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Vocal Ranges

Finding the Right Role and Songs

Book Cover: Broadway Song Companion.The Broadway Song Companion From Booklist:
Evolving out of a teacher's efforts to find appropriate recital pieces for his musical theater students, this volume lists more than 2,000 songs. Arrangement is alphabetical by show title, with songs listed in show order. For each song, DeVenney gives the voice, vocal range, and song style. Indexes are arranged by voice part. There are also indexes to composers and lyricists.

Also see Joy Dewing's comments on auditioning

Sheet Music From Musicals - By Voice Type

Soprano Sheet Music | Alto & Mezzo Soprano Sheet Music

Tenor Sheet Music | Baritone/Bass Sheet Music

Transposing keys

Some of the music at Musicnotes.com can be transposed online.

sheet music search

Musicnotes.com offers 40,000 downloadable songs as well as standard sheet music.

Or try

http://www.transposer.com/ - a transposing wheel

Vocal ranges for Roles in Musicals

Vocal range list for popular shows (Elizabeth Prescott site) - Annie through West Side Story

Vocal Ranges for Working

Vocal Ranges for Pippin

Leading Player, dynamic, magnetic (male or female); baritone
Pippin, earnest, attractive, misguided; baritone
Fastrada, Pippin's conniving step-mother, mezzo
Catherine, an attractive, sharp woman, mezzo
King Charlemagne, military, imposing; bass
Pippin's saucy Grandmother; mezzo
Lewis, Pippin's foppish stepbrother
Catherine's 8-year-old Son

Vocal Ranges for GODSPELL - compiled by Shawn McCarthy

"I hope this is accurate. I pulled together what I could from the score I have.

In the prologue (the original - I don't know about the updated version) I believe it goes like this:

Socrates: high note - B, low note - D#
Thomas Aquinas: high note - B (middle staff) - low note - B (an octave in otherwords)
Martin Luther : high note - F#, low note - E
Da Vinci: high note - A#(Bb), low note - G# (below staff)
Gibbon: high note - G#, low note - G# (below staff)
Nietzsche: high note - E (bottom of staff), low note - G# (below staff)
Sartre: high note - G#, low note - C natural
Buckminister Fuller: high note E (top of staff), low note - B natural (middle staff)

Most of the other songs:

Prepare Ye (everyone sings first two times) High note - D# (middle staff), Low note C# (below staff)
Harmonization: Tenor: High Note - G# (above staff) Low note - D#
Alto: High note C#, Low note - E
Baritone: High note - F#, Low note - B natural

Jesus - Highest note appears to be in ALAS FOR YOU - High G (above staff) and Lowest note I think is in BEAUTIFUL CITY E natural (bottom of staff)

John the B/Judas: High note (D# or Eb) - not sure of the low note - I think it's in ALL FOR THE BEST - D natural below staff

Robin (Day by Day) High note A natural (middle staff) and low note C (below staff)

(Not sure about Learn Your Lessons as the published vocal selections I have are in a different key than the original cast recording)

Joanne (Bless the Lord) High note (oh so high) A above the staff, Low note B below the staff

Lamar (All Good Gifts) High note - also A above the staff, Low note - D below staff

Sonia (Turn Back, O Man) High note G (middle staff), Low note D oh so way below the staff

Peggy and Gilmer By My Side (not sure of the harmony part, just the lead vocal) High note A (middle staff) or C middle staff if you sing "...had enough" higher rather than lower. Low note - C below staff.

Jeffrey (We Beseech Thee) after the key change it appears the high note is F#, Low note is an E

On the Willows is usually sung by the band - For the melody the high note is A above staff, Low note is C# below staff

Hope this is somewhat helpful."

 

Vocal Ranges - Fiddler on the Roof

Characters: Tevye, comic, earnest, wise father; baritone (low A-flat - high F)
Golde, his strong-willed wife; mezzo (low A - E-flat)
Tzeitel, Tevye's eldest daughter; mezzo (low B - D-sharp)
Hodel, Tevye's next eldest daughter; mezzo (low B - E)
Chava, Tevye's middle daughter; mezzo (low B - C)
Motel, the young tailor; baritone or tenor (E - high F-sharp)
Perchik, the strong-voiced student; baritone (B - high E)
Yente, the meddling matchmaker; alto (low F - mid E-flat)
Lazar Wolf, the brawny butcher; baritone (C - C)
Rabbi, Anatevka's Jewish spritual leader; baritone (G - C)
Mendel, Rabbi's son; baritone (B - E-flat)
Avram, the bookseller; baritone (D - high E-flat)
Grandma Tzeitel, Golde's grandmother; mezzo (C-sharp - E-flat)
Fruma-Sarah, Lazar's Wolf's dead wife; mezzo (C - E-flat)

How To Find Your Vocal Range

An article finding your Vocal Range if you don't know it already.

 

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