Baritone
Baritone
Atlanta Thrashers
Category="Vocal ranges"This is an article on the voice type. For information about the musical instrument commonly referred to as a Baritone, see Baritone horn. For other instruments, see Baritone instruments. In music, a baritone is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and Tenor. It is typically written for in the range A one octave and a third below middle C to F above middle C (i.e. A2-F4), though it is often extended at the top.
Types
The baritone voice is commonly subdivided as follows: - Dramatic baritone is a voice with a somewhat heavier, darker quality. A typical role for dramatic baritones in opera is a villainous role, like Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio.
- Lyric baritone is a voice that is lighter and perhaps mellower than the dramatic baritone. It is probably the most common of the baritone voice types. A typical role for a lyric baritone in opera is a comical role, like Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.
- Verdi baritone is a more specialized voice category, referring to a voice capable of singing consistently and with ease in the highest part of the baritone range, perhaps even up to the A above middle C. A typical role in opera for Verdi bartiones is similar to the dramatic baritone: a cold-blooded villain, like Germont in Verdi's La Traviata, or Scarpia in Tosca.
Barbershop baritone
In Barbershop music, the baritone part sings in a similar but somewhat lower range to the lead (singing the melody), but has a specific and specialised role in the formation of the four-part harmony that characterises 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). On the other hand, the baritone will occasionally find himself harmonising above the melody, which calls for a tenor-like quality. Because of the nature of barbershop arrangements the baritone part is invariably the most challenging to learn and the hardest to improvise.Famous baritones
Classical music
Popular music
NOTE: In most cases, it is not possible to find a reputable source for the vocal range of pop singers. It seems most names are listed here on an empirical basis. It must be noted that in the pop world, the vocal range of a singer is often artificially enhanced.
See also Soprano, alto, Tenor, bass, Timbre