “A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing:

Part 1&2” describe the course of action for the emission of sound developed by Manuel Garcia

II. They consist of “attention to the position of the body, the separation of the jaws, the shape of the throat, and the breathing.”15 Once these key issues are addressed, the attack of the glottis should be studied. The stroke of the glottis is an important function that gives a clean start to the sound.16 Manuel Garcia II states, “The voice is formed only by the periodic

compressions and expansions [dilatations] which the air experiences when, at its exit from the

glottis, that organ, by a regular and alternating action, stops it and allows it to pass.”17 This

cycle of compression and expansion produces the emission of the human voice. The

oropharynx, or space above the glottis, serves as the resonant chamber for the sound. Since

this tube is flexible, it has an infinite number of positions which result in an infinite number of

timbres.18 The optimal timbre for beautiful singing is round, vibrant, and mellow.19 This sound is

15 Garcia II, Manuel. Hints on Singing (New York: Ascherberg, Hopwood and Crew Limited, 1894), 12. 16 Ibid., 13. 17 Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One, 23. 18 Ibid., 37. 19 Ibid., 37.

10 created by “flattening the tongue along its entire length, slightly raising the velum, and by

separating the pillars at their base.”20 The result of singing with this open space in the pharynx

is ring and roundness.21 This sound can be found by dedicated and diligent work from both the

student and teacher.

Stroke of the Glottis

The stroke of the glottis, or coup de la glotte, explained by Garcia II addresses the

posture of the body before addressing anything else.

Hold the body straight, quiet, upright on two legs, removed from any point of support; open the mouth, not in the form of the oval O, but by letting the lower jaw fall away from the upper by its own weight, the corners of the mouth drawn back slightly, not quite to the point of the smile. This movement, which holds the lips softly pressed against the teeth, opens the mouth in the correct proportion and gives it an agreeable form. Hold the tongue relaxed and immobile (without lifting it either by its root or by its tip); finally, separate the base of the pillars and soften the entire throat. In this position, inhale slowly and for a long time. After you are thus prepared, and when the lungs are full of air, without stiffening either the phonator [throat] or any part of the body, but calmly and easily, attack the tones very distinctly with a light stroke of the glottis on a very clear [a] vowel. That [a] will be taken well at the bottom of the throat [right at the glottis], in order that no obstacle may be opposed to the emission of the sound. In these conditions the tone should come out with ring and roundness.22

The coup de la glotte initiates the chiaroscuro tone, which is the desired tone quality in the bel canto style. Not all pedagogues and singers understand Garcia’s definition of coup de la glotte. For example, Miller stated, “It [the onset] must never become the coup de la glotte,

20 Ibid., 37. 21 Ibid., 37. 22 Ibid., 41-42.

11 which was described by Garcia as a slight cough.”23 In A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing:

Part One, Garcia writes:

One must guard against confusing the stroke of the glottis with the stroke of the chest [coup de poitrine], which resembles a cough, or the effort of expelling something which is obstructing the throat. The stroke of the chest causes the loss of a large portion of the breath, and it makes the voice sound aspirated, stifled, and uncertain in intonation. The chest has no other function than to nourish the tones with air, and it should not push them or shock [heurter] them.24

The Speaking Voice in Singing

Manuel Garcia II writes, “The singing voice is produced by the same group of organs as

the spoken voice, and while escaping passes through the same two cavities, the mouth and the nasal fossae.”25 In “On the Art of Singing” Richard Miller states, “The singing voice does not

exist independently of the speech mechanism.”26 “Before concentrating on upper-range

extension, the wise singer (with his teacher) will look for freedom of production in the range of

the singing voice that most closely parallels speech.”27 Miller also writes “Problems of the

singing voice frequently are directly attributable to poor speech production.”28 “Si canta come

si parla” continues to have important contemporary pedagogical application.”29 A healthy

speaking voice directly corresponds with a healthy singing voice.

23 Miller, Richard. Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 16. 24 Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One, 42. 25 Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part Two, 2. 26 Richard Miller, On the Art of Singing (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1996), 47. 27 Miller, Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices, 13. 28 Miller, On the Art of Singing, 47. 29 Ibid., 50.

12 Helpful Vowels for Promoting Good Laryngeal Posture

“Most amateur singers have serious problems of laryngeal elevation when frequency

(which we perceive as pitch) mounts beyond the speech range. Although there is some slight,

flexible laryngeal action involved in the production of speech phonemes, the larynx should not rise and fall in singing for the production of vowels and for frequency changes.”30 To keep the

larynx from rising as the pitch ascends, closed vowels tend to keep the larynx in a stabilized

position.31 “The narrow and dark vowels like the [o], [ø], [u], and [y] are the only ones which

want the lips brought together. These procedures, at the same time as they favor the emission

of the voice and add ease and clarity of articulation, prevent those abrupt transitions from one

timbre to the other which resemble the barking of a dog.”32

Sostenuto and Legato

Sustaining the voice on one tone with evenness and unwavering precision is an important component of vocal study. Garcia writes, “The perfect agreement [harmonie] of the timbres, a controlled self-confidence, and the unvarying accuracy of the pitches constitute the breadth or sustaining [tenue] of the voice. This quality, the basis of a good style, is at the same time the most useful and rare.”33 Training the young singer to sustain pitches on pure vowels is

a necessary part of voice building. “Vocalization being vowelization, it is the vowel that is the

30 Ibid., 79. 31 Scott McCoy, Your Voice: An Inside View (Delaware: Inside View Press, 2012), 153. 32 Garcia, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part Two, 7. 33 Garcia, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One, 131.

13 real carrier of the tone.”34 Furthermore, sustaining a prolonged tone on pure vowels with

abundant support, energy, and consistency aids in building a healthy vocal technique.

Smooth vocalization known as legato is the preferred result of bel canto singing.

“Legato is to pass from one tone to another clearly, suddenly, spontaneously, without

interrupting the flow of sound, or allowing it to slur through any intermediate tones.”35

Portamento and connected vocalization helps to execute a proper legato, if the student finds legato singing difficult.

This study will now show how bel canto concepts can be applied to the musical theatre repertoire fitting within the parameters listed above.

34 Miller, On the Art of Singing, 20. 35 Garcia, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One, 57.

CHAPTER 4

SELECT REPERTOIRE

Selections for Training the Glottal Onset

“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” from Oklahoma!

Date of Composition: 1943 Range: D#3-E4 Tessitura: E3-B3 Duration: 3:00

Text:

There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, An' it looks like it's climbing clear up in the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'erything's goin' my way.

All the cattle are standin' like statues, All the cattle are standin' like statues, They don't turn their heads as they see me ride by, But a little brown mav'rick is winkin' her eye. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'erything's goin' my way.

All the sounds of the earth are like music All the sounds of the earth are like music The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree And an old weepin' willer is laughin' at me Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin' Ev'erything's goin' my way.36

36 Richard Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1 (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation), 193-199.

Oklahoma! was the first successful collaborative effort of Richard Rodgers and Oscar

Hammerstein II. The musical ran for a record breaking 2,212 performances and became an instant success.37

“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” is arguably the most memorable selection from the musical. It serves as a practical song to begin training a young baritone with a melody predominately consisting of stepwise motion through a major scale with occasional skips (Ex 1).

The tempo is moderate with no complicated rhythms. The duration of this piece is around three minutes, keeping it in the parameters of an appropriate length.

Furthermore, Oklahoma! contains accessible thematic material for the young, English- speaking singer. “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',” sung by Curly, the confident cowboy, simply describes the countryside. This piece is strophic with a refrain, challenging the singer to memorize different stanzas.

As mentioned above by Garcia, “attack the tones very distinctly with a light stroke of the glottis… In these conditions the tone should come out with ring and roundness.”38 This must be done for precision of onset, clarity of text and the most efficient production of sound. For the purposes of this study, this song also provides many examples for the use of a glottal onset.

There are twenty-six phrases, twenty of which begin with a vowel, requiring a stroke of the glottis. For example, the first phrase begins with the word, “oh.” The untrained singer will be tempted to apply an aspirated onset, changing the pronunciation of the word, compromising laryngeal posture with air pressure. In contrast, teaching the principles of the glottal onset will

37 Thomas S. Hischak, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2007), 199. 38 Garcia II, A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing: Part One, 41-42.

assist the singer in maintaining a lower laryngeal position, and provide a declamatory beginning

to the musical. Other examples of similar situations include phrases such as, “I got a beautiful

feelin’”, and “Ev’ry thin’s goin’ my way.”

The phrase “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye”, while not beginning with a vowel, does provide opportunities for glottal onsets. A glottal stroke for the words “elephant’s” and

“eye” will assist in productive laryngeal positioning and aid in the singing of a clear tone on the

[ε] vowel of “elephant’s” and the [a] vowel of the word “eye”. Furthermore, if the singer does not use a glottal onset, the enunciation will suffer and result in “a nelephant’ sigh” (Ex 1). With numerous glottal strokes needed for this song, it is well suited for understanding and developing a solid glottal closure.

Musical Example 1, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," from Oklahoma!, mm. 21-24.

“Lonely Room” from Oklahoma!

Date of Composition: 1943 Range: D3-C#4 Tessitura: D3-B3 Duration: 2:30

Text:

The floor creaks, The door squeaks, There's a fieldmouse a-nibblin' on a broom. And I set by myself Like a cobweb on a shelf,

By myself in a lonely room.

But when there's a moon in my winder And it slants down a beam 'cros my bed Then the shadder of a tree starts a-dancin' on the wall And a dream starts a-dancin' in my head. And all the things that I wish fer Turn out like I want them to be, And I'm better than that Smart Aleck cowhand Who thinks he is better'n me!

And the girl I want Ain't afraid of my arms And her own soft arms keep me warm. And her long, yeller hair Falls across my face Jist like the rain in a storm!39

“Lonely Room” from Oklahoma!, sung by Jud, the farmhand, describes his unrequited

love for Laurey. He sits in his shed wallowing in loneliness. The piece begins with a repeated

minor second dyad, depicting the mood of tension of the character. The vocal range of the first

two pages stays within a fourth, and the entire piece encompasses a major seventh. The lower

tessitura of the song allows the consonants to easily be delivered and understood. All phrases

are no longer than two measures, excluding the final phrase, aiding the student with breath

management issues (Ex 2).

The heightened drama of the middle section provides an excellent opportunity for

teaching the glottal onset with the vowel [a] on words such as “all”, “I”, and “I’m”. The longest and highest note of the vocal line, five beats on C#4, on the last word “own” is beneficial to the singer both for a glottal onset and a favorable vowel for lower laryngeal positioning (Ex 2).

39 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 188-192.

Musical Example 2, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Lonely Room," from Oklahoma!, mm. 50-53.

“Ten Minutes Ago” from Cinderella

Date of Composition: 1957 Range: C3-D4 Tessitura: D3-B3 Duration: 1:30

Text:

Ten minutes ago I saw you, I looked up when you came through the door My head started reeling, You gave me the feeling The room had no ceiling or floor. Ten Minutes ago, I met you and we murmured our how-do-you do's, I wanted to ring out the bells And fling out my arms and to sing out the news. I have found her! She's an angel With the dust of the stars in her eyes. We are dancing, we are flying And she's taking me back to the skies. In the arms of my love I'm flying Over mountain and meadow and glen And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again! I may never come down to earth again.40

40 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 67-71.

The classic story of Cinderella was transformed into a made-for-TV musical by Richard

Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and aired in 1957. In the song “Ten Minutes Ago”, the Prince and Cinderella sing of their love for each other during their first dance at the ball.

The duration of this piece is one and a half minutes with a syllabic melody and a comfortably low tessitura. This waltz, with a time signature of ¾, has an ascending and descending melodic contour moving in stepwise motion (Ex 3). Although this song is relatively short, there are many opportunities for the student to use a glottal onset. The word “I” occurs ten times and half of the phrases begin with a vowel (Ex 3). “Ten Minutes Ago” is manageable for the beginning singer due to its length and simple vocal writing.

Musical Example 3, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Ten Minutes Ago," from Cinderella, mm. 72-79.

Selections for Integrating the Foundation of the Speaking Voice into Singing

“The Sadder But Wiser Girl” from The Music Man

Date of Composition: 1957 Range: D3-E4 Tessitura: E3-C4 Duration: 2:00

Text:

No wide-eyed, eager, Wholesome innocent Sunday school teacher for me. That kinda girl spins webs no spider ever-- Listen, boy-- A girl who trades on all that purity Merely wants to trade my independence for her security.

The only affirmative she will file Refers to marching down the aisle. No golden, glorious, gleaming pristine goddess-- No sir! For no Diana do I play faun. I can tell you that right now. I snarl, I hiss: How can ignorance be compared to bliss? I spark, I fizz for the lady who knows what time it is. I cheer, I rave for the virtue I'm too late to save The sadder-but-wiser girl for me. No bright-eyed, blushing, breathless baby-doll baby Not for me. That kinda child ties knots no sailor ever knew. I prefer to take a chance on a more adult romance. No dewy young miss Who keeps resisting all the time she keeps insisting! No wide-eyed, wholesome innocent female. No sir. Why, she's the fisherman, I'm the fish you see?--PLOP! I flinch, I shy, when the lass with the delicate air goes by I smile, I grin, when the gal with a touch of sin walks in. I hope, and I pray, for a Hester to win just one more "A" The sadder-but-wiser girl's the girl for me. The sadder-but-wiser girl for me.41

The Music Man debuted on Broadway in 1957. Meredith Willson composed this monumental musical based on the book on which he and Franklin Lacey collaborated. This successful show played 1,375 performances.42

“The Sadder but Wiser Girl” portrays a man wanting a clever and enticing girl. The melodic lines include no major leaps or skips, but are constructed of repeated pitches and neighboring tones making this piece manageable for the young singer.

Willson mimicked the natural rhythms of speech when writing this music. Words that contain more than one syllable are typically composed with eighth notes, while monosyllabic

41 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 3, 156-161. 42 John Kenrick, Musical Theatre: A History (New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008), 238.

words are set to quarter notes. The only significant sustained tone of thirteen beats appears on

the final note, C4.

“The Sadder But Wiser Girl” starts with spoken dialogue and intermittently incorporates

dialogue with the sung text. Willson utilizes his technique of speak-song in this musical. He

requires the performer to speak on the notated rhythm with the natural inflection of speech (Ex

4). As mentioned above, this technique proves to be beneficial to the student for developing

chiaroscuro in their voice.

Musical Example 4, Willson, "The Sadder But Wiser Girl," from The Muisc Man, mm.15-18.

“Camelot” from Camelot

Date of Composition: 1960 Range: C3-D4 Tessitura: F3-C4 Duration: 3:05

Text:

It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear. The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here: July and August cannot be too hot. And there's a legal limit to the snow here In Camelot. The winter is forbidden till December And exits March the second on the dot. By order, summer lingers through September In Camelot. Camelot! Camelot!

I know it sounds a bit bizarre, But in Camelot, Camelot That's how conditions are. The rain may never fall till after sundown. By eight, the morning fog must disappear. In short, there's simply not A more congenial spot For happily-ever-aftering than here In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot! I know it gives a person pause, But in Camelot, Camelot Those are the legal laws. The snow may never slush upon the hillside. By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear. In short, there's simply not A more congenial spot For happily-ever-aftering than here In Camelot.43

The music of Camelot was composed by Frederick Loewe with the text of Alan Jay

Lerner based on the book of T.H. White, The Once and Future King. The musical made its debut on Broadway in 1960.

King Arthur sings this piece at the beginning of Camelot describing the perfect weather and happiness in Camelot to Guinevere. He is trying to persuade her to marry him, and he is eventually successful. The subject matter of this piece is simple persuasion and love, which is easily understood.

The duration of Camelot is just over three minutes, lying well within the duration parameters of suitable repertoire. No phrase in this piece is longer than four bars, aiding in easy breath management. The text is set simply on quarter notes. Most phrases begin with an

43 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 24-29.

ascending leap of an octave followed by downward stepwise motion. Stepwise motion is easier

for the young singer to navigate than a melodic line with numerous leaps. This piece contains two four-bar whole note phrases. The sustained tones within these phrases require the singer to find consistency of tone within each held note.

The selection “Camelot” from Camelot has many pedagogical uses in the voice studio.

Within the first page one finds speaking followed by singing, then Sprechstimme. These vocal

techniques are helpful in facilitating the natural resonance of the voice. In addition, the

beginning phrase, “It’s true, It’s true!” must have a glottal onset to initiate the word “it’s” in the

upper range of the natural speaking voice. This type of speech is more supported and energetic

than everyday speaking. This phrase is followed by full singing on the eighth-note pick-up, G3,

to measure three. The pick-up to measure five is notated as Sprechstimme on a quarter note

C3, which requires the singer to speak on pitch (Ex 5). Sprechstimme will assure that the singer

is in the optimum sound producing posture vocalizing with well-supported and sufficient

physical energy.

Musical Example 5, Lerner and Loewe, “Camelot,” from Camelot, mm.1-7.

“How to Handle a Woman” from Camelot

Date of Composition: 1960 Range: A2-D4 Tessitura: E3-B3 Duration: 4:00

Text:

You swore that you had taught me ev’rything from A to Zed, With nary an omission in between. Well, I shall tell you what You obviously forgot: That’s how a ruler rules a Queen! And what of teaching me by turning me to animal and bird, From beaver to the smallest bobolink! I should have had a whirl At changing to a girl, To learn the way the creatures think!

But wasn’t there a night, on a summer long gone by, We pass’d a couple wrangling away; And did I not say, Merlyn: What if that chap were I? And did he not give counsel and say… What was it now? My mind’s a wall. Oh, yes! By jove, now I recall:

"How to handle a woman? There's a way," said the wise old man, "A way known by ev'ry woman Since the whole rigmarole began." "Do I flatter her?" I begged him answer. "Do I threaten or cajole or plead? Do I brood or play the gay romancer?" Said he, smiling: "No indeed. How to handle a woman? Mark me well, I will tell you, sir: The way to handle a woman Is to love her...simply love her... Merely love her...love her...love her."

What’s wrong, Jenny? Where are you these days? What are you thinking?

I don’t understand you. But no matter, Merlyn told me once: Never be too disturbed if you don’t understand what a woman is thinking. They don’t do it often. But what do you do when they are doing it?44

How to handle a woman? Mark me well, I will tell you, sir: The way to handle a woman Is to love her...simply love her... Merely love her...love her...love her."45

King Arthur sings “How to Handle a Woman” towards the end of Act I of Camelot, pondering the challenges of understanding Guinevere. The text contains a deeper, introspective view of King Arthur’s understanding of women, yet remains simple to comprehend. The lyrical melody of the refrain offset by an energetic opening and a short monologue gives the student

the opportunity to learn two major concepts of bel canto singing: that of combining speech and

singing, and the use of legato in the refrain.

As mentioned above, “the wise singer (with his teacher) will look for freedom of production in the range of the singing voice that most closely parallels speech.”46 This piece begins with animated Sprechstimme phrases followed by short, sung phrases on pitches between B2 and B3 (Ex 6). These opening measures aid the singer, calling for an abundance of energetic tone.

44 The author suggests the last three lines be omitted. An appropriate cut in the music can easily accommodate this change. 45 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 30-36. 46 Miller, Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices, 13.

Musical Example 6, Lerner and Loewe, "How to Handle a Woman" from Camelot, mm. 1-7.

This selection also contains a short monologue of spoken text in the middle of the slow, lyrical refrain. This monologue provides the opportunity for the singer to reconnect with the natural speaking voice, which is reinforced by the old Italian School axiom, “si canta come si parla,” one sings as one speaks. All the sung sections sit comfortably low in the voice.

Selections with Helpful Vowels for Building Good Laryngeal Posture

“If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot

Date of Composition: 1960 Range: A2- D4 Tessitura: D3- Bb3 Duration: 4:15

Text:

Toujours j’ai eu le même voeux, Sur terre une déesse, au ciel un Dieu. Un homme désire pour être heureux Sur terre une déesse, au ciel un Dieu.

Years may come; years may go; This, I know, will e’er be so: The reason to live is only to love A goddess on earth and a God above.

If ever I would leave you

It wouldn't be in summer. Seeing you in summer I never would go. Your hair streaked with sun-light, Your lips red as flame, Your face with a lustre that puts gold to shame!

But if I'd ever leave you, It couldn't be in autumn. How I'd leave in autumn I never would know. I've seen how you sparkle When fall nips the air. I know you in autumn And I must be there.

And could I leave you running merrily through the snow? Or on a wintry evening when you catch the fire's glow?

If ever I would leave you, How could it be in spring-time? Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so? Oh, no! not in spring-time! Summer, winter or fall! No, never could I leave you at all!47

“If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot, is a love song sung by Lancelot to Guenevere at the beginning of Act II. He sings of his inability to leave Guenevere during any season of the year. This song begins with a few lines of French text; a brief introduction to the language without being overwhelming. The accompaniment doubles the melodic line entirely except for a few initial notes. Triplets are also actively used throughout the melody (Ex 7). This song is approximately four minutes in length with a moderately high tessitura, yet still within the stipulated parameters.

47 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 37-43.

As mentioned previously, closing the vowels as the pitch ascends tends to keep the

larynx from rising and keeps it in a stabilized position.48 There are six D4 pitches sustained for

five beats on [u] or [o], which are useful vowels for the baritone voice to maintain a low laryngeal posture. For example, the phrase “Knowing how in spring I’m bewitch’d by you so?” climaxes on a sustained D4 for five beats (Ex 7). This element alone may be the most beneficial aspect of this song.

The untrained singer will most likely allow his larynx to rise while modifying the vowel to

[a] if attention is not given to posture of the larynx on [u] and [o] vowels. Singing pure [u] and

[o] vowels will guarantee the singer the oropharyngeal space needed to create the desired chiaroscuro tone of bel canto.

Musical Example 7, Lerner and Loewe, "If Ever I Would Leave You," from Camelot, mm. 69-76.

“Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks

Date of Composition: 1960 Range: A2-C4 Tessitura: D3- Bb3 Duration: 3:00

48 McCoy, Your Voice: An Inside View, 153.

Text:

Try to remember the kind of September When life was slow and oh, so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September When grass was green and grain was yellow. Try to remember the kind of September When you were a tender and callow fellow. Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.

Try to remember when life was so tender That no one wept except the willow. Try to remember when life was so tender That dreams were kept beside your pillow. Try to remember when life was so tender That love was an ember about to billow. Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.

Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Although you know the snow will follow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Without a hurt the heart is hollow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, The fire of September that made us mellow. Deep in December, our hearts should remember And follow.49

With music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics and book by Tom Jones, The Fantasticks is

about two neighboring fathers who trick their children into falling in love with each other. “Try

to Remember” opens Act I with El Gallo recalling the quality of life and love in September. The

text of this song allows the singer to portray the act of reminiscing past happiness.

A difficulty of this song lies within the repeated phrase “try to remember” occurring

eight times, and always followed by different text each time. The range of the song is a ninth

49 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 96-101.

with the highest note of a C4, and lies comfortably within the speaking range. The melody

consists of many repeated notes without extreme leaps or difficult intervals. Most phrases are

constructed with eight measures and all phrases are in a descending pattern (Ex 8). In the first

and second verses, the word “try” occurs eight times on a sustained dotted quarter note. The

challenge of this word lies within the pronunciation of the diphthong. It is important that the

singer sustain the [a] for the majority of the note. The tendency for the untrained singer to

close to the [e] early, must be avoided.

This piece contains [o] vowels in most the phrases. For instance, Musical Example 8 contains four opportunities for the singer to produce a [o] vowel on the words, “slow, oh, so, and mellow.” As mentioned earlier, [o] is a beneficial vowel for the young male singer to achieve an optimum laryngeal position.

Musical Example 8, Jones and Schmidt, "Try To Remember," from The Fantasticks, mm.9-16.

“Man of La Mancha” from Man of La Mancha

Date of Composition: 1965 Range: C3-E4 Tessitura: D3-A3 Duration: 2:00

Text:

Hear me now Oh thou bleak and unbearable world, Thou art base and debauched as can be; And a knight with his banners all bravely unfurled Now hurls down his gauntlet to thee! I am I, Don Quixote, The Lord of La Mancha, My destiny calls and I go, And the wild winds of fortune Will carry me onward, Oh whithersoever they blow. Whithersoever they blow, Onward to glory I go!

Hear me, heathens and wizards And serpents of sin! All your dastardly doings are past, For a holy endeavor is now to begin And virtue shall triumph at last!

I am I, Don Quixote, The Lord of la Mancha, My destiny calls and I go, And the wild winds of fortune Will carry me onward, Oh whithersoever they blow! Whithersoever they blow, Onward to glory I go!50

Man of La Mancha was inspired by the novel, Don Quixote written by Miguel de

Cervantes. He tells the story of the disturbed knight, Don Quixote, who experiences many

adventures. Mitch Leigh composed the musical version of this story with the text by Joe Darion.

“Man of La Mancha” opens this musical and requires athletic singing encouraged by the active

50 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 182-187.

accompaniment and heroic text. The vocal line contains triads and syncopated rhythms lying in

the lower part of the range of this two-minute piece.

The final phrase of the refrain, sung twice in the song, is particularly helpful to this

discussion of vowels. For the text “Onward to glory I go,” the composer sets an ascending line

to depict the idea of “glory.” The vowel [o] in “glory” is set on C4 helping the approach to the

climactic note of four beats on an [o] vowel on the word “go” (Ex 9). Once again, this vowel is

helpful in maintaining a healthy and lower laryngeal position, which occurs frequently on the

sustained notes throughout the vocal line. These pitches in the upper part of the speaking range require a highly active support system.

Musical Example 9, Darion and Leigh, "Man of La Mancha," from Man of La Mancha, mm. 43- 46.

Selections for Building Sostenuto and Legato

“This Nearly Was Mine” from South Pacific

Date of Composition: 1949 Range: B2-D4 Tessitura: D3-A3 Duration: 4:15

Text:

One dream in my heart, one love to be living for, One love to be living for, this nearly was mine. One girl for my dream, one partner in paradise, This promise of paradise, this nearly was mine. Close to my heart she came, only to fly away,

Only to fly as day flies from moonlight. Now, now I'm alone, still dreaming of paradise, Still saying that paradise once nearly was mine. So clear and deep are my fancies, of things I wish were true. I’ll keep rememb’ring evenings, I wish I’d spent with you. I’ll keep rememb’ring kisses, from lips I’ll never own. And all the lovely adventures that we have never known.51

In the second act of South Pacific Emile de Becque sings “This Nearly Was Mine”,

imagining what life would have been like with Nellie Forbush, if she were to return his love.

The melody of this song encompasses the range of a tenth with the highest note being a

D4. The tessitura sits relatively low in the speaking range making this piece easily accessible for a student who struggles with navigating higher pitches. It begins with a 16-bar introduction, allowing the singer ample time to express emotion on his face and to become anchored in his character. The first section of this piece is repeated as indicated by the music. The amount of text to memorize is minimal.

The phrases in this piece are comprised of four-bars, all of which require legato singing.

Most musical theatre repertoire is syllabic. However, this song contains two words, “wish” and

“remembering”, set melismatically, causing the singer to learn to connect notes while maintaining consistent airflow through one constant vowel (Ex 10). Most untrained singers will apply an aspirate between the two notes and this must be discouraged.

The first eight phrases begin with a dotted half note and conclude with a dotted half note or longer. It is the sustaining of tone in singing that differentiates it from the act of speech.

This must be trained into the young singers’ mental approach and technique. The sustained

51 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 260-264.

tones in the lower part of the range as found in this song, are helpful tools in training sostenuto

in tone production.

Musical Example 10, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "This Nearly Was Mine," from South Pacific, mm.86-91.

“The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha

Date of Composition: 1965 Range: C3-Eb4 Tessitura: F3-Bb3 Duration: 2:00

Text:

To dream the impossible dream, To fight the unbeatable foe, To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go; To right the unrightable wrong.

To love, pure and chaste, from afar, To try, when your arms are too weary, To reach the unreachable star!

This is my Quest to follow that star, No matter how hopeless, no matter how far, To fight for the right Without question or pause, To be willing to march into hell For a heavenly cause!

And I know, if I'll only be true To this glorious Quest, That my heart will lie peaceful and calm When I'm laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this, That one man, scorned and covered with scars, Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, To reach the unreachable stars!52

“The Impossible Dream” is the famed hit from Man of La Mancha with three reprises in

the musical. It has also been recorded by numerous artists of varying styles such as Frank

Sinatra, Placido Domingo, and Elvis Presley.

Don Quixote pronounces his quest of achieving the impossible through the dramatic text. The stepwise motion of eighth notes in the vocal line helps facilitate legato in every phrase of this two-minute piece.

The last note of the vocal line is a Bb3 sustained for eleven eighth-note beats on [a] in the word “stars”. The score indicates an optional D4 to be performed if the singer is capable. In many recordings, the singer chooses an F4 for the final ending. For example, Brain Stokes

Mitchell of the Broadway Revival Cast in 2002 sang F4 for the final note. This choice should only be reserved for the technically able singer.

This piece contains legato lines with a sustained note at the end of every phrase (Ex 11).

There are only two eighth note rests in the entire vocal line once the singing begins. This keeps the singer’s breathing system engaged for the entire duration of two minutes throughout this song. When combined with the higher tessitura of the middle section, this piece becomes moderately demanding of the singer. There are only two sustained Eb4 notes in the entire piece

(Ex 11). These notes occur on the words “know” and “true”, which contain vowels that assist in keeping the larynx low and the sound homogenous to the rest of the voice (Ex 11).

52 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 178-181.

Musical Example 11, Darion and Leigh, "The Impossible Dream," from Man of La Mancha, mm. 26-28.

“Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific

Date of Composition: 1949 Range: C3-E4 Tessitura: D3-C4 Duration: 3:15

Text:

Some enchanted evening, you may see a stranger, You may see a stranger across a crowded room, And somehow you know, you know even then, That somehow you'll see here again and again.

Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing, You may hear her laughing across a crowded room, And night after night, as strange as it seems, The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams. Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, wise men never try.

Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love, When you hear her call you across a crowded room, Then fly to her side and make her your own, Or all through your life you may dream all alone. Once you have found her, never let her go, Once you have found her, never let her go.53

South Pacific became an instant success after its debut on Broadway in 1949. Richard

Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated on this musical based on the book Tales of the

53 Walters, The Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, Baritone/Bass Vol. 1, 256-259.

South Pacific by James A. Michener.

In “Some Enchanted Evening”, found in the first act of South Pacific, Emile de Becque, a

French plantation owner, expresses to the American Navy nurse, Nellie Forbush, his love for her, recalling how they met, and how he was immediately attracted to her.

The tempo is moderately slow with lengthy phrases. Throughout most of this selection, the melody remains in a suitable range and tessitura for a young baritone. However, the final phrase does require sound vocalism. The phrase climaxes on a sustained E4 for five beats on [o] of the word “go” (Ex 12) requiring well supported laryngeal stability. The accompaniment contains a crescendo in the final phrase, which also assists the singer to sing with energetic tone and effectively execute the note.

The romantic nature of the text and the intervallic leaps at the end of many phrases demands a generous application of legato singing. In addition, the final phrase of the song, provides the best example for the application of sostenuto. The single phrase consists of four ascending half notes at intervals of a third (minor and major) with the climax of the phrase (and the entire piece) on the last whole note. This phrase must not only be fully sustained throughout its length but the final note must not decrease in intensity and fervor until the cut- off (Ex 12).

Musical Example 12, Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Some Enchanted Evening," from South Pacific, mm. 65-69.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

Applied voice teachers are often hired at universities and colleges that produce musicals

as a part of their curriculum. It is imperative that these teachers understand how to teach this

repertoire, realize its usefulness for the student, while giving integrity to the style. The

significance of using musical theatre repertoire in the teaching of all young voices has many

benefits. Applying this repertoire as a part of the classical voice studio curriculum will not only

advance the students’ vocal technique, but also prepare the student for performance

opportunities outside of the classical realm.

This collection of songs is not inclusive of all the classic musical theatre repertoire that is appropriate for the young baritone student. The parameters of range, tessitura, duration, and thematic material should be taken into consideration when choosing repertoire not included in this group of songs. Musical theatre that predates 1970 is typically composed where bel canto

techniques can be easily applied in vocal study.

This guide of suitable classic musical theatre repertoire gives teachers of young baritone students the confidence to assign repertoire, teach bel canto techniques, and learn the style appropriate for this genre and provide a functional framework for exploring other musical theatre repertoire for use in the classical voice studio.

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