Tenor

Overview

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The tenor voice type is generally divided into the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor. The name "tenor" derives from the Latin word 'tenere', which means "to hold". As Fallows, Jander, Forbes, Steane, Harris and Waldman note, in 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 it.

A man performing on a stage, singing into a microphone with a passionate expression.

Voice Type

The tenor voice lies between the countertenor and baritone voices, overlapping both of them. It is the highest of the male voices. In solo work, this voice is commonly given the leading roles and the hero roles. The majority of tenors sing within the range of C3, the C one octave below middle C, to C5, the C one octave above middle C. Some tenors can sing up to F one octave above middle C. The leggero tenor has the highest tessitura of all the tenor subtypes.

Subtypes

Tenor voices are often classified into six types, based on tessitura, weight, and color. These are the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor.

Leggero Tenor

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 E♭5, 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.

Lyric Tenor

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 lyric tenor roles in the operatic repertoire.

Spinto Tenor

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 Jugendlicher Heldentenor and encompasses many 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 Jugendlicher Heldentenor.

Dramatic Tenor

A dramatic tenor is a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic tenors provide for greater intensity and are heard over an orchestra's brassy climaxes. Dramatic tenors have a range from approximately 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.

Heldentenor

The heldentenor (English: heroic tenor) has a rich, powerful, ring and a strong, heroic, ringing top; essentially a dramatic tenor with a more baritonal quality. The German Fach system classifies the Heldentenor as a dramatic tenor (like the Zwischenfach of baritone and tenor), but the common practice in UK and US opera houses subdivides their tenors into "lyric tenors", "Spinto tenors", and "dramatic tenors". The primo uomo heroic tenor of the 19th century, like Gilbert Duprez and Roberto Stagno, were essentially the forerunners of the modern Heldentenor.

Tenor Buffo or Spieltenor

The tenor buffo or spieltenor has a light and comedic voice, and is often cast in roles that require good acting skills, often in comic opera. 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). The tessitura of these parts ranges from lower than other tenor roles to very high and broad. These singers perform roles such as Don Basilio, Dr. Cajus in Falstaff, and Monostatos in The Magic Flute.