Word
baritone
Phoneticsbari·tone
US/ˈbɛɹəˌtoʊn/
UK/bˈæɹɪtˌəʊn/
Definition
n. a type of male singing voice that is lower than a tenor but higher than a bass. It is the most common voice type for men.
n. a male singing voice of medium range, situated between the higher tenor and the lower bass. It is the most common and versatile of the male vocal ranges.
Examples
“The lead singer has a deep baritone voice.”
“The choir consists of three baritones, two tenors, and one bass.”
“While the tenor carries the melody, the baritone provides the harmonic foundation, often singing the inner parts that give the composition its emotional weight.”
Examples
simple
“The lead singer has a deep baritone voice.”
contextual
“The choir consists of three baritones, two tenors, and one bass.”
complex
“While the tenor carries the melody, the baritone provides the harmonic foundation, often singing the inner parts that give the composition its emotional weight.”
Real-World Examples
“The choir and orchestra are joined by soloists including celebrated French soprano Sabine Devieilhe and must-see British baritone Huw Montague-Rendall for a programme focused on the vital musical legacy of the Baroque era.” “Having a rich baritone voice, he was also in demand as a voice actor for animated films and television shows.” Etymology
From Italian baritono, from Ancient Greek βαρύτονος (barútonos), from βαρύς (barús, “heavy”) + τόνος (tónos, “tone”). Doublet of baryton and barytone.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.