Natalie Weiss--"Alto's Lament"

[@michaelmorphew2346]

Bass's Lament - "Oooh new song....and we're singing C for all of it."

[@Thismeekpotato]

Yess! No one knows the struggle of being a bass. Harmonies thats all we're good for people say!! :(

[@dzelman444]

JalenScott Don't forget two measures of singing eighth notes more than an octave apart THEN singing one note for the next two pages.

[@Anna-tl6oz]

Either that, or it's Handel and you're alternately screeching or trying to hit that one low note that's *just* outside your range.

[@bettercallgabriel]

I like singing harmonies but probably because I haven't done much, and I'm always the bass

[@willcoleman2458]

I thought it was a good idea to be a Bass for a semester and it was literally the worst decision of my life.

[@mowesrik]

To all you depressed altos out there. Whenever someone will randomly sing a song you know the harmonies to you can join in and make it sound awesome.

[@arxsyn]

Milly Wesrik Totally. The sweet spot for a real Alto are her top chest notes that sound darker and richer at that range compared to almost everybody else. Or, if the Alto is low enough to sing Tenor or baritone, you can bet your bottom dollar she can fill in for those parts

[@purplefry1752]

I haven't been in choir in years so I forgot all the harmonies to songs I used to sing in choir.

[@Caroline-le8gm]

arxsyn definitely

[@razberrymist9475]

Milly Wesrik yeah and everyone starts looking around stunned, going “WAIT WHO DID THAT”

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

I disagree. I hate being an alto.

[@kayleighbeaman4444]

s/o to all my fellow altos who will never be given the shot to play legendary characters such as Christine Daae, Cosette, both Maria's, Galinda, Mary Poppins, and pretty much every character you can think of.

[@zerogray594]

Kayleigh Beaman Actually, my school just did Mary Poppins, and one of the girls who played Mary (we had 2 casts) was an alto

[@kayleighbeaman4444]

I am so thankful to hear that! I'm sure both actresses did amazing!

[@standGRANDom]

My school just did Mary Poppins and my friend and I both played Mary and Miss Andrew... the two highest soprano parts as Alto 2s haha

[@tillyegoodwin]

But to those sopranos who can’t play almost all roles in contemporary musicals and people like Eponine, Grizzabella, Elphaba and Angelica or Eliza in Hamilton. There’s so much more roles for belters in musical theatre tbh

[@artstarz7642]

My school is currently doing Mary Poppins and I somehow got Mary and I'm an Alto 2. It's insane!

[@TheTrashWitch]

Alto is a love hate relationship really...you love being different but you hate not having something interesting to sing. But sometimes, them altos have the best weird notes. And I believe I have better pitch because i was an alto in choir.

[@museumgirl9]

Some of the best Alto moments are when you have a really pretty line. They’re rare, but so pretty...

[@no1caresanymore]

In high school I always hated being an alto because the snotty little soprano girls thought they were such hot stuff. However, when I got to college, my first day in choir the teacher went around and asked what everyone sang normally. All the soprano girls answered, again, like they were God's gift to Earth. After we had all said something, he knocked the soprano girls off their high horses by saying "Anyone can sing melody. The harmony is what makes the song special; what gives it depth. I hope I have some really good altos this year because they are the unsung heroes here, pun intended." And since then I've never been ashamed of singing alto. (Although I still love melodies, of course.)

[@stephanienoel7425]

Who was your teacher cause he/she is now my favorite person ever there was one girl in middle school that claimed to be a "super soprano" i still remember that cause i promised to never EVER be like her

[@parisiansigh8394]

I'm a soprano and we sing a lot of harmonies. Idk what choir you were in that the highest singers were stuck singing melody. Of course every part is needed, especially altos, but don't throw sopranos under the bus because you're not one.

[@feliciathomas9842]

+Lindsey Myers YASSSSSS!!! Your choir professor ROCKS!!! #ProudAlto

[@shilohmartin8900]

For the record not all sopranos are snobby and rude. I'm a soprano well metzo soprano and I know altos are amazing I just can't sing low

[@okebaram]

+Lindsey Myers your comment made me laugh, and the one about the super soprano lol, but i love sopranos. Question: is this song written for sopranos or altos? Pretty sure Natalie is a soprano

[@Userrrrrrr789]

I was an alto turned soprano 1, and this is how I felt my first time around. It's fun to get different perspectives, although sometimes I miss alto.

[@neylakuhn1513]

me too!

[@Birdizzz]

Practice and technique! I was an alto 1 when I joined the music department at a performing arts high school. I thought to myself that I couldn't hit those high notes, but my vocal coach was like "Sure you can!" It took me one semester to become a soprano 2 and within the second semester I turned into a soprano 1. I sometimes miss being an alto as well! :)

[@drewmackey3789]

i’m in a choir and our director usually will move people around every year so they can get a feel for the different voice parts and from last year to this year i went from soprano 1 to alto/alto 1 lol

[@isabellamingaars5642]

Kennedy Carlson same!

[@virgofairy88]

This was me the first few shows I did-until the director let us choose our parts-I chose to sing Soprano 1 in Hunchback of Notre Dame and people loved it-I even sang Florika’s solo at the end. But if there’s a lot of younger singers in a cast-I’ll be singing alto because someone has to. I’ve got a good sized range and much stronger lower notes than the other sopranos so it makes sense.

[@aliciatott3n]

I LOVE being an alto, but this hits home. So funny!

[@MrsSajberry3]

I've been singing alto so long, it sounds weird when we get the melody. Lol, very funny!

[@mjbaz1]

A lot of German choral works give the melody to each part, it is much more interesting. My choir director in high school said "Choose something like a star" was every Alto's dream.

[@SelphieFairy]

I'm a mezzo that has always sung alto lol. I never minded it though in fact I love being an alto, but yeah it's true it can be boring or awkward. And it's really anticlimactic when the end of a song is leading up to a big finish and you get some weirdass note. :P

[@Sam-xf4uw]

And when no one else knows the alto part so your stuck singing it either by yourself or with on or two other people.

[@sarina76667]

Ugh yes!! Do you get notes penciled in for you because the conductor wants to round out this last chord by adding a note that isn’t actually on the score or is on the score but he’d like you (alone) to dramatically hit it an octave higher? Or you’re so valuable in chorus that you never get a named roll?

[@LABELKOALA]

I've had much good luck as a performer I've been cast in almost every show From Carousel to Hair, Broadway--I was there But you'll never never know Perhaps you picked me out last year in phantom Or underneath my dirt in Miserable Le But if you tried to pick me out of all the voices in the crowd I am certain that you must have had a problem I've had much good luck as a performer My plight is quite familiar To those who tread the boards At the neberlander schubert or rialto And though I've got a great high C (sings high C) The reaction seems to be "Well that was (insert adjective here) but we need you singing alto" Please give me a chance to sing melody Give me a crack at the tune I'm filled with chagrin every time I begin *By the light of the silvery moon One little shot at the melody Give me a moment to shine I'm so sick of *Can't help loving that man of mine Just look at Oklahoma for example That rousing title number of the show While everyone is singing Oklahoma I get *sky-y-y-y-y-y-y yo ho! And now a medley of some of my finer roles *The hills are alive with the sound of music *Three little maids from school are we pert as a school girl well can be filled to the brim with girlish glee three little maids from school *Touch me its so easy to leave me *What mirror where? Which what where who who who? Such a pretty me. such a pretty me Please pull a few strings for the melody Don't care if the solo is teeny It would be Nirvana from Heaven such manna To sing something other than *sweeny I'm down on my knees for the melody I'm begging with all of my might Just have a bar, and let this girl be a star! To *night! *= lyrics following an asterisk are sung in harmony

[@ChibiWagner]

Don't get me wrong, I love singing harmony, BUT THE HARMONY IN EVERY SINGLE SONG IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE SAME

[@lires8119]

all c's. c c c c c c

[@hellopeoplelol2882]

HAHA! Oh, too true.

[@sheebisheebi]

this is perfect for auditions

[@rhinesza12]

Yooo the end note had me crying😂😂😂😂😂

[@traceywalsh6226]

Alto here who has just been cast as Sylvia in 'All Shook Up' and I'm shreaking out those high notes!!! Representing for my Alto sisters ☺☺☺

[@loreleit8386]

Tracey Walsh Cool! NWSA?

[@ndcohen3]

I played Sylvia last year and I too shrieked out those high notes!!! Alto life all day!😊😊😊

[@madeleinetierney8993]

The Memory bit is amazing. I love this girl.

[@natattacc99]

I love singing the harmony... :( --Alto proud for life!

[@abreighm5519]

the 64 dislikes are sopranos

[@bamahornplayer]

Love the song, and great voice! If only there were a baritone's lament... That would be my story in life.

[@hopetoombs8886]

Those 87 dislikes are Sopranos in denial that the alto's never get the melody, and they always get it.

[@EastFortySixGirl]

i love natalie weiss, she has so much personality when she sings.

[@FlutistPride]

Now I want a guy to sing Bass's Lament!!!

[@ComputerGeek1100]

in mixed choirs, tenor's lament would apply too

[@okebaram]

How? Tenor have privilege similar to sopranos in choirs. Baritones & Bass have something to lament, even more than altos lol.

[@FlutistPride]

Basso profundos have blessed vocal cords.

[@aFangirlsVideoMania]

Okebaram E at least bass’s have spots in a lot of Sondheim shows and r&h if they use the original keys

[@Aaron-bz5uu]

Let's see: -Sing C -Sing C an octave or two below -Rest -Repeat

[@PoisonousPen]

That last note always cracks me up 🤣👍👍👍

[@ahhhfakemonsters]

I sang Alto for years and years but then I got placed as a second soprano in SSA choir and I had such a hard time staying on the melody. I was so resentful of being an alto and singing harmony until I was in choirs that had more complicated arrangements and I could actually hear how much cooler the melody was with the harmony

[@MatSwim94]

the best version of this song EVER... she is the PERFECTION

[@madihoff759]

This is the greatest thing I have ever seen! She is so perfect when she sings this song!

[@FoxyStealth]

WOWOWOWOW!!! That was AMAAAAZIIIING!!!

[@jessicapace7221]

This is my jam. Seriously. Story of my life.

[@homebuddha]

God gurl yo do that so awesomely!

[@liahatz]

awkward moment when as a real alto you cant sing this song

[@okebaram]

But is this the original version or even key of the song? It seems pretty high for an alto to sing. I don't believe this singer is an alto...

[@iliyanamarei]

+Okebaram E I've always seen it done in this key

[@okebaram]

Iliyana Serrano I see, thanks. It's an entertaining song. But Natalie who does a wonderful job here is actually a soprano right?

[@akadiampls]

Just because I kind of wanted to shine some light on this subject, the concept of an alto voice part and an alto range are very different. Very few women have a true alto range because it is low enough to be high tenor. Most women in the alto voice part actually have a mezzo range, and a mezzo range is also commonly known as the belt range, which is a hard talent to learn as it requires a large amount of technique as well as working over your voice breaks. So this song is definitely an alto's lament, she's just obviously trained her vocal range to reach those higher notes. The other note is, in a simple explanation, certain hormones thicken the vocal chords, making the voice lower, so you cannot make a voice lower, but you can always train your voice higher into belt and head voice, so for alto and mezzo voices they have a low foundation, and can extend their range higher into soprano range. So yeah, just to through some vocal science out there for everyone wondering about the supposed lack of alto-ness.

[@seagullseagull7678]

Same

[@spacekippie]

she's very nice:D i love her lol she's a great preformer! i hope natalie is gonna be a BIG star! love, kim

[@AmbuhVee]

Ahhhh. This was great; totally relate.

[@MegDoesStuff0]

This song.. is the story of my life. -.-

[@Standring64]

Excellent and ohhhhh soooo true.

[@MeggieRocks1994]

What do you call a soprano who can sight read? An alto...

[@meganmcgowan5798]

What do you call an alto who can stay in tune? A mezzo.

[@amyvocalist]

Fabulous!!!!!

[@VoicesSayBurnIt]

This song says it all

[@lovemetameme]

I LOVE this SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is amazing!!! Im so glad she is on Broadway!! I going sing this song to my choir because of her!! :)

[@alishahunt]

I FEEL THIS ON A DEEP EMOTIONAL LEVEL!!!!!!

[@julesk2629]

I actually really enjoy singing alto! I think it's so fun to harmonize! Still, I must admit there are many times I want to jump up to melody...

[@Myouchan88]

Its too true, I was once a soprano but years of being forced to sing the alto lines in choirs that were increasingly getting smaller meant my range is not what it used to be. This song speaks to me on so many levels xD Love it!

[@ToxicPopsicle]

This is by far my favorite version on KZbin. She's an amazing actress. She brings more life to the piece than most people :D

[@camdenwing8022]

this is my entire life bless

[@PMcSwain]

Literally, my favorite version of this song.

[@JessieJay13]

...my new favorite song ever... story of my life, and she's amazing. ^_^

[@musicaldancer17]

I love this song! And i love it when she does it so well!

[@kw1991]

flawless... just beautiful!!!

[@YoYiPin]

You are awesome!!!

[@gcrievous544]

As someone who’s taken on this song, I say this: it rings true for so many performers. And secondly, you really do need a broad range to go from E below middle C to two C’s above middle C as well as a performer’s pizzazz. So hats off to anyone else who’s tried it.

[@lp2650]

You are awesome! Hahaha! This is fabulous!

[@bwayjangirl92]

that is amazing

[@h0meskill3tt]

THIS SONG IS PERFECT!! god i've never related to a song more than right now!

[@broadwayman]

i cant get over how amazing she is!!

[@theevilqueenreadstoo]

This is SO much fun. That's why I'm still a soprano cuz they get all the fun!

[@RandomRandiRhythms]

I love this song!!!!! Great! ;P

[@BrittanyAlto]

Story of my life,haha I love this.

[@NiaLOVE92]

This is my life!

[@xxdancingkirstyxx]

AMAMZING!

[@MrMoodyJoe]

this is so true.

[@lotus_dream]

the funny thing... is the Sopranos in my school choir were really horrible... some of them could hit the notes but most are screaming w their fucking head notes. They were always flat and it is so bad. at the same time, they acted like they were the king of the choir (nah girl.. the kings are the beautiful basses). Alto always got our shit together and we also use as subs. for tenor bc god.. they were also flat af... You wouldnt notice that the alto sections often sing multiple arrangement along w the alto ones unless u listen really hard... and funny thing is, we all rock when singing solos... so being alto might not be the best if u want to sing the melody, but we r very useful so never be ashame of being alto!!!

[@uclagirlie23]

Story of my life. This is fantastic. #AltoProbs

[@J0ELLEx]

LOVE the jazz square part!!!

[@iMasterMyBlade]

I love singing

[@aromaticchicken518]

You are amazing!

[@stridje]

lovely!

[@MrCokeplay]

she is sooo good :)

[@atomicmrpelly]

Great song, love the last note! And the top C!

[@Chishannicon]

This song is AMAZING. I want to sing it, hahaha.

[@nika1404]

THIS IS brilliant!!!

[@Ssejet]

We have made an Alto Choir at school because we believe that altos can do everything! Our first song to sing is this for our school music festival!

[@shastaholly991]

Ugh this is soo true. I've been an alto for the past six years, but I can definitely sing mezzo soprano. Finally begged my choir director and I am now a strong Soprano 2. (:

[@Broadwaybabymara]

This is just amazing

[@annabellegarcia6585]

The struggle is real! Of course even Alto is too high for me sometimes now. but once upon a time I could totally hit that hi C!

[@sb2wROMAN]

love it!

[@shatteredpitch9182]

Bright side! You may not be able to play any of the characters you want to- but there's Veronica Sawyer

[@zomelon]

Shattered Pitch she may have more of an alto sound than the typical lead, but don't forget those ridiculously high notes in dead girl walking reprise and beautiful🙃

[@rennarice3623]

Zoe Wenger not really high,just powerful

[@user-tn1dy4en1w]

Doctortwipotteron nope. It's high.

[@lounytoon9444]

Yeah it’s high.

[@jasmineocean]

You can also play Heather Duke

[@jemma742]

love it! I love this song im singing it for my final recital xxxx xxxx

[@civreal]

This is brilliant

[@passwordpanda]

Love how she has to sing the 7th at the end! :D SO GREAT!

[@sytycdlike3rinnn]

haha this song is so true!! haha i love it! she's a really great singer!

[@UnbrokenxCircle]

"Jazz square." SUCH enthusiasm. :D

[@dbrel]

Wow -- you are amazing! WAY too good for American Idol ! You have real talent !

[@amacmackin]

hahah that was awesome great job Natalie!

[@nemnyoom]

I kind of like singing harmony? I always have to sing melody though and all the alto parts I've learnt have been on my own. Well. Not On My Own on my own but you get the idea.

[@musicprincess9747]

THIS IS AMAZING YES MY QUEEN

[@WaitonAlsoSings]

Amen to that! Baritones rock the world too, we just don't shatter glass ;)

[@actingdummies1575]

hahaha that was hilarious! wonderful voice, performance, and song!

[@annielaurieburke7828]

Yes, I can totally relate to this. It gets tiresome going on for several bars singing the same note, the only change being whether it's whole, half, quarter or eighth. Boring. Sometimes in weird , nontraditional pieces, we'll get a few bars with wild trills, or even the melody (!) but usually we are stuck in a musical rut. And, yes guys, I sympathize with you basses. Being an opera fan, I know how fabulous basses can sound. But what the basses usually get, at least in most choral groups, is what prompted a friend of mine to observe, "This is why guys quit community choirs".

[@phaeelfont]

Agreed. This always happens to me.

[@browneyesbigsmile]

Wow, what a clever song!!! Hahah great writing.

[@purpleando]

This is so great!

[@StephShrubb]

I LOVE BEING AN ALTO.

[@shinacake]

hahaha, that was amazing!

[@ohmagaod]

ugh, i so know how she feels. STORY. OF. MY. LIFE.

[@MegaMorphTronpages]

just saying Altos dominate musical theatre, if this were an opera point of view, this would be valid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Keith_Petersen_Actor]

The book babbler well, alto only applies in chorus. In solo music like opera or the leads you are classified as contralto, mezzo or soprano.

[@MegaMorphTronpages]

TRUE BUT you get what i mean! :)

[@Keith_Petersen_Actor]

The book babbler Yeah, those sopranos get Christine and Galinda and that's like it.

[@artemisquill6542]

I feel this! I can sing every note in Christine's part, as well as some formidable opera roles, and here's the 18 year old casting assistant: "Oh, you can't belt? Forget that you're the only person here who can be heard without a microphone, I hope you can usher!" Let's get some love for the classical musicians!

[@MegaMorphTronpages]

+Artemis Quill totally agree! I am a musical theatre performer myself but know how u feel as a soprano and the fact I started in classical music and know many performers and operatic sopranos like yourself!

[@eris7394]

This is so relatable.

[@bsusaxplaya]

Definitely need a "bass' lament" as well... amazing job, Natalie

[@walteroakley9115]

No argument here. Everything is written for sopranos and tenors. Basses are not tenors that can sing a little low. It is a part that needs to be written in a bass range and not have us screeching in the stratosphere

[@CWazBroadwayBandGeek]

I'm totally going to do this for my Departmental Recital this year! AMAZING :D

[@littledagny]

Hey Natalie! I loved your performance! This is one of the best G&H songs. Nice high notes ;-)

[@BeAlive06]

Oh my gosh I was so excited to see that you sang this song. Alto (sometimes)= Bummer. Until this song came into existence. Hear us roar. :D

[@MichaelD1085]

Either she is a lyric soprano or mezzo. Rare cases to find ture altos.Awesome rendition my friend once performed this pieace as well. Wonderful job!!!

[@mariaseiple9433]

Not gonna lie when my voice teacher said I was a true contralto I cried.