Preparing Logical 16-Bar Cuts for Audition Songs
Robert W. Marks · Journal of Singing · 2008
WHY DO SO MANY AUDITIONS require that singers prepare 16 bars of an audition song? Should that length be taken literally? Which 16 bars should be chosen? Why 16 bars? In the pre-pop days of music theater, when the standard American song was 32 bars (usually in AABA form), a 16-bar cut would usually be the bridge (B section) leading into the final A section. It was simple, and often still is acceptable. But contemporary music theater song forms have radically changed, and it is necessary to reexamine the requirements of the 16-bar audition. Singing teachers and coaches must prepare logical 16-bar cuts for singers that maintain the integrity of the music, are playable at sight by an unfamiliar accompanist, show the vocal strengths of the performer, and make a coherent dramatic statement. A 16-bar audition is essentially an introduction to the audition panel-a kind of enhanced typecasting that determines whether the performer will go on to the next step of the audition process. Although appearance (type) counts as much as anything else, since the panel is seeing and hearing the performer for the first time, it is important to demonstrate more than just an appealing voice. Performers need to communicate who they are, and show their strengths as actors and as singers. Since this initial evaluation rarely, if ever, results in a job, there is only one possible positive result: a callback in which more time is allowed for detailed appraisal. The initial 16-bar audition must generate the auditors' interest sufficiently that the performer's picture and resume get placed on the callback pile instead of in the garbage can. One common misconception in considering the 16-bar cut is that we are talking about 16 literal measures of music. Limiting an audition to 16 bars is an issue of time, but a musical bar is not a quantity of time. One bar of slow 12/8 music will take much more time to perform than a bar of an up-tempo 2/4. I've always felt that requesting 16 bars of a singer's repertoire is somewhat unfair, like asking someone to bring 16 pieces of fruit to a picnic-16 raisins are very different from 16 watermelons. Generally, I assume a bar to be about two seconds induration. At that rate, a 16-bar song would last about 32 seconds. Allowing for a short musical introduction and an extended ending, I advise my students to cut their songs to under a minute, preferably about 45 seconds. This cut must be prepared in advance. A singer should never go into an audition unsure of exactly what to sing and what the accompanist is expected to play. Performers should not start from the beginning of the song and expect to be cut off; getting stopped in midstream is never a good idea. If an audition piece goes on too long, it may appear that the singer did not follow the instructions. In the audition room, more usually is not better. One of the most important considerations of the logical 16-bar cut is the piano introduction. It can set the mood, tempo, key, and style of the song. During an introduction that is played in tempo, a singer can determine whether the tempo is correct and can stop if necessary to make a change before starting to sing. Knowing where to begin singing, and on what note, is the main function of the piano introduction. Many singers have their music marked at the vocal starting point of a 16-bar cut, but few mark a specific musical introduction. They might say to the accompanist, Oh, just give me a bar or two. In that case, the singer is following the pianist! Introductions should be specific and clearly indicated on the sheet music. I would recommend a maximum of two bars for the piano introduction. Often a simple bell tone is a good way to begin, but the singer is required to instantly get into the mood of the song. Practice is imperative; if a song is in the key of C, starts on an E, and the pianist plays a G bell tone, without sufficient rehearsal the singer easily might start on the wrong note. …