A tenor is a type of
classical male
singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...
voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...
whose
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
lies between the
countertenor and
baritone voice type
A voice type is a group of voices with similar vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and with similar vocal transition points ('' passaggi''). Voice classification is most strongly associated with European classical music, ...
s. It is the highest male
chest voice
Chest voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Chest voice can be used in ...
type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C
5. The low extreme for tenors is widely defined to be B
2, though some roles include an A
2 (two As below middle C). At the highest extreme, some tenors can sing up to the second F above middle C (F
5).
The tenor voice type is generally divided into the ''leggero'' tenor, lyric tenor,
spinto
Spinto (from Italian, "pushed") is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals. (Sometimes the terms ' or ' a ...
tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or .
History
The name "tenor" derives from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''
tenere'', which means "to hold". As Fallows, Jander, Forbes, Steane, Harris and Waldman note in the "Tenor" article at ''
Grove Music Online'':
In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the enor was thestructurally fundamental (or 'holding') voice, vocal or instrumental; by the 15th century it came to signify the male voice that sang such parts.
All other voices were normally calculated in relation to the tenor, which often proceeded in longer note values and carried a borrowed
Cantus firmus
In music, a ''cantus firmus'' ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.
The plural of this Latin term is , although the corrupt form ''canti firmi'' (resulting from the grammatically incorrect tre ...
melody. Until the late 16th-century introduction of the
contratenor
A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...
singers, the tenor was usually the highest voice, assuming the role of providing a foundation. It was also in the 18th century that "tenor" came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. Thus, for earlier repertoire, a line marked 'tenor' indicated the part's role, and not the required voice type; indeed, even as late as the eighteenth century, partbooks labelled 'tenor' might contain parts for a range of voice types.
Vocal range
![Tenor voice range on keyboard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Tenor_voice_range_on_keyboard.svg)
The
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
of the tenor is one of the highest of the male
voice type
A voice type is a group of voices with similar vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and with similar vocal transition points ('' passaggi''). Voice classification is most strongly associated with European classical music, ...
s. Within
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
, the lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is widely defined to be B
2. However, the role of Rodrigo di Dhu (written for
Andrea Nozzari) in Rossini's rarely performed ''
La donna del lago
''La donna del lago'' (English: ''The Lady of the Lake'') is an opera composed by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola (whose verses are described as "limpid" by one critic) based on the French translationOsborne, Charles 19 ...
'' is defined as a tenor but requires an A
2. Within more frequently performed repertoire,
Mime
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...
and
Herod both call for an A
2. A few tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for a "tenor C" (C
5, one octave above middle C). Some, if not all, of the few top Cs in the standard operatic repertoire are either optional—such as in "
Che gelida manina
"Che gelida manina" ("What a frozen little hand") is a tenor aria from the first act of Giacomo Puccini's opera, ''La bohème''. The aria is sung by Rodolfo to Mimì when they first meet. In the aria he tells her of his life as a poet, and ends by ...
" in Puccini's ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...
''—or interpolated (added) by tradition, such as in "
Di quella pira
"Di quella pira" ("Of that pyre") is a short tenor aria (or more specifically, a cabaletta) sung by Manrico in act 3, scene 2, of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Il trovatore''. It is the last number of the act.
Setting
In a chamber adjoining the chape ...
" from Verdi's ''
Il trovatore
''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...
''); however, the highest demanded note in the standard tenor operatic repertoire is D
5, found in "
Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire
"Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire", is a tenor aria in Adolphe Adam's 1836 opera ''Le postillon de Lonjumeau''. The D5 in the final verse is the highest commonly sung note for tenors in opera. Donizetti wrote an E5 for Edgardo in the first act of his ...
" from
Adolphe Adam
Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and '' Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas '' Le po ...
's ''
Le postillon de Lonjumeau
''Le postillon de Lonjumeau'' (''The Postillion of Lonjumeau'') is an opéra-comique in three acts by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by Adolphe de Leuven and Léon Lévy Brunswick.
The opera has become the most successful of Adam's works, ...
'' and "" from Fromental Halévy's ''
La Juive''). In the ''leggero'' repertoire, the highest note is F
5 (Arturo in "Credeasi, misera" from
Bellini's ''
I puritani
' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a libretto ...
''), therefore, very few tenors have this role in their repertoire without transposition (given the raising of
concert pitch
Concert pitch is the pitch reference to which a group of musical instruments are tuned for a performance. Concert pitch may vary from ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over music history. The most common modern tuning standard uses ...
since its composition),
or resorting to
falsetto.
In choral music
In
SATB four-part mixed chorus, the tenor is the second lowest vocal range, above the
bass and below the
alto and
soprano.
Men's chorus
A men's chorus or male voice choir (MVC) (German: ''Männerchor''), is a choir consisting of men who sing with either a tenor or bass voice, and whose music is typically arranged into high and low tenors (1st and 2nd tenor), and high and low bass ...
usually denotes an ensemble of
TTBB In musical choral notation, TTBB denotes a four-part lower-voice choir. Its configuration is Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Bass 1 (Baritone), Bass 2.
The Tanunda Liedertafel employs this method of notation in their music.
Typically (but not always) the 1s ...
in which the first tenor is the highest voice. Whilst certain choral music does require the first tenors to ascend the full tenor range, the majority of choral music places the tenors in the range from approximately B
2 up to A
4. The requirements of the tenor voice in choral music are also tied to the style of music most often performed by a given choir. Orchestra choruses require tenors with fully resonant voices, but chamber or
a cappella choral music (sung with no instrumental accompaniment) can sometimes rely on light
baritones singing in
falsetto.
Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing is the shortage of tenor voices. Most men tend to have baritone voices and for this reason the majority of men tend to prefer singing in the bass section of a choir (though true basses are even rarer than tenors). Some men sing tenor even if they lack the full range, and sometimes low altos sing the tenor part.
In men's choruses that consist of four male vocal parts TTBB (tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1, bass 2), tenors will often sing both in chest tone and falsetto, extending the vocal range of the choir.
Subtypes and roles in opera
Within the tenor voice type category are seven generally recognized subcategories: ''leggero'' tenor, lyric tenor,
spinto
Spinto (from Italian, "pushed") is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals. (Sometimes the terms ' or ' a ...
tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, Mozart tenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor. There is considerable overlap between the various categories of role and of voice-type; some tenor singers have begun with lyric voices but have transformed with time into spinto or even dramatic tenors.
Leggero
Also known as the ''
tenore di grazia , also called tenor (''graceful'', ''light'', and ''lightweight'' tenor, respectively), is a lightweight, flexible tenor voice type.Soreanu, Cristina. "Nineteenth Century’s Donizettian Singers and their Contribution to the Development of the Voca ...
'', the ''leggero'' tenor is essentially the male equivalent of a
lyric coloratura
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills.
The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of ...
. This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of
fioritura
Fioritura ( , , meaning "flourish" or "flowering"; plural ) is the florid embellishment of melodic lines, either notated by a composer or improvised during a performance. It usually involves lengthy, complex embellishments, as opposed to standardi ...
. The typical ''leggero'' tenor possesses a range spanning from approximately C
3 to E
5, with a few being able to sing up to F
5 or higher in
full voice. In some cases, the chest register of the ''leggero'' tenor may extend below C
3. Voices of this type are utilized frequently in the operas of
Rossini,
Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...
,
Bellini and in music dating from the
Baroque period.
''Leggero'' tenor roles in operas:
Lyric
The lyric tenor is a warm graceful voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy and can be heard over an orchestra. Lyric tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C
3) to the D one octave above middle C (D
5). Similarly, their lower range may extend a few notes below the C
3. There are many vocal shades to the lyric tenor group, repertoire should be selected according to the weight, colors, and abilities of the voice.
Gilbert Duprez (1806–1896) was a historically significant lyric tenor. He was the first tenor to sing on stage the operatic
high C
C or Do is the first note and semitone of the C major scale, the third note of the A minor scale (the relative minor of C major), and the fourth note (G, A, B, C) of the Guidonian hand, commonly pitched around 261.63 Hz. The actual frequ ...
from the chest (''ut de poitrine'') as opposed to using
falsettone Falsettone is a term used in modern Italian musicology to describe a vocal technique used by male opera singers in the past, in which the fluty sounds typical of falsetto singing are amplified by using the same singing technique used in the modal v ...
. He is also known for originating the role of Edgardo in ''Lucia di Lammermoor''.
Lyric tenor roles in operas:
Spinto
The spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes with less strain than the lighter-voice counterparts. Spinto tenors have a darker timbre than a lyric tenor, without having a vocal color as dark as many (not all) dramatic tenors. The German equivalent of the Spinto ''
Fach
The German system (; literally "compartment" or "subject of study", here in the sense of "vocal specialization") is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used ...
'' is the ' and encompasses many of the Dramatic tenor roles as well as some Wagner roles such as Lohengrin and Stolzing. The difference is often the depth and metal in the voice where some lyric tenors age or push their way into singing as a Spinto giving them a lighter tone and a ' tends to be either a young heldentenor or true lyric spinto. Spinto tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C
3) to the C one octave above middle C (C
5).
Spinto tenor roles in operas:
Dramatic
Also "tenore robusto", the dramatic tenor has an emotive, ringing and very powerful, clarion, heroic tenor sound. The dramatic tenor's approximate range is from the B one octave below middle C (B
2) to the B one octave above middle C (B
4) with some able to sing up to the C one octave above middle C (C
5).
Many successful dramatic tenors though have historically avoided the coveted high C in performance. Their lower range tends to extend into the baritone tessitura or, a few notes below the C
3, even down to A♭
2. Some dramatic tenors have a rich and dark tonal colour to their voice (such as the mature
Enrico Caruso) while others (like
Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America.Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, On 5 February ...
) possess a bright, steely timbre.
Dramatic tenor roles in operas:
Heldentenor
The heldentenor (English: ''heroic tenor'') has a rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the heldentenor vocal ''
Fach
The German system (; literally "compartment" or "subject of study", here in the sense of "vocal specialization") is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used ...
'' features in the German
romantic operatic repertoire. The heldentenor is the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality: the typical
Wagnerian
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
protagonist. The keystone of the heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's ''
Siegfried
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
'', an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range and great power, plus tremendous stamina and acting ability. Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this ''Fach'' or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore, the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes.
Heldentenor roles in operas:
Mozart
A
Mozart tenor is yet another distinct tenor type. In Mozart singing, the most important element is the instrumental approach of the vocal sound which implies: flawless and slender emission of sound, perfect intonation, legato, diction and phrasing, capability to cope with the dynamic requirements of the score, beauty of timbre, secure line of singing through perfect support and absolute breath control, musical intelligence, body discipline, elegance, nobility, agility and, most importantly, ability for dramatic expressiveness within the narrow borders imposed by the strict Mozartian style.
The German Mozart tenor tradition goes back to the end of the 1920s, when Mozart tenors started making use of Caruso's technique (a tenor who rarely sang Mozart) to achieve and improve the required dynamics and dramatic expressiveness.
Mozart tenor roles in operas:
Tenor buffo or spieltenor
A Tenor buffo or spieltenor is a tenor with good acting ability, and the ability to create distinct voices for his characters. This voice specializes in smaller comic roles. The range of the tenor buffo is from the C one octave below middle C (C
3) to the C one octave above middle C (C
5). The tessitura of these parts ranges from lower than other tenor roles to very high and broad. These parts are often played by younger tenors who have not yet reached their full vocal potential or older tenors who are beyond their prime singing years. Only rarely will a singer specialize in these roles for an entire career.
In French
opéra comique, supporting roles requiring a thin voice but good acting are sometimes described as 'trial', after the singer
Antoine Trial
Antoine Trial (13 October 1737, Avignon – 5 February 1795, Paris) was a French singer and actor. He was the younger brother of the musician Jean-Claude Trial (1732–1771) and husband of soprano Marie-Jeanne Milon, stage name Félicité Mandevi ...
(1737–1795), examples being in the operas of
Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
and in ''
The Tales of Hoffmann
''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died i ...
''.
Tenor buffo or spieltenor roles in operas:
Gilbert and Sullivan and operetta
All of
Gilbert and Sullivan's
Savoy opera
Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...
s have at least one lead lyric tenor character. Notable
operetta roles are:
* Candide, ''
Candide'' (
Bernstein)
* Alfred, ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original li ...
'' (
Johann Strauss II)
* Eisenstein, ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original li ...
'' (Johann Strauss II)
* Camille, Count de Rosillon, ''
The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...
'' (
Lehár)
* Prince Karl, ''
The Student Prince
''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...
'' (
Romberg)
* Captain Dick, ''
Naughty Marietta'' (
Herbert
Herbert may refer to:
People Individuals
* Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert
Name
* Herbert (given name)
* Herbert (surname)
Places Antarctica
* Herbert Mountains, Coats Land
* Herbert Sound, Graham Land
Australia
* Herbert ...
)
* Frederic, "
The Pirates of Penzance
''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...
" (
Gilbert and Sullivan)
Other uses
There are four parts in
barbershop harmony: bass, baritone, lead, and tenor (lowest to highest), with "tenor" referring to the highest part. The tenor generally sings in falsetto voice, corresponding roughly to the
countertenor in classical music, and harmonizes above the lead, who sings the melody. The barbershop tenor range is Middle C to A one octave above Middle C, though it is written an octave lower. The "lead" in barbershop music is equivalent to the normal tenor range.
In
bluegrass music, the melody line is called the lead. Tenor is sung an interval of a third above the lead. Baritone is the fifth of the scale that has the lead as a tonic, and may be sung below the lead, or even above the lead (and the tenor), in which case it is called "high baritone".
See also
*
Category of tenors
*
Fach system for voice classification
*
List of tenors in non-classical music
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3 (C one octave below middle C), to the high C (C5). The low extreme for tenors is roughly A2 (two octaves b ...
*
Voice classification in non-classical music
There is no authoritative system of voice classification in non-classical music as classical terms are used to describe not merely various vocal ranges, but specific vocal timbres unique to each range. These timbres are produced by classical tra ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Choral music
Musical terminology
Opera terminology
Pitch (music)
Voice types