Bass-baritone

A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass that shares certain qualities with the baritone voice type.The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer, Wotan/Der Wanderer in the Ring Cycle and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Wagner labelled these roles as Hoher Bass ("high bass") — see fach for more details.

The bass-baritone voice is distinguished by two attributes. First, it must be capable of singing comfortably in a baritonal tessitura. It must also, however, have the resonant lower range typically associated with the bass. For example, the role of Wotan in Die Walküre covers the range from F at the bottom of the bass clef to F# above middle C, but only infrequently descends beyond the C below middle C. Bass-baritones are typically divided into two separate categories: lyric bass-baritone and dramatic bass-baritone.

The term bass-baritone is roughly synonymous with the Italian term Basso cantando; for example, in Verdi, Philip II in Don Carlos is usually taken by a bass-baritone, while Ferrando in Il Trovatore is sung by a true bass—though the two roles' ranges are very similar. In Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande the lower baritone role of Golaud is a bass-baritone, sitting between Pelleas (high baritone) and Arkel (bass). See fach for more. Much of the oratorio repertoire, from Handel's Messiah to Mendelssohn's Elijah is best suited to a bass-baritone with the ability to combine a rich, dark tone with a smooth high-lying cantabile line. Many of the Mozart baritone roles such as Don Giovanni, Figaro and Gugliemo — composed before the term "baritone" gained currency — are typically played by a bass-baritone.

Lyric Bass-baritone

Description: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. The Bass-baritone's required range can vary tremendously based on the role, with some less demanding than others. Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, James Morris and Bryn Terfel. The following are more often done by high basses as opposed to lower baritones.
Roles:
Don Pizarro Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
Escamillo Carmen by Georges Bizet
Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy
Méphistophélès, Faust by Charles Gounod
Don Alfonso, Cosi fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Singers:
Thomas Quasthoff

Dramatic Bass-baritone

Roles:
Igor, Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin
Scarpia, Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
Dutchman The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner
Hans Sachs Die Meistersinger by Richard Wagner
Wotan Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner
Amfortas Parsifal by Richard Wagner
Singers:
Theo Adam
Leopold Demuth
Hans Hotter
George London
James Morris
Friedrich Schorr
Anton van Rooy

Bass-baritone roles in operetta

All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas have at least one bass-baritone character. Bass-baritones famous for singing these roles included Richard Temple, Darrell Fancourt and Donald Adams.

Prominent bass-baritones, past and present

References