Wicked music for female performers (Wicked - Vocal Selections - Stephen Schwartz)

Member Name: muppa

Product:	Wicked - Vocal Selections - Stephen Schwartz
Date:	25/06/07 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs, perfect for performance, audition or just for fun at home

Disadvantages: To have the whole score would be even better

Product: Vocal selections from the musical Wicked
Setting: Vocal line with piano accompaniment and chords
Composer/lyricist: Stephen Schwartz
Published by: Hal Leonard Music Publishing
Price: RRP £10.95
Cheapest buy at time of writing amazon.co.uk - marketplace - £5.04

The vocal selections of this hit musical from 2003 are a big asset to any female musical theatre performer or fan. The book contains all the great songs from show along with a section of pictures from the original production.

The music is printed with vocal line, piano accompanyment and chords. There is also a note from the composer in which he explains his choice to make small changes to the score when publishing this book. The changes are all to the positive, mainly eliminating interior instrumental or chorus sections. To my delight the duets from the show are still intact, making “As long as you’re mine”, “For Good” and “What is this feeling” wonderful duets to sing.

To me, this is the best of Stephen Schwarts musicals. The style of the music is unmistakably his, with a pop sound and catchy melodies, just as in Pippin, Gospell, Children of Eden and his other musicals. But this musical has the best book by far, and the music has more depths than his earlier work, that sometimes can come accross as simple.

One of the differences in this show, compared to many other Broadway productions, is that it contains two strong leading ladies, and the music in this book contains all their great songs and their duets. The book comes in two forms, one with the vocals incorporated in the piano accompaniment, and one with a clean accompaniment. The second book (313268-H2) is my favourite, as it gives the performer a bigger freedom in the singing, but the former one (313267-H2) is the better for the less advanced or musically aware singer, as it gives the vocal line support from the piano. Any female performer knows the difficulty in finding good duets for two women.

This book is one of the two best books I’ve found in this aspect! Together with the vocal selections of The Witches of Eastwick this book gives the female performer great possibilities to show more depths of character than in the average musical.

More information:

Contents:
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
The Wizard And I
What Is This Feeling?
Wonderful

ISBN: 0634078828
UPC: 73999132687
Product code HL 00313268
112 pages
Product Dimensions: 30 x 22.9 x 1 cm

Summary: One of the best new musicals for female voices - lot's of songs to chose from for every oppertunaty!