tenor
Sign in to saveThe tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest-voice type. Composers typically write music for the tenor in the range from the second B below middle C, to the G above middle C (i.e. B2 to G4) in choral music – and from the second B-flat below middle C, to the C above middle C (B2 to C5) in operatic music – but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of the tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor and tenor buffo (also known as the ).
AI overview
A tenor is a male singing voice that sits in the middle-to-high range of male voices, typically spanning from around the B note below middle C to the G or C above it depending on the musical context. It matters because composers write many important vocal roles specifically for tenors, and understanding this voice type helps singers find music suited to their range and audiences appreciate the different vocal qualities in choral and operatic performances.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
14 sectionsContents
- History
- Vocal range
- In choral music
- Subtypes and roles in opera
- Leggero
- Lyric
- Spinto
- Dramatic
- Heldentenor
- Tenor buffo or spieltenor
- Other uses
- See also
- References
- External links
The tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest-voice type. Composers typically write music for the tenor in the range from the second B below middle C, to the G above middle C (i.e. B2 to G4) in choral music – and from the second B-flat below middle C, to the C above middle C (B2 to C5) in operatic music – but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of the tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor and tenor buffo (also known as the ).
== History == The term tenor derives from the Latin word tenere, which means 'to hold'. Tenor came into use, at first, to denote the role of the critical male voice in the structure of a polyphonic vocal work. 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 16th-century introduction of the contratenor singers, the tenor was usually the lowest 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, part-books labelled 'tenor' sometimes contained parts for a range of voice types.