tenor

tenor
tenorless, adj.
/ten"euhr/, n.
1. the course of thought or meaning that runs through something written or spoken; purport; drift.
2. continuous course, progress, or movement.
3. Rhet. the subject of a metaphor, as "she" in "She is a rose." Cf. vehicle (def. 8).
4. Music.
a. the adult male voice intermediate between the bass and the alto or countertenor.
b. a part sung by or written for such a voice, esp. the next to the lowest part in four-part harmony.
c. a singer with such a voice.
d. an instrument corresponding in compass to this voice, esp. the viola.
e. the lowest-toned bell of a peal.
5. quality, character, or condition.
adj.
6. Music. of, pertaining to, or having the compass of a tenor.
[1250-1300; < ML, L: course, continuity, tone, equiv. to ten(ere) to hold + -or -OR1; r. ME ten(o)ur < AF < L, as above]
Syn. 1. sense, import, content, substance, gist.

* * *

High male voice range, extending from about the second B below middle C to the G above it.

In the polyphony of the 13th–16th centuries, the tenor was the part that held (Latin, tenere: "to hold") the cantus firmus. Tenor voices are often classified as dramatic, lyric, or heroic (heldentenor). In instrument families, tenor refers to the instrument in which the central range is roughly that of the tenor voice (e.g., tenor saxophone).

* * *

▪ vocal range
      highest male vocal range, normally extending approximately from the second B below middle C to the G above; an extremely high voice, extending into the alto range, is usually termed a countertenor (q.v.). In instrument families, tenor refers to the instrument of more or less comparable range (e.g., tenor horn).

      In the polyphonic (multipart) music of the 13th–16th century, tenor referred to the part “holding” the cantus firmus, the plainsong, or other melody on which a composition was usually built. The highest line above was termed superius (the modern soprano), and the third added voice was termed contratenor. In the mid-15th century, writing in four parts became common, and the contratenor part gave rise to the contratenor altus (the modern alto) and contratenor bassus (the modern bass). The term tenor gradually lost its association with a cantus firmus and began to refer to the part between the alto and bass and to the corresponding vocal range.

      Tenor voices are often classified as dramatic, lyric, or heroic (heldentenor). In plainsong recitation of psalms, tenor refers to the reiterated note on which most of the syllables fall.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • TÉNOR — La voix d’homme la plus élevée, autrefois appelée taille et haute contre. Suivant les caractères du ténor, on distingue ordinairement: le ténor léger, à l’expression souple (don Ferrando dans Cosi fan tutte de Mozart, Almaviva dans Le Barbier de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Tenor — Ténor Dans la musique occidentale, le terme ténor (du latin tenere = tenir) désigne une tessiture instrumentale ou vocale entre l alto et la basse. Dans la musique vocale (baroque excepté), elle correspond à la voix masculine la plus aiguë. Au… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • tenor — TENÓR, tenori, s.m. 1. Cea mai înaltă voce bărbătească; cântăreţ care are o astfel de voce. ♢ Tenor dramatic = voce de tenor cu un timbru asemănător baritonului; cântăreţ cu o astfel de voce. 2. Categorie de instrumente de suflat cu registrul cel …   Dicționar Român

  • Tenor — Ten or, n. [L., from tenere to hold; hence, properly, a holding on in a continued course: cf. F. teneur. See {Tenable}, and cf. {Tenor} a kind of voice.] 1. A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tenor — ([ teːnoɐ], Betonung auf der ersten Silbe): bezeichnet inhaltliche Tendenz, Grundton in einer Rede oder einem Schriftstück, speziell in der Rechtsprechung Teil eines gerichtlichen Urteils oder Beschlusses, siehe Tenor (Urteil) einen wichtigen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • tenor — sustantivo masculino 1. Área: música Voz con un registro entre el contralto y el barítono. 2. Persona que tiene esta voz: El tenor Alfredo Kraus inaugura la temporada de ópera. 3. Área: música Instrumento musical que, ent …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • tenor — Ⅰ. tenor [1] ► NOUN 1) a singing voice between baritone and alto or countertenor, the highest of the ordinary adult male range. 2) (before another noun ) referring to an instrument of the second or third lowest pitch in its family: a tenor sax.… …   English terms dictionary

  • tenor — [ten′ər] n. [OFr < L tenere, to hold: see TENANT] 1. general course or tendency [the even tenor of my life] 2. general meaning; drift; purport 3. in a metaphor, that term or concept that is described in a figurative way by the vehicle: see… …   English World dictionary

  • tenor — tènōr m <G tenóra> DEFINICIJA 1. glazb. a. najviši muški glas [dramski (herojski) tenor; lirski tenor] b. meton. pjevač takva glasa 2. pren. razg. ono što tko najviše naglašava (u izlaganju, tekstu itd.) 3. pov. glazb. a. oznaka za ton u… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • tenor — I noun cast, character, content, course, cut, direction, drift, exemplum, feeling, form, gist, idea, import, manner, meaning, mode, mood, nature, purport, sense, sententia, significance, signification, spirit, stamp, subject matter, tendency,… …   Law dictionary

  • tenor — c.1300, general meaning, purpose, drift, from O.Fr. tenour substance, sense (13c.), from L. tenorem (nom. tenor) contents, course, originally a holding on, from tenere to hold (see TENET (Cf. tenet)). The musical sense of high male voice is… …   Etymology dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”