Countertenor
The term countertenor refers to the highest male voice. Many countertenor singers perform roles originally written for castrati in baroque operas. Except for a few very rare voices (such as the American male soprano Michael Maniaci or singers with a disorder such as Kallmann syndrome), singers called countertenors generally sing in the falsetto register, sometimes using their modal register for the lowest notes. Historically, there is much evidence that "countertenor", in England at least, also designated a very high tenor voice, the equivalent of the French haute-contre, and something similar to the "leggiero tenor" or tenor altino. It should be remembered that, until about 1830, all male voices used some falsetto-type voice production in their upper range.[citation needed]
Countertenor ranges (approximate)[citation needed] :
Countertenor: from about G3 to E5 or F5
Sopranist: extend the upper range to usually only C6, but some as high as E6 or F6
Haute-contre: from about D3 or E3 to about D5
Tenor
The tenor is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the C one octave above "Middle C" (C5). The low extreme for tenors is roughly A-flat 2 (the second a-flat below middle C). At the highest extreme, some tenors can sing up to the second F above "Middle C" (F5).Tenor tessitura: The tessitura of the tenor voice lies above the baritone voice and below the countertenor voice. The Leggiero tenor has the highest tessitura of all the tenor sub-types.
Tenor sub-types: Tenors are often divided into different sub-categories based on range, vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice. These sub-categories include: Leggiero tenor or Tenore di grazia, Lyric tenor, Spinto tenor, Dramatic tenor, and Heldentenor.[3] Famous tenors include Enrico Caruso, Juan Diego Flórez, Alfredo Kraus, and Luciano Pavarotti.
Baritone
The Baritone is the most common type of male voice.
Baritone range: The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them. The typical baritone range is from the second A below middle C (A2) to the A above middle C (A4), which is exactly two octaves. In the lower and upper extremes, a baritone's range can be extended at either end.
Baritone tessitura: Although this voice overlaps both the tenor and bass voices, the tessitura of the baritone is lower than that of the tenor and higher than that of the bass.
Baritone sub-types: Baritones are often divided into different sub-categories based on range, vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice. These sub-categories include: Lyric baritone, Bel Canto (coloratura) baritone, kavalierbariton, Dramatic baritone, Verdi baritone, baryton-noble, and Bariton/Baryton-Martin.
The Baritone is the most common type of male voice.
Baritone range: The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them. The typical baritone range is from the second A below middle C (A2) to the A above middle C (A4), which is exactly two octaves. In the lower and upper extremes, a baritone's range can be extended at either end.
Baritone tessitura: Although this voice overlaps both the tenor and bass voices, the tessitura of the baritone is lower than that of the tenor and higher than that of the bass.
Baritone sub-types: Baritones are often divided into different sub-categories based on range, vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice. These sub-categories include: Lyric baritone, Bel Canto (coloratura) baritone, kavalierbariton, Dramatic baritone, Verdi baritone, baryton-noble, and Bariton/Baryton-Martin.
Bass
The bass is the lowest male voice. The bass voice has the lowest tessitura of all the voices. The typical bass range lies between the second F below "middle C" (F2) to the F above middle C (F4). In the lower and upper extremes of the bass voice, some basses can sing from the C two octaves below middle C (C2) to the G above middle C (G4).
Bass sub-types: Basses are often divided into different sub-categories based on range, vocal color or timbre, the weight of the voice, and dexterity of the voice. These sub-categories include: Basso Profondo, Basso Buffo, Bel Canto Bass, Basso Cantante, Dramatic Bass, and Bass-baritone.