Fantine: Voice

music is my life!!! · Fantine: Voice

I really want to get Fantine in LMSE next year. Auditions are in May Shocked

What kind of voice would you look for in a Fantine?
How should she be contrasting with Eponine?
How should her voice change on her "downward spiral"?

NB I have an edge to my voice which is similar to Ruthie's but most of my mezzo/alto range is similar to that of Lea Salonga Smile

any answers are appreciated Smile

SmallTownIngenue

I played Fantine last summer, and I was beyond surprised I got it because I have a very light voice and I'm more of a soprano than a mezzo/alto. I think the director will really look for an expressive voice that can carry a lot of emotion and still sound great. Being able to easily switch from chest to head voice and vice versa really helped me, because I had to sing all those low notes in chest voice, so if you can easiliy switch, that's also an advantage for you. IDAD covers a wide range of emotions, so you also have to be a very skilled actress as well. What really helped me was going through the song line by line with the director, analyzing every lyric to really understand what she was singing. Maybe that's something you could try with your voice teacher.

I don't think it really matters how contrasting her voice has to be in connection to Eponine because they really don't have any scenes together except for the finale. But I definitely had a more pure-sounding lyric voice than the Eponine in my cast, who has a rougher, edgier quality to her voice.

During Fantine's "downward spiral" in Lovely Ladies I mainly sang in my chest voice and I definitely made a point to sound rougher than in IDAD. The line that really changes Fantine for me is "Don't they know they're making love to one already dead."

I really hope this helps, it's actually kind of hard to explain everything I did in words now that I'm doing it, so I'm sorry if I'm not much of a help. Very Happy

music is my life!!!

any more advice from any of you wonderful musical people who may have directed the show/played fantine/liked fantine/have your own opinion on her.... please? Pray

music is my life!!!

BUMP!!!

curlyhairedsoprano91

In my opinion, Fantine should have a strong head voice ... belting IDAD is only one option, and sometimes a head voice works better. In terms of the contrast with Eponine ... the characters really don't have anything to do with each other, so I'm not sure why they would necessarily be compared.

I would be looking for a Fantine with good head voice control and a warm low range.

thegirlfromack

Anything but this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjBpXXnKIs

Daphne Rubin Vega aka (original Mimi in Rent)

Why was she cast as this?!

mastachen

Because Daphne is a tremendous actress.
I thought that in some cases during the casting of the revival, they put a bit more emphasis on acting and chemistry rather than vocal power. That's why, imo, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Aaron Lazar, Adam Jacobs, Jenny Galloway, and Ali Ewoldt were cast. They probably took it a little too far with Daphne though. I also think later on that was why Drew Sarich was promoted to Valjean, to make up for Alexander Gemignani, and why they brought Rob Hunt back.

Orestes Fasting

Actually, Rob Hunt was cast because he was the only Javert replacement they could find on less than a week's notice when Cameron Mackintosh threw his casting tantrum.

And what alternate universe is this where vocal power isn't Aaron Lazar's strong suit? Or Jenny Galloway's for that matter.

Anyway, vocal advice... most of Fantine's part, especially I Dreamed a Dream, sits uneasily on the break between head and chest voice. That means you've got lots of options and you can play to your strong suits, but it also makes it more difficult to pull off gracefully because it doesn't sit comfortably in either head or chest. Pick an approach that flatters your voice (head, chest, mix, switching from one to the other if you can gloss over the transition) and work on selling it. Make it look gooood.

If you're more comfortable belting, be aware that head voice is still necessary in Come to Me unless you want to sound like a dying Elphaba.

If your head voice is stronger, pay attention to low notes. You can cheat a little bit if necessary on the low D in "and you will be with God" in the finale, but in IDAD, "as they tear your hopes apart" has to be rock solid.

music is my life!!!

^ "sound like a dying elphaba" Laughing

anyway, my head voice is quite strong, and it has a bit of an edge, like my chest voice. I can reliably sing "hopes apart" pretty much every time i sing it Smile

I can change between head and chest voice easily, and I tend to sound a bit Lea-ish when i go low.... hopeully that helps Smile

SmallTownIngenue

The low D in the finale for Fantine isn't in the school edition. They bring it up an octave, thank goodness. Very Happy

music is my life!!!

^ that's good, but i can reach it anyway.... maybe we could include it.... hmm Neutral

Amber.Rain

In my school's version, the best singer in the whole show (in everyone's opinion) is Fantine. It's close between her and Eponine (maybe even mine, but I wouldn't think so) but I think Fantine's is lighter and prettier. Fantine is an emotional character, so I would think emotion when I sing her part.

Oh, and I don't think you should worry about one note. I'm Cosette, and I didn't try out for Cosette, and I can't even hit a high C, but I think I'm doing a good job singing her part. Smile

music is my life!!!	Fantine: Voice I really want to get Fantine in LMSE next year. Auditions are in May What kind of voice would you look for in a Fantine? How should she be contrasting with Eponine? How should her voice change on her "downward spiral"? NB I have an edge to my voice which is similar to Ruthie's but most of my mezzo/alto range is similar to that of Lea Salonga any answers are appreciated
SmallTownIngenue	I played Fantine last summer, and I was beyond surprised I got it because I have a very light voice and I'm more of a soprano than a mezzo/alto. I think the director will really look for an expressive voice that can carry a lot of emotion and still sound great. Being able to easily switch from chest to head voice and vice versa really helped me, because I had to sing all those low notes in chest voice, so if you can easiliy switch, that's also an advantage for you. IDAD covers a wide range of emotions, so you also have to be a very skilled actress as well. What really helped me was going through the song line by line with the director, analyzing every lyric to really understand what she was singing. Maybe that's something you could try with your voice teacher. I don't think it really matters how contrasting her voice has to be in connection to Eponine because they really don't have any scenes together except for the finale. But I definitely had a more pure-sounding lyric voice than the Eponine in my cast, who has a rougher, edgier quality to her voice. During Fantine's "downward spiral" in Lovely Ladies I mainly sang in my chest voice and I definitely made a point to sound rougher than in IDAD. The line that really changes Fantine for me is "Don't they know they're making love to one already dead." I really hope this helps, it's actually kind of hard to explain everything I did in words now that I'm doing it, so I'm sorry if I'm not much of a help.
music is my life!!!	any more advice from any of you wonderful musical people who may have directed the show/played fantine/liked fantine/have your own opinion on her.... please?
music is my life!!!	BUMP!!!
curlyhairedsoprano91	In my opinion, Fantine should have a strong head voice ... belting IDAD is only one option, and sometimes a head voice works better. In terms of the contrast with Eponine ... the characters really don't have anything to do with each other, so I'm not sure why they would necessarily be compared. I would be looking for a Fantine with good head voice control and a warm low range.
thegirlfromack	Anything but this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjBpXXnKIs Daphne Rubin Vega aka (original Mimi in Rent) Why was she cast as this?!
mastachen	Because Daphne is a tremendous actress. I thought that in some cases during the casting of the revival, they put a bit more emphasis on acting and chemistry rather than vocal power. That's why, imo, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Aaron Lazar, Adam Jacobs, Jenny Galloway, and Ali Ewoldt were cast. They probably took it a little too far with Daphne though. I also think later on that was why Drew Sarich was promoted to Valjean, to make up for Alexander Gemignani, and why they brought Rob Hunt back.
Orestes Fasting	Actually, Rob Hunt was cast because he was the only Javert replacement they could find on less than a week's notice when Cameron Mackintosh threw his casting tantrum. And what alternate universe is this where vocal power isn't Aaron Lazar's strong suit? Or Jenny Galloway's for that matter. Anyway, vocal advice... most of Fantine's part, especially I Dreamed a Dream, sits uneasily on the break between head and chest voice. That means you've got lots of options and you can play to your strong suits, but it also makes it more difficult to pull off gracefully because it doesn't sit comfortably in either head or chest. Pick an approach that flatters your voice (head, chest, mix, switching from one to the other if you can gloss over the transition) and work on selling it. Make it look gooood. If you're more comfortable belting, be aware that head voice is still necessary in Come to Me unless you want to sound like a dying Elphaba. If your head voice is stronger, pay attention to low notes. You can cheat a little bit if necessary on the low D in "and you will be with God" in the finale, but in IDAD, "as they tear your hopes apart" has to be rock solid.
music is my life!!!	^ "sound like a dying elphaba" anyway, my head voice is quite strong, and it has a bit of an edge, like my chest voice. I can reliably sing "hopes apart" pretty much every time i sing it I can change between head and chest voice easily, and I tend to sound a bit Lea-ish when i go low.... hopeully that helps
SmallTownIngenue	The low D in the finale for Fantine isn't in the school edition. They bring it up an octave, thank goodness.
music is my life!!!	^ that's good, but i can reach it anyway.... maybe we could include it.... hmm
Amber.Rain	In my school's version, the best singer in the whole show (in everyone's opinion) is Fantine. It's close between her and Eponine (maybe even mine, but I wouldn't think so) but I think Fantine's is lighter and prettier. Fantine is an emotional character, so I would think emotion when I sing her part. Oh, and I don't think you should worry about one note. I'm Cosette, and I didn't try out for Cosette, and I can't even hit a high C, but I think I'm doing a good job singing her part.

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Fantine: Voice