Singers tend to have unique instruments. One person's voice may be bold and brassy. Another might sound soft and breathy. Another bright, another dark, another full of vibrato, another straight-tone... And then, how they use language makes a big difference in their vocal production from singer to singer. Last night I watched a concert of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs done by a wide array of singers and actors, in a host of different styles.
Some of the performers sang their songs as if they were doing a character from the Broadway show such as Curly from "Oklahoma." Others were not Broadway actors and gave very different interpretations of their songs whether it be pop or opera or jazz or something else.
Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are so good that they have been in the standard repertoire for over 80 years. Many of the songs have even been covered by the likes of Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and even the Beatles. It didn't seem to matter how the songs last night were sung or by whom. And even if I didn't really like the style of the performances, they seemed successful as the singers made the songs their own.
Some of the performers sang their songs as if they were doing a character from the Broadway show such as Curly from "Oklahoma." Others were not Broadway actors and gave very different interpretations of their songs whether it be pop or opera or jazz or something else.
Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are so good that they have been in the standard repertoire for over 80 years. Many of the songs have even been covered by the likes of Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and even the Beatles. It didn't seem to matter how the songs last night were sung or by whom. And even if I didn't really like the style of the performances, they seemed successful as the singers made the songs their own.
When I was young, I loved to try to emulate the style of Julie Andrews. She had just starred in two of the favorite movies of my 10 year old self, Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. I had access to those soundtrack recordings and I listened to them a lot.
She was a soprano and I was a soprano. So in my mind it seemed only natural that I could grow up sounding much like her. I sang and sang until I had memorized every song on those albums, complete with her inflections. My friends told me I sounded like Julie Andrews. It was a great compliment.
Then along came other performers that I admired and wanted to emulate their styles. I enjoyed singing in a lot of different styles, and trying to copy famous singers was a good way to learn those different styles. But, I knew that eventually I would need to be able to make my own style, to take a song and make it my own.
Singing in choirs, singing operatic arias, singing in Musical Theater, and singing pop songs or jazz in a dance band tested my skills at singing in distinct vocal styles. I am not sure how successful I was, but I did learn a lot. I had so much enjoyment in singing for a variety of different audiences in many different styles, and I hope they enjoyed it.
I guess one way I have truly been able to take a song and make it my own is to write something original. "Break Forth Into Joy" was written as a sacred vocal solo in the style of the art songs I studied so much in college. Enjoy!
She was a soprano and I was a soprano. So in my mind it seemed only natural that I could grow up sounding much like her. I sang and sang until I had memorized every song on those albums, complete with her inflections. My friends told me I sounded like Julie Andrews. It was a great compliment.
Then along came other performers that I admired and wanted to emulate their styles. I enjoyed singing in a lot of different styles, and trying to copy famous singers was a good way to learn those different styles. But, I knew that eventually I would need to be able to make my own style, to take a song and make it my own.
Singing in choirs, singing operatic arias, singing in Musical Theater, and singing pop songs or jazz in a dance band tested my skills at singing in distinct vocal styles. I am not sure how successful I was, but I did learn a lot. I had so much enjoyment in singing for a variety of different audiences in many different styles, and I hope they enjoyed it.
I guess one way I have truly been able to take a song and make it my own is to write something original. "Break Forth Into Joy" was written as a sacred vocal solo in the style of the art songs I studied so much in college. Enjoy!
RSS Feed