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Tenor#Lyric

{{Short description|Classical male singing voice}}

{{About|the male classical voice type|this voice type in other music genres|List of tenors in non-classical music|other uses}}

{{Cleanup rewrite|it contains possible original research and possible copyright infringements, hampering reliability. Additionally, it lacks references and page numbers on references, and it is written like a biased editorial, which disrupts verifiability and neutral point of view|date=July 2017}}

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{{Voice type}}

A 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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QaW0AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA458|page=458|title=Performance Practice: A Dictionary-Guide for Musicians|author=Roland Jackson|publisher=Routledge|date= 23 Oct 2013|isbn=9781136767708}} Composers typically write music for this voice 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 (B{{music|flat}}2 to C5) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end.{{Cite web|title=Vocal Ranges {{!}} Yale University Library|url=https://web.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/vocal-ranges|access-date=2021-08-18|website=web.library.yale.edu}}{{Cite web|title=Tenor {{!}} vocal range|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/tenor-vocal-range|access-date=2021-08-18|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}} Subtypes of tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or {{lang|de|spieltenor}}.

History

The name "tenor" derives from the Latin word tenere, which means "to hold". As noted in the "Tenor" article at Grove Music Online:

In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the [tenor was the] structurally fundamental (or 'holding') voice, vocal or instrumental; by the 15th century it came to signify the male voice that sang such parts.Fallows, David; Jander, Owen; Forbes, Elizabeth; Steane, J. B.; Harris, Ellen T.; and Waldman, Gerald (2001). [http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.27667 "Tenor"] {{Subscription required}}. Grove Music Online.

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, partbooks labelled 'tenor' might contain parts for a range of voice types.{{cite book |title= Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy |last= Stark |first= James |year= 2003 | location = Toronto, CAN |publisher= University of Toronto Press |isbn= 9780802086143 }}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

Vocal range

File:Tenor voice range on keyboard.svg staff (left) and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C (C4). The numeral eight below the treble clef indicates that the pitches sound an octave lower than written: see Clef#Octave clefs. This is the standard clef for tenor parts in scores.]]

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|{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } \clef "treble_8" c4 c''4 }

The vocal range of the tenor is the highest of the male voice types. Within opera, the lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is widely defined to be B{{music|flat}}2. However, the role of Rodrigo di Dhu (written for Andrea Nozzari) in Rossini's rarely performed La donna del lago is defined as a tenor but requires an A{{music|flat}}2.https://vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a4/IMSLP107834-PMLP83289-Rossini_-_La_donna_del_lago_(vs_Carli).pdf

p.101 (of the file) Within more frequently performed repertoire, Mime and Herod both call for an A2.Mime A2 https://ks15.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/6/63/IMSLP336112-SIBLEY1802.23612.c0b6-39087011185776Act_I.pdf

p.54 (of the file)HerodA2 https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/d/d8/IMSLP824681-PMLP03532-Strauss_R._Salome_PS_cropped.pdf

p.198

A few tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for a "tenor C" (C5, 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" in Puccini's La bohème—or interpolated (added) by tradition, such as in "Di quella pira" from Verdi's Il trovatore); however, the highest demanded note in the standard tenor operatic repertoire is D5, found in "Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire"{{AllMusic|class=composition|id=mc0002375912|label=Adolphe Adam – Le postillon de lonjumeau|first=Erik|last=Eriksson|access-date=27 July 2014}} from Adolphe Adam's Le postillon de Lonjumeau and "{{lang|fr|Loin de son amie|italic=no}}"{{cite web | author = Glaubitz, Robert | date = 2010 | title = Loin de son amie—No. 3, Sérénade from Act I of the French opera La Juive by Jacques François Fromental Halévy | work = Aria-Database.com | url = http://www.aria-database.com/search.php?individualAria=1172 | access-date = 16 April 2017 |url-status=live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170417072437/http://www.aria-database.com/search.php?individualAria=1172 | archive-date = 17 April 2017 | df = dmy-all }} from Fromental Halévy's La Juive). In the leggero repertoire, the highest note is F5 (Arturo in "Credeasi, misera" from Bellini's I puritani),{{cite web|author = IMSLP Staff [Guo, Edward W. et al.] | date = 2017 | title = Bellini – I puritani (vocal score) | location = Wilmington, DE | publisher = International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)/Petrucci Music Library (Project Petrucci LLC) | url=http://imslp.org/wiki/File:PMLP60620-Bellini_-_I_puritani_(vocal_score).pdf |pages=254, 256|work=IMSLP.org}}{{Cite web|url=https://ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstream/handle/1803/3084/sen-suranjanocr.pdf|title=Romantic and Modern Music Literature (MUSL 244)|last=Calico|first=Joy|page=7}} therefore, very few tenors have this role in their repertoire without transposition (given the raising of concert pitch since its composition),{{cite book |title= Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias |last= Boldrey |first= Richard |year= 1994 | publisher= Caldwell Publishing|isbn= 9781877761645 }}{{page needed|date=April 2017}} or resorting to falsetto.

In choral music

{{Choral voice classification}}

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 usually denotes an ensemble of TTBB 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 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. Orchestral choruses typically call for tenors with fully resonant voices, but chamber or a cappella choral music (choral music sung with no instrumental accompaniment) can rely on baritones singing in falsetto.{{cite book |title= Choral Pedagogy |last= Smith |first= Brenda |year= 2005 | publisher= Plural Publishing, Inc |isbn= 9781597560436 }}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing is the shortage of tenor voices.{{cite web|author1=Calleja, Joseph|author1-link=Joseph Calleja|author2=Amon, Ruben|translator=Sergio Maclean|website=OperaActual.com|via=FriendsofJosephCalleja.com|url=http://friendsofjosephcalleja.com/files/Nobodys_heir-UK.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826055715/http://friendsofjosephcalleja.com/files/Nobodys_heir-UK.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 August 2009|title=Joseph Calleja: I Am Nobody's Heir|date=4 November 2004|access-date=2 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Pc5surLiwwC&pg=PA45|page=45|title=The Disciplines of Vocal Pedagogy|first=Karen|last=Sell|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2005|isbn=9780754651697|access-date=2 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324153842/https://books.google.com/books?id=6Pc5surLiwwC&pg=PA45|archive-date=24 March 2017|df=dmy-all}} Most men 18 and older tend to have baritone chest voices, and because of this, many men in choirs tend to prefer singing in the bass section (though true basses are even rarer than tenors). Many baritones sing tenor even if they are not able to cover the full range in only their chest voice, and sometimes contraltos 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 voice 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 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, the leggero tenor is essentially the male equivalent of a lyric coloratura. This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of fioritura. The typical leggero tenor possesses a range spanning from approximately C3 to E5, with a few being able to sing up to F5 or higher in full voice. In some cases, the chest register of the leggero tenor may extend below C3. Voices of this type are utilized frequently in the operas of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and in music dating from the Baroque period.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}

Leggero tenor roles in operas:

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{{anchor|Lyric tenor}}

= Lyric =

File:PDP-CH - Beniamino Gigli, Tenor - La bohème - Che gelida manina - Puccini - Hmv-db1538-8769a.flac singing Che gelida manina from La bohème]]

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 (C3) to the D one octave above middle C (D5). Similarly, their lower range may extend a few notes below the C3. 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 dramatic{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qeq1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA459 | title=Performance Practice: A Dictionary-Guide for Musicians | isbn=978-1-136-76769-2 | last1=Jackson | first1=Roland | date=23 October 2013 | publisher=Routledge }} tenor. He was the first tenor to sing on stage the operatic high C from the chest (ut de poitrine) as opposed to using falsettone. He is also known for originating the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor.

Lyric tenor roles in operas:

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{{anchor|Spinto}}

= 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 is the {{Lang|de|Jugendlicher Heldentenor}} 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 {{Lang|de|Jugendlicher Heldentenor}} 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 (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5).

Spinto tenor roles in operas:

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{{anchor|Dramatic tenor}}

= 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 (B2) to the B one octave above middle C (B4) with some able to sing up to the C one octave above middle C (C5). 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 C3, 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) possess a bright, steely timbre.

Dramatic tenor roles in operas:{{rp|194–197}}

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= Heldentenor =

{{Main|Heldentenor}}

The heldentenor (English: heroic tenor) has a rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the heldentenor vocal Fach 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 protagonist. The keystone of the heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried, 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:

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= 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 (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5).{{cite web|author1=Suverkrop, Bard|author2=Draayer, Suzanne|year=2017|title=Tenor Aria|website=IPASource.com|url=http://www.ipasource.com/tenor|access-date=16 April 2017}} 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 (1737–1795), examples being in the operas of Ravel and in The Tales of Hoffmann.{{cite book | author = Cotte, R.J.V. | date = 1997 | chapter = Trial, French Family of Musicians | title = The New Grove Dictionary of Opera | location = London, New York | publisher = Macmillan | url = http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/ | access-date = 16 April 2017 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170309025722/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/ | archive-date = 9 March 2017 | df = dmy-all }}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

Tenor buffo or spieltenor roles in operas:{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

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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 higher. The "lead" in barbershop music is equivalent to the normal tenor range.{{cite book |title= Four Parts, No Waiting: A Social History of American Barbershop Harmony |last= Averill |first= Gage |year= 2003 | location = Oxford, ENG | publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780195116724}}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

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".{{cite book |title= Bluegrass Breakdown: The Making of the Old Southern Sound |last= Cantwell|first= Robert |year= 2002|location = Urbana, IL | publisher= University of Illinois Press|isbn= 9780252071171 }}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

See also

{{Portal|Opera}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

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  • {{Wiktionary-inline|Tenor}}

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Category:Choral music

Category:Musical terminology

Category:Opera terminology

Category:Pitch (music)

Category:Voice types