Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A tenor voice with a striking dramatic or brilliant quality that is well suited for heroic roles, such as those in Wagnerian opera.
- n. A person with such a voice.
Wiktionary
Etymologies
- From German Heldentenor (Wiktionary)
- German : Held, hero (from Middle High German helt, from Old High German helid) + Tenor, tenor (from Italian tenore; see tenor). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I think I was probably wrong, talking about his Strauss disc the other day, to call him a 'heldentenor' - he may perhaps become one in time next decade's greatest Tristan? and he's still only in his early thirties.”
“Each kind runs the gamut from schlocky (remember the rock albums by the German heldentenor Peter Hofmann in the 1980s?) to serious (indie-pop star Sufjan Stevens's orchestral/instrumental work "BQE").”
The Washington Post: 'Classical crossover': A label not necessarily to be feared
“Wolfgang Koch was a sympathetic Dyer; Stephen Gould, a powerful heldentenor , was a bright-hued Emperor.”
The Wall Street Journal: Women on the Verge Of a Marital Breakdown
“Next to a heldentenor , we can't compete," he said, drawing a contrast with Wagnerian heroes.”
“For Ahab, he capitalized on Ben Heppner's heldentenor power and clarity in his high range, creating fierce monologues that make it clear to the audience if not to the crew that Ahab is quite mad.”
“Kaufmann outclasses all of his current competitors in the heldentenor stakes.”
“EMI Classics The New Zealander Simon O'Neill (b 1971) is fast winning international recognition as a leading heldentenor, that rare breed of powerful, heroic tenor voice needed for German romantic opera, especially Richard Wagner.”
The Guardian: Simon O'Neill: Father and Son, Wagner Scenes and Arias
“Matthias Schulz valiantly shouldered the heldentenor demands of Fritz's music, though he sometimes sounded pinched in its most extreme moments.”
The Wall Street Journal: Ringing Down From the Hudson Valley
“With a voice reminiscent of the young Jon Vickers, but with more warmth and Mediterranean luster, and with the kind of matinee-idol looks and committed acting that make him a compelling presence onstage, Kaufmann outclasses all of his current competitors in the heldentenor stakes.”
“In fact, his singing was so bad he made his father sound like a La Scala heldentenor by comparison.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘heldentenor’.
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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The Other Side of Silence
A sound garden.
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. --Walt Whitmantin cry, chark, gride, scroop, crepitation, stridulation, swazzle, death-ruckle, cronk, rumble, borborygmus, crowling and 165 more...
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A Night at the Opera
Opera terminology.
sitzprobe, claque, maestro, impresario, divo, diva, spinto, bel canto, falsetto, parlando, pants role, trouser role and 50 more...
Tweets
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