Classical Male Voices

Operatic voices - Voices with proper classical technique and skills which can be heard without amplification throughout the opera house, over the orchestra and choir.

Male voice types:

The male classical singing voice can be broadly classified by their tessitura (comfortable range) as follows:
1) Tenor : Male voice with the highest tessitura. Range: A3 to C5(or higher)
2) Baritone : Middle-range voice type for men and is the most common male voice. Range: G2 to A4
3) Bass : The lowest voice type, with the lowest tessitura. Range: C2(or lower) to F4

The above 3 voice types can be further divided on the basis of their vocal weight and quality as:
a) Lyric : A warm voice with a bright, smooth and full timbre and can be heard over a big orchestra.
b) Dramatic : A powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over a full orchestra with ease. Usually has a lower tessitura than the Lyric voice.
c) Buffo : A voice with good acting ability, and the ability to create distinct voices for his characters. This voice specializes in smaller comic roles.

Other voices include:
- CounterTenor : A type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice. True countertenors are extremely rare and the part is usually sung by baritones using falsetto.
- Leggero Tenor : This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of fioritura.
- Spinto Tenor : This voice has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight and can be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes without strain
- Helden Tenor : A rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice with a more baritonal quality.
- Mozart Tenor : A tenor voice with characterised by flawless and slender emission of sound as that of an instrument.
- Baryton-Martin : A Baritone with a lighter, almost tenor-like quality.
- KavalierBariton : A metallic voice, that can sing both lyric and dramatic phrases, a manly noble baritonal color.
- Verdi Baritone : A type of dramatic baritone who is capable of singing consistently and with ease in the highest part of the baritone range.
- Bass-baritone : A voice in the lower range for a baritone and the higher range for a bass. Sub-classified into lyric and dramatic bass-baritones.
- Basso Profundo : A very deep bass voice. The voice with the lowest tessitura. Sub-classified into lyric and dramatic Basso Profundos.