Keywords
tenor fach classification, lyric vs. spinto tenor, Juan Diego Flórez Rossini tenor tradition
Abstract
Just as for sopranos, there are, of course, various kinds of tenors. Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Siegmund in Die Walküre, are probably never candidates for each other’s roles. For audiences, Rodolfo in particular defines what it means to be a tenor. That role fach (voice type) is called lyric tenor, and from the 1840s and up to our day, there is one such in every stereotypical opera libretto: the more or less tragic male figure in a love story. At the beginning of the 1800s, similar tenor roles were often written for a higher and lighter voice. One often speaks of a ”Rossini tenor,” who can of course also sing Tonio in Donizetti’s La fille du règiment. Juan Diego Flórez is the best-known current example. The lover’s role can also be written for a more dramatic voice. Not every Rodolfo fits as Radamès in Aida or Calaf in Turandot. Using an Italian word, the latter two are often referred to as spinto tenors, indicating that the voice is exposed to a stronger pressure (spingere means push in English).
Recommended Citation
Olve, Nils-Göran; Flaster, Sue ,translator; and Henrysson, Harald ,translator
(2022)
"Voice Types:,"
Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK: Vol. 30:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jussibjorlingsociety/vol30/iss1/8