Tenor - what kind of voice?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The voice that nature has endowed a person is able to transmit sounds not only in conversation and expression of emotions, but also when singing. The melody of the human voice is very rich, its palette is multicolored, and the ranges of pitches are very individual. It was these criteria that allowed a person to define a separate genre of vocals in art.

The concept itself was defined and denoted in Latin (vocalis - "sounding"). A vocalist is a musician who uses his voice as an instrument. He can be low-pitched and sing high-pitched notes. Bass or soprano, baritone or mezzo-soprano, alto or tenor are different types of singing voices.

The category of vocalists includes not only singers of classical parties, but also performers of recitatives and artistic recitation. Classical composers always write their works, treating the vocalist's voice as an independent musical instrument, taking into account its features and capabilities.

Determining the type of singing voice

Singing voices are divided into types according to the range of sounds, the pitch of which is determined by individual capabilitiesvocalist. Assigning a voice to a certain type is a very important task. Bass, alto, soprano, tenor - what kind of range it is, only a specialist can determine. What's more, a vocalist's singing range can change over time, and using the voice beyond its limits can take its toll on the musician's he alth.

When determining the voice type of a vocalist, many factors are taken into account:

• Timbre (vocal teachers call it "voice color")
• Tessitura (ultimate ability and stamina of taking the top sounds).
• Articulation.
• The structure of the larynx (consultation of a phoniatrist is being carried out).
• External, behavioral and psychological characteristics of the vocalist.

The highest male voice

Oddly enough, in our time, the object of dreams of young men planning to make a vocal career is the tenor. This is most likely a tribute to fashion. Today, it is dictated by contemporary composers, who often write high-pitched male scores. It wasn't always like that. But we need to figure out what kind of voice is a tenor?

The classical standards of singing voice types define the tenor as the highest of the male ranges, indicated by the limits “to” the first octave - “to” the second octave. But it cannot be argued that these boundaries are unshakable. Here it must be said that the tenor is not only classical vocals, when tenor parts are written strictly within the range, but also a musical register for pop and rock singers, whose melodies often cross the borderindicated range.

What is a tenor like

It would be unfair to include tenors only within the allotted range. The strength, purity and volume of the sound of certain notes of tenors allowed them, like other types, to receive additional gradation. The subtleties of distinguishing one subtype from another are available only to experienced vocal teachers. What is a tenor?

Tenor altino or countertenor

A voice similar to a boy's, the highest of all tenors, which did not break after the mutation and was preserved along with a low timbre. This tenor is more reminiscent of a female voice: an extremely rare phenomenon, one can call it a mistake of nature. An example of a countertenor vocal can be "Aria of the Queen of the Night" performed by M. Kuznetsov.

Easy tenor

The voice is also close to female vocals, but has a chest timbre. Sounds airy and easy.

Lyric tenor

The most mobile voice of all tenors with a gentle, soft and subtle coloring. A vivid example of a lyrical tenor was the voice of S. Lemeshev.

Lyric-dramatic tenor

Tenor subtype close to lyrical, but colored with overtones, much denser and richer.

Dramatic tenor

From the classification of tenors, it is the lowest, distinguished by its sound power and proximity in timbre to the baritone. Many opera parts are written for the dramatic tenor (Othello, Herman from The Queen of Spades).

From the characteristics of tenor subtypes, it can be understood that all of them, with the exception of the counter-tenor,differ from each other in their color, timbre. Tenor is a favorite voice for heroic characters, from heroic lovers to heroic liberators, heroic fighters.

Transition notes

Another sign that classifies tenors will be the so-called transitional sections. On these notes, the voice begins to adjust and change the way it is played. Transitional notes directly depend on the structure of the vocal apparatus. These are the extreme high sounds that the singer extracts without changing the position of the ligaments. Each vocalist has his own, individual section. It directly depends on the training of the vocal cords. The tenor is the most mobile of the types of singing voices. Therefore, the transition section for the tenor will change throughout the career.

Timbre is a feature of tenors

The main mistake of young vocalists when determining their voice type will be an attempt to classify it only by range. When a specialist is engaged in the definition, he will certainly evaluate the timbre of the voice. Professionals call timbre “colors of sound”. It is the timbre that helps the voice reproduce notes with exact pitch and full strength. It often happens that one listening is not enough for an accurate “diagnosis”. After all, timbre is also a variable characteristic. But it's more about classical vocals.

Tenor and contemporary music

And for the performance of modern music, without touching the opera parts, it is absolutely not necessary to specify what tenor you have. Voice canbe simply defined as high, medium, or low. In the West, this gradation has been practiced for a long time. In it, the tenor is simply, by definition, the highest of the male voices.

This convention gives grounds for chagrin to young men who naturally have a voice of a low or medium register, not like a tenor. The voice is a musical instrument, and any instrument has a part in an orchestra. Even among modern musical compositions, which unfortunately today are mainly focused on tenors, one can hear unique melodies written for both baritone and bass.