The Beauty Isn't

For a long time, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), which is the largest organization of singing teachers in the world, only encouraged classical and operatic styles of singing. There were many members who were convinced that singing in any other genre (jazz, pop, and *gasp* musical theatre!) was inherently unhealthy and anyone undertaking such risky behavior was on the path to vocal ruin. 

Although there are some folks who still believe this, their numbers are diminishing, in part because organizations like NATS have done an about face. NATS now wholeheartedly embraces the fact that all genres of music can be performed in healthy and expressive ways when appropriate, style-specific techniques are taught. 

To help lead the charge of change, NATS has sponsored the So You Want to Sing series of books dedicated to promoting the styles and techniques of non-classical genres. The first book in the series is So You Want to Sing Music Theater. The last book—the twentieth—is called So You Want to Sing Cabaret, which I'm currently reading. I'm learning quite a bit about what distinguishes true cabaret from other genres and how it can be performed authentically. For instance, a cabaret is NOT just standing on stage and singing through a list of your favorite musical theatre songs. Even so, there is still a lot of crossover between cabaret singing and musical theatre singing. Many of the best-known composers of the songs in The Great American Songbook, which are often used in cabaret performances, are also musical theatre composers (Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, etc.). 

One distinguishing factor of cabaret, however, is the primacy of text. As stated by authors David Sabella and Sue Matsuki:  

"The voice must remain in service to the lyric at all costs. At all costs!...Professional use of the voice dictates that there is no correct sound. The right sound is simply the best sound for the story you are telling, which is not necessarily the prettiest sound you can make... It is not a dangerous or unsafe sound, to be sure. It is simply the sound that best communicates the lyric and aids in storytelling." (p.121)

We could argue that this should hold true in musical theatre, as well, and I think that most of the time it does. But there are some realities of the genre that may prevent a truly lyric-driven performance 100% of the time. For instance, cabaret performance venues are generally small and intimate. Even so, the singers perform with a hand-held microphone, not so much to be heard but to allow for a wider variety of vocal sounds and dynamics. Musical theatre venues are often much larger and can involve large orchestras instead of small combos. Although actors in musicals also sing with microphones, the mics are usually taped to the singers' faces at a fixed distance. This helps amplify the sound but doesn't allow individual actors to get closer or farther away from the mic for expressive purposes. 

That being said, we often spend so much time trying to create beautiful vocal sounds that we sometimes forget that, in a text-first genre like theatre, the most expressive and appropriate sound may not always be the most beautiful sound. Characters who are emotionally devastated or who are infuriated are probably unlikely to express themselves with perfectly balanced chiaroscuro tones. As Sabella and Matsuki say, that doesn't mean you should aim to make unhealthy or unsustainable sounds. But the reason we build vocal technique is so that we have as wide a range of vocal colors as possible so that we are better equipped to express the full gamut of emotional states our characters experience. If we only build the "pretty" sounds, we're limiting our options. 

In summarizing their thoughts on the topic, the authors pose this question: 

"Are you willing to sacrifice that which, through ardent vocal training, you have previously perceived as 'correct,' such as beauty of tone or range, in favor of lyric delivery and believability should the storytelling warrant it?" (p.121) 

As we prepare for vocal juries and class finals, you may start taking a deeper look at your tonal goals. While staying within the bounds of good vocal health, see if there are places in your songs where beautiful sounds may actually detract from the story or the character. And then dare to be more beast than beauty. 

Now go practice.