Musical Theater Speak Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Cappella

The term "a cappella" is from the Italian, meaning "in the manner of the chapel", and is especially written to be performed without instrument support. Initially written to be performed in church, there are still some religious denominations that are against the use of instrumental music in a church setting. One of the earliest examples of a cappella music is the Gregorian Chant, which is believed to have originated in the ninth century.

It is rare to see examples of this type of work in musical theater; "Avenue X", a story of Doo-Wop group singers of the 1960s which debuted in 1994, was one of the first a cappella musicals.

Answer: Phrasing

Think of phrasing in musical theater as being comparable to speaking a sentence. It is a section of a piece of music that conveys an emotion or idea, just as a sentence does when speaking. The number of bars may vary in phrasing, but the average phrase is 3-4 bars.

While the actor may determine the phrasing of a song, another way to discover the composer's intended phrasing is by looking at the punctuation marks in the words. Many times a comma will indicate the end of a phrase, while a period usually, but not necessarily, signals the end.

It is acceptable to take a breath before and after the phrasing, but never during.

Answer: Warming Up

The vocal cords and inner muscles of the larynx, which control the closing of the cords, are very delicate. Warming up for a singer is much like stretching for an athlete - it loosens up the muscles. In the case of the vocal cords, it also helps remove excess mucus, which is important in reducing the risk of injury. Sources say that a good 15-20 minutes is necessary for a singer to warm up; he should begin gently by humming and using lip trills.

It is then possible to produce tones that sound more like singing. Warming up properly is a good way to keep one's voice in shape!

Answer: Belting

There are three vocal registers; the chest voice, which one uses when talking, and allows any singer to produce a powerful sound, the middle voice, and the head voice, which is the higher part of the vocalist's range. In order to produce a strong head voice, a person must have vocal training to practice muscle coordination.

When a singer employs the technique of belting, they bring their chest voice to the middle or head voice range. This is commonly used to convey emotional feelings, however, it is important to remember that belting without the proper training may damage one's voice.

Answer: Diction

Especially in musical theater, the person who sings a song is telling a story. What good is the story if the diction is so poor that the audience cannot understand the words? Although all styles of singing would require good diction, the expectation in musical theater and classical music is that it should be much clearer than in others. Consequently, these type of singers often employ a diction coach.

Some would suggest that using lip trills for warmup will improve diction, while others record themselves and listen to see how the words actually sound on tape.

Answer: Marking

A singer will typically use a half-voice during some rehearsals so that his voice isn't strained. Marking is viewed by many as just going through the motions for the purpose of rehearsal, although a singer might choose to do so because their voice is tired, or if they have a lot of rehearsals in a short period of time.

It is necessary, however, to practice full out before a performance, and experts do not recommend marking on a regular basis. These terms are also used by dancers.

Answer: Repertoire

Auditioning for a part in a musical requires that a singer has many different songs in their "book", which is the binder of audition repertoire and should be brought to auditions in case additional material is requested. It is also important to have the ability to perform many different styles in one's "tool box".

When auditioning, it is recommended that a singer be able to perform at least one ballad and one uptempo song in order to be adequately prepared, but if being a theater performer is an important goal, having a full book is very important.

Answer: Transpose

While some believe it is acceptable to rewrite the music in a key that is more suitable to a particular singer's voice, there are other auditions that will specify that no transpositions are allowed. In fact, some would argue that every song needs to be performed exactly in the way the composer intended, and it is in poor form to expect an accompanist to be able to transpose for a singer at an audition.

The best advice? Choose an audition piece that is in your range because opinion regarding transposing numbers is so varied, and don't risk ruining an audition by doing so.

It is said that Andrew Lloyd Weber, for example, chooses every key for every song for a reason!

Answer: Triple Threat

In the past, it was extremely rare to see a performer who was considered to be a triple threat. There were actors who could sing, such as Angela Lansbury, or singers who could act, such as Julie Andrews, or even dancers who could sing, like Ray Bolger, for example. For the last twenty years, the scope of musical theater performance has changed, and in order to win a big part, singing, dancing and acting skills are expected at a high level of expertise.

There are many institutions and universities that offer training in all three. Sutton Foster, who has won Tony Awards for Best Leading Actress for "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (2002) and "Anything Goes" (2011) is considered to be a good example of a person who is a triple threat today. There is some discussion, however, about the necessity of being a quadruple threat, and a performer having an extra trick of their sleeve - for example, being good at roller skating or even walking on stilts! The bar has been raised!

Answer: Tempo

There are many tempo terms to use if a person wants to be successful in music theater! "Allegro" means to sing or play in a lively, quick manner, while "Andante" means a moderate tempo. "Presto" is to sing or play at a fast tempo, while "Lento" means to go slowly.

It is very important to NOT confuse tempo with rhythm, which is how a beat is divided to create different patterns. The time signature on the music will direct the number of beats per bar - in Simple Time there are 2 or 3 beats per bar, Common Time has 4, and there is Compound Time as well!