Tenore di grazia
Encyclopedia
Leggiero Tenor, also called tenor leggiero or tenore di grazia, is a lightweight, flexible tenor
type of voice. The tenor roles written in the early 19th century Italian operas are invariably leggiero tenor roles, especially those by Rossini
such as Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri
, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola
, and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Bellini
; Gualtiero in Il pirata
, Elvino in La sonnambula
and Arturo in I Puritani
are classic examples of the voice. Many Donizetti
roles, such as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
and Ernesto in Don Pasquale
, Tonio in La fille du régiment
, are also tenore di grazia roles.
The most famous leggiero tenor of that period was Giovanni Battista Rubini
, for whom Bellini wrote nearly all his operas.
The tenor leggiero voice is often misclassifed. There are several reasons for this. The first being the lower register of the leggiero tenor. The leggiero tenor can go quite low, the A or so below the low C. In Scientific Pitch Notation
this note is C3. Because of this, the leggiero tenor is often misclassifed as a baritone
normally a lyric baritone. This voice might also be classifed as another type of tenor such as lyric tenor. However, the leggiero tenor possesses something that the other tenors do not: an upper extension that when not fully developed, sounds almost like a falsetto
. This "falsetto" however is part of a full voice mechanism and is much more connected to what appears to sound like the full voice more than a falsetto would. This upper extension takes a period of 3 or more years to develop successfully. The upper extension normally starts around the A flat below the Tenor High C and goes up to as high as the singer is comfortable with, normally an E above the high C and sometimes to an F# or G. The highest vocal range needed in opera for this voice type is the high F above the Tenor high C. This is sung as part of the role of Arturo in I puritani
.
The light French lyric tenor is often confused with the leggiero tenor. Examples of the French tradition of a light, lyrical voice can be found in roles such as George Brown in La dame blanche
, Chapelou in Le postillon de Lonjumeau
, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles
, Vincent in Mireille
, and Gérald in Lakmé
.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
type of voice. The tenor roles written in the early 19th century Italian operas are invariably leggiero tenor roles, especially those by Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
such as Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca...
, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
, and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
; Gualtiero in Il pirata
Il pirata
Il pirata is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani from a French translation of the tragic play Bertram, or The Castle of St Aldobrando by Charles Maturin...
, Elvino in La sonnambula
La sonnambula
La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur.The first...
and Arturo in I Puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
are classic examples of the voice. Many Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
roles, such as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
and Ernesto in Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
, Tonio in La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. It was written while the composer was living in Paris, with a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard.La figlia del reggimento, a slightly different Italian-language version , was...
, are also tenore di grazia roles.
The most famous leggiero tenor of that period was Giovanni Battista Rubini
Giovanni Battista Rubini
Giovanni Battista Rubini was an Italian tenor, as famous in his time as Enrico Caruso in a later day. His ringing and expressive coloratura dexterity in the highest register of his voice, the tenorino, inspired the writing of operatic roles which today are almost impossible to cast...
, for whom Bellini wrote nearly all his operas.
The tenor leggiero voice is often misclassifed. There are several reasons for this. The first being the lower register of the leggiero tenor. The leggiero tenor can go quite low, the A or so below the low C. In Scientific Pitch Notation
Scientific pitch notation
Scientific pitch notation is one of several methods that name the notes of the standard Western chromatic scale by combining a letter-name, accidentals, and a number identifying the pitch's octave...
this note is C3. Because of this, the leggiero tenor is often misclassifed as a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
normally a lyric baritone. This voice might also be classifed as another type of tenor such as lyric tenor. However, the leggiero tenor possesses something that the other tenors do not: an upper extension that when not fully developed, sounds almost like a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. This "falsetto" however is part of a full voice mechanism and is much more connected to what appears to sound like the full voice more than a falsetto would. This upper extension takes a period of 3 or more years to develop successfully. The upper extension normally starts around the A flat below the Tenor High C and goes up to as high as the singer is comfortable with, normally an E above the high C and sometimes to an F# or G. The highest vocal range needed in opera for this voice type is the high F above the Tenor high C. This is sung as part of the role of Arturo in I puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
.
The light French lyric tenor is often confused with the leggiero tenor. Examples of the French tradition of a light, lyrical voice can be found in roles such as George Brown in La dame blanche
La Dame blanche
La dame blanche is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no less than five of the works by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, including his novels The Monastery, Guy Mannering, and The...
, Chapelou in Le postillon de Lonjumeau
Le postillon de Lonjumeau
Le postillon de Lonjumeau is an opéra-comique in three acts by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by 'Adolphe de Leuven' and 'Brunswick' ....
, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles
Les pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
, Vincent in Mireille
Mireille (opera)
Mireille is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio.-Composition history:...
, and Gérald in Lakmé
Lakmé
Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
.