A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. A typical bass has a range extending from around the F below the bottom of the bass clef to the E above middle C (i.e. F2-E4). Bass also used to refer to a low speaking voice. A sopranista is a male singer who sings music written in the soprano vocal range. ... The countertenor is a unique and somewhat controversial vocal class for men, being the highest voice class for them. ... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as a countertenor). ... A baritenor is a male voice having a tessitura between the baritone and the tenor. ... This is an article on the voice type. ... A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ... Singers may be classified according to their vocal range - the general pitch at which they sing. ... A clef (French for key) is a symbol used in musical notation that assigns notes to lines and spaces on the musical staff. ...

Types

In classical music, and particularly in opera, the following distinctions are often made among different kinds of bass voices: This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ...

• Basso profondo (frequently misspelled basso profundo or French basse noble) is a particularly deep and resonant voice. It may reach the B below the bass clef, but is most distinguished by its dark and cavernous timbre. A typical role in opera is Sarastro from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.
• Basso cantante (French basse chantante) is a lighter, more lyrical voice, perhaps with a slightly higher range. A typical role in opera is Escamillo from Bizet's Carmen.
• Basso buffo literally means "comic bass." It is used to describe operatic roles that do not call for lyrical, elaborate singing but do require a strong comic acting ability. A typical role in opera is Bartolo from Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro.
• Bass-baritone is a voice with the resonant low notes of the typical bass but with the ability to sing in a baritonal tessitura. Sometimes it also refers to a voice with a range and tone somewhere between a bass and a baritone.

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ... Carmen is a French opera by Georges Bizet. ... Le Nozze di Figaro, is a comic opera composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Beaumarchais. ... A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ... This is an article on the voice type. ...

Famous bassos

Classical music

• Kurt Böhme
• Feodor Chaliapin
• Boris Christoff
• Gottlob Frick
• Nicolai Ghiaurov
• Kurt Moll
• Ezio Pinza
• Cesare Siepi
• Matti Salminen
• Martti Talvela
• Sir John Tomlinson
• Franco Ventriglia
• Willard White

Kurt Böhme (May 5, 1908 – December 20, 1989) was a German bass. ... The Russian opera singer Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin () (February 13 (February 1, Old Style), 1873–April 12, 1938) was the most famous bass in the first half of the 20th century. ... Boris Christoff ( Bulgarian: ) ( May 18, 1914, Plovdiv, Bulgaria – June 28, 1993, Rome, Italy) was a Bulgarian opera singer, one of the greatest basses of the 20th century. ... Nicolai Ghiaurov (13 September 1929–2 June 2004) was a Bulgarian opera singer and probably the most famous bass of the postwar period. ... Kurt Moll (born April 11, 1938) is a German bass. ... Ezio Pinza The Italian bass Ezio Pinza (18 May 1892 - 9 May 1957) was one of the outstanding opera singers of the first half of the 20th century. ... Martti Talvela (February 4, 1935 - July 22, 1989) was a Finnish bass player. ... Professor John Tomlinson (born April 24, 1932, died August 6, 2005) was a leading British educationalist. ... Franco Ventriglia (born 1922 in Fairfield, Connecticut) is an opera singer who sang bass in every major European opera house for over twenty years during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. ... Willard White (born October 10, 1946) is one of the worlds great basses, known for his enormous rich voice and powerful stage presence. ...

Popular music

• Lance Bass
• Melvin Franklin
• Isaac Hayes
• Thurl Ravenscroft
• Ivan Rebroff
• Paul Robeson
• Barry White

James Lance Bass (born May 4, 1979), a native of Clinton, Mississippi is the bass singer for the American pop group *NSYNC. He began his musical career in the seventh grade in the school chorus. ... Melvin Franklin (far left), with the Temptations in 1967. ... Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (born August 20, 1942) is an influential soul singer, songwriter, musician and arranger. ... Ravenscrofts 1970 gospel album Great Hymns in Story and Song Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (February 6, 1914 – May 22, 2005) was an American voice actor and singer with a deep, booming voice. ... Ivan Rebroff (born 31 July 1931 on a Berlin train platform two month premature) is a German singer with an extraordinary vocal range of four and a half octaves; this is in the soprano to bass registers. ... USPS Black Heritage stamp Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American actor, athlete, singer, writer, and political and civil rights activist. ... Barry White Barry White (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American record producer and singer responsible for the creation of numerous hit soul and disco songs. ...

External link

• BBC Guide to the singing voice