Singers who struggle with low notes?

[My Oh My]

I'm not one to obsess over a singer's ability but rather the quality and effectiveness of their overall performance. But sometimes you can't help noticing when head voice is used in a part of a song that is usually most effective sung in chest voice.

But what about those moments where the opposite occurs and one can't help noticing that a singer can't quite sing a note that is on the lower end but has no problem singing the ones up in the stratosphere?

I'm currently listening to the original Mexican cast recording of Evita and I was struck with the consistency in which its star--Rocio Banquells--has trouble with the lower notes, which results in cringe worthy work-arounds or something that just barely achieves the proper pitch but still sounds awkward and forced. Yet, she is one of the few Evas who can sing those top notes in her sleep.

The worst is during "Buenos Aires" where her ultra clear, bright voice is reduced to a warbly mumur barley reaching the bottom note at "...una estrella de mi gran calidad." ("...just a little touch of star quality.")

I can't think of them now but I know several Fantines have had trouble with "...as they tear your hope apart" in "I Dreamed a Dream" and even more who employ work arounds in the finale where Fantine is required to sing one of the lowest notes I've ever heard written for the female voice, "...and you will be with God."

This made me wonder if greats known for their insane belts and upper registers have also ever been known to flub on the lower end. I can't think of anything I've ever heard Patti LuPone in which contains flubbed lower end notes. What about Merman? Just thought it was interesting, even though I'm having trouble thinking of other examples, it has got to be more common.

[MusicalBoy]

The thing is that it's nigh impossible to tell, as failed high notes are cracks or screeches that sound distinctly painful, while singers who can't hit the low notes just can't make the sound happen on the low notes, so you don't hear them.

I know that Patti LuPone goes a little flat trying to nail the final note of Buenos Aires on the OBC.

[qolbinau]

Bernadette Peters has hit very low notes (e.g. in SUNDAY and in Nothing Like a Dame on her Rodgers & Hammerstein CD), which is why Sondheim and Mandy (or just Sondheim?) joked she was a bass-baritone in the Sunday commentary. But I noticed in FOLLIES, although sometimes she would sing "The thought of you stays BRIGHTTTT" other times she would kind of say it (e.g. on the cast recording). Maybe it's an intentional 'acting choice', but I wonder if it was an issue hitting that low note...

Victoria Clark's "bright" was so amazing at Encores!, It's a shame they raised the key for LOSING MY MIND for her (even higher than Bernadette's I think). Is she also having a problem singing that note now :-/?

[michellek45]

I know that they often move the low note at the end of "I'm Not That Girl" up a fourth (I believe it's a fourth...) because there are a lot of Elphabas who can't get it. And they don't move it up, but there are plenty of Eponines who struggle with the low Fs in "A Little Fall of Rain."

As to the reason we don't hear about women flubbing low notes more, I think there are two major ones in addition to what MusicalBoy said: the first being that "showing off" for women usually means a high belt. Very few composers write low notes that need to be sung strongly for women. Fantine and Evita are the only younger roles I can think of that contain a significant number of them. For whatever reason, high notes seem to be considered the money notes for most women's songs, while guys seem to get the songs that show off lower range.

The second, I think, that we don't notice is that it is way easier to talk-sing your way through low notes than it is for high notes. Lower notes are often closer to someone's natural speaking voice, so it doesn't sound as awkward when Eponines talk-sing ALFOR, while you would certainly do a double take if you heard a Cosette talk-sing the upper notes in "A Heart Full of Love."

I'm a contralto, so I've spent a lot of time wondering about this as I practice singing men's songs.

[JBroadway]

"while guys seem to get the songs that show off lower range"

though nowadays it feels most songs seem to be written for high tenors.

[Auggie27]

Doesn't "Memory" have some tricky low notes?

[Quiche2]

Me

[ComingUpRoses2]

"Memory" has a lot of low notes. I was practicing it a little bit and I always sound incredibly strained on those notes. Flat as a pancake, but if I raise the key, then the "Touuucccch meeeee..." part sounds strained.

"The thought of you stays bright..." from "Losing My Mind" is another one I have a hard time with. I usually take the Donna Murphy approach and sing "bright" up the octave a little bit.

I'm a man, so I'm not sure if it's easier or harder for women to reach some of these notes. I'd assume I was a bari-tenor. I certainly can't sing any of the modern tenor roles for guys on Broadway, but I can't quite sing something like Sweeney Todd, either. It's far too low for me.

I guess everyone has different breaks in their voices.

[michellek45]

I think what's trickier about "Memory" is the range than the actual notes. I'm pretty sure you have to have more than 2 octaves, so the low notes wouldn't be horrible for an alto, but the high notes would be difficult, and vice verse for a soprano.

And though I miss baritone and bari-tenor roles, I secretly love the trend toward higher male roles because they are often right in my range.

[musicaltheatreman2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onJ1zNq49KE