Baritone
This is an article on the voice type. For information about the musical instrument, see Baritone horn. For other instruments, see Baritone instruments.Baritone (French:
baryton; German:
Bariton; Italian:
baritono) is most commonly the type of male
voice that lies between
bass and
tenor. Originally from the
Greek βαρυτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from A one octave and a third below
middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. A2-F4 or A-f
1)
[Vocal ranges, Yale University Music Library, accessed June 3, 2006], though it can be extended at either end. In addition to describing a voice,
baritone can also be used as a descriptive classifier for certain types of instruments, such as the
Baritone horn or
Baritone saxophone.
While
baritone refers to a type of male voice, there are varying subtypes within the range of the baritone.
Dramatic baritone
A voice with a somewhat heavier, darker quality. This category corresponds roughly to the Heldenbariton in the German
fach system except the Verdi baritones have been separated. Roles for this voice are also called bass-baritone and are typically dramatic in their tone. Roles such as these tend not to rise above an F so as not to extend past the accepted top of the baritone range.
Lyric baritone
A voice that is lighter and perhaps mellower than the dramatic baritone. It is probably the most common of the baritone voice types and is typically assigned to comic roles.
Verdi baritone
A more specialized voice category, Verdi baritone refers to a voice capable of singing consistently and with ease in the highest part of the baritone range, sometimes even up to the A natural above middle C.
The baryton-noble
French for
noble baritone and describes a part that requires a noble bearing, smooth vocalisation and forceful declamation, all in perfect balance. This category originated in the
Paris Opéra, but it greatly influenced
Verdi (Don Carlo in
Ernani and
La forza del destino; Count Luna in
Il trovatore;
Simon Boccanegra) and Wagner as well (Wotan; Amfortas).
The Martin baritone
A lighter, almost tenor-like voice developed at the
Opéra Comique. Quite common in operetta and in French chamber music.
The first use of the term "baritone" emerged as
baritonans late in the
15th century,
[Franchino Gaffurio, Practica musicae, liber tertius, 1496] usually in
French sacred polyphonic music. At this early stage it was frequently used as the lowest of the voices (including the bass), but in
17th century Italy the term was all-encompassing and used to describe the average male choral voice.
The baritone took the range we know today in the beginning of the
18th century but was still referred to as bass until the
19th century; many works of the 18th century have roles marked as bass that in reality are baritone roles, such as Figaro and Count Almaviva from
Le nozze di Figaro or many of
Handel's works.
19th century
The
bel canto style of singing that had been so popular in the early 19th century gave rise to the acceptance of the baritone as a separate voice part from the bass. Traditionally, bass roles tended towards father figures like the king or the high priest, but with the more fluid baritone voice the roles expanded toward traditionally tenor roles of romantic leads or trusted companions as well as villains.
The early 19th century development of the baritone in
opera was primarily due to the bel canto style, with
Donizetti,
Bellini and of course Verdi opening up new avenues of performance for male voice. There are occasional references to additional baritone subtypes such as the high baritone (French:
baryton Martin, after
Jean-Blaise Martin [Dolmetsch Online, Music Dictionary Vm-Vz, accessed May 28, 2006]), the Heldenbaritone of
Wagner's operas and the Verdi baritone. A slightly higher voice type of period was the Hoher Bass, but the term is applied more often to the
bass-baritone instead of the baritone proper. Lyric baritones made strides in art song and oratorio during this period as well, with
Schubert favoring several baritones for his music, in particular
Johann Michael Vogl.
[Charles K. Moss, Franz Peter Schubert: Master of Song, accessed May 28, 2006]Use of the baritone in
operetta became the domain of lighter voices and were typically comic parts in the tradition of the
buffo bass, a typical characterization by
Gilbert and Sullivan in many of their productions, but French composers such as
Massenet and
Offenbach used them to great effect as villains in
Manon and
Les contes d'Hoffmann, respectively.
[OPERA-L, Tenor buffo - Offenbach, accessed May 29, 2006]20th century
The
20th century led to even more opportunities for baritones than before. New operas such as
Pelleas et Melisande featured two baritones,
Jean Périer and
Hector Dufranne, who had differing vocal qualities. Singers such as
Giuseppe De Luca,
Mario Sammarco and
Titta Ruffo also made great strides in originating many 20th century baritone roles;
Leo Schützendorf premiered the title role in
Wozzeck [Lebrecht Music and Art Library, Outside theatre before premiere of Wozzeck, accessed May 29, 2006] in addition to his performances of
Boris Godunov,
Beckmesser,
Faninal, and
Mefistofele.
Characteristic of the
Wagnerian baritones of the mid-20th century was a general progression of a single singer from higher lyrical bass to lower bass-baritone and bass roles, such as
Hans Hotter; over 60 years, he created the Comandant in
Strauss's
Friedenstag and Olivier in
Capriccio and was widely hailed in the
1950s as the top Wagner bass-baritone in the world.
One of the foremost Verdi baritones,
Mariano Stabile sang
Falstaff at
La Scala in the
1920s and performed
Iago,
Rigoletto and
Scarpia. He was followed by
Tito Gobbi, who was regarded as an actor capable of both powerfully comic and tragic performances. He learned over 100 roles in his lifetime and was mostly known for his roles in Verdi and Puccini operas, including performances as Scarpia opposite
Maria Callas as Tosca at
Covent Garden.
Gobbi's frequent collaborator
Geraint Evans, a
Welsh baritone, first sang the role of Falstaff at
Glyndebourne and created the roles of
Mr. Flint and
Mountjoy. In addition to work in several pieces of
Benjamin Britten's, many consider his best work to be Wozzeck. The next significant Welsh baritone was
Bryn Terfel, who made his premiere at Glyndebourne in 1990.
[Deutsche Grammophon, Bryn Terfel's Biographical Timeline, accessed May 28, 2006]Despite the European dominance of classical singing, American baritones
Lawrence Tibbett,
Leonard Warren and
Robert Merrill became renowned singers in their own right. Continuing the success of these singers was
Sherrill Milnes, who in addition to becoming famed for his Verdi performances was as just as successful in French opera including
Hamlet.
The leading Italian Verdi baritone of the
1970s and
1980s was
Piero Cappuccilli, while
Britain's
Thomas Allen was considered the most versatile baritone of his generation in regards to repretoire, spanning the literature from Mozart to Verdi, French, Russian and modern English music. Many other 20th century baritones became widely noted for their interpretations of Verdi's works, including one of the first singers from the former
USSR,
Vladimir Chernov.
In the realm of French literature, few surpassed the interpretation of
Gérard Souzay, whose range spanned from the Baroque works of
Lully to modern composers like
Poulenc.
Pierre Bernac, Souzay's teacher, was a primary interpreter of Poulenc's songs. Others excelling in the style include Australian
John Brownlee and Russia's
Sergey Leiferkus.
Prior to World War II, Germans
Heinrich Schlusnus,
Gerhard Hüsch and
Herbert Janssen, became celebrated for their lieder work. In addition, each one was noted for their onstage contributions to Verdi, Mozart and Wagner, respectively. After the end of the war,
Hermann Prey and
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau emerged as the most renowned. In addition to his interpretations of lieder and the works of Mozart, Prey displayed talent in pieces by Verdi, Strauss and Wagner as well. Fischer-Dieskau created several new roles as well as performing in the classical repertory. Younger German and Austrian lieder singers include
Olaf Bär,
Matthias Goerne,
Wolfgang Holzman and
Stephan Genz.
Popular music singers of the 20th century
Baritones are as at home in the world of popular music as they are in classical. On the
Broadway stage,
Alfred Drake (
Kismet,
Kiss me Kate and
Oklahoma!) and
Robert Goulet (notable as Lancelot in
Camelot) became especially known for their sound. For pop music interpreters,
Frank Sinatra,
Bing Crosby and
Nat King Cole are just a few of the best-known baritones.
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.
*
List of baritone roles*
List of famous baritones*
Timbre
*Owen Jander, J.B. Steane, Elizabeth Forbes/Ellen T. Harris (with Gerald Waldman): 'Baritone', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 24 Jan 2006), http://www.grovemusic.com
