I use "I Want To Go To Hollywood" a lot... it's good for young alto's... since most really great material that shows off the low notes are... geared more toward the older generation. Generally...
Here are some ones I've used...
"Hold On" ~Secret Garden "Lost and Found" ~City of Angels "Naughty Baby" ~Crazy For You/Primrose "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In a Hurry" (Johnny Mercer) "The Miller's Son" ~A Little Night Music "Sooner or Later" ~Dick Tracy
Um, if I think of more I'll post 'em. (As one who's got low notes for days, I's gots a lot up my sleeve... unfortunately my book is in the back seat of my car and there's a blizzard going on...)
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
Stephanie... I think that song pretty much sums up the feelings of any girl who's never seen a (comfortable) high C in her day. (Everytime I attempt one you can see the fear of the death take over my face... it's quite amusing. mwaaaaha... but I have a GREAT high C, really...)
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
Hehe... my friend who is an alto showed me that song...and then the next day we got "somewhere" (west side story) in choir and the alto part is mostly the melody..i was oh now i can't complain!
and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...
Hehe... my friend who is an alto showed me that song...and then the next day we got "somewhere" (west side story) in choir and the alto part is mostly the melody..i was oh now i can't complain!
and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...
It's actually on Unsuspecting Hearts... and it's all over the internet... I'm sure you can find it somewhere.
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin
How do you get the sheet music to Alto's Lament?!?! I have the mp3 to it btw so if you need you should IM me at Meadowlarkml. I've been looking for the sheet music for that song for years and have had no luck anywhere online! I love Every Tear...from Honk! i'm in that show right now as Maureen. Also, Stop, Time from Big is a good choice and A Piece of Sky from Yentl is great, that is if you can hit (pref belt) the D at the end. Perfectly Marvelous is a good choice from Cabaret or anything that Sally sings is suitable for a low voice. Hold On from The Secret Garden is good too.
"Have a child for warmth and a baker for bread and a prince for... whatever!"
I'm not really sure if I'm an alto, but I've never been able to sing soprano songs all that well... but here's my list: -I Get a Kick Out of You (Anything Goes) -In My Own Little Corner (Cinderella) (Only use this song if you're auditioning for a Rodgers and Hammerstein show, or something similar. It isn't really the greatest of songs) -Home (Beauty and the Beast) (Overused, but good as a last resort. There's maybe one or two high-ish notes, but I don't think there's anything over an E... all of the held notes are under mid-staff C, if I remember correctly) -Don't Rain on my Parade (Funny Girl) (A little high, depending on the arrangement. But if you can pull if off, it's impressive) -Look to the Rainbow (Finian's Rainbow) (Again, a little high, depending on the arrangement, but it's rarely used, and sounds really good if you know what you're doing. I've used it twice and gotten a lead and a supporting lead)
Check out the Mezzo Soprano Singer's Anthology to get some ideas. Their songs aren't nearly as high as the title lets on. They have some awesome alto songs.
Daisy Hilton - thought this might interest you - its on a website about what companies like and don't at auditions.
About Songs: Do’s - What the companies would like to hear more of: Cole Porter | Burton Lane | Cy Coleman | Rogers and Hart Jerome Kern | Harlod Arlen | Other standards
Don’ts Don’t do Sondheim in the general auditions (unless you’re over 40 and have been through what the lyrics imply, or can control the phrasing).
For the same reason, don’t do "Being Alive" or "Johanna"
Try to avoid "Vanilla Ice Cream." It’s just done as a delivery vehicle for the money note at the end and no one acts through the lyric as they should.
Don’t do "Naughty Baby"
Don’t do "Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man..."
Don’t do "victim" songs - "Mr. Cellophane" is the classic example of this. Songs about how lousy a person you are make you weak on stage.
I'd fire you... if you weren't so g*dd*mn beautiful out there. - Blades of Glory
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D**m chev you got that one right! There's a great number from Fantastiks called "Much More" that is an up beat belt/mix piece. Wonderful for younger women who can play the 18-20 range. Or look at "If You've Got it Flaunt it" from Producers. The latter is probably a better piece for a call-back where it's like "Here I am, I deserve this role" Used in auditions a lot too so can be risky. It has a key change but if you can belt it. Also the suggestion about the anthologies is great. The pieces in those books are wonderful; just be careful not doing over-done works, which some of the anthologies have those pieces.
"Don’t do Sondheim in the general auditions (unless you’re over 40 and have been through what the lyrics imply,"
What about something(not Sondheim) that is written for an older woman but the situation could easily apply to a younger woman? for instance a song about being widowed?
"I guess she is one very confident girl who feels if you see it, it shall be.
I hope she sees a room with a piano player and a bunch of scary middle-aged queens sitting behind a table, talking to each other as she auditions!!"
-Marc Shaiman on Kelly Osbourne in Hairspray
Depends on the song probably. There are great songs about losing a loved one, notably a husband. "How Could I Ever Know" from Secret Garden is a beautiful song that has that feeling.
Hmm... interesting that you'd point me out when people are listing songs from Les Mis, Cats, and Wicked....
I only used the Miller's Son once for an audition for an actual Sondheim show. I wouldn't suggest using Sondheim for a random audition, but it can't hurt to have one in your repertoire.
I've actually got quite a bit of Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart in my book...
"Find Me a Primitive Man" is a fun one. And perhaps Naughty Baby is overdone, but it fits my voice well and has gotten me several callbacks on the occasion I've used it, so to each their own, I suppose!
"You! You are the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber! And you, well, I just plain don't like you."
~Stewart Gilligan Griffin