vocal range of a tenor. Note that the "8" below the key means the notes are an octave lower than shown.

A tenor is a man with a high singing voice. In opera the role of the young male is usually sung by a tenor. Depending on characteristics such as: volume, color and style, the tenor voice is classified in following groups:

• The light tenor. This is also called tenor leggero. An example is Peter Pears, who sang the tenor solos in Benjamin Britten’s operas.
• The lyric tenor. The lyric tenor is a tenor with a well timbered voice, such as "The Three Tenors" (Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Plácido Domingo).
• The spinto tenor. They have special abilities in the high tones, such as Franco Corelli and Enrico Caruso.
• The dramatic tenor. They have a high volume and a dark voice. An example is Mario Del Monaco.

A “Heldentenor” (German for “hero tenor”) is someone with a big tenor voice. This is suitable for heroic parts like the heroes in most of Wagner's operas. Lauritz Melchior, Max Lorenz and Jonas Kaufmann are famous heroic tenors. view more...