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.Fallows, David; Jander, Owen; Forbes, Elizabeth; Steane, J. B.; Harris, Ellen T.; and Waldman, Gerald (2001). "Tenor" . 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 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 18th century, part-books labelled 'tenor' sometimes contained parts for a range of voice types.
Vocal range
The vocal range of the tenor is the highest of the male voice types using the modal register. Countertenors will sing about this voice type using falsetto. Within opera, the lowest note in the standard tenor repertoire is widely defined to be B2. However, the role of Rodrigo di Dhu (written for Andrea Nozzari) in Rossini's rarely performed La donna del lago is considered a tenor role but requires an A2.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 (an example is the aria "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" from Adolphe Adam's Le postillon de Lonjumeau and in "" from Fromental Halévy's La Juive). In the leggero repertoire, the highest note is F5 (Arturo in "Credeasi, misera" from Bellini's I puritani); therefore, very few tenors, notably including Nicolai Gedda, have this role in their repertoire without transposition (given the raising of concert pitch since its composition) or employing passaggio, as did Luciano Pavarotti.
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 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.
Even so, one nearly ubiquitous facet of choral singing is the shortage of tenor voices. Most men's tessituras lie within the baritone range, 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 and 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, and Bellini and in music dating from the Baroque period.
Leggero tenor roles in operas:
Arturo, I puritani (Bellini) Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Rossini) Count Ory, Le comte Ory (Rossini) Ernesto, Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Elvino, La sonnambula (Bellini) Henry Morosus, Die schweigsame Frau (Strauss) Lindoro, L'italiana in Algeri (Rossini) Don Ramiro, La Cenerentola (Rossini) Tonio, La fille du régiment (Donizetti)
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 (C3) to the D one octave above middle C (D5). Their lower range may extend a few notes below the C3. There are many vocal shades to the lyric tenor group, and repertoire should be selected according to the weight, colors and abilities of the voice.
Gilbert Duprez (1806–1896) was a historically significant dramatic tenor. He was the first tenor to sing on stage the operatic high C from the chest () as opposed to using falsettone. He is also known for originating the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor.
Lyric tenor roles in operas:
Alessandro, Il re pastore (Mozart) Alfredo, La traviata (Verdi) Bastien, Bastien und Bastienne (Mozart) Belmonte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart) Chevalier, Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc) David, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Mozart) Il Duca di Mantova, Rigoletto (Verdi) Edgardo, Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Faust, Faust (Gounod) Ferrando, Così fan tutte (Mozart) Hoffmann, The Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach) Idomeneo, Idamante, Idomeneo (Mozart) Lensky, Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Martin, The Tender Land (Copland) Mitridate, Mitridate, re di Ponto (Mozart) Oronte, I Lombardi alla prima crociata (Verdi) Paris, La belle Hélène (Offenbach) Pinkerton, Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi (Puccini) Rodolfo, La bohème (Puccini) Roméo, Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Tamino, The Magic Flute (Mozart) Thaddeus, The Bohemian Girl (Balfe) Tito, La clemenza di Tito (Mozart) Werther, Werther (Massenet) Wilhelm Meister, Mignon (Thomas)
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 lyric tenors, but not so dark as many dramatic tenors. The German equivalent of the Spinto Fach is the , which 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 (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5).
Spinto tenor roles in operas:
Andrea Chénier, Andrea Chénier (Giordano) Calaf, Turandot (Puccini) Des Grieux, Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Don Carlo, Don Carlos (Verdi) Don José, Carmen (Bizet) Erik, Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Ernani, Ernani (Verdi) Gustavo, Un ballo in maschera (Verdi) Hermann, Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Macduff, Macbeth (Verdi) Manrico, Il trovatore (Verdi) Mario Cavaradossi, Tosca (Puccini) Max, Der Freischütz (Weber) Pollione, Norma (Bellini) Radames, Aida (Verdi) Stiffelio, Stiffelio (Verdi) Turiddu, Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni)
Dramatic Also called "tenore robusto", the dramatic tenor has a ringing and powerful 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 dramatic tenors though have historically avoided the coveted high C in performance. Their lower range tends to extend into the baritone tessitura, o, 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:
Canio, Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Dick Johnson, La fanciulla del West (Puccini) Don Alvaro, La forza del destino (Verdi) Enée, Les Troyens (Berlioz) Florestan, Fidelio (Beethoven) Otello, Otello (Verdi) Samson, Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Peter Grimes, Peter Grimes (Britten)
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:
Florestan, Fidelio (Beethoven) Tannhäuser, Tannhäuser (Wagner) Lohengrin, Lohengrin (Wagner) Siegmund, Die Walküre (Wagner) Siegfried, Siegfried (Wagner) Siegfried, Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Walther von Stolzing, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) Parsifal, Parsifal (Wagner) Aegisth, Elektra (Richard Strauss) Bacchus, Ariadne auf Naxos (R. Strauss) The Emperor, Die Frau ohne Schatten (R. Strauss) Menelaus, Die ägyptische Helena (R. Strauss) Apollo, Daphne (R. Strauss) Drum Major, Wozzeck (Berg) Paul, Die tote Stadt (Korngold) The Stranger, Das Wunder der Heliane (Korngold) Mao Tse-Tung, Nixon in China (Adams)
Tenor buffo or spieltenor