the tenor

the heroic middle

the tenor is the highest male voice, and the most storied — the lover, the hero, the one the audience is quietly rooting for through the whole evening. its range sits from about C3 to C5, but it's the top, the "money notes," that built the legend.

tenors are made by the long line: the ability to spin a phrase across twenty seconds without the pitch sagging. power matters, but the long line is what separates a tenor who sings a high B from one who sings a line.

if you're a tenor

• train the passaggio — the gear change around E4–F4.
• don't chase the high C; grow the G and A first.
• sing legato, not louder. the line is the instrument.