pinkstiletto510
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What's being sung?have people started using songs from "The Light in the Piazza" yet? just curious..........I know that about half the sopranos in my NATS musical theatre group used "Beauty Is" for their up tempo post 1960 song
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jazzygirlsings
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Re: What's being sung? | pinkstiletto510 wrote: | | have people started using songs from "The Light in the Piazza" yet? just curious..........I know that about half the sopranos in my NATS musical theatre group used "Beauty Is" for their up tempo post 1960 song |
If they are using it for auditions, they are idiots...Sorry, but it's true! LOL!
The problem with Piazza, as gorgeous to sing as it is, is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to sightread well for most pianists! A LOT of pianists won't even play it...they will refuse to do so!
I have heard too many people attempt the songs from this musical in auditions lately and ALL have fallen flat...(Even people I KNOW are tremendous singers!)
If it is for a cabaret/recital and the pianist and you have time to work on it, then it's okay, but otherwise...STAY AWAY!
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pinkstiletto510
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Re: What's being sung? | jazzygirlsings wrote: |
The problem with Piazza, as gorgeous to sing as it is, is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to sightread well for most pianists! A LOT of pianists won't even play it...they will refuse to do so!
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I did a master class where a girl sang "Beauty Is", the accompanist was a very accomplished opera and musical theatre rehearsal pianist and even he had trouble with it
I sang the title piece for my recital (a friend of mine that i did the recital with sang "beauty is" and our poor accompanist for some reason screwed up the begining....it was umm interesting, I love her to death though) I dont think it's an audition type piece though....but I might use it for another master class I have coming up
just curious
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jazzygirlsings
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Re: What's being sung? | pinkstiletto510 wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: |
The problem with Piazza, as gorgeous to sing as it is, is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to sightread well for most pianists! A LOT of pianists won't even play it...they will refuse to do so!
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I did a master class where a girl sang "Beauty Is", the accompanist was a very accomplished opera and musical theatre rehearsal pianist and even he had trouble with it
I sang the title piece for my recital (a friend of mine that i did the recital with sang "beauty is" and our poor accompanist for some reason screwed up the begining....it was umm interesting, I love her to death though) I dont think it's an audition type piece though....but I might use it for another master class I have coming up
just curious |
Yeah, the beginning of "Beauty Is" is very tough...and it's kind of a strange song out of context...
However, I do love listening to the title song at recitals...(My little sister did it beautifully!) It's a good story song, with a beginning, middle, and end and is a lot better to do out of context, in my opinion...
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lalala
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I love "The Beauty Is", and it suits my voice.. I have been thinking about asking and old friend who musically directed shows I was in a few times to work on it with me so we can record his piano and I can use it as a backing.
I was at an audition a couple of weeks ago where the accompanist was somebody they got in at the last minute - little did they know that he couldn't sight read. It was horrible - I had to sing unaccompanied in the end, after trying to sing while he stumbled along off key and missing notes and completely missing what the melody was supposed to be.
Way to make a girl ten times more nervous than she already is..
EDIT: I forgot to actually answer your question. Yes, I will be using "The Beauty Is" as my audition song for BATB pretty soon, aiming for Belle. I live in Australia, so it takes much longer for news of new musicals to filter down. Everybody I've mentioned the show to has never heard of it, so I don't have much to worry about..
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jazzygirlsings
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"The Beauty Is" is a terrible audition song!
The reason the pianist was stumbling all over (and making you more nervous) is because the accompaniment for that song is WAY too difficult to sight read.
If you had been reading this thread at all, you would see that (even in Australia) this song would most likely ruin your audition because of the fact that it's impossible to sight read...
There are other songs that would show off your voice in the same way that are easier for the pianist to play. (And honestly, a lot of casting directors don't like the way Guettel's music sounds...a crime, I know! I actually attended a master class where Barry Moss, a well-known Broadway casting director, said he just hated Guettel at auditions and wished people would do more of the classic stuff because their auditions would be more solid that way...)
I guess what pinkstiletto was saying was that most people in her college are using it for recital songs and stuff. The HUGE difference is that when you do a song for a recital, it gives the pianist time to practice and learn the music...
PLEASE PEOPLE, REMEMBER YOUR PIANIST WHEN YOU AUDITION!
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lalala
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You misunderstood me - I love the song and it suits me, yet I would not inflict it on an unprepared accompanist, especially after the bad experience I had only a couple of weeks ago. So my plan is to ask a colleague to record the backing for me, when he has had adequate time to practice it.
Oh, and the audition a couple of weeks ago, I didn't sing The Beauty Is.. I actually sang a very simple short song and they still managed to stuff it up. So I'm not about to give The Beauty Is as a cold read to a pianist.
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