tenor explained

theoryTEN-orfrom Italian

The highest standard male voice type, with a range typically from C3 to C5

In Depth

The tenor voice is subdivided into: leggiero (light and agile, suited to Baroque and comic roles), lyric (warm and expressive, suited to Mozart, Donizetti, and Puccini), spinto (lyric with dramatic power), dramatic (heavy and penetrating, suited to Verdi), and Heldentenor (heroic, suited to Wagner). The high C (C5) is the tenor's showpiece note, and audiences historically judge tenors by their ability to deliver it with power and ease. The tenor is the default lead voice in opera.
Did you know?

Luciano Pavarotti's nine consecutive high Cs in Donizetti's La fille du régiment brought the house down at the Met in 1972 and cemented his superstar status.

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