The 16-Bar Theatre Audition: 100 Songs Excerpted for Succesful Auditions (Vocal Collection-Baritone/Bass) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great audition resource, as it not only has the songs already broken down into audition-ready length, but it also includes a wide variety. There are pieces from shows old and contemporary. And although some of the music goes a bit over 16 bars, this is generally nto a big deal. It's maybe two-four bars over. Directors are typically more concerned with your voice than PRECISE bar count. These selections keep it close, though.

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Product Description:
Most large audition calls for musical theatre, both professionally and in larger school situations, specify that those auditioning bring in a "16 bar" excerpt. The professionals in musical theatre often complain that singers don't know how to construct an appropriate 16 bar audition, either in choosing a song or in editing an excerpt. With this new series, that problem is solved forever! Editor Michael Dansicker, a composer/producer/music director, is a seasoned musical theatre veteran, with 100 Broadway credits. He brings his expertise and broad knowledge of the literature to this series. Each excerpt has been given a thoughtful, graceful and effective form. No more illegible scribblings for the poor audition accompanist! An enormous variety of literature is represented, from old standards to movie songs to the latest Broadway and Off-Broadway material. With 100 songs per volume, any singing actor, whatever his or her talents and strong suits, will have many choices. In the preface, the editor gives valuable pointers on the nature of a good audition and some factors in choosing songs.

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I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: P/V/G Vocal Selections Review

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(More customer reviews)The production at Theatre at Old Town (San Diego) was fun, funny, fabulous, worth every cent, charming, and when it comes back (especially with the cast I saw!) I will definitely see it again.After all . . . 8 times was simply not enough!!

Don't miss this ... and listening to the CD brings it all back ... and allows me to sing-a-long!!

Gentle as you go ...

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Product Description:
Features 8 vocal selections from this hilarious off-Broadway send-up of "the relationship" that Variety calls, "Smartly conceived...(with) catchy tunes and witty lyrics." Songs include: Always a Bridesmaid * The Baby Song * I Can Live with That * I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change * I Will Be Loved Tonight * Marriage Tango * Shouldn't I Be Less in Love with You? * Tear Jerk.

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Carousel: Vocal Score - Revised Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of my favorite scores from the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon. If you are a musical theater major or musical theater fan (and collect complete vocal scores), this is a great score to have in your collection and worthy of study.

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Product Description:
This exciting revised edition was created to convey in complete and correct form the musical score and lyrics of this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical as performed in the original Broadway production. Includes: Ballet * Blow High, Blow Low * Geraniums in the Winder/Stonecutters Cut It on Stone * The Highest Judge of All * Hornpipe * If I Loved You * June Is Bustin' Out All Over * Mister Snow * Prologue (The Carousel Waltz) * A Real Nice Clambake * Soliloquy * What's the Use of Wond'rin' * When the Children Are Asleep * You'll Never Walk Alone. Features all new engravings, a synopsis of scenes and cast listings.

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Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood (Applause Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a beautifully written book!I loved every page of this book and I heartily commend Laurents for making me feel what it was like to be a gay man in the forties and fifties who just happened to know most of the greatsof New York and Hollywood! it's a cliche but my advice is to run out andbuy this incredible book! Thank you, Mr. Laurents!

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Making It Big: The Diary of a Broadway Musical (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)The cost of Broadway musicals in the 1990s was so astronomical that when shows succeeded, they succeeded big.And when they flopped, they flopped even harder.Big was one of the latter.And, though this book often feelslike it wants to paint the opposite picture, from the trials andtribulations it covers, when you've finished it, you know why it's failed. Most of the book is wonderfully informative and well-written, but theshow's lingering death is glossed over in a very ineffective epilogue, andits post-Broadway life is not even discussed at all.If you are at allinterested in how Broadway musicals are conceived of and produced, youshouldn't miss this book.

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On Singing Onstage (Applause Acting Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)David Craig breaks down the sometimes overwhelming task/joy of performing songs into manageable chunks.His analysis of songs at the beginning of the book is priceless.After determining the Who-what why-when-where-how facts, the singer is guided through creating a subtext that personalizes and animates the performance, making it truly something worth watching/hearing.Highly recommended to singers of all genres, although Mr. Craig's focus is on musical theater.Answers the eternal question, "is this song (trip) necessary?" with a resounding "YES!"

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A terrific take on theatre singing by a master teacher. "David Craig knows more about singing in the musical theatre than anyone in this country - which probably means the world. Time and time again his advice and training have resulted in actors moving from non-musical theatre into musicals with ease and expertise. SHORT OF TAKING CLASSES, THIS BOOK IS A MUST." - Harold Prince

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The Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)Though I enjoyed this book tremendously, it was a guilty pleasure. Gershwin's musical life has been thoroughly documented in other books, and comparatively Joan Peyser does a decent job of informing the reader of Gershwin's musical development in this book. However, her strong suit is Gershwin's personal life, and her theories and conclusions in that arena range from the very well-researched to blatant hearsay. Peyser's skill at doggedly digging up such obscure hearsay is impressive. Nothing revealed by Peyser's conclusions seems much out of character for Gershwin based on what we know from earlier more scholarly biographies; it all comes across as quite believable, and addresses head-on some of the juicier issues related to Gershwin's private life. In that sense, this book is a real page turner.

If the principles of scholarly biographical writing dictate that an author doesn't print information that didn't come from one or more reliable sources, Peyser has thumbed her nose that principle throughout this book. She frequently presents tantalizing bits of insider information that she obtained from a lone source, or worse yet from a person quoting another person, and in at least one memorable instance, a person quoting another person quoting another person (whew)! Having said that, essentially there are two new theories that she pushes in this book. One, is that Gershwin had a subconscious masochistic streak in him that caused him to gravitate towards people of a cruel, insensitive, selfish, or sadistic nature (theoretically because his mother was such a person), and the other: that it is a FACT, not rumor that Gershwin fathered an illegitimate son. While the former contention is merely interesting, the theory about Gershwin's illegitimate son carries more historical importance, and deserves a closer look.

Other biographies, notably Charles Schwartz' 1973 biography have addressed the alleged son's claim to be Gershwin's progeny while also making the disclaimer that there is no evidence to prove or disprove the alleged son's claim. Peyser, on the hand, dives head first into this controversy, throwing out every bit of information on the matter that she can dig up, from solid proof to secondhand hearsay and let's the reader decide whether or not it is true. Is this responsible journalism? Probably not. Does it mean that the story is nothing more than an outlandish fabrication? No, it does not. From what we do know as fact about Gershwin, the story is plausible. We do know from numerous reliable sources that Gershwin had an enormous sexual appetite, sleeping with dozens of women in his short life. We also know from the medical records of Gershwin's time that a dancer who appeared in George White's Scandals of 1927, one of Gershwin's musicals, gave birth to an illegitimate son in 1928 who grew up to bear a striking physical resemblance to George Gershwin, including the same premature male pattern baldness famously characteristic of the adult George Gershwin. All coincidence? Perhaps. But based only these facts alone, it is not hard to believe that Gershwin fathered at illegitimate child. It would be harder to believe that he did not. The odds were certainly against him.

I do believe there are certain exceptions to the principles of scholarly journalism, however questionable and unsavory they may be. One exception is when clear factual information simply does not exist to prove a theory, and the best proof an author can muster is circumstantial, e.g., Tchaikovsky's homosexuality. There is no solid proof to back up this claim OTHER than hearsay, and yet it is mentioned in all modern biographies of Tchaikovsky, and generally accepted as fact by the public. Another exception is when solid factual information is known to exist by the author but is withheld by its source, forcing the author to dig around for scraps from less reliable sources in order to corroborate what is known to be true behind closed doors. Such may be the case with Gershwin's alleged son. In all likelihood, there is more than enough evidence to prove or disprove the alleged son's legitimacy (or illegitimacy, as the case may be) as George Gershwin's son. If evidence exists that could disprove the claim of Gershwin's alleged son, one would think that the Gershwin family would have made it public years ago. Therefore, it is reasonable to deduce that the information that they refuse to share with biographers would prove the alleged son's claims to be true. It is understandable that George Gershwin's descendants would want to protect the image of so important an historical figure as George Gershwin, but it is also understandable that Peyser, sensing that she is onto something, would feel compelled to quote less credible sources than the Gershwin family in order to make a case for an important matter in the life of her subject.

I sense that this author has a good nose for sniffing out the truth behind a story even if the proof of her contentions fails to meet good journalistic standards . Intuitive journalism, one could call it. While I am the first to admit that this biography lacks the stamp of responsible journalism, and smacks of lasciviousness, I believe the author is barking up the right tree in most cases, even if she is unable to prove beyond a doubt that there's anything actually up the tree.

A must-read for anyone seriously interested in Gershwin's life, even if one disagrees with every word of it.

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Noel & Cole - The Sophisticates (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book not only takes a fresh and thoroughly readable look at two extraordinary lives -- it also includes some excellent assessments of their songs.I've read most everything published on these two men and found thisbook worthwhile and highly enjoyable.If only all composer bios were sointelligently handled!

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Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement Review

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(More customer reviews)After waiting for so long to finally get this book, I've discovered it to be well worth the wait.
Stephen Schwartz is releasing two versions of vocal selections for wicked, this version containing the melody interpolated into the piano part, and another book that is billed as a professional acompaniment without the melody necessarily built into the piano arrangement.This led many to speculate that the "with melody" version would therefore be much easier and less true to the music.Although I haven't seen the other book yet as it has yet to be released as I write this, you should definitely know that this book has not one "easy" arrangement.The arrangers have done a really excellent job of keeping the parts interesting while building in the melody.For instance, "Defying Gravity," the amazing Act-One closing number, is particularly well done, and if you can work through the key-- (it remains, as in the show, in Db) you will be VERY satisfied with the richness and fullness of the sound.
Schwartz has adapted the songs for use as solos or (where applicable) duets, removing longer instrumental breaks, trimming ensemble sections, and providing some new lyrics and endings to make the songs work really well for this new format.This in my opinion is yet another reason to purchase the book, as it gives fans of the show a way to interpret small sections of some of the songs differently.
Sometimes I do wish some cuts could have been avoided (notably I miss the wonderful "We deserve each other" theme that appears on the cast album intersecting "Dancing through Life" and the counterpoint melody "Who's that mage..." in "One Short Day"), but Schwartz is right, it would have impeded the creation of solo pieces to put those in.
The score for Wicked is definitely not to be missed, it really is a must have-- (especially while I wait patiently for the imminent release of the other version of the score!)
Overall, the music is wonderful, the arrangements remain challenging, but are extremely well edited and contain chord diagrams to help you along as well.Well done.

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Product Description:
Nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards in 2005, Wicked is an undeniable Broadway smash! A prequel to the all-American classic The Wizard of Oz, this new musical is a character study of Elphaba and Glinda, school roommates who grow up to become the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respectively. We are very proud to offer several songbooks featuring this delightful music, including a Vocal Selections book which contains the vocal line with piano accompaniment (00313268), and a Piano/Vocal Selections book, in standard piano/vocal format with the melody in the piano part (00313267). Songbooks feature a special section of color photos from the production, a note from composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and these fantastic tunes: As Long as You're Mine * Dancing Through Life * Defying Gravity * For Good * I Couldn't Be Happier * I'm Not That Girl * No Good Deed * No One Mourns the Wicked * One Short Day * Popular * What Is This Feeling? * The Wizard and I * Wonderful.

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Chorus Line, A Vocal Score Review

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(More customer reviews)This isn't "sheet music" for the songs on the cast album, this is the ENTIRE vocal score.This is a reduction rather than an arrangement; the full orchestral score was reduced to one piano with a number of extra notes added showing where you would throw in other instruments.This is more difficult and comprehensive than the "Piano/Vocal/Guitar" arrangement, also sold by the same publisher.But go ahead and try those challenging notes, because look what you get!

*Every* piece of incidental music in the show is included here.That means all the lead-ins to songs, not just the songs themselves.That means all the spoken cues to start the music.The filler songs "And" and "The Tap Combination" are included.The full version of "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen" is here.Both versions of "One" are here for your enjoyment; the "rehearsal" version (where the actors recite the dance steps, count the beat, and sing the song in a brilliant 4-part arrangement) and the finale used for curtain calls (which includes the countermelody "She walks into a room..." that turns into a terrific interwoven melody for verse 3, followed by fantastic 4-part harmony reprise in verse 4).

The 96-page "sheet music" (Hal Leonard SBN: 088188068X) does not have any of this detail.It features the same pieces in the cast album but only one version of One, which skips both the rehearsal thoughts and the final verse with harmony.It also severely truncates such great hits such as Hello Twelve (which has four parts) and "The Music and the Mirror" (which has an extended musical section where Cassie does her mirror dance).The Vocal Score, this product right here, has ALL that detail.

Don't be confused by the incorrect "look inside" for this product.It shows the identical contents of thePiano/Vocal/Guitar version I mentioned above, and that is NOT what you get with the Vocal Score.It really is over 200 pages of material, and that's why it costs so much more.And it is WORTH IT.

If you just want to play a few of your favorite songs from the show, buy the shorter, easier, and less expensive version.But if you want to capture every element of Marvin Hamlisch's score, if you just love everything about this show and want to recapture the music, THIS is the one to buy.

NOTE: There is something wrong with Amazon's handing of this product.This review is appearing for both the VOCAL SCORE product and the PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR product.This is probably the same bug giving the wrong "Look Inside" information for the vocal score.However, if you buy the vocal score, they will ship you the correct product.

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Product Description:
One of the longest running shows on Broadway, A Chorus Line won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Our updated songbook features vocal lines with piano accompaniment for ten songs: At the Ballet * Dance: Ten; Looks: Three * I Can Do That * I Hope I Get It * One * What I Did for Love * more.

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Titanic (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook) Review

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(More customer reviews)The pieces in this book are each some of the best movie music available for the piano.Each piece is masterfully arranged as a piano solo.The book itself contains seven piano pieces from the "Titanic"soundtrack plus the "My Heart Will Go On" song.
The contentsare as follows: Never An Absolution * Southampton * Rose * "Take Herto Sea, Mr. Murdoch" * "Hard to Starboard" * Unable to Stay,Unwilling to Leave * Hymn to the Sea * My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from"Titanic").
My personal favorite is "Rose."It is anarrangement for the piano based on the theme song.It is one of the mostbeautiful piano pieces I have played on the piano, and it is perfect forthe beginning to intermediate player."Never an Absolution" and"Hymn to the Sea" are also very nice on the piano.I liked allthe other pieces from the soundtrack.Some of them are definitely forintermediate level players, such as "Take Her to Sea, Mr.Murdoch" and "Hard to Starboard."The "My Heart WillGo On" song is the one selection that is for piano/vocal/guitar.Itdoes not sound as well on the piano compared to the other pieces,especially "Rose."But, I'm sure its inclusion will be a plusespecially for those who like the song.I personally liked the other songswhich were specifically geared for the piano.They simply could not havebeen arranged better.I wish other movie soundtracks would release pianobooks of this caliber.I give this book my highest recommendation.

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Product Description:
This deluxe songbook features eleven pages of color photos from the movie, and the instrumental selections from the soundtrack: Hard to Starboard * Hymn to the Sea * Never an Absolution * Rose * Southampton * Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch * Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave. Also includes the piano/vocal arrangement of the hit single "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic)."

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Annie (Broadway) (Easy Piano) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very helpful book. I can't play the piano but using this I can plunk out some notes. Unfortunately, it doesn't have all the songs. The one I miss the most is "Little Girls". But overall I would recommend it!

~Emma :)

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Ten terrific songs from everyone's favorite orphan: Annie * Easy Street * I Don't Need Anything but You * It's the Hard-Knock Life * Maybe * A New Deal for Christmas * N.Y.C. * Something Was Missing * Tomorrow * You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.

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Grease - Vocal Selections Review

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(More customer reviews)I liked this book because it relates to teenagers in school. It included romance, humor, and friendship.My favorite part was when Sandy and Danny met each other again after the summer. It made me realize how the world isso small and we can run into people in the strangest places.

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15 songs from the Broadway revival of this perennial '50s favorite! Songs include: Beauty School Dropout * Born to Hand Jive * Greased Lightnin' * Summer Nights * There Are Worse Things I Could Do * We Go Together * and more.

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