The

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

voice is typically written in the range from the second G below

middle 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 frequen ...

to the G above middle C (G₂–G₄) although it can be extended at either end. However, the baritone voice is determined not only by its

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 stud ...

, but also by its

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...

, which tends to be darker than that of the typical

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

voice.Pinksterboer, Hugo
''The Singing Voice: The Complete Guide''
Music Dispatch, 2008, p. 55. The term ''baritone'' was developed in relation to classical and

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 librett ...

tic voices, where the classification is based not merely on the singer's vocal range but also on the

tessitura In music, tessitura (, pl. ''tessiture'', "texture"; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or character ...

and timbre of the voice. For classical and operatic singers, their voice type determines the roles they will sing and is a primary method of categorization. In non-classical music, singers are defined by their genre and their gender and not by their vocal range.Axelrod, Alan
''The complete idiot's guide to jazz''
Alpha Books, 1999, pp. 68–69 (). See also Tarasti, Eero
''Signs of music: a guide to musical semiotics''
Walter de Gruyter, 2002, pp. 157–178 () When the terms ''

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

'', ''

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

'', ''

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

'', ''tenor'', ''baritone'', and ''

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

'' are used as descriptors of non-classical voices, they are applied more loosely than they would be to those of classical singers and generally refer only to the singer's perceived vocal range. Successful non-classical baritones display a wide range of vocal qualities and effects that lend a unique character to their voices, many of which are considered undesirable in the operatic or classical baritone singer, such as "breathy" (

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

),Laird, Tracey E. W.
''Louisiana hayride: radio and roots music along the red river''
by Oxford University Press US, 2005, p. 115 "crooning" (

Ville Valo Ville Hermanni Valo (; born 22 November 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM. Born and raised in Helsinki to a Hungarian mother and Finnish father, Valo began h ...

),Cray, Jen
Review: H.I.M. with Skindred and Finch
''Ink19'', November 2005.Werner, Craig Hansen
''A change is gonna come: music, race & the soul of America''
University of Michigan Press, 2006, p. 180 "growling" (

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

),Jackson, Laura, ''Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion'',. ECW Press, 2005, p. 155 and even "ragged" (

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

).Gardner, Elysa
Jersey son Springsteen hosts 'the ultimate party'

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

, 15 July 2003. The following is a list of singers in various

music genres A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

and styles (most of which can be found on the

List of popular music genres This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many music genre, genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise ...

)For a detailed description of the differences between the operatic and musical theatre voice see Björkner, Eva,
''Why so different? Aspects of voice characteristics in operatic and musical theatre singing''

KTH KTH may refer to: * Keat Hong LRT station, Singapore, LRT station abbreviation * Kent House railway station, London, National Rail station code * KTH Royal Institute of Technology, a university in Sweden * KTH Krynica, a Polish ice hockey team * Khy ...

School of Computer Science and Communication, 2006 () who have been described as the best baritones.