Tenor is a high male singing voice, higher than baritone and bass. It can also mean the general meaning, mood, or direction of something, like the tenor of a speech.
From Latin *tenor* 'a holding, course, continuity', from *tenere* 'to hold'. In medieval music, the *tenor* was the voice that 'held' the main melody while others moved around it.
The 'tenor' of a conversation is literally the line it holds to—its overall direction. The singing sense and the 'general meaning' sense both come from the idea of one main line being carried through.
As a vocal range, 'tenor' has traditionally been associated with male singers, reflecting gendered structures in classical music. Women who sang in this range were often discouraged or misclassified.
In music, acknowledge that people of various genders may sing in tenor range; in figurative use ('tenor of the conversation'), the term is gender-neutral.
["tone","character","quality","vocal range (tenor)"]
Women and nonbinary singers have expanded understandings of vocal ranges, challenging rigid gendered classifications in choirs and opera.
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