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Baritone (; ; ) 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 the second A below Middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. A2-F4)in choral music, and to G above middle C (i.e. A2 - G4) in operatic music, though it can be extended at either end. CLASSIFICATION Lyric baritone
Bel Canto (coloratura) baritone
Note: Its ambitus is greater than the lyric baritone The ''kavalierbariton''
Dramatic baritone
Verdi baritone
The ''baryton-noble''
Bariton/Baryton-Martin
HISTORY The first use of the term "baritone" emerged as ''baritonans'' late in the 15th century, 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 (1848-1923)]] 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 '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 originated most of the Gilbert and Sullivan baritone roles. 20th century The 20th century led to even more opportunities for baritones than before. New operas such as , Beckmesser , Faninal , and Mefistofele . Characteristic of the Wagner ian 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 . and Bel Canto. 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 specialized role in the formation of the four-part harmony that characterizes 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 harmonizing 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. In bluegrass music, the melody line is called the lead. Tenor is sung an interval of a third above the lead. Baritone is the fifth of the scale that has the lead as a tonic, and may be sung below the lead, or even above the lead (and the tenor), in which case it is called "high baritone." SEE ALSO NOTES REFERENCES
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