what is a tenor voice

A tenor voice is a type of classical male singing voice that has the highest range among male chest voice types. The typical tenor vocal range is C3-B4, which is the smallest range among male voice types. The name "tenor" comes from the Latin word "tenere," which means "to hold". In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the tenor was the structurally fundamental voice, vocal or instrumental; by the 15th century, it came to signify the male voice that sang such parts. In choral music, the requirements of the tenor voice are tied to the style of music most often performed by a given choir. Orchestral choruses typically call for tenors with fully resonant voices, but chamber or a cappella choral music can rely on baritones singing in falsetto. In opera, the tenor voice is the highest male voice type, and the primo uomo, or leading man, is most often a tenor. Different tenor voices can be divided into further subtypes depending on the context, such as the lyric, spinto, dramatic, and heldentenor, also known as the heroic tenor.