CONSONANTS (this will be wordy, but its important--so read it...

please)
I dont know if Ill have another rehearsal with just the ensemble before the show opens.
These notes have to do with our consonants. It would be nice to have time with you to
work these, but in the event that doesnt happen, heres what needs some focus from
each of you.
For spaces like Harton, consonants get completely swallowed up. When a consonant
appears (visually) on sounds made by voices, they have very little sound when
compared to vowels. This means that whatever youre singing in terms of volume, the
consonants have to be at least two levels louder than the vowels.
Some consonant sounds have voiced and unvoiced versions:
Voiced

Unvoiced

[b]

[p]

[d]

[t]

[g] gas

[k] kiss

[j] juggle

[ch] church

[v]

[f]

[z]

[s]

By definition, consonant sounds are produced by friction (for instance, teeth and lips) or
the obstruction of breath flow (think [b], [d], [g], and their unvoiced pairings). Obstructive
consonants (plosives) require a great deal of breath in large hall settings, like Harton.
Initial hard [g] consonants are replaced with [k] in many places of the lyrics below. It
may feel strange, but its the best way to get a word like girl [kirl] to sound like the word
girl in a large space.
But because most consonants have no voice behind them, singers have to add neutral
vowels to bring out the sound of the consonant. Ive gone through the songs and
highlighted various words and added the neutral [] schwa vowel to bring out the
sound of the consonant. Schwa is the initial sound in the English words, about and
around, and the final sound in the words, kinda and sorta, (the way we usually
speak the words, kind of and sort of. For those of you who know IPA, Im using a little
of it in place of the written consonant sounds, but Im using phonetic spellings for the
vowels. Ive also added an [ih] following some final consonants--mostly [t]. But unlike
the voiced [], the [ih] is unvoiced and more like a whisper.
Speaking of speaking words, we often speak with very little consonants--just listen to
each other. Thats the reason it feels very odd to sing with so much consonant

emphasis. But if we sing with our speaking diction, no one will ever understand anything
we are trying to communicate. So: lots of consonant energy! All of the consonants need
emphasis, but those that are bold underlined need even more. If a word has already
appeared once, Im going to trust you to remember each time it appears in the song
(e.g., Belle, is, of, etc.)
#8 - Belle
mm. 47-63: look[]; go[z]; strange; [k]westion[]; dazed[]; distra[k][t]ed[]; [k]an[t];
tell[]; uh[v]; [k]rowd[]; [k]au[z]; head[z]; [k]loud[]; deenying; that; bell[]
mm. 111-126 : []look[]; go[z]; that; girl; i[z]; pe[k]yulyar; wonder; if; she[z]; feeling;
well[]; dreamy; faroff; []look[]; and[]; no[z]; stuck; book[]; what (not wuhd);
rest; uh[v]; i[z]; bell[]
mm. 170-179: very; diffrent; from; the; rest; uh[v]; she[z] nothing; like;
mm. 225-241: []look; i[z]nt; dreamy; Gaston[]; still[]; heart; hardly; breathing; hee[z];
such; tall[]; dark; strong; and[]; hand[]some (not hansome); brute
mm. 261-end: (see words above, plus...) special[]; madmoi[z]ell[]; pity; sin[];
doesnt; [k]wite; fit; in[]; (remember: gossipy is next); [k]au[z]; funny; beeyooty;
#8 - Gaston
mm. 108-113: []no; [w]on[z]; been[]like (like one word); gaston[]; kingpin[]like (like
one word)
mm. 122-125: []my; what; guy; that
mm. 136-139: fights; douse[z]; []lights[]likgaston[]
mm. 143-146: for; ther[z]; a[z]; burly; and[]brawny
mm. 161-167: []matche[z]oowits
mm. 172-176: ten[]pointsforgaston[] (as one word)
mm. 201-205: as before
mm. 355-385: (as above, plus...) beeyoots
#9 - Be Our Guest

mm. 44-48: []beef; chee[z][s]ouffle; pie; pudding; flambe;

mm. 60-82: [oo]wetell[]jokes; and; all; perfe[k]taste (as one word); thatyou (as one
word, and not like, thachoo...bless you); [k]an; bet; [k]ome; and[]liftyourglass
(as one word); youve; ownfreepass (as one word); to; be; guest[ih]
mm. 95-127: []getyour (as one word, and not gitchuhr); worrie[z]; off; chest[ih]; let;
for; entree; wevanarray (as one word); su[g][j]est; try; bread[]; soup[];
[k]routon[z]; loopdeeloop[] (as one word); treatfor (as one word); dinah (to rhyme
with china); dont; bihlievme (as one word); ask (the [k] makes this word, right?);
chinah; singing[]pork[] (as one word); dancing; veal; entertaining; meal[];
[k]ould; gloomy; depresse[tih]; make; shout; en[k]ore; out[ih]; for
mm. 198-200: [oo]wevgota (as one word, and not we godda); lotodo (as one word)
mm. 392-end: [k]ommandi[z] (as one word); re[k]west[ih]; meal[]; ea[z]; indeed;
plea[z]e; [k]andlightstill[k]lowing[] (as one word); let (and not led); [k]eep;
[k]ourse; shou[t]; offtosleepa[z]eeyoudi[j]est[ih] (all as one word with LOTS of
consonant sounds); tonighteeyoull (as one word, and not tonightchull); prop; up;
eat
#13 - Human Again
mm. 59-61: [n]ick[ih][n]a[ks]and[]what[ih]notsnomore (as one word, believe it or not)
mm. 150-166: sweep[ih]; dust[ih]fraaahmthefloor (as one word); let[ih];
lightin[]theroom (as one word); [k]an[]feel; [k]antell;
someon[]might[]brea[kih]thespehhlanyday (as one word)
mm. 192-200: swee; pup[]; year[z]; sad[]nessantear[z]and[] (as one word)
mm. 241-331: [k]irlfinally; free; [ch]eeksabloomin (as one word); re[z]ume; lost[ih];
p[ih]layin; prayin; A-S-A-P (each letter very distinctly); [k]astoffthispall (as one
word); stand[]straight; walk[ih]tall; all[]that[]wewere (as one word);
thankstoHim[]thankstoHer (as one word); [k]oming; [k]loser; dancing; twirling;
around[]; suchee[z]; walt[s]ing; on[] - two - three[z]; floating; [k]liding;
stepping; stridinga[z]finea[z]youplea[z]; dah[z]; that; wah[z];
[k]loriousmorn[]when; finally

#17 - The Mob Song

mm. 47-61: []lightyour (not lighcher); torch[ih]; mountyour (not mouncher); horse;
[k]ounting; tolead[]theway (as one word); mist[ih]; wood[]; (you really have to
tell the story with these next words): wherewithinaHaunted[][k]astle (as one
word); []lurking; thatyou (not thachoo, ...bless you); dontseeevryday;
beast[ih]; [k]ood; decease[tih]; forth[ih]; [k]rabyoursord[]; [k]rabyourbow;
mm. 64-83: (this next part is tough, because your are moving even more; spit the
consonants out) dont[ih]lik[ih]; understand; fa[kt]its[k]are[z]us (as one word);
and[]thismonsteri[z]; at[ih]least[ih]; bring; gun[z]; knivz; children; save; villa[ch]
mm. 110-117: Hearts; b[]laz[]; unafraid; flag; [k]omwerefiftystrong[] (as one word);
and[]fiftyFrenchmen[k]ant[ih]be (as one word)
#19 - Transformation/Finale
mm. 157-: [s]ertaina[z]thesun[]; thee/east[ih]; tala[z]olda[z]tim[] (as one word);
olda[z]rhym[]; beeyootyand[] (careful it doesnt come out as yand; leave just a
little space between the word beauty and the word and); thebeast[ih]