Vocalist.org archive


<
From:  Karen Mercedes <dalila@R...>
Karen Mercedes <dalila@R...>
Date:  Mon Dec 3, 2001  2:15 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Stupid Question... Tenors or Baritones?


On Fri, 30 Nov 2001, Jgargano wrote:

> What vocally is the difference between a tenor and a baritone? I have heard
some baritones which sound alot like tenors and tenors which sound alot like
baritones. I have also heard baritones with a strong tessatura and tenors with
a weak one? Could it just be laziness? or lack of technique? or just that the
person in question doesn't grasp the concepts?

Tessitura and range are the basic differences.

Yes, there are "lazy" tenors who choose to sing baritone. I also met a
baritone this weekend who knows he's a baritone, but also sings a lot of
musical theatre where he's "sitting on the fence" - musical theatre tenors
often have music with tessitura that would be considered high baritone
(baritenor or perhaps baryton martin) territory in classical music - I'm
thinking of roles like Gaylord Ravenal in SHOW BOAT, originally conceived
as a tenor, but sung quite successfully by numerous baritones.

There are also "baritones" who later discover, usually with the aid of an
experienced teacher, conductor, etc., that they are actually tenors.
Placido Domingo is a famous example of this. ANd I recall reading that
Lauritz Melchior began life as a baritone, as did a few other famous
tenors.

Then there are odd creatures like Ramon Vinay, who began his career as a
baritone, then switched to dramatic tenor and had a very successful career
in that fach, then switched in his later life back to baritone, and was
equally successful in that fach.

One interesting thing about these switchover singers - they are virtually
always on the "heavy" end of the vocal spectrum - spinto and dramatic
voices. I've not yet heard of a lyric tenor who begin life as a baritone.
I'm also not familiar with any singers - other than Vinay - who switched
*from* tenor to baritone (let along from baritone to tenor and back).

By the way - there's a similar phenomenon on the distaff side -
mezzos who later discover they're actually sopranos - or at least THINK
they do (e.g., Shirley Verrett) - though to my ear, many of them are
confused by having an extended upper register that fools them into
thinking they can actually succeed in the higher fach/tessitura; in most
cases - and even Verrett falls into this trap, to my ears - they sound
shrill and harsh in their new, higher repertoire. Examples of this: Grace
Bumbry, Waltraud Meier, Victoria Livengood, and for a time Christa Ludwig
who, being the extremely intelligent and self-aware singer she was,
recognized quickly that she was NOT a dramatic soprano, but a mezzo with
good upper extension, so that she wisely switched back to her appropriate
repertoire and extended her career, no doubt, much beyond what it would
have lasted had she tried singing the Wagnerian soprano roles she once
considered doing.

On the other hand, there was Olive Fremstad, who truly WAS a dramatic
soprano, though she began life as a contralto. And then there was the
amazing Margarete Matzenauer, who managed to successfully perform roles
throughout the entire range - from contralto to dramatic soprano. I've
heard her recordings, and she truly WAS a phenomenon - she sounded just as
good in her upper fach as in her lower one.

On the other hand, there was Regina Resnik, who began life as a dramatic
soprano, then realized she was "mis-fached", and switched very
successfully to mezzo repertoire.

Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
***************************************
Verdi and Wagner delighted the crowds
With their highly original sound.
The pianos they played are still working,
But they're both six feet underground.
- Michael Palin


emusic.com