Tenore di grazia, also called tenore leggero, is a lightweight, flexible tenor type of voice. The tenor roles written in the early 19th century Italian operas are invariably di grazia 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 tenore di grazia of that period was Giovanni Battista Rubini, for whom Bellini wrote nearly all his operas.

The light French lyric tenor is often confused with the tenore di grazia. 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 pecheurs de perles, Vincent in Mireille, and Gérald in Lakmé.

See also

• Voice type