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Tenore di grazia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Also called a tenore leggero, a lightweight, flexible tenor voice. The tenor roles written in the early 19th century were invariable di grazia roles. Those by Rossini (Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Bellini (Gualtiero in Il pirata, Elvino in La sonnambula and Arturo in I Puritani) are classic examples of the voice. A lot of Donizetti roles, such as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, are also tenore di grazia roles.
The French lyric tenor is often confused with the tenore di grazia. The French tradition of a light, lyrical voice developed separately from the Rossinian model, with the result that while most Italian roles are lightweight and graceful, French roles can more frequently be compared with the spinto type. Roles such as Hoffmann in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, or Don José in Bizet's Carmen cannot be said to be the same as Lindoro or Nemorino.
The most famous tenore di grazia of the period was Giovanni Battista Rubini, for whom Bellini wrote nearly all his tenor roles. Today, Juan Diego Flórez has assumed this position.