Rossini Tenor (also called Light-Lyric)

A light-lyric tenor should have easy high notes and great agility. Because many of the best roles for light-lyric tenors were written by bel canto composer Gioacchino Rossini, these singers are sometimes called “Rossini tenors.”

The clip below is a serenade sung by Count Almaviva in Rossini’s most famous opera, The Barber of Seville. Listen for beautiful high notes and fancy ornamentations. Sung in English.

This excerpt is from Nashville Opera’s 2004 children’s tour of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

Other light-lyric / Rossini tenor roles: Ramiro (Rossini’s La Cenerentola), Lindoro (Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers), Tonio (Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment).