Baritone
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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.
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In music, a baritone (from Greek barutonos 'deeply, heavily sounding') 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.
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Types of baritone and baritone roles in operas
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.
- Alberich (Das Rheingold)
- Amfortas (Parsifal)
- Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni)
- Escamillo (Carmen)
- Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)
- Pizarro (Fidelio)
- Prince Igor (Prince Igor)
- The Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer)
- Wotan (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried)
- 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.
- Enrico Ashton (Lucia di Lammermoor)
- Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin)
- Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
- Fritz (Die Tote Stadt)
- Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi)
- Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte)
- Guillaume Tell (Guillaume Tell)
- Hamlet (Hamlet)
- Lescaut (Manon)
- Masetto (Don Giovanni)
- Papageno (Die Zauberflöte)
- Peter (Hänsel und Gretel)
- Rodrigo (Don Carlos)
- The Old Doctor (Vanessa)
- Wolfram von Eschenbach (Tannhäuser)
- Zurga (Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
- 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.
- Baron Scarpia (Tosca)
- Don Carlo (Ernani)
- Germont (La Traviata)
- Gusmano (Alzira)
- Il Conte di Luna (Il trovatore)
- Macbeth (Macbeth)
- Lescaut (Manon Lescaut)
- Miller (Luisa Miller)
- Nabucco (Nabucco)
- Rigoletto (Rigoletto)
- Scarpia (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
- Sir Thomas Allen
- Robert Allman
- Pierre Bernac
- Piero Cappuccilli
- Jorge Chaminé
- Dale Duesing
- Sir Geraint Evans
- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Tito Gobbi
- Matthias Goerne
- Hakan Hagegard
- Thomas Hampson
- Dmitri Hvorostovsky
- Jorma Hynninen
- Bruce Martin
- Sherill Milnes
- Robert Merrill
- Alexander Podolkhov
- Titta Ruffo
- Vladimir Ružđak
- Donald Shanks
- John Shirley-Quirk
- Gérard Souzay
- Neil Warren-Smith
- Giuseppe Taddei
- Bryn Terfel
- Gregory Yurisich
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.
- Rick Astley
- Paul Banks
- Bo Bice
- Jeremy Castle
- Nat King Cole
- Bing Crosby
- Ian Curtis
- Neil Diamond
- Paul Di'Anno
- Billy Eckstine
- Joey Fatone
- Ian Gillan
- Robert Goulet
- Josh Groban
- Rupert Holmes
- Davy Jones
- Blaine Larsen
- Huey Lewis
- Carlos Marin
- John McCrea
- Jim Morrison
- Billy Ocean
- Elvis Presley
- Kenny Rogers
- Graham Russell
- Frank Sinatra
- Joe Williams
- Pat Boone
- Ringo Starr
- David Sylvian
- Levi Stubbs
- Ruben Studdard
- Gackt
- Chris Cornell
- Alex Reed
- Heino
See also soprano, alto, tenor, bass, timbrebg:Баритон ca:Baríton da:Baritone de:Bariton (Stimmlage) es:Barítono fr:Baryton it:Baritono hu:Bariton nl:Bariton (zangstem) ja:バリトン pl:Baryton sl:Bariton (glas) fi:Baritoni sv:Baryton (sång) zh:男中音
