Information about Tenor

Voice Type (ranges)

Female voices Soprano Mezzo-soprano Alto or Contralto Male voices Sopranist Countertenor (Alto or Mezzo) Tenor Baritone Bass-baritone Bass [ edit this] - [ view history]

A tenor is a singer with a voice range from approximately C3 (one octave below middle C) to A4 (above middle C) in choral music, or up to "tenor C" (C5, one octave above middle C) or higher in operatic music (see voice type).

Origin of the term

The name "tenor" derives from the Latin word tenere, which means "to hold". In medieval and Renaissance polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the tenor was the structurally fundamental (or ‘holding’) voice, vocal or instrumental. All other voices were normally calculated in relation to the tenor, which often proceeded in longer note values and carried a borrowed Cantus firmus melody. Until the late 15th century introduction of the contratenor bassus, the tenor was usually the lowest voice, assuming the role of providing a harmonic foundation. It was also in the 15th 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 seventeenth century, partbooks labelled 'tenor' might contain parts for a range of voice types.

Tenor classification

Although vocal range is the primary characteristic which defines a tenor, it is not the only. A tenor is ultimately classified by several vocal traits, including range, tone quality, vocal lift points, and transition points ("passaggio") within the singer's range. It is generally recognized that the average transitional area, or passaggio, of the tenor begins with a lift around middle C or C# and ends with a lift at F or F# above that (Alderson 1979). In non-professional choirs, individuals will generally be classified based on their most resonant and comfortable tessitura.

Tenor in choral music

In four-part choral music, the tenor is the second lowest voice, above the bass and below the soprano and alto. The range of the choral tenor is generally not as great as that in opera, however. While 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 B2 up to A4. 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 style choral music can quite successfully rely on light baritones singing in the falsetto.

Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing is the shortage of tenor voices. Because the higher tenor range is quite unusual in adult males, and many composers label a part in the lower Alto range as "Tenor," the majority of men tend to prefer singing bass or baritone. For this reason, some men are often asked to sing tenor even if they lack the full range, and sometimes low altos are even asked to sing the tenor part as well.

Other uses

In the Barbershop harmony musical style, the name "tenor" is used for the highest part. The four parts are known (lowest to highest) as bass, baritone, lead, and tenor. The tenor generally sings in falsetto voice (thus the term tenor used in barbershop terminology most closely corresponds to the term countertenor as used in classical music), and harmonizes above the lead, who sings the melody. The barbershop tenor range is, as notated, Bb-below-middle C to D-above-high-C (and sung an octave lower).

It is often applied to instruments to indicate their range in relation to other instruments of the same group. For instance the tenor saxophone.

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."

Types of tenor and tenor roles in operas

In opera, the tessitura, vocal weight, and timbre of tenor voices, and the roles they sing, are commonly categorized into voice types, often called fächer (sg. fach, from German Fach or Stimmfach, "vocal category").

A note on vocal range vs. tessitura: Choral and pop singers are classified into voice parts based on range; solo classical singers are classified into voice types based in part on tessitura – where the voice has the best timbre and easy volume.

The lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is A3 (Mime, Herod), but few roles fall below C3 (one octave below middle C).

The high extreme: many tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for a "tenor C" (C5, one octave above middle C). It would be hard for a tenor to pursue a solo career without a B Flat 5. In the leggiero repertoire the highest note is an F5 (Arturo in I Puritani), though few singers will have this role in their repertoire. Countertenor ranges will correspond to the mezzo-soprano, or sometimes soprano range. While not necessarily within the tessitura, a good tenor will be able to sing his top notes full-throated, with timbre and dynamic control.

Following are the operatic tenor fächer, with their standard repertory roles:

Leggiero tenor

Also "tenore di grazia" or "light-lyric tenor" - a light, flexible tenor, specializing in the operas of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, and sometimes specializing in Baroque repertoire.

Singers include Juan Diego Flórez, Rockwell Blake, William Matteuzzi, Nicolai Gedda

Lyric tenor

A graceful, brilliant tenor voice.

Singers include Luciano Pavarotti, Alfredo Kraus, José Carreras, Guillermo Orozco, Roberto Alagna, Marcelo Álvarez and Rolando Villazón.

Spinto tenor

A lyric tenor with more "punch", therefore able to play more heroic roles

Singers include Enrico Caruso, and Franco Corelli.

Dramatic tenor

Also "tenore di forza" or "robusto" - a ringing and very powerful, rich, heroic tenor

Singers include Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo.

• Heldentenor - the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality; the typical Wagnerian protagonist

Singers include Lauritz Melchior, Wolfgang Windgassen, Jon Vickers and Ben Heppner.

Other tenor types

• Character tenor - a tenor with good acting ability, and the ability to create distinct voices for his characters. Specializes in smaller comic roles such as Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, Mime in Siegfried, Monostatos in The Magic Flute and Pedrillo in The Abduction from the Seraglio.

Tenor roles in operettas and musicals

All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas have at least one lead tenor character, and they are not listed in this list, except for Capt. Fitzbattleaxe, who sings an Act II song about being a tenor. A tenor who was famous for singing these roles was Thomas Round.

Sources

David Fallows, Owen Jander. "Tenor", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy, grovemusic.com (subscription access).

See also

• List of famous tenors
• Opera
• List of important operas
• List of important opera companies
• List of opera festivals
• List of opera houses
• Voice type
• Countertenor
• Sopranist

External links

• Tenor voices in Opera with video examples
• Collection of public domain scores (Indiana U)
• Smaller collection of public domain scores (Harvard)
• Collection of librettos and translations
• Collection of librettos (Karadar)
• Collection of librettos (Stanford)
• Verdi librettos
• German/English Wagner librettos
• Aria database