Prisoner 24601

[CHOOKA2]

I'm not a singer,so was wondering about the number 24601--is ONE the easiest number to sing those high notes-and is that why it was chosen? and if so,what would be the hardest number to sing?

[Kad]

Those numbers were chosen because Victor Hugo chose them.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

But CHOOKA2 is not a troll!

[sueb1863]

Yeah, that number is from the book. Valjean also had another number, 9430, assigned to him after he was rearrested and sent back to prison by Javert following Fantine's death (he doesn't get away as in the show). While in prison he saves another prisoner from drowning, then disappears in the water himself. Everyone assumes he's dead, but he actually escapes and that's when he goes to get Cosette.

[PTOPhan]

I always thought Amonate, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County, near the West Virginia border, population 172, should have a Les Mis festival. Why Amonate? Its zip code is 24601.

[jo]

I saw the Mogador revival in French in Paris -- Valjean sang "2-4-6-0-1" as "deux-quatre-six-zero-un"

[CHOOKA2]

I have absolutely no idea what you have posted 'wickedrocks'or what that means--troll??
I should have realised that that was the number written in the book and not changed specifically so it was an easier number to sing.
I thank those that gave a supportive response.

[sergio_27]

It's true that the number wasn't chosen by the composer, but he did choose to use it on the score. He may have not done so if it was a 'hard number to sing'.

[TheLadyoftheWood]

@sergio_27 Yeah just like "I came from the People...He supports you, for he loves your..." and many other phrases written by composers were done because they weren't hard to sing.

[singtopher]

I'm always amused by the thought "What if it was a different number than one?" which lends itself to a nice wide open vowel sound. Imagine Colm Wilkinson belting out, "Two-Four-Six-Oh-Threeeeee!"

[SondheimFan5]

8675309 was already taken.

[once a month]

Way back when Les Miserables opened on Broadway, I brought my family who absolutely ate it up. For Christmas that year my father (RIP) gave me a black shirt with 24601 embroidered on the front. Nice memory...

[JoeKv99]

What exactly would be a HARD number to sing?

[tazber]

Well, if you had a mouthful of Quiche I bet every number would be hard to sing.

[JoeKv99]

Or perhaps a mouthful of Fantine's teeth?