Ténor

As Printed on a Score

Labels the tenor staff in French vocal and choral scores (Ténor, plural Ténors; Tenor without the accent in German and English), abbreviated T. or Ten. — the same abbreviation as tenuto, so tell a staff label from a marking over notes. Modern scores write tenor in treble clef sounding an octave lower, often with an 8 under the clef; older scores use the tenor clef.

Abbreviations: T., Ten.

Also spelled: Tenor

How Composers Use It

The high male voice: a comfortable choral range runs from about the C below middle C to the G above middle C, with solo tenors reaching higher. Keep long stretches out of the top few notes, where the voice tires and the words thin. As a prefix the word also names instruments — saxophone ténor, trombone ténor — so check whether a staff is a voice or an instrument before reading its clef.

Example

Fauré, “Au cimetière” (4 Mélodies, Op. 51), voice, m. 8: a footnote reads “La même en mi” followed by “pour Ténor.” — the same, in E, for tenor.

Related Terms