The Baritone Voice.

The baritone voice is lower than the tenor but higher than the bass. It is the the most common male vocal range. In operas, baritones may play the role of either the main character or the supporting character. The different voices are classified not only by their particular range but also by the richness or depth of the voice. Here is more information about the baritone voice.

Type of Singing Voice:

Baritone

Definition:

The baritone voice is the most common male vocal range. It is higher than the bass but lower than the tenor. In Western music, (at the end of the 15th century) composers started to add lower-pitched voices to their compositions. That was the first time the word baritonans was used in Western polyphonic music.

Range:

It typically has a range from A to F but may extend in either directions.

Word Origin:

It comes from the Greek word barytonos which means “deep-sounding”. It is believed that the German composers were the ones who contributed mostly to the popularity of the baritone voice by utilizing characters in operas where the bartione voice is needed.

Famous Baritones:

Some of the most famous baritones of the past are: Umberto Urbano, Carlo Drago Hrzic and Celestino Sarobe.

Roles of Baritones in Famous Operas:

In the musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the role of Hamlet is played using a baritone voice. In Richard Wagner's opera, Tannhäuser, the role of Wolfram von Eschenbach is played using the baritone voice as well as in Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco where the character of Nabucco is played using the baritone voice.

Baritone (or barytone) is a type of male singing voice

that lies between the bass

and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek

, meaning deep (or heavy) sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. F2–F4) in choral music, and from the second G below middle C to the G above middle C (G2 to G4) in operatic music, but can be extended at either end.

History

The first use of the term "baritone" emerged as baritonans late in the 15th century, usually in French sacred

polyphonic

music. At this early stage it was frequently used as the lowest of the voices (including the bass), but in 17th century Italy the term was all-encompassing and used to describe the average male choral voice.

Baritones took roughly the range we know today at the beginning of the 18th century but they were still lumped in with their bass colleagues until well into the 19th century. Indeed, many operatic works of the 18th century have roles marked as bass that in reality are low baritone roles (or bass-baritone

parts in modern parlance). Examples of this are to be found, for instance, in the operas and oratorios of George Frideric Handel

. The greatest and most enduring parts for baritones in 18th-century operatic music were composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

. They include Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro

, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte

, Papageno in The Magic Flute

and the Don in Don Giovanni

.

With some exceptions, most operatic baritones are villains. A good rule of thumb is the darker and heavier the voice, the meaner and nastier the character.

19th century

The bel canto

style of vocalism which arose in Italy in the early 19th century supplanted the castrato

-dominated opera seria

of the previous century. It led to the baritone being viewed as a separate voice category from the bass. Traditionally, basses in operas had been cast as authority figures such as a king or high priest; but with the advent of the more fluid baritone voice, the roles allotted by composers to lower male voices expanded in the direction of trusted companions or even romantic leads—normally the province of tenors. More often than not, however, baritones found themselves portraying villains.

The principal composers of bel canto opera are considered to be:

Gioachino Rossini (The Barber of Seville

, William Tell

);

Gaetano Donizetti

(Don Pasquale

, L'elisir d'amore

, Lucia di Lammermoor

, Lucrezia Borgia

, La favorite

);

Vincenzo Bellini

(I puritani

, Norma

);

Giacomo Meyerbeer

(Les Huguenots

); and

the young Giuseppe Verdi

(Nabucco

, Ernani

, Macbeth

, Rigoletto

, La traviata

, Il trovatore

).

The prolific operas of these composers, plus the works of Verdi's maturity, such as Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino

, Don Carlos

/Don Carlo, the revised Simon Boccanegra

, Aida

, Otello

and Falstaff

, blazed many new and rewarding performance pathways for baritones.Figaro in Il barbiere is often called the first true baritone role. However, Donizetti and Verdi in their vocal writing went on to emphasise the top fifth of the baritone voice, rather than its lower notes—thus generating a more

brilliant sound. Further pathways opened up when the musically complex and physically demanding operas of Richard Wagner

began to enter the mainstream repertory of the world's opera houses during the second half of the 19th century.

The major international baritone of the first half of the 19th century was the Italian Antonio Tamburini

(1800–1876). He was a famous Don Giovanni

in Mozart's eponymous opera as well as being a Bellini and Donizetti specialist. Commentators praised his voice for its beauty, flexibility and smooth tonal emission, which are the hallmarks of a bel canto

singer. Tamburini's range, however, was probably closer to that of a bass-baritone than to that of a modern "Verdi baritone". His French equivalent was Henri-Bernard Dabadie

, who was a mainstay of the Paris Opera

between 1819 and 1836 and the creator of several major Rossinian baritone roles, including Guillaume Tell. Dabadie sang in Italy, too, where he was the first Belcore in 1832.

The most important of Tamburini's Italianate successors were all Verdians. They included Giorgio Ronconi

, who created the title role in Verdi's Nabucco; Felice Varesi

, who created the title roles in Verdi's Macbeth

and Rigoletto

and was the first Germont in La traviata

; Antonio Superchi

, who created Don Carlo is Verdi's Ernani

; Francesco Graziani

, who created Don Carlo in Verdi's La forza del destino; Leone Giraldoni

, who created Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera and was the first Simon Boccanegra; Enrico Delle Sedie

, who was London's first Renato; Adriano Pantaleoni, who was renowned for his performances as Amonasro in Aida and in other Verdi works at La Scala

, Milan; Francesco Pandolfini, whose singing at La Scala during the 1870s was praised by Verdi; Antonio Cotogni

, a much lauded singer in Milan, London and Saint Petersburg, the first Italian Posa in Verdi's Don Carlo and later a great vocal pedagogue, too; and, Giuseppe Del Puente, who sang Verdi to acclaim in the United States.

Among the non-Italian born baritones that were active in the third-quarter of the 19th century, Tamburini's mantle as an outstanding exponent of Mozart and Donizetti's music was probably taken up most faithfully by a Belgian, Camille Everardi

, who later settled in Russia and taught voice. In France, Paul Barroilhet

succeeded Dabadie as the Paris opera's best known baritone. Like Dabadie, he also sang in Italy and created an important Donizetti role: in his case, Alphonse in La Favorite

(in 1840).

Luckily, the gramophone

was invented early enough to capture on disc the voices of the top Italian Verdi and Donizetti baritones of the last two decades of the 19th century, whose operatic performances were characterized by considerable re-creative freedom and a high degree of technical finish. They included Mattia Battistini

(known as the "King of Baritones"), Giuseppe Kaschmann (born Josip Kašman

and who, atypically for his kind, sang Wagner's Telramund and Amfortas not in Italian but in German, at the Bayreuth Festival

, in the 1890s); Giuseppe Campanari

; Antonio Magini-Coletti

; Mario Ancona

(chosen to be the first Silvio in Pagliacci

); Giuseppe Pacini; and, Antonio Scotti

, (who came to the Met from Europe in 1899 and remained on the roster of singers until 1933!). Meanwhile, Antonio Pini-Corsi

was the standout Italian buffo baritone in the period between circa 1880 and World War I

. He revelled in comic opera parts by Rossini, Donizetti and Paer

, among others. In 1893, he created the part of Ford in Verdi's last opera, Falstaff.

Notable among their contemporaries were the cultured and technically adroit French baritones Jean Lassalle (hailed as the most accomplished baritone of his generation), Victor Maurel

(the creator of Verdi's Iago, Falstaff and Tonio in Leoncavallo

's Pagliacci), Paul Lhérie

(the first Posa in the revised, Italian-language version of Don Carlos

), and Maurice Renaud

(a singing-actor of the first magnitude). Lassalle, Maurel and Renaud enjoyed superlative careers on either side of the Atlantic and left a valuable legacy of recordings. Five other significant Francophone baritones who recorded, too, during the early days of the gramophone/phonograph were Léon Melchissédec

and Jean Note

of the Paris Opera and Gabriel Soulacroix

, Henry Albers and Charles Gilibert of the Opéra-Comique. The Quaker baritone David Bispham

, who sang in London and New York between 1891 and 1903, was the leading American male singer of this generation. He also recorded for the gramophone.

The oldest-born star baritone known for sure to have made solo gramophone discs was the Englishman Sir Charles Santley

(1834–1922). Santley made his operatic debut in Italy in 1858 and became one of Covent Garden's leading singers. He was still giving critically acclaimed concerts in London in the 1890s. The composer of Faust

, Charles Gounod

, wrote Valentine's aria "Even bravest heart" for him in 1864. A couple of primitive cylinder recordings dating from about 1900 have been attributed by collectors to the dominant French baritone of the 1860s and 1870s, Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830–1914), the creator of Posa in Verdi's original French-language version of Don Carlos. It is doubtful, however, that Faure (who retired in 1886) made the cylinders. However, a contemporary of Faure's, Antonio Cotogni, (1831–1918)—probably the foremost Italian baritone of his generation—can be heard, briefly and dimly, at the age of 77, on a duet recording with the tenor Francesco Marconi

. (Cotogni and Marconi had sung together in the first London performance of Amilcare Ponchielli

's La Gioconda

in 1883, performing the roles of Barnaba and Enzo respectively.)

There are 19th century references in the musical literature to certain baritone sub-types. These include the light and tenorish baryton-Martin, named after French singer Jean-Blaise Martin

(1768/69–1837), and the deeper, more powerful Heldenbariton (today's bass-baritone) of Wagnerian opera.

Perhaps the most accomplished Heldenbaritons of Wagner's day were August Kindermann

, Franz Betz

and Theodor Reichmann. Betz created Hans Sachs

in Die Meistersinger

and undertook Wotan in the first Der Ring des Nibelungen

cycle at Bayreuth

, while Reichmann created Amfortas in Parsifal

, also at Bayreuth. Lyric German baritones sang lighter Wagnerian roles such as Wolfram in Tannhäuser

, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde

or Telramund in Lohengrin

. They made large strides, too, in the performance of art song and oratorio, with Franz Schubert

favouring several baritones for his vocal music, in particular Johann Michael Vogl

.

Nineteenth-century operetta

s became the preserve of lightweight baritone voices. They were given comic parts in the tradition of the previous century's comic bass by Gilbert and Sullivan

in many of their productions. This did not prevent the French master of operetta, Jacques Offenbach

, from assigning the villain's role in The Tales of Hoffmann to a big-voiced baritone for the sake of dramatic effect. Other 19th-century French composers like Meyerbeer, Hector Berlioz

, Camille Saint-Saëns

, Georges Bizet

and Jules Massenet

wrote attractive parts for baritones, too. These included Nelusko in L'Africaine

(Meyerbeer's last opera), Mephistopheles in La damnation de Faust (a role also sung by basses), the Priest of Dagon in Samson and Delilah

, Escamillo in Carmen

, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles

, Lescaut in Manon

, Athanael in Thaïs

and Herod in Hérodiade

. Russian composers included substantial baritone parts in their operas. Witness the title roles in Peter Tchaikovsky

's Eugene Onegin

(which received its first production in 1879) and Alexander Borodin

's Prince Igor

(1890).

Mozart continued to be sung throughout the 19th century although, generally speaking, his operas were not revered to the same extent that they are today by music critics and audiences. Back then, baritones rather than high basses normally sang Don Giovanni - arguably Mozart's greatest male operatic creation. Famous Dons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries included Scotti and Maurel (see the photograph accompanying this article), as well as Portugal's Francisco d'Andrade and Sweden's John Forsell

.

20th century

The dawn of the 20th century opened up more opportunities for baritones than ever before as a taste for strenuously exciting vocalism and lurid, "slice-of-life" operatic plots took hold in Italy and spread elsewhere. The most prominent verismo

baritones included such major singers in Europe and America as the polished Giuseppe De Luca

(the first Sharpless in Madama Butterfly

), Mario Sammarco

(the first Gerard in Andrea Chénier

), Eugenio Giraldoni

(the first Scarpia in Tosca

), Pasquale Amato

(the first Rance in La fanciulla del West

), Riccardo Stracciari

(noted for his richly attractive timbre

) and Domenico Viglione-Borghesi, whose voice was exceeded in size only by that of the lion-voiced Titta Ruffo

. Ruffo was the most commanding Italian baritone of his era or, arguably, any other era. He was at his prime from the early 1900s to the early 1920s and enjoyed success in Italy, England and America (in Chicago and later at the Met).

Between them, these baritones established the echt performance style for baritones undertaking roles in verismo

operas. The chief verismo composers were Giacomo Puccini

, Ruggero Leoncavallo

, Pietro Mascagni

, Alberto Franchetti

, Umberto Giordano

and Francesco Cilea

. Verdi's works continued to remain popular, however, with audiences in Italy, the Spanish-speaking countries, the United States and the United Kingdom and, interestingly enough, Germany, where there was a major Verdi revival in Berlin between the Wars.

Outside the field of Italian opera, an important addition to the Austro-German repertory occurred in 1905. This was the premiere of Richard Strauss

's Salome

, with the pivotal part of John the Baptist assigned to a baritone. (The enormous-voiced Dutch baritone Anton van Rooy

, a Wagner specialist, sang John when the opera reached the Met in 1907). Then, in 1925, Germany's Leo Schützendorf created the title baritone role in Alban Berg

's harrowing Wozzeck

. In a separate development, the French composer Claude Debussy

's post-Wagnerian masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande

featured not one but two lead baritones at its 1902 premiere. These two baritones, Jean Périer

and Hector Dufranne

, possessed contrasting voices. (Dufranne — sometimes classed as a bass-baritone — had a darker, more powerful instrument than did Périer, who was a true baryton-Martin.)

Characteristic of the Wagner

ian baritones of the 20th century was a general progression of individual singers from higher-lying baritone parts to lower-pitched ones. This was the case with Germany's Hans Hotter

. Hotter made his debut in 1929. As a young singer he appeared in Verdi and created the Commandant in Richard Strauss's Friedenstag

and Olivier in Capriccio

. By the 1950s, however, he was being hailed as the top Wagnerian bass-baritone in the world. His Wotan was especially praised by critics for its musicianship. Other major Wagnerian baritones have included Hotter's predecessors Leopold Demuth, Anton van Rooy

, Hermann Weil, Clarence Whitehill

, Friedrich Schorr

, Rudolf Bockelmann

and Hans Hermann Nissen. Demuth, van Rooy, Weil and Whitehill were at their peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries while Schorr, Bockelmann and Nissen were stars of the 1920s and 1930s.

In addition to their heavyweight Wagnerian cousins, there was a plethora of baritones with more lyrical voices active in Germany and Austria during the period between the outbreak of WW1 in 1914 and the end of WW2 in 1945. Among them were Joseph Schwarz (a vocal virtuoso), Heinrich Schlusnus

(the owner of an exceptionally beautiful voice), Herbert Janssen

, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender

, Karl Schmidt-Walter and Gerhard Hüsch

. Their abundant inter-war Italian counterparts included, among others, Carlo Galeffi

, Giuseppe Danise, Enrico Molinari, Umberto Urbano, Cesare Formichi

, Luigi Montesanto, Apollo Granforte

, Benvenuto Franci, Renato Zanelli

(who switched to tenor roles in 1924), Mario Basiola, Giovanni Inghilleri, Carlo Morelli (the Chilean-born younger brother of Renato Zanelli) and Carlo Tagliabue

. (The last named baritone retired as late as 1958.)

One of the best known Italian Verdi baritones of the 1920s and '30s, Mariano Stabile

, sang Iago and Rigoletto and Falstaff (at La Scala

) under the baton of Arturo Toscanini

. Stabile also appeared in London, Chicago and Salzburg. He was noted more for his histrionic skills than for his voice, however. Stabile was followed by Tito Gobbi

, a versatile singing-actor capable of vivid comic and tragic performances during the years of his prime in the 1940s, '50s and early '60s. He learned more than 100 roles in his lifetime and was mostly known for his roles in Verdi and Puccini operas, including appearances as Scarpia opposite soprano Maria Callas

as Tosca at Covent Garden

.

Gobbi's competitors included Gino Bechi

, Giuseppe Valdengo

, Paolo Silveri

, Giuseppe Taddei

, Ettore Bastianini

and Giangiacomo Guelfi

. Another of Gobbi's contemporaries was the Welshman Geraint Evans

, who famously sang Falstaff at Glyndebourne

and created the roles of Mr. Flint

and Mountjoy

in works by Benjamin Britten

. Some considered his best role to have been Wozzeck. The next significant Welsh baritone was Bryn Terfel

. He made his premiere at Glyndebourne in 1990 and went on to build an international career as Falstaff and, more generally, in the operas of Mozart and Wagner.

An outstanding group of virile-voiced American baritones appeared in the 1920s. The younger members of this group were still active as recently as the late 1970s. Outstanding among its members were the Met

-based Verdians Lawrence Tibbett

(a compelling, rich-voiced singing-actor), Richard Bonelli

, John Charles Thomas

, Robert Weede

, Leonard Warren

and Robert Merrill

. They sang French opera, too, as did the American-born but Paris-based baritone of the 1920s and '30s, Arthur Endreze.

Also to be found singing Verdi roles at the Met, Covent Garden and the Vienna Opera during the late 1930s and the 1940s was the big-voiced Hungarian baritone, Sandor (Alexander) Sved.

The leading Verdi baritones of the 1970s and '80s were probably Italy's Renato Bruson

and Piero Cappuccilli

, America's Sherrill Milnes

, Sweden's Ingvar Wixell

and the Romanian baritone Nicolae Herlea

. At the same time, Britain's Sir Thomas Allen was considered to be the most versatile baritone of his generation in regards to repertoire, which ranged from Mozart to Verdi, through French and Russian opera, to modern English music. Another British baritone, Norman Bailey, established himself internationally as a memorable Wotan and Hans Sachs. He had, however, a distinguished if lighter-voiced Wagnerian rival during the 1960s and 1970s in the person of Thomas Stewart of America. Other notable post-War Wagnerian baritones have been Canada's George London, Germany's Hermann Uhde

and, more recently, America's James Morris.

Among the late 20th century baritones noted throughout the opera world for their Verdi performances was Vladimir Chernov

, who emerged from the former USSR

to sing at the Met. Chernov followed in the footsteps of such richly endowed East European baritones as Ippolit Pryanishnikov (a favorite of Tchaikovski's), Joachim Tartakov (an Everardi pupil), Oskar Kamionsky (an exceptional bel canto singer nicknamed the "Russian Battistini"), Waclaw Brzezinski (known as the "Polish Battistini"), Georges Baklanoff

(a powerful singing-actor), and, during a career lasting from 1935 to 1966, the Bolshoi

's Pavel Lisitsian

. Dmitri Hvorostovsky

and Sergei Leiferkus

are two Russian baritones of the modern era who appear regularly in the West. Like Lisitsian, they sing Verdi and the works of their native composers, including Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades

.

In the realm of French song, the bass-baritone

José van Dam

and the lighter-voiced Gérard Souzay

have been notable. Souzay's repertoire extended from the Baroque works of Jean-Baptiste Lully

to 20th century composers such as Francis Poulenc

. Pierre Bernac

, Souzay's teacher, was an interpreter of Poulenc's songs in the previous generation. Older baritones identified with this style include France's Dinh Gilly

and Charles Panzéra

and Australia's John Brownlee

. Another Australian, Peter Dawson, made a small but precious legacy of benchmark Handel recordings during the 1920s and 1930s. (Dawson, incidentally, acquired his outstanding Handelian technique from Sir Charles Santley.) Yet another Australian baritone of distinction between the wars was Harold Williams

, who was based in the United Kingdom. Important British-born baritones of the 1930s and 1940s were Dennis Noble

, who sang Italian and English operatic roles, and the Mozartian Roy Henderson. Both appeared often at Covent Garden.

Prior to World War II, Germany's Heinrich Schlusnus, Gerhard Hüsch and Herbert Janssen were celebrated for their beautifully sung lieder recitals as well as for their mellifluous operatic performances in Verdi, Mozart, and Wagner respectively. After the war's conclusion, Hermann Prey

and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

appeared on the scene to take their place. In addition to his interpretations of lieder and the works of Mozart, Prey sang in Strauss operas and tackled lighter Wagner roles such as Wolfram. Fischer-Dieskau sang parts in 'fringe' operas by the likes of Ferruccio Busoni

and Paul Hindemith

as well as appearing in standard works by Verdi and Wagner. He earned his principal renown, however, as a lieder singer. Talented German and Austrian lieder singers of a younger generation include Olaf Bär

, Matthias Goerne

, Wolfgang Holzmair

(who also performs regularly in opera), Thomas Quasthoff

, Stephan Genz and Christian Gerhaher

. Well-known non-Germanic baritones of recent times have included the Italians Giorgio Zancanaro

and Leo Nucci

, the Frenchman François le Roux

, the Canadian Gerald Finley

and James Westman

and the versatile American Thomas Hampson, his compatriot Nathan Gunn

and the Britisher Simon Keenlyside

.

Bariton/Baryton-Martin Common Range: From the low C to the A above middle C (C3 to A4)

Description: The Baryton-Martin lacks the lower G2-B2 range a heavier baritone is capable of, and has a lighter, almost tenor-like quality. Generally seen only in French repertoire, this fach

was named after the French singer Jean-Blaise Martin

. Associated with the rise of the baritone in the 19th century, Martin was well known for his fondness for falsetto

singing, and the designation 'Baryton Martin' has been used (Faure, 1886) to separate his voice from the 'Verdi Baritone', which carried the chest register further into the upper range. It is important to note that this voice type shares the primo passaggio

and secondo passaggio with the Dramatic Tenor and Heldentenor (C4 and F4 respectively), and hence could be trained as a tenor.

Roles:

o Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande

(Claude Debussy)

o L'Horloge Comtoise, L'enfant et les sortilèges

(Maurice Ravel)

o Orfeo, L'Orfeo (Claudio Monteverdi)

o Ramiro, L'heure espagnole

(Maurice Ravel)

o Morales, Carmen

(Georges Bizet)

Singers:

o Jean Périer

o Pierre Bernac

o Wolfgang Holzmair

o Jacques Jansen

o Camille Maurane

o Richard Stilwell

Lyric baritone Common Range: From the A below low C to the A or A above middle C (A2 to A/A4).

Description: A sweeter, milder sounding baritone voice, lacking in harshness; lighter and perhaps mellower than the dramatic baritone with a higher tessitura

. It is typically assigned to comic roles.

Roles:

o Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

o Guglielmo, Così fan tutte

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

o Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

o Papageno, The Magic Flute

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

o Marcello, La bohème

(Giacomo Puccini)

o Figaro, The Barber of Seville

(Rossini)

Singers:o Sir Thomas Allen

o Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

o Frank Guarrera

o Robert Merrill

o Thomas Hampson

o Wolfgang Holzmair

o Simon Keenlyside

The kavalierbariton Common Range: From the A below low C to the G above middle C (A2 to G4). Description: A metallic voice, that can sing both lyric and dramatic phrases, a manly noble baritonal

color, with good looks. Not quite as powerful as the Verdi baritone who is expected to have a powerful appearance on stage, perhaps muscular or physically large.

Roles:

o Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

o Justin Labelle, Wakonda's Dream

(Anthony Davis)

o Count, Capriccio

(Richard Strauss)

o Giorgio Germont in La traviata

(Giuseppe Verdi)

Singers:o Eberhard Wächter

Verdi baritone Common Range: From the G below low C to the A above middle C (G2 to A4). Description: A more specialized voice category and a subset of the Dramatic Baritone, a Verdi baritone

refers to a voice capable of singing consistently and with ease in the highest part of the baritone range, sometimes extending up to the C above middle C, or "High C." The Verdi baritone will generally have a lot of squillo, or "ping"

Roles:

o Amonasro, Aida

o Carlo, Ernani

o Conte di Luna, Il trovatore

o Don Carlo di Vargas, La forza del destino

o Falstaff, Falstaff

o Ford Falstaff

o Germont, La traviata

o Macbeth, Macbeth

o Renato, Un ballo in maschera

o Rigoletto, Rigoletto

o Rodrigo, Don Carlos

o Simon Boccanegra, Simon Boccanegra

Singers:

o Ettore Bastianini

o Renato Bruson

o Titta Ruffo

o Leonard Warren

o Carlos Alvarez

o Tito Gobbi

o Dmitri Hvorostovsky

o Nicolae Herlea

o Piero Cappuccilli

o Ingvar Wixell

o Seymour Schwartzman

o Giorgio Zancanaro

Dramatic baritone Common Range: From the G half an octave below low C to the G above middle C (G2 to G4).

Description: A voice that is richer and fuller, and sometimes harsher, than a lyric baritone and with a darker quality. This category corresponds roughly to the Heldenbariton in the German fach

system except that some Verdi baritone roles are not included. The primo passaggio and secondo passaggio of both the Verdi and Dramatic Baritone are at Bb and Eb respectively, hence the differentiation is based more heavily on timbre and tessitura. Accordingly, roles that fall into this category tend to have a slightly lower tessitura than typical Verdi baritone roles, only rising above an F at the moments of greatest intensity. Many of the Puccini

roles fall into this category. However, it is important to note, that for all intents and purposes, a Verdi Baritone is simply a Dramatic Baritone with greater ease in the upper tessitura (Verdi Baritone roles center approximately a minor third higher). Because the Verdi Baritone is sometimes seen as subset of the Dramatic Baritone, some singers perform roles from both sets of repertoire. Similarly, the lower tessitura of these roles allow them frequently to be sung by bass-baritones.

Role

o Jack Rance, La fanciulla del West

(Giacomo Puccini)

o Scarpia, Tosca

(Giacomo Puccini)

o Nabucco, Nabucco

(Giuseppe Verdi)

o Iago, Otello

(Giuseppe Verdi)

o Escamillo, Carmen (Bizet) Singers:

o Norman Bailey

o Peter Kajlinger

o Sergei Leiferkus

o Juan Pons

o Tom Krause

Lyric Low Baritone/Lyric Bass-baritone

Common Range: From about the F below low C to the F above middle C (F2 to F#4)

Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, James Morris and Bryn Terfel. The following are more often done by lower baritones as opposed to high basses.

Roles:

o Don Pizarro Fidelio

by Ludwig van Beethoven

o Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande

by Claude Debussy

o Méphistophélès, Faust

by Charles Gounod

o Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

o Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Singer:

o Thomas Quasthoff

o Bryn Terfel

Dramatic Bass-baritone/Low Baritone

Common Range: From about the F below low C to the F above middle C (F2 to F#4)

Aleko, Aleko

by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Igor, Prince Igor

by Alexander Borodin

Dutchman The Flying Dutchman

by Richard Wagner

Hans Sachs Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

by Richard Wagner

Wotan Der Ring des Nibelungen

by Richard Wagner

Amfortas Parsifal

by Richard Wagner

Examples:o George London

o Hans Hotter

o Friedrich Schorr

Baryton-noble

Description: French for noble baritone and describes a part that requires a noble bearing, smooth vocalisation and forceful declamation, all in perfect balance. This category originated in the Paris Opera

, but it greatly influenced Verdi

(Don Carlo in Ernani

and La forza del destino

; Count Luna in Il trovatore

; Simon Boccanegra

) and Wagner as well (Wotan; Amfortas).

Baritone roles in opera

Alfio, Cavalleria rusticana

Dr. Malatesta, Don Pasquale

Dr. P., The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Eddie Carbone, A View from the Bridge

Enrico Ashton, Lucia di Lammermoor

Ernesto, Il pirata

Escamillo, Carmen

Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor

Francisco Goya, Facing Goya

Gérard, Andrea Chénier

Guglielmo Tell, William Tell

Horace Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe

Jack Rance, La fanciulla del West

Lescaut, Manon Lescaut

Scarpia, Tosca

Sharpless, Madama Butterfly

Simon, Simon Boccanegra

Valentin, Faust

Wolfram von Eschenbach, Tannhäuser

Wozzeck, Wozzeck

Baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan

Archibald Grosvenor, Patience

Captain Corcoran, H.M.S. Pinafore

Dr. Daly, The Sorcerer

John Wellington-Wells, The Sorcerer

Ko-Ko, The Mikado

Lord Mountararat, Iolanthe

Ludwig, The Grand Duke

Major-General Stanley, The Pirates of Penzance

Reginald Bunthorne, Patience

Rudolph, The Grand Duke

Sir Despard Murgatroyd, Ruddigore

Sir Joseph Porter, HMS Pinafore Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (as Robin Oakapple), Ruddigore

Strephon, Iolanthe

The Lord Chancellor, Iolanthe

Samuel, The Pirates of Penzance

Baritone voices in other music

In barbershop music

, the baritone part sings in a similar range to the Lead (singing the melody) however usually singing lower than the lead. A barbershop baritone has a specific and specialized role in the formation of the four-part harmony that characterizes the style. Because barbershop singers can also be female, there is consequently such a singer (at least in barbershop singing) as a female baritone.

The baritone singer is often the one required to support or "fill" the bass sound (typically by singing the fifth

above the bass root) and to complete a chord. On the other hand, the baritone will occasionally find himself harmonizing above the melody, which calls for a tenor-like quality. Because the baritone fills the chord, the part is often not very melodic.

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". Conversely, the more "soul

" baritones have the more traditional timbre, but sing in a vocal range that is closer to the tenor vocal range. Some of these singers include Bing Crosby

, Tom Jones

Michael McDonald

, and Levi Stubbs

of the Four Tops

.

Further sources

Faure, Jean-Baptiste (1886) La voix et le chant: traité pratique, Heugel, published in English translation as The Voice and Singing (Francis Keeping and Roberta Prada, translators), Vox Mentor, 2005.

Matheopoulos, H. (1989) Bravo – The World's Great Male Singers Discuss Their Roles, Victor Gollancz Ltd.

Bruder, Harold, Liner Notes, Maurice Renaud: The Complete Gramophone Recordings 1901–1908, Marston Records, 1997. (Discusses Renaud and many of his baritone contemporaries as well the stylistic change in operatic singing at the turn of the 20th century.) Retrieved 4 March 2008.

The baritone sits between the tenor and the bass in range, and has a distinctly mellow quality. Having great flexibility, they can sing many characters.

The baritone is the mid range voice of the male vocal types and has an interesting history. The use of the term ‘baritone’ as it is understood today, did not come into vogue until the eighteenth century. Even then, these lower male voices were still more frequently classed as a type of bass until the nineteenth century.

History of the Term ‘Baritone’

In the early days of choral and operatic music, the baritone range was the average male voice, and they were the bass sounds of the vocal mix. Into the seventeenth century, the term makes its first appearance, but then specifically to describe the average lower pitched voice in a choral setting.

In the eighteenth century, Mozart’s prolific use of this mellow, mid-range voice in a wide selection of major operatic roles began the understanding the baritone as a distinct type. The rise of bel canto operas in the eighteenth century marked the beginning of it being seen as a distinctly separate classification from the bass voice type.

ypes of Baritones and the Roles They Play

The baritone is a classification that covers a broad range of voices. Common to them all is a certain degree of fluidity and mellowness in the quality of the sound that separates them from the brilliance of the tenor register and the darkness of the bass. Opera composers have exploited this range to the full and baritones play heroes, villains, character and supporting roles.

Bariton-Martin

This, the highest and most brilliant sound in the baritone range, is named for Jean-Blaise Martin (1768-1837) who was renowned for his ability to sing a fine falsetto and for the tenor-like quality of his sound. Roles include Ramino, L’heurre Espagnole, Ravel and Morales, Carmen, Bizet.

Lyric Baritone

The lyric baritone is characterised by a sweet, mild quality, often used in comic roles. The most well known example is the title role in Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Others include Mozart’s Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro, Guglielmo, Cosi fan tutti and Papageno, The Magic Flute and Puccini’s Marcello, La Boheme.

Kavalierbariton

This type has a notably metallic and penetrating quality and noble colour, lending itself to

imposing characters. These singers are able to sing both lyric and dramatic phrases, offering great flexibility. Roles include the Count, Capriccio, Richard Strauss and Germont, Traviata, Verdi.

Verdi Baritone

The Verdi baritone is a subset of the dramatic baritone. These singers are capable of sustained, consistent singing with ease in the highest part of the range, with a characteristic ringing quality. This was much liked by Verdi, who wrote Amonasra, Aida, Carlo, Ernani, Conte di Luna, Lucia di Lammermoor, and the title roles of Falstaff, Macbeth and Rigoletto to exploit the carrying qualities of this baritone type.

Dramatic Baritone

The dramatic baritone is the sound that most people expect from a baritone. It is darker, richer and fuller than the lyric type, with an occasional harsher quality. These are often the villains in the operatic repertoire, being able to easily produce a quite menacing colour. Such roles include Scarpia, Tosca, Puccini, Escamillo, Carmen, Bizet and the title role of Otello, Verdi.

Bass Baritone or Heldenbariton

This is a voice of great power and strength with the mellow quality of the baritone, a lower tessitura of a true baritone, but not the bottom notes that would encompass the bass range. While many bass baritones can encompass some bass roles, they lack the darker quality of a true bass. The role that best exemplifies this type is Mozart’s Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro. Others include Beethoven’s Fidelio and the Dutchman from Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.

As a voice type, like the mezzo soprano, this is a mid range, warm and accessible voice for those learning about opera. The characters they play are interesting and often complex, as is the voice itself. From 'bad boys' to kings to barbers, there is a role that will appeal to everyone

Mozart’s Singers

Stefano Mandini, an Italian baritone, was an extremely versatile singer. He played the part of Count Almaviva not only in first production of The Marriage of Figaro (a baritone role) but also in the 1783 Vienna production of Paisiello's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (where the part is written for a tenor).

baritone, (from Greek barytonos, “deep-sounding”), in vocal music, the most common category of male voice, between the bass and the tenor and with some characteristics of both. Normally, the baritone parts are written for a range of A to f , but this may be extended in either direction, ′particularly in solo compositions or as a reflection of an accepted cultural tradition (e.g., that of England, France, Italy, Germany, or Russia). In practice, the classification of voices is determined not only by range but also by the quality, or colour, of the voice and the purpose for which it is to be trained and used. A singer of oratorio, for example, might be comfortable as a tenor, whereas the harsher demands on a tenor in operatic roles might influence the singer to develop his baritone range instead. The term baritonans was first used in Western music toward the end of the 15th

century, when composers, chiefly at the French court, explored the polyphonic sonorities made possible by the addition of lower-pitched voices. Later choral singing, which evolved into the popular four-part writing (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), usually omitted the baritone. German composers seem to have been the first to focus on the use of the baritone as a solo voice, and the prominent use of baritone characters in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s operas was regarded as a distinct innovation by his European contemporaries. The acceptance of the baritone for principal parts considerably widened the range of male character types and shifted more emphasis to the lower voices in hero and lover roles, which had heretofore been associated with the higher voices.

Aspects of the topic baritone are discussed in the following places at Britannica.

Assorted References type of voice (in speech (language): Voice types)

Musical practice for centuries has recognized six basic voice types: bass, baritone, and tenor in the male, in contrast to contralto, mezzo-soprano, and soprano in the female. Sex, therefore, is one of the first determinants of voice type in the two categories. Body type and general physical constitution represent the second determinant of the individual voice type because the laryngeal...

PeopleThe following are some people associated with "baritone"

Antonio Tamburini (Italian singer) Bryn Terfel (Welsh singer)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (German opera singer)

Frederic Austin (British singer and composer)

Harry Thacker Burleigh (American musician)

Lawrence Tibbett (American opera singer)

Leonard Warren (American singer)

Michael William Balfe (Irish musician)

Paul Robeson (American singer, actor, and political activist)

Robert McFerrin, Sr. (American opera singer)

Sir George Henschel (British musician)

Sir Geraint Evans (Welsh singer)

Victor Maurel (French opera singer)

Other

Thursday, Feb 28, 2008 05:51 ET

Does Obama's baritone give him an edge?

A powerful voice is a "god-given sound," says opera's Lotfi Mansouri. Obama's baritone seems to have that magic. Clinton's higher-pitched voice, not so much.

By Frank Browning

What is it about Barack Obama's baritone?

Aside from the symbolism of finding a new hero who might displace the shame and fear that has poisoned American public life since Martin Luther King's murder in 1968, there is something in the very essence of Obama's voice -- its tone, its timbre, its resonance -- that has struck deep chords among Americans and foreigners in this year's campaign season. Not since King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 has a black American moved so many other Americans, white or black. And once the matter of voice was raised for Obama, a not always flattering parallel immediately arose concerning the voice of the first real female candidate in U.S. history: Hillary Clinton.

Eager to probe deeper into the chords of the candidates, I called two of the world's specialists on what moves us as listeners to others' voices, Lotfi Mansouri and Rick Harrell, who have coached singers at the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Conservatory opera program.

Says Lotfi, "The fact is that the basic timbre is a god-given sound. Through technique and vocal study and all that, you can learn to control it and develop it, but you cannot manufacture timbre artificially." Adds Rick Harrell, "The old saying is the eye is the window of the soul. Well I would say the voice is the window into the heart. People, whether they be actors or politicians, can be slick and manipulative and pretend to be genuine or heartfelt. However, the sound of the voice or the sound of a baby's cry or the sound of someone saying, 'Please! I can do what's best for our country.' It comes across at a very gut level more so than at an intellectual level."

When it happens that something within us shivers or tingles at the words of a great and moving voice -- Martin Luther King Jr. for my generation, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt for my parents, or even perhaps for some others Benito Mussolini -- it is because there is something that leaps forth from the very anatomy of the speaker, revealing the innate grain that vibrates with a receptive grain of our own. It is not about goodness or morality or truth-telling and is little affected by coaching or practice.

The late French semiotician Roland Barthes touched on this vocal magic in a famous essay called "The Grain of the Voice." He cites the power of a Russian church cantor's chant: "something ... is directly in the cantor's body, brought to your ears in one and the same movement from deep down in the cavities, the muscles, the membranes, the cartilages ... as though a single skin lined the inner flesh of the performer and the music he sings." Barthes goes on: "The 'grain' is ... the materiality of the body speaking its mother tongue." Like the variable grain of an oak or a walnut, it reveals, if we let ourselves hear it, the integral character of the person before us.

Mansouri and Harrell also wanted to talk about another iconic American voice -- that of Frank Sinatra. By no account did Sinatra possess a great singing voice. To the contrary, it was by most musical assessments decidedly mediocre. And yet, when Sinatra sang, it was as though he filled all the inner and outer dimensions of our experience. "Take 'One for My Baby,'" Lotfi said to illustrate. "He didn't just sing the words; you got the whole atmosphere inside and around the words and you were enveloped by it." Like the great Ella Fitzgerald, whom he studied, Sinatra employed all the technique he could muster: tone, phrasing, inflection, the single

note prolonged beyond endurance. Yet all of that would have been as nothing had the story he was telling in his songs not also been the elemental, physical story of his own life. The mediocrity of his lightweight baritone disappeared and we became travelers on the pulsars generated by the anatomy of his voice box in a separate universe of his making.

Can we say that Barack Obama achieves something similar when he speaks his chant for change? That is apparently what is happening for tens of millions of Americans, not to mention the cheering galleries across Europe and around the world who want it to be so.

But set against that resonant Obama grain there is what appears to be a counter-grain of what is all too often labeled Hillary the Shrill, including all the gendered codes buried beneath the word "shrill."

Natasha Williams, a longtime friend from Ukraine, who directs the Balagula Theatre in Lexington, Ky., says simply that it is jarring to hear a lineup of self-important, deeper-voiced males followed by a higher-pitched female. We are conditioned, she says, to look for authority in the male voice -- even though she finds the Republican heir-apparent John McCain squeaky and the now withdrawn John Edwards tweaky. Hillary's problem arises, Natasha says, "when she gets excited and it comes across as angry and that upsets voters more than if she were an angry man. It's connected to the fact that when the mother is upset in a house, kids feel insecure. It's not like that with the father because the mother stands in between the kids and the father. But when mother loses it, then it's really scary because the whole sense of security goes tumbling down."

That's one interpretation. Lynn Meyer, who's done everything from political consulting to selling Florida real estate to writing a detective novel, has a different take on how men hear women's voices. "There are two voices that don't seem very threatening [to men]. One is the little girl voice -- either Valley girl or Jackie Kennedy's little tiny whisper. The other is Lauren Bacall's [she lowers her own deep and gravelly] very sexy voice. Anything between these two, women have to be very careful they don't sound like what I call 'the voice of civilization.' That's the voice who told you to eat your spinach, take your elbows off the table, asked you where's your homework. It's a voice that sounds like a bit of mother, then schoolteacher, and finally nagging wife."

Sound like that and you're dead in the water. That is too often Hillary's problem when she gets excited, Lynn says. "Every time she changes her register, people use that awful, sexist word 'shrill' and that's really code for the voice of the scold."

I put that proposition to Rick Harrell, the San Francisco Opera coach, who agreed that shrill is death to any public performer: "We wouldn't want our hectoring mother speaking to us from the White House for the next four years." Harrell's Opera colleague Lotfi Mansouri broke in, "It's a preconception. A cultural preconception."

One of those apparent cultural preconceptions afoot in the current political fray is a rather odd preoccupation with the baritone quality of Barack Obama's voice, an insight pointed out by my radio colleague Brenda Wilson, a woman raised in Virginia who often speaks in grave stentorian stanzas. "Type in the phrase 'Obama's voice' on Google and see what you get," she advised one day.

I did so as I was listening on the transatlantic phone line. "OK," I said, still clueless. "There are a lot of listings."

"More than just a lot, Frankie-boy," she answered. "How many do you see?"

"Yeah, there are a lot. A whole lot. Sixty-some thousand. But what's that prove?" I persisted. "Everybody knows he's a great speaker."

"Yes," she said, the schoolmarm slipping into her instructions. "Now, type in 'Obama's baritone.' What do you see?"

"Whoa!" I answered. "Two hundred and sixty-nine thousand results!"

"Um-hm," she murmured.

I waited.

"That's all," she said. "Isn't it curious that the hot candidate gets to be described as a baritone? I mean, really, what's so good about baritones?" I took the question back to Rick Harrell.

"When you hear commercials, whether on the radio or voice-overs on television, when they're saying, 'Trust me, buy this,' or 'Trust me, go here, go there,' as often as not it is a baritone voice. If they want to get you excited and stimulated, then they'll go for a higher-pitched sound."

Probing further into the hidden presumptions and preconceptions of the baritone, I came back to an old reference from Freud's student Theodor Reik, who proposed that the true baritone is an evocation of the ancient shofar, the ram's horn that came from Abraham's sacrificial sheep but was also the instrument Moses used to call the wandering tribes together at Sinai to hear the thundering words of God. Retreaded into 20th century neo-Freudianism the shofar/baritone becomes the vocal embodiment of phallic authority.

Hear my horn, hear my authority. It's not a great leap to hear the multiple meanings of the horn.

Freudians, we know, can find something phallic in just about anything that speaks, breathes or moves. But such interpretations of the power of the baritone long antedate Freud or even the children of Abraham. Last summer Harvard anthropologist Coren Apicella took herself and some tape recorders to visit the Hazda people of Tanzania, who live pretty much as their ancestors did several millennia ago. Apicella wanted to know what voice had to do with seduction, fertility and reproduction. To get at the question she invited a clutch of Hazda men into her Land Rover and asked each one to say, "Ujambo," or "Hello," in Swahili. Then she played her recordings for a group of Hazda women and asked them to rate the voices.

Hands down, the women chose the baritone "Ujambos" over the higher-pitched ones. "Why there's this relationship we're not entirely sure yet. It could be that these men have greater access to mates. And so maybe these men that have deeper voices have higher levels of testosterone, maybe they're better hunters and they're able to bring more food home to their wives," Apicella told NPR reporter Sean Bowditch. As it happens, when Apicella reversed the gender recording, the Hazda men seemed to prefer women with higher voices.

When it comes to the public arena, however, baritone is still the winning vocal register -- as Obama's string of primary victories, even among blue-collar white men, would suggest. It all comes back to how the baritone "is the voice one tends to associate with authority," as opera coach Rick Harrell says, to get people to buy stuff or take certain medicines or, where candidates are concerned, to "trust ... [that they] know what's good for the country."

Frank Browning reports on sex, science and farming for National Public Radio. He is the author of, among other books, "A Queer Geography" and "Apples." More:

Operatic Voice Types

Human voices vary from one another far more than musical instruments do. Nevertheless, they have come to be categorised under a number of broad headings based largely on how high or low they are in pitch.

In opera, certain voice types are often associated with specific roles: a heroic tenor, for example, or a villainous bass. Many opera composers use a mix of voice types to create specific effects, a duet between a soprano and mezzo, or a tenor and a baritone- or a quartet of all four, perhaps.

Female voice types: soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto. Male voice types: counter-tenor, tenor, baritone, bass, castrato

Female voice types

SOPRANO: the highest female voice.Types of soprano, from the lightest to the most powerful, include:

Coloratura: a high, girlish voice capable of great agility. For example: the Queen of Night in Die Zauberflöte or Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.

Lyric: a warm, mid-range voice, ideal for long, elegant phrases. For example: Pamina in Die Zauberflöte or Gilda in Rigoletto.

Lirico spinto: a ‘lyric’ capable of riding great orchestral climaxes at moments of high drama. For example: Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore or the title part in Aida.

Dramatic: a powerful instrument with the vocal muscle required for such demanding expressive roles, such as Wagner’s Brünnhilde, Puccini’s Turandot or Strauss’s Elektra

The principal soprano is normally the prima donna - the first lady. Some have become very famous, such as: Nelly Melba, Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. Today’s leading sopranos include Angela Gheorghiu, Reneé Fleming and Anna Netrebko.

MEZZO-SOPRANO (or ‘mezzo’): the female voice lying between the higher reaches of the soprano and the deeper chest resonances of the contralto.

Until the mid-20th century, women’s voices were usually described as either soprano or contralto. More recently, the term contralto has almost entirely been replaced by ‘mezzo soprano’.

Even such deep, assertive Verdian roles as Azucena in Il Trovatore or Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, or the earth goddess Erda in Wagner’s Ring, are usually described nowadays as written for (and sung by) a ‘mezzo’. Principal roles composed for mezzo soprano include Carmen, Dalila (in Samson et Dalila) and Oktavian in Der Rosenkavalier.

Some sopranos can inject a deeper resonance into their voices and undertake roles commonly associated with the mezzo range. Some mezzos are capable of singing well into the soprano register.

Roles written by Handel for the castrato voice are often nowadays sung by ‘mezzos’.

CONTRALTO: the lowest female voice.

The contralto is characterised by not only the ability to sing low notes but also to invest the entire range with deep chest resonance. The term has become replaced with ‘mezzo soprano’, see above.

Male voice types

COUNTER TENOR: the nearest male voice to the extremely high sound of the castrato.

The counter-tenor is essentially, the voice of a ‘normal’ male singer using the falsetto register. The counter-tenor voice gained increasing currency with the Early Music revival during the second half of the 20th century. Singers such as Alfred Deller, James Bowman, Andreas Scholl and David Daniels have hugely increased the ability of modern audiences to appreciate the kind of vocal skills for which Purcell, Handel and Gluck wrote.

TENOR: the highest natural male voice. Until the early 19th century, composers tended to write relatively lightweight roles for the tenor voice (eg: Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni) in which the higher notes were sung with the head voice. But from about the 1820s, some operatic tenors began to employ their more resonant ‘chest voice’ all the way up the scale (even to a ‘Top C’), so that composers began to give them more muscular, assertive parts. Most of the powerful romantic leads in the works of Wagner, Verdi and Puccini are assigned to the tenor.

Operatic tenors are often categorised as:

Light: the ‘tenore di grazia’ (graceful tenor), such as Tito Schipa, Alfredo Kraus or (today) Juan Diego Flórez, ideal in works by Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini.

Lyric (and lirico spinto): the standard romantic operatic tenor voice (Caruso, Pavarotti, Domingo).

Dramatic: the darker-hued, more powerful tenor sound that Domingo could call upon for works such as Wagner’s Lohengrin or Verdi’s Otello.

Heldentenor (heroic tenor) in which a high musical line requires an almost baritonal underlay if the singer is to assay some of the supremely testing Wagner roles such as Tristan or Siegfried.

BARITONE: the standard middle-register male voice.

Only in the late 18th century did composers begin to differentiate between the bass voice (to which all lower-lying roles were assigned) and the ‘baritone’.

By the mid-19th century, Verdi was often giving baritones lyrical music of a caressing, almost plaintive quality (eg: in arias in Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Don Carlo and Un ballo in maschera).

Verdi also wrote baritone music of a more muscular, assertive nature (vengeance arias, political outbursts and the like).

BASS: the lowest male voice.Wagner wrote roles such as the Dutchman, Hans Sachs and Wotan for the ‘bass-baritone’ – a bass with a good top register. A similar kind of voice is required for the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff.

The bass voice has often been assigned to:

Ageing figures of (sometimes flawed) authority: monarchs, priests etc: Sarastro (the high priest in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte), Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and, in Verdi’s Don Carlo, both King Philip and the Grand Inquisitor.

Villains, eg: Caspar in Der Freischütz, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Mephistopheles in Faust, Klingsor in Parsifal.

Comic characters, eg: Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Varlaam in Boris, Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier.

CASTRATO (historic): a male singer with a female singing voice, the result of castration before puberty.

The practice of castrating boys to conserve their beautiful singing voices had largely fallen out of favour by the end of the 18th century and was finally made illegal by the latter half of the 19th. Today, Castrati roles are often taken by countertenors.

Bass-baritone

Information about Bass-baritoneDouble click any English word, to find

Turkish meaning

A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: Dutchman (in Der fliegende Holl � nder ), Wotan (in the Ring Cycle) and Hans Sachs (in Die Meistersinger von N � rnberg ). Wagner wrote those roles for what he called Hoher Bass ("high bass," this is explained in more detail at fach).

The bass-baritone voice is distinguished by two attributes. First, it must be capable of singing comfortably in a baritonal tessitura. It must also, however, have the resonant lower range typically associated with the bass. For example, the role of Wotan in Die Walk � re covers the range from the F# above middle C to the F below the bass clef but only infrequently descends beyond the C below middle C.

Bass-baritone roles

Operas Boris Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky Don Basilio Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini

Don Pizarro Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven

Escamillo Carmen by Georges Bizet

Francis Saint-Fran � ois d'Assise by Olivier Messiaen

Golaud Pell � as et M � lisande by Claude Debussy

Vodnik Rusalka by Anton�n Dvoř�k

Zaccaria Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi

Voice Type (ranges)

Female voices

Soprano

Mezzo-soprano

Alto or Contralto

Male voices

Sopranist

Countertenor (Alto or Mezzo)

Tenor

Baritone

Bass-baritone

Bass

[ edit this] - [ view history]

Operettas and musicals

All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas have at least one bass-baritone character, and they are not listed in this list. Bass-baritones famous for singing these roles included Richard Temple, Darrell Fancourt and Donald Adams.

Albin (La Cage Aux Folles) (Must be very well developed up to E4 since he is a lounge singer)

Allan Swan (My Favorite Year) (Range goes from low G to Eb above middle C.)

Scar (The Lion King)

Bill Sykes (Oliver!)

Chandler Marlowe (The Butler Did It, Singing)

Benjamin Franklin (1776)

Javert (Les Miserables) (Should be able to go up to an F sharp)

Shannon Wilson Bell (Cannibal! The Musical)

Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd) - a rangy role from Eb2 to the F sharp above middle C.

Jud Fry (Oklahoma!)

Julian Marsh (42nd Street)

Judas/John (Godspell)

Famous bass-baritones

Classical music Theo Adam Walter Berry

Justino Diaz

Stefan Dimitrov

Simon Estes

Sir Geraint Evans

Andrew Foster-Williams

Hans Hotter

George London

James Morris

Thomas Quasthoff

Common vocal ranges representedon a musical keyboard

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

Ruggero Raimondi

Samuel Ramey

John Relyea

Paul Robeson

Laurentiu Rotaru

Friedrich Schorr

Bryn Terfel

Norman Treigle

Jos � Van Dam

Popular music Johnny Cash Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Jimi Hendrix

Ian Curtis of Joy Division

Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies

Paul Banks of Interpol (band)

Peter Steele of Type O Negative

Tom Smith of Editors

Calvin Harris

Badass Baritone

He is a manly man, and he has a manly voice to prove it.

A character of this sort must fulfill two criteria:

1. . The character must be a badass.2. . The character must have a deep voice of baritone register. Bass register is also

possible but is rarer and almost always overlaps with being evil.

Such a character may range from Cool Old Guy to Testosterone Poisoning. Such characters are

frequently supporting roles, such as The Lancer.

See also Evil Sounds Deep, Guttural Growler, Power Makes Your Voice Deep. Contrast Tenor Boy.

Instructional materials for Bass, Baritone and Low Voices

A bass (or basso in Italian) is a singer who sings in the deepest vocal range of the human voice. According to Grove Music Online, a bass has a range extending from around the F below low C to the E above middle C (i.e., F2–E4). The Harvard Dictionary of Music defines the range as being from the E below low C to middle C (i.e. E2–C4).[2] According to Singing for Dummies, bass range is normally F2 to E4 but can be as wide as Eb2 to F4. According to its author, Pamelia S. Phillips, the bass changes from chest voice into middle voice around A3 or Ab3 below middle C and changes into head voice around D4 or C#4 above Middle C. Phillips states that the bass's low voice is his strength, and the bass's high voice is his weakness. Phillips also states that the bass's voice is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest of the male voices.[3]. It is also common for men who are classified as "basses" (and have a full bass choral range) to have a speaking voice which may sound much higher than would be expected. Most seasoned basses also can train a very versatile falsetto, making their usefulness in a choral arrangement even greater.

Estelle Liebling: Vocal Course for Baritone, Bass Baritone and Bass SingersPART IThe Breath SystemThe Phonating SystemThe Resonating SystemThe Articulating SystemGeneral RemarksPART IIFundamental ExercisesThe Mezzo and Contralto RegistersAgility StudiesThe TurnTrill StudiesMessa Di VoceStyleSpecial ProblemsPART IIIEnglishForeign Language DictionItalianFrenchGermanSpanishGlossary of Musical TermsSongs for SopranosRecordings of Great Singers

A method that has long been highly regarded among teachers and students alike. Each of these books consists of 3 parts: Part I describes the vocal mechanism and its function briefly and in simple, non-technical language. Part II consists of basic, fundamental vocalises carefully selected to develop the specific voices for which the book is written. Part III presents the important elements of diction in the 5 languages most commonly used in singing: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

6208 BOOK $9.95

Richard Miller: Securing Baritone Bass-Baritone And Bass VoicesWho is Baritone?The OnsetManaging the BreathVowel Definition and the ChiaroscuroVowel ModificationMoving into Middle VoiceAgility FactorFurther ConsiderationMore on Positioning of the LarynxPedagogic Uses of Falsetto for BaritoneThe Phenomenon of VibratoEstablishing Technical SecurityDeveloping an Individual Tonal ConceptDynamic ControlVoice VirusesContributing to Performance EffectivenessPerformance Preparation and EnhancementEarly Repertoire SuggestionsChoosing Audition Material

Perhaps the most renowned writer in the field of vocal pedagogy, Richard Miller has delivered a new and outstanding contribution to the study of vocal technique in Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices . The first thorough and comprehensive treatment of low male voices, this book draws on techniques and practical advice from Miller's years of professional experience as a performer and pedagogue. With a unique focus on "securing" the technical stability of the male voice, the book offers practical advice to students, their teachers, and professional performers, through numerous practical exercises and repertoire suggestions appropriate to various stages of development. Miller synthesizes historic vocal pedagogy with the latest research on the singing voice, always emphasizing the special nature of the male voice and the proper physiological functioning for vocal proficiency. An indispensable guide to male low voices, this book is an essential text for performers, aspiring performers, and instructors alike.

6457 BOOK $23.95

Nicola Vaccaj: Practical Vocal Method for Baritone

Vaccaj's masterly Method won increasing popularity with time, and was eventually used in conservatories all over the world. Even today it is often used by singing teachers, who consider it a collection of attractive Ariettas, each serving a particular funtion. And it is quite easy material, perfect for the beginning student.

6490b BOOK $19.95

Ferdinand Sieber: Thirty-Six Eight-Measure Vocalises for Basses

Thirty-Six Eight-Measure vocalises for Basses, complete with solfege.

6211 BOOK $4.95

Ferdinand Sieber: Thirty-Six Eight-Measure Vocalises for Baritones

Thirty-Six Eight Measure Vocalises comes complete with instructions on producing the tone and provides you with the solfege for each note

6484b BOOK $4.95

Mathilde Marchesi: Twenty Elementary and Progressive Vocalises - Low Voice

Mathilde Marchesi was a mezzo-soprano, teacher of singing, and exponent of the bel canto technique. She was an advocate of a naturalistic style of singing: she called for a fairly instinctive method of breathing and was particularly concerned with vocal registration, calling it "the Alpha and Omega of the formation and development of the female voice, the touchstone of all singing methods". These 20 vocalises are perfect for your daily vocal practice and having been used by some of the great singers of the past 100 years.

6466 BOOK $7.95

Giuseppe Concone: Fifty Lessons - Low Voice

The sterling value and great usefulness of Concone's lessons have been so long recognized, that their extensive adoption caused the issue of numerous editions in almost every country where the study of the Art of Singing is cultivated. No edition, however, is as thorough and complete as his 'Fifty Lessons' series. The purpose of these lessons, in the author's own words, are 'to place and fix the voice accurately,' and 'to develop taste while singing broad, elegant and rhythmical melodies.' This is a vocal training series not to be missed!

6467 BOOK $7.95

Giuseppe Concone: 40 Lessons, Op. 17 - Low Voice

The sterling value and great usefulness of Concone's lessons have been so long recognized, that their extensive adoption caused the issue of numerous editions in almost every country where the study of the Art of Singing is cultivated. No edition, however, is as thorough and complete as his 'Fifty Lessons' series. The purpose of these lessons, in the author's own words, are 'to place and fix the voice accurately,' and 'to develop taste while singing broad, elegant and rhythmical melodies.' This is a vocal training series not to be missed!

6479 BOOK $19.95

B. Lutgen: Vocalises Vol. 1 for Low Voices

The aim of these Vocalises is to render the Voice sufficiently flexible and mellow to execute easily and elegantly the colorature and embellishments found in the works of our great composers. The results obtained with this method, and how well it has been received by the highest musical authorities help prove this book to be a worthwhile purchase.

6492 BOOK $4.95

Chris and Carole Beatty: Daily Workout for Medium & Low VoiceHum-ChewMum MumNee AhHa/Ma/Na/Nah/HahYoo Ee YooMini MiniMum MumWee Ah Wee AhLah Lah LahHahMum MumYah Hah HahHee Ah Hee AhBee Ah Mee May Mah Moh MooMee Yah Mee Yah Mee Yah MeeTee OhHum-ChewLee Lay Lee LahMah NahZah Nah PahYah YahThee Ah Thee AhYah Yah YahMum MumLee YahMah BahFlah NingMee Ay AhNay Nay NayPreh NeeNee Ay Ah

These two wonderful vocal coaches that have helped many singers realize their full potential. With the help of some of their most successful student, they can now coach you too! Daily Workout will help you: Warm-Up, Work Out and Cool Down Your Voice for Maximum Performance - Build Strength and Stamina Throughout Your Range - Enjoy Exercising Your

Voice With Fun and Interesting Exercises. Also includes a chart of exercise patterns and difficulty rating.

6196 CD $16.95

Susan Anders: The No Scales, Just Songs Vocal Workout Vol. 1Breathing & Posture: Angel From MontgomeryTone Placement, Resonance & Loosening Face and Throat: CenterpieceApproaching Higher Notes: Sweet DreamsStrengthening Low Notes: Wade in the WaterUnderstanding Singer’s Diction: I’ll Stand By YouUnderstanding Singer’s Diction Part 2: Unchained MelodyLooping, Consonants, Vibrato Development: Can’t Help Falling in LoveRegister Navigation and Range Expansion: Willow Weep for MeDeveloping the "Mix" Register: How Sweet it IsOpening High Notes, the Inner Smile: Since I Fell for YouBuilding Sustenance & Volume: Dark End of the Street Pitch Work, Step-wise Movement: Walk Away ReneePitch Work, Chromatic Movement: All of MeIncreasing Tonal Richness, Articulation: Save the Best for LastWorking with Larger Melodic Leaps: Sunny Came Home Putting it All Together: Young at HeartBelting: Crazy Baby

This innovative method uses 17 fully produced songs and instructional tracks to teach singers how to develop and maintain good vocal technique. Detailed voice instruction is combined with pop, rock and jazz songs that gradually increase in difficulty. Singers can learn the essentials of contemporary singing technique OR use the song sequence with or without the recommended warm up sounds as a complete vocal warm up. Ideas and examples for song stylizing are also included. The CDs can be used with or without the guidebook.

6428 Book & 2CDs $24.95ALTOS AND BASSES

Susan Anders: The No Scales, Just Songs Vocal Workout Vol. 2Facial Resonance (Placement): I Can See Clearly NowBreathing & Posture: Dear PrudenceCombining Correct Breathing and Placement: Why Don't You Do Right?Approaching Higher Notes: You Gotta BeStrengthening Low Notes: Summertime Understanding Singer’s Diction: One of UsUnderstanding Singer’s Diction Part 2: Get Here Diphthongs, Looping, & "R" & "L": I'm Beginning To See the LightRange Expansion & Vibrato Work: Don't Know Why Developing the "Mix" Register: Sunday Kind of LoveOpening High Notes with the Inner Smile: Thank YouPitch Work, Step-wise Movement: You're Still the OneBuilding Sustenance & Volume: Tracks of My TearsPitch Work, Chromatic Movement: Ms. Celie’s Blues (Sister) Increasing Tonal Richness, Articulation: AlisonEnding Phrases on High Notes: I Hope You Dance Putting it All Together: Bridge Over Troubled WaterBelting: Cry

This follow-up to Volume One of Susan Anders’ Vocal Workout includes 18 fully-produced pop, rock and jazz songs and instructional tracks, and is the same level of difficulty (so using Volume One is not a prerequisite). Beginning singers can learn how to sing correctly and develop their voices by singing through the workout at their own pace, with or without the guidebook. Experienced singers can skip the audio singing lessons and use the workout to warm up and maintain their vocal technique and strength. Song stylizing concepts are included, as well as chapters on staying healthy on tour and how to keep aging vocal cords strong.

6428 Book & 2CDs $24.95ALTOS AND BASSES

Leonard Van Camp: Songs For Bass in a Comfortable Range

All Through The NightBeautiful DreamerBread of the AngelsHark, Hark! The Lark!I Attempt form Love's Sickness to FlyI Will Sing New Songs of GladnessLet Me FlyMy Lovely CeliaNow Comrades Be JollyNow Shines the Fullest Glory of HeavenStreets of New York, TheTurtle Dove, TheTwo Songs from Judas Maccabaeus

This hard-to-find collection is a wonderful resource for bass singers and features 13 songs along with a piano accompaniment CD. Expansive performance notes and history for each song makes this a great addition for your repertoire. Leonard W. Van Camp was known in the United Sates and Europe for his activities related to choral music. He was Professor Emeritus of Music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). He joined SIUE music faculty in 1963 and endeared himself to singers and audiences while at the university, with his trade mark lecture-concerts and his fierce enthusiasm for the music he conducted. As director of choral activities at SIUE, he served for 30 years and conducted the SIUE Concert Chorale, whose name has become synonymous throughout the world with award-winning performance.

5207 SONGBOOK $21.95

Joan Frey Boytim: The First Book of Broadway Solos - Baritone/Bass

Comedy Tonight - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The ForumEdelweiss - The Sound Of MusicGet Me To The Church On Time - My Fair LadyThe Girl That I Marry - Annie Get Your GunGonna Be ANother Hot Day - 110 In The ShadeHow To Handle A Woman - CamelotI Talk To Trees - Paint Your WagonI've Grown Accustomed to Her Face - My Fair LadyIf I Ever Would Leave You - CamelotThe Impossible Dream - Man Of La ManchaOklahoma - OklahomaSome Enchanted Evening - South PacificSoon It's Gonna Rain - The FantasticksThe Surrey With The Fringe On Top - OklahomaThere Is Nothin' Like A Dame - South PacificThey Call The Wind Maria - Paint Your WagonThis Nearly Was Mine - South PacificTry To Remember - The FantasticksWunderbar - Kiss Me, Kate

This is the perfect first collection for many voice students, whether they are teens or college singers or adults. Joan Boytim has selected songs appropriate for each voice type, and has chosen keys that suit the vocal needs of novice singers studying in traditional, generally classical lyric singing. The editions of the songs in these collections are short and straight-forward. Teachers have found these books invaluable. To make the collections even more useful, each volume is offered in a book/companion CD edition with piano accompaniments recorded by pianist Laura Ward.

9183 SONGBOOK & 2CDs $24.95

Joan Frey Boytim: Easy Songs For The Beginning Baritone/BassUra LeeBeautiful DreamerThe Erie CanalFoolish QuestionsFuniculi, FuniculaGo Down, MosesI Wish I Was Single AgainIf You Were The Only Girl In The WorldThe Jolly MillerJoshua Fit The Battle Of JerichoThe Lark In The MornThe Lost ChordThe Minstrel BoyMrs. Murphy's ChowderOut Of My Soul's Great SadnessRequestSimple GiftsSmick, Smack, SmuckSometimes I Feel Like A Motherless ChildThe Story Of A TactSwing Low, Sweet ChariotWhere Did You Get That Hat?While Strolling Through The Park One DayYou'll Miss Lots Of Fun When You're Married

This series was designed to supplement traditional vocal instruction. Each piece is in English and has a limited vocal range as well as a piano accompaniment that is playable by a student

pianist. The pieces include art songs, folksongs, humorous songs, and suitable vintage popular songs and are all appropriate for contest solos. The accompanying CD includes professionally-recorded accompaniments.

9185 SONGBOOK & CD $16.95

Joan Frey Boytim: The First Book of Baritone/Bass SolosAcross The Western OceanThe Bells Of Cleremont TownThe Blind PloughmanBlow, Blow, Thou Winter RoadBlow High, Blow LowCreate In Me A Clean HeartEncantadora MariaFalse PhillisThe Friar Of Orders GrayHor Ich Das Liedchen KlingenIntermezzoThe Jolly RogerThe King Of Love My Shepard IsLeave Me Loathsome LightLet Us Break Bread TogetherLord, I Want To Be A ChristianNext, Winter Comes SlowlyO Mistress MineOn The Road To MandalayThe Rovin' GamblerThe SeaShenandoahTally-Ho!There Was A Mighty Monarch

This is among the most widely used teaching repertoire for singers in the U.S. Over 30 songs in each book with 2 accompaning CDs, including American and British art songs, folk song arrangements, sacred songs and a sampling of beginning songs in German, Italian, Spanish and French. There is a completely different song selection for each voice type..

9184 SONGBOOK & 2CDs $24.95

Various Arrangers: Singer's Library of Musical Theatre - Baritone / BassLullaby of Broadway - 42nd StreetAt Night She Comes Home To Me - BabyEasier To Love - BabyThis Can't Be Love - The Boys From SyracuseYou Have Cast Your Shadow on the Sea - The Boys From SyracuseCamelot - CamelotHow To Handle a Woman - CamelotIf Ever I Would Leave You - CamelotCome Along With Me - Can-CanIt's All Right With Me - Can-CanRazzle Dazzle - ChicagoCloser Than Ever - Closer Than EverIf I Can't Love Her - Beauty and the BeastTalk to the Animals - Doctor DolittleTry To Remember - The FantasticksComedy Tonight - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Thank Heaven for Little Girls - GigiJust One of Those Things - High SocietyToo Darn Hot - Kiss Me, KateWhere Is The Life That Late I Led? - Kiss Me, KateIn Praise of Women - A Little Night MusicIf I Had My Drothers - Li'l AbnerGet me To The Church On Time - My Fair LadyI've Grown Accustomed to Her Face - My Fair LadyEating Myself Up Alive - A New BrainOn A Clear Day - On a Clear Day You Can See ForeverClap Yo' Hands - Oh, Kay!They Call The Wind Maria - Paint Your WagonYou Mustn't Kick It Around - Pal JoeyI Could Write a Book - Pal JoeyA Woman Is A Sometime Thing - Porgy and BessI Got Plenty O' Nuttin' - Porgy and Bess- Stephen Flaherty Make Them Hear YouWhere's The Girl - The Scarley PimpernelHow Lucky You Are - Seussical

Alfred's Singer's Library of Musical Theatre features a treasury of the finest musical theatre songs. Presented in their original keys and authentically transcribed from the original vocal scores, the songs were selected for each voice type with careful attention to the vocal range of the song, as well as the voice of the character from the original Broadway cast. Each volume includes a variety of shows, spanning every important decade of musical theatre. This authoritative series features historical and contextual commentary, audition tips, and 16-bar cut suggestions for each song, making it the most useful and relevant collection of its kind. This is the Baritone / Bass Edition.

8593 SONGBOOK $19.95

Various Composers: Arias for Bass Vol. 1La calunnia e un venticello - Rossini - l barbiere di SivigliaO tu, Palermo - Verdi - Vespri sicilianiInfelice!... e tuo credevi - Verdi - ErnaniVecchia zimarra - Puccini - La bohemeMadamina il catalogo e questo - Mozart - Don GiovanniElla giammai m'amo - Verdi - Don CarloVi ravviso, o luoghi ameni - Bellini - La sonnambulaCome dal ciel precipita - Verdi - Macbeth

Cantolopera is a series that proposes a totally new way to approach the great opera repertoire: versions for voice and piano of the most famous arias, accompanied by a compact disc containing the corresponding orchestral bases, recorded with a 130-piece orchestra, to allow the professional, the student and the opera fan to practice, as well as a version sung by an established artist for reference. Each volume contains the lyrics of the arias plus a short summary and background information on the 'Compagnia d'Opera Italiana' Orchestra and the performers.Cantolopera is a series that proposes a totally new way to approach the great opera repertoire: versions for voice and piano of the most famous arias, accompanied by a

compact disc containing the corresponding orchestral bases, recorded with a 130-piece orchestra, to allow the professional, the student and the opera fan to practice, as well as a version sung by an established artist for reference. Each volume contains the lyrics of the arias plus a short summary and background information on the 'Compagnia d'Opera Italiana' Orchestra and the performers.

8572 SONGBOOK & CD $24.95

Various Composers: Cantolopera - Arias for Baritono Resta immobile - Rossini - Guglielmo TellEri tu che macchiavi quell'anima - Verdi - Un ballo in mascheraPieta, rispetto, amore - Verdi - MacbethCruda, funesta smania Donizetti Lucia di LammermoorBella siccome un angelo - Donizetti - Don PasqualeDio di Giuda - Verdi - NabuccoCredo in un Dio crudel - Verdi - OtelloO Carlo ascolta... lo morro - Verdi - Don Carlo

This is among the most widely used teaching repertoire for singers in the U.S. Over 30 songs in each book with 2 accompaning CDs, including American and British art songs, folk song arrangements, sacred songs and a sampling of beginning songs in German, Italian, Spanish and French. There is a completely different song selection for each voice type..

8569 SONGBOOK & CD $24.95

Richard Greene: Low? Bottom? Me?Too Cool To Care!Nobody's PerfectSearching for PoetryLet's Go WildGrowing RosesHelter SkelterThe Waters of MarchTricotismEverything Happens for a ReasonDoin' the New Low-Down

"Low? Bottom? Me?" (Lobotomy, get it?) is "super-bass" Richard Bob Greene's first solo CD." Richard is, of course a founder and driving force behind nu-wave a cappella pioneers The Bobs, and he's a songwriter, composer, arranger and humorist extraordinaire. Included on the 10 songs are 5 Greene originals, "Too Cool to Care," "Nobody's Perfect," Searchin' for Poetry," "Growing Roses" and "Let's Go Wild." The others are a manic remake of the Bob's

cover of Lennon/McCartney's "Helter Skelter," Antonio Carlos Jobim's Salsa-flavored "The Waters of March," Oscar Pettiford's "Tricotism," and the Mills Brothers' "Doin' the New Low Down." Most of the songs on "Low?" are accompanied, but the emphasis is on the lyrics and on Greene's powerful vocals; the solid rich bass that has anchored the Bobs for so many years. "Too Cool to Care" is a stream of consciousness beatnik coffee-house poem with cool jazz clarinet, bass and drums, as is "Let's Go Wild" but the words are sung rather than spoken. "Nobody's Perfect" is a bluesy, jazzy observation. There's some wonderful vocal horns on "Doin' the New Low Down." "Low?" is a smoky, Leonard Cohen-esque, surprising, poetic new direction for Greene's music, which will please present fans and surely earn him new ones!

Three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch's solo concert, The Lower Depths: A Concert In Defense of the Baritone Voice, which had been scheduled to play Town Hall Jan. 15, will now be presented next month at New World Stages as a benefit for The Actors Fund.

The concert will play the Off-Broadway venue Feb. 14 at 7:30 PM. Musical director is Randy Redd.

Broadway favorite Kudisch, according to press notes, "takes a hard, humorous look at the history of the Baritone voice." The singing actor hopes the evening will be "the opening of a conversation that will be informative, funny, ferocious and vocally thrilling. And I hope people will want to come and join in on the dialogue. Prepare to engage!"

Kudisch received Tony nominations for his performances in 9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and has also appeared on Broadway in The Apple Tree, Bells Are Ringing, The Wild Party, High Society, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Matching Quote

"We praise Him, we bless Him, we adore Him, we glorify Him, and we wonder who is that baritone across the aisle and that pretty woman on our right who smells of apple blossoms. Our bowels stir and our cod itches and we amend our prayers for the spiritual life with the hope that it will not be too spiritual."

-John Cheever

Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices Summary:

By Richard Miller

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Number Of Pages: 232

Publication Date: 2008-03-19

ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0195322657

ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780195322651

Product Description:

Perhaps the most renowned writer in the field of vocal pedagogy, Richard Miller has delivered a new and outstanding contribution to the study of vocal technique in Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices. The first thorough and comprehensive treatment of low male voices, this book draws on techniques and practical advice from Miller's years of professional experience as a performer and pedagogue. With a unique focus on "securing" the technical stability of the male voice, the book offers practical advice to students, their teachers, and professional performers, through numerous practical exercises and repertoire suggestions appropriate to various stages of development. Miller synthesizes historic vocal pedagogy with the latest research on the singing voice, always emphasizing the special nature of the male voice and the proper physiological functioning for vocal proficiency. An indispensable guide to male low voices, this book is an essential text for performers, aspiring performers, and instructors alike.

Summary: Scholarly work Rating: 5

This is a great work by a great vocal scholar. I studied this book in detail, and found it to be most helpful in my vocal studies. Although I am just a novice singer, I found Professor Miller to be very readable. I did, however, have to spend extra time studying the physiology terms, with which I was unfamiliar. I found it useful to outline the key points in each chapter. I am including these as they may prove useful to other readers. Additionally, I found it helpful to prepare my own glossary of terms. There is also an excellent glossary toward the end of the book. As one example of the benefit I received from this book, I followed Prof Miller's suggestion to watch some of the great baritone performances of past days. I found Leonard Warren's Largo al factotum absolutely enchanting. In addition, I especially appreciated the chapters on the "passaggios." In sum, truly a great book. I'm delighted I purchased this book. Not too hard a read, and very rewarding--even to a novice singer. CHAPTER THEMES: 1 Overview of bass/baritone classifications 2 Onset must be precise 3 Strive for silent, smooth breath renewal 4 Poor chiaroscuro balance due to maladjusted lips, tongue, jaw, or pharynx Tongue misplacement is common error Using hum helps sense resonance balance 5 'Strive to achive a stable, even scale. This requires: (1) Increased vocal energy (not volume) (2) Vowel modification, or cover (It."copertura") Vowel modification is gradual mouth opening beginning at primo passagio, with more at the secundo passagio. 6 Singer must develop ear towards uniformity. There isn't any one rule for vowel modification. Middle voice (about A>D) is critical passage. Need gradual balance of timbre Typically, vowel adjusted to be more rounded to reduce shrillness. Exception: u. 7 Agility depends on brief onset. Best achieved by practicing short stacatto passages. 8 Not helpful to use imaginary ideas of resonance; instead, study actual physiology of voice. 9 Strive for stable larynx position, somewhat low. 10 Falsetto practice improves larynx flexibility. 11 Vibratto is normal effect and should as a rule be employed. Vibratto suffers if pitch not precise at onset. 12 Technical security cures anxiety. This confidence due to applying common tonal physiology + personal distinctives. "Wisdom of the body" a composite of: a) Feel: Natural grace, not methodology, should prevail. b) Sound: We should listen both internally and externally.

c) Visual: Be aware of your facial expressions. 13 Over time, build your own tonal concept. This forms basis for all singing. Important to listen to elite singers as examples 14 Gradual energization should be your goal. Strive for consistent timbre at all dynamic levels. 15 Men need greater vowel modifiction and breath control when navigating passagio area 16 Strive for serene air, with just minor body shifts. Helpful exercise: Farinelli breath exercise. Don't inject nasality into singing. Avoid strohbass (special larynx lowering.) Avoid open voice--voce aperta. This may happen if vowel not modified at passagio. 17 Dedicated study, not raw talent is #1 factor in singing success. Technical security cures anxiety. Publicly perform only pieces completely mastered, thus building positive track record. Text and music must be totally ingrained before performing. Focus on artistic communication, away from self. Traversing zona di passagio is challenging because energy level increases, resistance to breath exit increases, and glottis closed-cycle increases over open cycle. Use entire-body warm-up (about 20 min) Success requires creating a "tonal ideal" that matches one's instrument. This involves daily effort to achieve stable technique. Artistic creativity CAN be nurtured. Precisely know the meaning of the words in the text--not just vague familiarity. Visualize the scenario as sharply as possible. Strive to accurately portray the song's emotion. During performance, occasionally look at different sections; make eye contact. Daily regiment should include (after physical warm-up) technical points in this book. 18 Suggested material 19 For audition, use best piece first. Realistically, young singers should seek small roles first. Arias should be fully mastered, but actual performance should have "spark of immediacy."

Summary: Exceptional Pedagogy!Rating: 5

Richard Miller, a master of vocal technique, has produced a volume for every baritone/bass and voice teacher's library. This is a balanced work: practical exercises and physiological and scientific data.

Summary: Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone and Bass VoicesRating: 5

Excellent book as are all the Richard Miller texts. It's been a long time coming and very welcome.

Summary: Wonderful resource.Rating: 5

This is a wonderful resource for teaching the male voice. I highly recommend it to any who is either a teacher or those that are searching for their voice type.

Summary: very helpfulRating: 4

As a performer and voice teacher/coach, I find anything by Richard Miller to be helpful. Although by necessity there is always a good deal in his books that I already know, it is always put in such a catching way that it revives the memory and makes it easier to communicate to students. And then there are those details that I dont know... invaluable.

The baritone vocal range is the singing voice between tenor and bass, usually considered as spanning from A2 to F4. It is typically the lowest in SATB (voice) choir. The baritone voice is written in bass clef and is sung by a male singer, as are the tenor and bass. The bass voice is sometimes considered as a baritone who possesses a greater extension into the lower range, sometimes as low as C2

Quote Berlioz:

‘What a man! An actor of wit and poise, voice admirable, method impeccable, unbelievable ease of delivery, power and sweetness combined – everything. It’s superb!’ Hector Berlioz on hearing

Tamburini sing in Naples in 1831.

Antonio Tamburini (1800 – 1876)

Ironically, in terms of technique, pure and simple, the art of classical and operatic baritone singing may have reached its apogee with the singer Antonio Tamburini (1800 – 1876). Historically, in the development of the baritone voice he stands like a technical colossus astride the nineteenth century. There are no sound recordings (for obvious reasons), no wax cylinders, no early forgotten mechanical attempts to preserve the sound of this technical titan, nothing sounding like ‘ quote Michael Scott …’ showing us precious aural glimpses of Tamburini in ‘...’. Like so many, many great singers in the story of opera and song we have nothing but the written record, the music that was written for them, the preserved instruments that accompanied the voices and shared their sound world and examples of extant theatres dating from those times, that housed and kept that sound world : nothing else; if we must piece together an idea of possible sounds and styles, then that is all we can use to do this.

Tamburini is such a fascinating figure historically in the development of the baritone voice - not simply because he was clearly one of the greatest artists the lyric stage had ever seen, part of the great Romantic explosion of talent in operatic singing in the first half of the Nineteenth century, with contemporaries such as Maria Malibran, Henriette Sontag, Giuditta Pasta, Adolphe Nourrit, Gilbert-Louis Duprez, Domenico Donzelli and his ‘I Puritani’ singers, Luigi Lablache, Giam-Batista Rubini, Giulia Grisi and Mario, adding to the astonishing array and brightness of ‘stellar’ talent in the operatic firmament which he shared and adorned – but because he is a paradoxical figure too.

The paradox in one way is simple: he was so good he simply left no successors. One might expect such a figure to leave a clear tradition or style to imitate; perhaps in the way Caruso has influenced all tenors who have come after him. There were great baritones who followed him and had great careers, spanning operatic continents and decades and whose names come down to us with Tamburini’s: as with him, with nearly all of them there is no literal, recorded sound evidence whatsoever. Many succeeded to his repertoire but none to his mantle – he remains unique in operatic history and in the history of the baritone voice but the reasons for this are more complex than simply a colossal amount of musical and dramatic talent, brilliantly employed, separating him substantially in terms of ability from most if not nearly all of his fellow lower/low voiced contemporaries. His style has become part of a now semi-legendary ‘bel canto’ past. The reasons, as the discussion will show, centre too on developments in opera and operatic singing, in the art and the popular culture of the time creating this paradoxical figure that is Antonio Tamburini.